Steve-e Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Bankside the module. Prototype location: Nowhere in particular, stone walls and blackened buildings give it Northern feel . Era:1950's to Present, set at the end of Summer. Length: 6ft long x 18inch wide straight. Single track with sidings or Single to Double with sidings. 00 Gauge. Module operator: Based in Carlisle, Cumbria. I don’t belong to any club and my modelling is done in my own home so I consider myself a bit of a Lone Wolf type of modeller but as such sometimes you want to run with the pack. That’s how my interest in the modular scene has come about as it was an opportunity to do both. The thing that interested me most was the ability to build something in my own home that could be joined to other people’s modules to provide a longer run in which to operate my locos and rolling stock and perhaps even exhibit in the future. Another reason was having several sound locos it quickly became apparent that I didn’t get to experience them much above the idle setting. The idea behind the module. The first idea I had was to have two boards both of 3ft in length the 1st been a straight track over a river and the 2nd been a cement siding the reasoning behind this was at 3ft long they would have both fit inside my little Citroen C1 car should I be going anywhere with them. So an order was placed from Model Railway Solutions http://www.modelrailwaysolutions.co.uk/index.htm as they did baseboards that fit the specifications of 9mm thick ply, 4” deep and 18inch wide. I did order a 6ft long board as the initial Idea was to saw it in half to produce the 2 boards. However once bits of track and the board arrived I assessed the space I had and found that the 6ft long board would fit above my existing 2 APA boxes. I was planning on storing these in the loft space) but could now be retained as photography boards under the module. The 6 ft long also provided much longer siding. The problem would be however the need to hire a Van to transport to any meet but this would have been necessary if I got into the concept more and built other modules. So the 6 ft board remained and this is its new home. The replica (wooden) nameplate could do with been raised slightly. The Track plan The initial idea for the 6ft board was to have a single line with a left hand point siding for a cement terminal as I have a few PCA type wagons. This evolved into this plan The idea was that at the left hand side there was the bridge over a river. The right hand side would be a siding with the cement terminal and the bit in the middle was a headshunt for an industrial shunter. This then evolved into this where I thought instead of it just been a siding if I slew the track over a bit I could change it from a Single track board into a single line to double or single to single with a siding or one half of a run round loop. This has now evolved into this I see this as my final design with the bridge to the left with siding / run round loop / double track to the right and a double siding in the middle for a rundown shed for the Industrial loco or a set back siding to swap the wagons over. So thats what the thinking behind the board was about. Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-e Posted August 31, 2014 Author Share Posted August 31, 2014 So this is what I've got together so far. This is the underside of the board for anyone interested Living on a new-build building site has it's advantages as they have off cuts of wood that I have been given. The picture shows the legs upside down the adjstable feet at the top and were purchased from Station Road baseboards http://www.stationroadbaseboards.co.uk/ at the moment the legs are loosly held in place and should I go to any meet will need to be sorted somehow. These are the banana plugs "gold plated" (Only the best for RMweb) from Ebay and not much dearer than the plastic ones from Maplin, Female ones attached to the brackets and the male ones I will make some jumper leads. I got the brackets from B&M bargains who were changing the range and had them in a reduced bin for 10p for 2 G Clamps a mixture of Ebay and Station Road Models. I have 3 not sure how many I would need at a meet but I suppose you cant have to many. Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-e Posted August 31, 2014 Author Share Posted August 31, 2014 This is how far I have got with the bridge side, the top board has been cut to form a kind of river shape then narrowed and tried in place with the Hornby bridge on top http://www.Hornby.com/rail-over-river-bridge.html (I got mine for a lot less than Hornby are charging) Here are some images the bridge is slightly to high for the track to sit flat so some work still to do before we start on the rest. So that's where I'm up to for now, I am working for the next couple of weeks covering holidays so I cant see there been any more updates until late September. Cheers Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-e Posted September 7, 2014 Author Share Posted September 7, 2014 Having had a bit of down time at work due to IT maintenance (they were switching it off then back on again) meant I couldn't do much so took my Walthers kit in to make a start on what will hopefully become my Cement siding for "Bankside the module". The kit is actually a plastic pellet transfer kit, this one http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/933-3081 but it does say it is also suitable for powder cement. So doing a bit of research on cement sidings the one at Northenden, Manchester has a similarity to the kit (if you close one eye and squint with the other) http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/27548-northenden-cement-terminal/ So I've made a start It's the first Walthers kit I've had a go at and I didn't want to progress to far as I want to paint the silos before adding the ladders etc... but a start has been made and this is how far I've got at the mo... The kit looks pretty straight forward and is plastic in construction, the plastic been a white colour for the most of it with only a greyish colour for the base part. Most of the parts I've delbt with at up to now have slotted into place quite well and the instructions have been ok to follow but some of the pipework looks a bit intricate so we'll see how that goes later. These pipes are ready just to glue into place and look the part just take care cutting them from the sprue. The silos are just placed into position at the moment and not glued down, I just did this shot to get an overall feel for how it looks. Cheers Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-e Posted September 8, 2014 Author Share Posted September 8, 2014 A bit more work on the Cement Silos tonight basically giving them a lick of paint. there's still work to be done on the silos with piping etc so there not fixed down as yet. I should have really painted these before gluing as they were a bit fiddly. I also made some jumper cables to join my module onto another module. As my module will have female banana terminals on I made some jumpers which with male to male ends. So taking a meter length of 2.5mm 30amp wire I made a cut about 1cm in from the end and slowly twisting the wire while removing the casing stripped the end off. Not sure how to wire banana plugs up as I've never seen them before so this is how I did it. The plug unscrewed into two parts and Inserting the wire into the end of the plug I formed an L shape to the bare wire. the L shape then poked out of the side of the Banana plug once you insert it into the other part of the plug and then tighten which stops the wire falling out. And thats 1 set done. Most of this stuff is new to me so if I've done it wrong please let me know so I can correct it and let others know of the issue. Many Thanks Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-e Posted September 9, 2014 Author Share Posted September 9, 2014 Some more work on the Cement Silos throughout the night and things are looking good. this is the link I've used for Inspiration http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/27548-northenden-cement-terminal/ Quite a nice kit to make some bits are fiddly but overall I'm pleased with the outcome just needs some light weathering now and then planted on the module when I'm ready. Cheers Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 Looking good Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-e Posted September 21, 2014 Author Share Posted September 21, 2014 Have made a start on putting something on the Module board today. starting with the river / bridge area. above . I started with weathering the bridge slightly then sticking it into place. Some card formers were made just to give the plaster bandage stuff something to hold onto. Next came the fun part forming the bandages to form a kind of river. This photo from the riverbed. I also have made a start on the track work by attaching 3 lengths of code 75 flexitrack to some copper clad board these will form the three ends that should connect to someone else's board.... hopefully..... Oh and I'm not sure about the cement siding now as I was trying to make my module to cover the widest possible date range.... it maybe put to one side for a future board once this ones done. Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 What did you have in mind to model the water of the "river"? Just noting that you are using plaster bandage and nothing behind, I've been there done that and it's all oozed out through the gaps and ended up on the floor - thankfully an empty box underneath caught the majority of it before I realised what was happening. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-e Posted September 21, 2014 Author Share Posted September 21, 2014 its not going to be a very deep river more of a shallow stream so either paint then layer varnish on it to give a feeling that its deeper than it is or Glue with sand base and either varnish or clear resin on top if its going to be really shallow. Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 Sounds right for what you are trying to achieve - but still be careful of leaks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-e Posted September 23, 2014 Author Share Posted September 23, 2014 A lot of work today on getting the track down and some wiring in place. Starting with the right hand end the centre line was found then working with a few of the little Peco track spacers the copper end plates were nailed into place. These has been pre-soldered with the track. I made a change from the original plan in that right hand side of the module where the two tracks are will be straight until after the point work in the centre of the board. The transition from double track to single will take place between the point work and the little bridge. I have purchased this goods shed for either the wagons to be deposited or as a shed for the shunter which operates at the cement sidings... This shows the cement sidings placed where they would go if I use them there's a reason why I am now unlikely to use the cement works and I'll hopefully be able to show you next week. This is where the electrical gubbins will go I've screwed a DVD case to the underside of the module and I have purchased a Hex Frog juicer which hopefully should take care of the polarity switching of the points without any further DCC work. I have an idea for the switching of the points up top and hopefully will be able to show you next week. Cheers Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-e Posted September 28, 2014 Author Share Posted September 28, 2014 Have done the electrical work on the Module today..... droppers have been soldered to the Bus wire. The banana sockets have been attached to the end baseboards and soldered to the Bus Wire. Here we can see the jumper leads in place to test those to my DCC system. This is the Hex Frog juicer quite pricey but It works and just a case of putting wires to the Bus on the left then a wire to each frog on the top row. I still have 3 spare terminals so if I were to build an additional board I could run the wires from a few more points to the juicer.. All boxed up in the DVD case to give it some protection.. And I now have trains running via manual points changed by the giant finger from above.... I have an idea to use the GEM Mercontrol system which should give the Guard/2nd Man/ Signal man some levers to pull just working out the best way of doing that then I'll give you an update. Cheers Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-e Posted September 30, 2014 Author Share Posted September 30, 2014 With all of the electrics been handled by the Hex Frog Juicer it meant that I needed some way of operating the points up top as the Standards say that point control must be independent to the DCC system. So it was either the big finger to change the point or wire in the tube under the base board or another option..... I chose an other option from what I can gather module meets are more of an operational hands on type meet where you follow your train along the track with a driver and a Guard / 2nd man or Signalman operating the points so I thought of an area where the point operator could pull some levers to change the points which all been well should provide some fun.... I did some research and found the GEM Mercontrol system which provides wire, connectors and levers to pull. I also noted from photos that people like to rest their elbows on the layout when operating so I decided to make a kind of mini signal box where you could rest your controller / elbow / work sheets while pulling the leavers at the same time. This wont be a very prototypical affair and wont be to OO Scale but should provide some entertainment while shunting in Bankside Yard. Hopefully it will make sense what I'm trying to do as the layout progress's This is my elbow while gauging for elbow room. This is where I'm up to at present the main frame to the left controls the two points to the left of centre. The switch to the right would be a ground frame type and controls the catch point. There is still one point to fit and work on but I need another ground type switch which is on order this will control the centre point in the yard as such. The "signal box / work area will be the area to the front between the McDonald's coffee stirrers. These photos show the 4 lever frame only the two outer ones are connected to points to centre two levers dont do anything. This is the little ground frame point that controls the catch point which is just in front of the 37 This shows the wire in tube method to control the point. Everything seems to be working OK I had to build some guide rails either side of the wire and on top as the wire has a habit of going where it pleases but these will be covered with scenery. More soon.... Cheers Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Reichert Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 Module designs I've seen tend to have a double ended transverse rod mechanism that allow turnouts to be thrown from push buttons on either side of the module. So it can be used facing in either direction, without creating any operating restrictions. I think for FreeMo here in SoCal, it may even be mandatory in their standard. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-e Posted October 6, 2014 Author Share Posted October 6, 2014 More work on the control area today. The track plan finalised and laminated. The idea with the plan is a single line from the left to either a double exit or exit and goods shed C to the right. In the center will be goods shed Lines A and B. The laminate was attached to some foamboard cut to shape and the whole lot glued to the board. next came the fun part cutting the curved end off a load of McDonalds/Costa's/Starbucks type coffee stirrers to form some basic type floor boards you can get several hundred cheap on auction sites I didn't drink that many coffees.... Glueing them down resulted in this. I am looking to box this in as its not to OO scale and is just the control area for the points. I did look at an alternative of operating from both sides of the layout but found this way was the best for me and was within the agreed standards of providing manual operation while maintaining DCC with my Frog Juicer so I hope it is ok for others. Cheers Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Good progress. Although I think "double sided operation" is probably the ideal, there has to be an understanding that it isn't always possible, and it's just a case of making a meet organiser aware which side operation is on, in case they were planning on having one side fairly near to a wall. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-e Posted October 6, 2014 Author Share Posted October 6, 2014 I have decided to put the Cement works to one side and they wont be part of the Bankside Module, they may appear in the future should another module take shape. This is for a few reasons I have today taken ownership of 13 wagons previously seen on Tetleys Mills while these are totally out of my comfort zone of post 1980 modelling I felt as well as donating to charity they were Ideal for the principles of Modular in that they are a mix of colours / types so should be great for Drop 3 Grain off in Siding B pick up 1 Conflat,1 Ferrocrete and 1 Low Fit from Siding A and take to ....an other.... module type operation. So I think the Cement works would have been too Modern to be part of this module. Now not knowing Dave other than through looking at Tetleys Mills in magazines, looking at some of his posts and other posts since his passing I also feel that having the Wagons for a modular set up is a great way of them still been in the community so others I hope people will enjoy seeing their loco pulling some wagons from Tetleys and maybe encouraged to partake in the Modular set up, I will certainly bring them along to any meet I attend. The other reason now that I have the wagons is I would prefer the module to be non time (year wise not season) / era specific or at least a wider date span so I can still run my existing Diesels so hopefully I can get away with the buildings covering a bigger date range to cover a Goods Yard for the Tetleys Wagons and a PWay Yard for my existing 1980's wagons. So we'll see if that can be achieved and having a non-de script module enables more impulse purchases So as I say totally out of my comfort zone but once again Tetleys Mills providing some inspiration to try something new and I have purchased my first Steam loco a L&Y tank which while a passenger loco should be the first of a few Steam / Early Green Diesels. Here's a few pics of the Tetleys Wagons that I bought. 3 x Esso Tanks Conflat and Grain wagons Ferrocrete and DCL 3 x Grain Royal Daylight Tank and Low Fit UCL,Ronuk, Mollasses and Royal Daylight Tanks So that's where I'm up to now I am concentrating on one side of the module before spinning it around to do the Goods yard area. Cheers Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Reichert Posted October 7, 2014 Share Posted October 7, 2014 Good progress. Although I think "double sided operation" is probably the ideal, there has to be an understanding that it isn't always possible, and it's just a case of making a meet organiser aware which side operation is on, in case they were planning on having one side fairly near to a wall. The organizer has to be able to create an overall track plan and operations scheme, long before the date of the meet, (months usually) using the pre-published individual track plans (And all size/end angles) of all the modules that are available. If he/she doesn't know then that a particular module is one sided, then the whole meet plan and/or operation can be compromised. So basically, either the standard requires reversible modules, or requires advance notice if they are allowed. I suspect many here may be under-estimating just how much significant pre-planning and supervision/control is needed for a modular meet, as compared to just turning up at the last minute at a show with a small, just finished, exhibition layout and a booked, assigned space. Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-e Posted October 7, 2014 Author Share Posted October 7, 2014 I don't think anyone is underestimating the scale of the operation that's why small regional meets are been discussed to "prove the concept" if I attended one and found my module wasn't successful then I'd look how others had done things and go away and look at it again..... but.... At the moment I am fulfilling all of the Standards that were agreed here http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/88537-rmweb-modular-project-standards/?p=1533866 And at the moment the meets that are been discussed are during March , April or May 2015 so hopefully enough time to get the details sorted should I submit my board. We spent months discussing Standards and not once was the requirement that point operation from both sides mentioned as a requirement but if ANDY Y wants to change the standard then I will look at another way of operation, I was just trying to provide another option using a UK system (from GEM) to the UK set up that may provide some fun and be different and as no one has started a board with points then I had nothing to compare with. Regards Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted October 7, 2014 Share Posted October 7, 2014 The organizer has to be able to create an overall track plan and operations scheme, long before the date of the meet, (months usually) using the pre-published individual track plans (And all size/end angles) of all the modules that are available. If he/she doesn't know then that a particular module is one sided, then the whole meet plan and/or operation can be compromised. So basically, either the standard requires reversible modules, or requires advance notice if they are allowed. I suspect many here may be under-estimating just how much significant pre-planning and supervision/control is needed for a modular meet, as compared to just turning up at the last minute at a show with a small, just finished, exhibition layout and a booked, assigned space. Andy I've organised shows before so I know the months of planning that can be required. Even the best planned events can go wrong - like one of our shows where the local wildlife set fire to one of the rooms we were using at the venue three days before the show, requiring a complete reorganisation of where things were. What happens if, on the morning, Bob doesn't turn up because his car wouldn't start and it was too late to ring anyone else to try and find space in the car? The meet organiser modifies what is there as best they can to make an interesting plan without that particular station. Even the most key critical component (such as Bob being the one bringing the control system for the day) should have a backup planned so someone else brings along something that can be used. I suppose the key thing is that this is not Fre(e)mo - we may well decide that we want to run it to a much looser operating standard than the existing modular standards, and we are still at the "proof of concept" stage so I would expect many of those who are new to modular operation wouldn't be that fussed if things didn't quite go to plan anyway. Even if we only have five people bringing between them 40ft of boards, that's likely to be a longer layout than many of us are used to operating with anyway so we are still going to enjoy ourselves. If it turns out that we can't get anything to work properly, then in true British fashion we'll pack up and decamp to the nearest pub for a few hours. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Reichert Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 I don't think anyone is underestimating the scale of the operation that's why small regional meets are been discussed to "prove the concept" if I attended one and found my module wasn't successful then I'd look how others had done things and go away and look at it again..... but.... At the moment I am fulfilling all of the Standards that were agreed here http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/88537-rmweb-modular-project-standards/?p=1533866 And at the moment the meets that are been discussed are during March , April or May 2015 so hopefully enough time to get the details sorted should I submit my board. We spent months discussing Standards and not once was the requirement that point operation from both sides mentioned as a requirement but if ANDY Y wants to change the standard then I will look at another way of operation, I was just trying to provide another option using a UK system (from GEM) to the UK set up that may provide some fun and be different and as no one has started a board with points then I had nothing to compare with. Regards Steve I'm more concerned that what you think of as a "loose" standard, is actually just lacking in what would be better described as "commonsense guidance". Which would have alerted you beforehand. Many existing standards define "arbitrary" conditions, not because they are "restrictive", but to avoid equally possible perfectly good choices that would otherwise cause avoidable conflicts. End height is an obvious one. Others are not so obvious, but leaving them out is not always a case of "removing restrictions". For example, here in the US, we drive on the right hand side of roads. You drive of the left. It's not that one side is in any way "better" than the other. It's just a mutual agreement that we all do it one chosen way, so as to avoid a massively unacceptable rate of collisions. If we started from scratch defining the rules of the road, we'd still have to pick one side up front! And when I visit the UK, I happily switch sides It may seem obvious to some, that dual sided operation is a part of the flexibility of modules that can be connected any way around, in any place. But the "standard's looseness somewhat implies it up front, but then does not actually detail it later. IMHO, it's one of several unhelpful omissions. I may be being a little bit picky here, but it's important not to create a community wide misleading impression by default. I don't think anyone could describe this standard as "agreed". It's an RM Web proposal, following a discussion of a great many other views, that you can choose to follow, or not. There are a lot of other standards that very many RM Web members are apparently supportive of. I would not like to hazard a guess as which standard(s) has the most members support. Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 I like to think of the 'standard' as a work in progress. As I, and many others have stated many times, every existing modular standard would have gone through the very same growth pains before becoming as popular as it is today, and I bet that when each standard was proposed, there were cries of "but why not do it our way as we have something that already works". We will learn, we will adapt, we will find out what does and doesn't work for us, and hopefully have fun in the process. UK railway operation is very different in many ways and our standard needs to reflect that. That's the one main reason we haven't just adopted an American standard because it simply could not work for UK models. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-e Posted October 13, 2014 Author Share Posted October 13, 2014 A bit of work this morning on the Control box. I have looked at the possibility of using the existing system and adapting it for double sided operation but it isn't possible due to the lever points having a locking mechanism which would cause damage to the points if I tried to pull them from the opposite direction so for now I will stick to one sided operation and advise any meet organiser of the fact. Once this module is complete I can see myself making more modules as I'm finding it a fun experience so I may be able to offer other boards if this one isn't suitable. So onto the progress. I have decided to enhance the box that is to surround the control area by including some added detail to the inside by boarding out and adding windows to the outside in Tetleys inspired stone work has been added this hopefully will provide another bonus for the Module meet participants as it offers a great perspective of the module from which to take photos from inside the control area and as a back scene for photographing locos etc on the outside.... hopefully you'll see what I'm trying to achieve further down the page.... Below is the basic inside of the control area showing, varnished flooring and builders favourite Magnolia painted walls with the windows installed this is just loosely placed on the layout at the moment so I could get the gist of what it looks like there are windows to add to one side and the stonework to add on both outer side walls but its coming together. The window surrounds still need sanded and painted also. Below. 2 Images showing the view down the module towards the bridge end. The wood to help the point work will be eventually covered with scenery. Below 2 images showing the Tetleys Inspiration with Lowry and Vallette's Paint Importers this is the rail side of the control area. These two images below hopefully try to show the idea of the windows the sills still need tidied up but hopefully you can see what I'm trying to offer the module user as a photographic point. Cheers Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-e Posted October 14, 2014 Author Share Posted October 14, 2014 Awaiting some bits to arrive to continue with the control area so turned my attention to the left hand bridge area for some scenic work. I tend to look at things from the soil up and build up layers so... 1st up was a covering of paint for the river area using a Tester pot of Habitat Loam colour (do people paint their walls this colour no wonder it was reduced to 50p) then I made a mix of sand and some sand/small stone grit mixture that the builders on our estate are using to bed block paving into... this was glued into place to be the river bed. once the river bed was dry I coated the bank sides with PVA and added some "Static grass with Rock Debris" by War-World Scenics followed by another shade of static grass. Once dry the whole lot was hoovered to remove the excess. and now I've started adding bushes, flowers etc and started measuring up a stone wall I'm also slowly adding some layers of varnish to build up the stream this is hopefully just soaking into the sand and not disappearing through the board as per Cromptonnuts warning early ( I cant see any drips coming down under the board..). I'm hoping that once it dries subsequent layers wont seep away and I'm only going for a trickle of water with a dryish riverbed so fingers crossed I get the look that I'm wanting. Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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