Jump to content
 

Ray Von

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,166

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Blog Entries posted by Ray Von

  1. Ray Von

    Detailing

    By Ray Von,


    Detailing
    Some pics of details added to the layout today, signage, air conditioning units and the obligatory "lady in a bra" billboard (sorry!)

  2. Ray Von

    "Counterpoint"

    By Ray Von,


    Modelling
    A tiny seashell I found yesterday is now a piece of "modern art" on my (circa 1980) model rail layout.  
    The bronze sculpture "Counterpoint" (1959) is by renowned local artist Hermione Boot and is mounted over a wishing well that supports local charities in the town of Dent de Lion...
     
    The seashell is glued to a piece of dressmakers pin, which in turn is fixed to a small plastic reel of some sort that I found on the ground, possibly from a tape cassette.
     
     

     

     

     

  3. Ray Von

    Bottletop Signal Box

    By Ray Von,


    Modelling
    It's been a long while!  Today I made a completely fictional, unprotoypical Signal Box - from a few odds and ends found around the house.
     
    The main inspiration came from a clear plastic lid I found that had an inner segment - I forgot to take any pictures prior to starting this project, so this vague description is the best I can offer!  Here is a pic of the lid, masked and primed:
     

     
    Alongside this clear plastic lid is a small eyedropper bottle, which - as luck would have it - was a perfect fit for the inner section of the lid.  I fixed an old offcut of brickwork plasticard, left over from another project and already painted and weathered.  The plasticard had a tendency to "unping" when I attempted to glue it onto the body of the bottle, so I employed a cable tie - which became a vital part of the building itself!
     

     

     
    The roof for the building came in the form of a vitamin pill lid, this was primed white around the edge, and grey for the rooftop.
     

     
    The parts that were to represent concrete were painted in my tried and tested way - Beige Acrylic with a wash of Brown Earth, this was was also applied to the roof edging too.
     
    Here is the nearly finished article:
     

     
    As you can see, the building is total fiction!  I'm fairly pleased with it though.  I can imagine it perhaps being a product of elegant, modern 1930's design - offering 360 degree visibility of the surrounding rail network.  (Access by the way is via an internal spiral staircase.)
     
    I added some very thin, square styrene rod for the window frames and sill - the vertical struts are held in place by double-sided tape (I'll glue them permanently, the day I finally get them straight!)
    I might add more architectural details at a later date, vents, pipework etc...
     
    Here is the building in situ, I inserted a tube of coloured paper with a doodle on it of some trackwork to represent a map and a small clock, made from a circle of plasticard.
     

     

     
    I think it looks pretty good, I just need to add a footing for it to stand on.  Thanks for looking in! 
     

     
  4. Ray Von

    Bottletop Signal Box Update

    By Ray Von,


    Modelling
    It's been somewhat breezy today, so I cracked on with adding some detail to my Signal Box.  
    I wasn't happy with the proportions of the windows, a bit overscale I thought - so I simply added some card bands, top and bottom. I weathered them with a wash of Brown Earth mixed with a smidge of PVA glue, this helped to adhere the paper nicely as it dried.
     
    I also added a station name to the building, and dry brushed some white paint to areas here and there - to simulate minerals leaching and just add some realism.  
     

     

  5. Ray Von

    Bracket for the Controller.

    By Ray Von,


    Controller
    Added a bracket to the layout control panel today, it was a pair left over from an "over-the-door-hanger" kit. 
    I bent it to the desired angle in a vice, the slots running the length of the upper section enabled me to screw the bracket to the shelf.
    I used "Command" brand picture hanging strips to secure the controller to the bracket - they are stronger than normal velcro, so far they appear to be holding well.
     

     

     

     
  7. Ray Von

    A Vital Component Finally Arrives!

    By Ray Von,


    Detailing
    So it doesn't look like much does it? :
     

     
    Ta-da! :
     

     
     
    I needed to add some finishing touches - the closed position was a little loose, so I secreted a thin magnet and a washer to act as a securing catch:
     

     

     
    Of course, I only use the beer for illustrative purposes....
     
    Cheers!
     
     
     
     




  8. Ray Von

    Knobs!

    By Ray Von,


    Controls
    Finally received my bicycle tyre valve caps yesterday (the previous order were "lost in transit" so, progress was delayed somewhat.)
    These are plain aluminium, but various colours are available - this could be useful if you wanted to allocate specific knobs to certain functions.
     
    However, I opted for these ones - I think they match the overall style of the "control panel" of the layout.
     
    The uncouplers and points are brass rod controlled, no electronics are involved.  Adding these caps to the ends of the brass rods gives the impression of something more "high tech" than is actually going on though(!)
     
    I cut some small panels from 0.5mm plasticard sheet, to cover the rather rough apertures that the brass rods protrude through, the point switches had individual panels and the uncouplers had two shared panels with three apertures in each.
    There was a fair bit of calculation and measuring involved in making neater openings for the wire shafts, holes of 1mm were drilled at either end of the calculated "throw" of each switch (these were longer in the case of uncouplers than of points.) Then, the plastic between each pair of holes was cut away and the opening sanded smooth to create the linear aperture for the rod to slide along.
     

     

     
    The valve caps were filled with epoxy.  When dry, holes were drilled to accommodate the brass rod ends.
     
    I'm really pleased with the end result:
     

     

     
    Next job is to attach the controller to a suitable bracket, watch this space....
     
     
  9. Ray Von

    Running a Timetable and Bending the Rules.

    By Ray Von,


    Operations
    Had some fun today coming up with my first draught timetable, obviously it needs some honing - but the basic outline is there.
     
    Here's one of - what some might call - the more "imaginative" manoeuvres undertaken: 
     
    Cannon Street service arrives (Class 40 diesel hauled) at the Holding Siding.  It uncouples from the coaches, which are taken to the facing siding by my class 20.  (Plenty of clearance room!):
     

     

     
    The Charing Cross service has been waiting patiently at platform 3 - and can now depart:
     

     
    The coaches are then shunted to platform 3 and uncoupled:
     

     
    The diesel can now cross over the points from the holding siding:
     

     
    The points are changed, and the loco can couple to the head of the rake!:
     

     
    Maybe not the most prototypical thing you might see today, but fun to do! 
  10. Ray Von

    Where Dent-de-Lion is.....

    By Ray Von,


    Detailing
    I wanted to share a small collection of images from this thread:  (with special thanks to those who contributed.)
     
    https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/162153-input-ideas-on-planning-a-timetable-and-creating-a-location/page/1/#comments
     
    And the layout, fictitious though it be, now sits on the North Coast of Kent. 
    For some, it's "Reculver" - a real place, developed beyond its actual status by the power of imagination to a relatively busy wharf, with industry and modest tourism.
     
    For me, it's Dent-de-Lion - a fictitious location occupying almost exactly the same spot.  Named for a local medieval landowner - and some say, smuggler.
     
    Here, to help give the layout some locational gravitas are the maps which developed over the course of the thread:
     




     


     
     

     
    This final image is the most like the way I see the layout being situated.
     
    With the input from many others, the station has connections to London Victoria, Charing Cross and Cannon Street, all stations on the North Kent Coast, plus Canterbury West, Ashford, Maidstone East, Dover Priory, Margate and all points in-between.
     
  11. Ray Von
    After much discussion and thought, the "Railfreight" depot is now a "Zanussi" warehouse (special thanks and credit go to Nearholmer https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/profile/26817-nearholmer/ for the idea.)
    The signage was easy enough to find online - one of them is for "Zanussi Professional" - I imagine this would be the industry arm of the business.
    I decided to keep the Railfreight and BR logos in situ, I doubt it's very prototypical practice - but I think it looks ok.
     

     
    I also printed out some platform numbers, mounted on thin plasticard and fixed to the platform shelters. This is one of those jobs that once done, can't actually be seen particularly well from the operational viewpoint - but if you imagine being an N Scale person on the platform, they seem to fit in nicely!
     

     

     
    Other little jobs attended to today were the addition of a permanent "riser" for the track on the traverser deck - this was due to a difference in rail heights.  I also added a plasticard strip at the other end of the traverser (to prevent unwanted plummeting!)
     

     

     
    Thank you for viewing!
     
  12. Ray Von

    Whatever Happened to Tommy Gander...?

    By Ray Von,


    Detailing
    For anyone who doesn't know, Tommy Gander was a fictional Music Hall comic, a character that featured in the 1941 British film "The Ghost Train" portrayed by real life comic, Arthur Askey.
     
    On his way down to Newquay to start a new sixteen week season of his act at The Pier Pavillion ("Well, we'll see how I go Monday night...") Tommy gets caught up in the events that unfold in the film (or was he instrumental in causing them...?)
     
    Years later, Tommy Gander finds himself performing regularly at the increasingly popular "Holiday Camps" that have sprung up all over post war Britain.
    It's while doing a season at Dent-de-Lion's "Smuggler's View" Holiday Camp, on the North Kent Seaside Circuit - that Tommy decides that there's money to be made in this game, and eventually buys up the camp - lock, stock and barrel.
     
    Renaming it "Gander's" and trading on his popularity as an entertainer, Tommy "runs the show" as it were - headlining in the nightly cabaret, as well as booking new acts, looking after the guests, and taking charge of the day to day running of the park.
     
    At its peak, the camp was full to the rafters - train-loads of guests from London, the North of England and beyond would regularly disgorge at Dent-de-Lion station and spend a week-long summer break in the sun at "Gander's Holiday Camp" - many returning year after year.
     
    But it's "now" the late seventies, and package holidays to the Costa Brava have taken their toll on the holiday camps.
    "Gander's" is still in business, and maybe a little less glamorous than in its heyday, but Tommy still takes to the stage nightly during the summer season, to entertain the appreciative (but dwindling) crowd.
     

     

  13. Ray Von

    Making the "Gander's" Billboard.

    By Ray Von,


    Detailing
    I thought people might be interested to know how I came up with the aged "Gander's Holiday Camp" billboard.  So here's the method I used:
     
    Firstly, I searched online for a good photo of Arthur Askey (not easy as photo's of the man himself were largely of him larking about and pulling faces!)
     
    Having found a nice picture - I won't reproduce it here, in the interest of copyright laws - I set about drawing a passable charicature sketch in pen:
     

     
    As you can see, I overdid Arthur's conk a bit!  However, this was rectifiable at the next step...
     
    I imported the picture to "Phonto" a nice text adding app on my phone.  After doing some cursory research on 1940's - 50's poster typefaces, I experimented with a few styles before settling on a design:
     

     
    Next, I transferred the design to an app on my tablet - "Autodesk Sketchbook" for editing and refining. 
    Step one was to erase the overdone nose-outline, followed by some aging - fading the whole image "transparency" by a few degrees and overlaying some white blotches to simulate peeled paint.
    After this, I added a faint skin tone and a pale blue on Tommy's hat - an attempt was made to have brickwork showing through by adding a photo I took of said subject matter under the image:
     

     

    The result was very pleasing for a home made effort.  The image was then reduced down to a suitable size and printed on ordinary plain white paper.
      It became obvious that at this scale, the brickwork pattern was lost - becoming ill-defined, and obscuring the main image.
    So, the brickwork layer was removed and the resulting picture was much more as I imagined it.
     
    The poster was further aged by a dry-brushing of Earth Brown paint around the edges (to soften and blend it in with the patina of the surrounding wall):
     

     
    In situ, the poster looks very much as intended - although not "painted" directly onto the wall, rather a hand-painted wooden billboard (commissioned many years ago by Tommy himself) mounted in an eye-catching spot, to promote his holiday camp to arriving visitors.
     
    I hope that this was a useful and interesting post. 
     
  14. Ray Von

    A Hotel on Platform One....

    By Ray Von,


    Painting and Weathering
    Just kidding!  I've had this "Monopoly" hotel kicking around for ages in my box of scraps - I think I picked it up off the pavement years ago...
     

     
    Today I set about converting it into something useful for the layout - a newsagent kiosk.
     
    Step one was to drill a hole in the side of the hotel and then square the circle using a file.
     
    Next, I sanded down the surface of the building - prior to gluing on corrugated styrene sheet, to represent wood panelling, and a door from spares.
    I left the hotel roof as it was, and then primed the whole thing with grey aerosol spray.
     
    Once dry - I painted the sides green and dry-brushed the roof black. This was followed by white dry-brushing over the whole model.  
     
    A counter for the service hatch was made from card, some guttering from styrene rod, and I printed off some signage and newspaper headlines - these were mounted on thin card and fixed to the building.
     

     

     
     
  16. Ray Von
    My homemade magnetic connectors were not as reliable as I would have liked - current transfer was intermittent and unpredictable.
     
    I had a few trial runs with stripped wire ends as a method for achieving electrical contact, these were no more reliable!  I also considered buying some sprung contacts online...
     
    However, inspiration struck - in the form of a set of cheap wire and brass cleaning brushes! 
    After a swift encounter with a pair of pliers I had removed three sets of bristles from the smallest steel brush in the set (four were removed in fact, but one lot were intransigent - and separated into a wirey mess!)
     

     
    Each set of bristles are bunched in a "V" shape in sockets in the brush head and were easy to remove (for the most part.) At the base of the "V" is a small loop of wire, thicker than the bristles, holding the bunch together - I left this in situ to aid handling and the next step:

    Copper electrical cable was stripped of about 12mm of it's insulation, the bare wire was then passed through the "V" of the bristles - parting them was very fiddly! - and the exposed cable was folded over and twisted tightly around itself. 
     
    This process was repeated for each set of "contacts" - and the cables were fed through the holes (slightly enlarged now) that the magnetic connectors previously occupied. 
    The bristle-contacts were all then inserted to a depth that ensured contact with the bolts on the traverser deck. 
    A blob of glue was applied where the cable protruded from the underside of the traverser base, and each wire connected to the power supply with connection blocks.
     

     

     
    I am VERY pleased to say that operation is now 100% reliable!  Operation is an absolute pleasure and should the bristles eventually wear down - I'm confident in my ready supply of "spares!"
     
     
     
     
     
     
  17. Ray Von

    Traverser

    By Ray Von,


    Wiring
    Constructed and test ran a new traverser today.
     

     
    The parts I used were the top and base section of a bookcase (the main baseboard is made from the side panels.)
    The traverser base is wall mounted with reinforced brackets, the deck is fitted with heavy duty drawer runners. 
     
    *EDIT - 8/2/21: Magnetic connector snapped at weld, see posts for 8/2/21 and 9/2/1 for details on repair and improvements!
     
    Power is supplied from a connection block wired from the main controller, the cable is fitted to two magnetic terminals via the metal inserts from a connection block. 
    The terminal wires are fed through small holes in the base of the traverser - supported with semi-rigid plastic sleeves (cotton bud sticks!) 
     

     
    The track receives power from 20mm bolts that go through the traverser deck and protrude by a few millimetres, making contact with the underside of the rails (the plastic webbing is cut away to make this possible.)
     

     

     
    Today, I have only laid the front and rear sections of track - mainly because these were the slightly more complex pieces to do, and their position governs that of the other lines.  Other lines will be added in the future.
     
    The rearmost track receives power from a direct connection to the front track, as well as (when drawn forward) from the magnetic connecters.  It also has a siding that works in the traditional way, leaving one track unpowered and one line live - depending on the position of the points.
    Connecting the rear track to the front was the simplest method I came up with to allow traffic to use the rear of the layout without more complex and separate wiring, switches and terminals.  
     

     
    The height of the deck is adjustable by two brackets on the underside that are fitted with rubber washers for added support.
     

     
     I've built and used a traverser like this before and was very pleased with it.  Looking forward to adding the middle lines and getting on with some less restricted operating! 
     
    Cheers for looking in. 
     
     
     
     
  18. Ray Von
    One of the magnetic connection terminals snapped off today, where the wire meets the magnet.  Despite reinforcement measures, I guess the strain on the thin metal shaft was too great.
     
    So, I had a stab at making my own (hopefully sturdier) version of the connector.  I stripped the end off some .6mm electrical cable and wrapped the exposed wire around a neodymium magnet, I then took a second identical magnet and sandwiched the wire between them. 
    Next, I sealed the whole terminal with a hot-glue gun - once once dry I replaced the three connectors.
     

     
    After a trial run and some tweaking, they work well - I am happy with the results and I'm hopeful that they will last...
     
    I also added a section of right angled plastic trim to the front of the layout today, and refitted the isolation switches from "randomly screwed to the underside of the shelf" to a much more pleasing arrangement:
     

     
    The ends of the brass control rods (points and un-couplers) are still exposed and I'm looking for something suitable to cap them with.  The holes through which they protude are a bit rough, but will be covered anyway.
     
    The whole layout is starting to look and feel more complete now, and most of the remaining jobs are relatively small.
     
    Thanks for looking in as always.
     
     
     
     
     
  19. Ray Von

    A Name at Last (and a Burger Bar!)

    By Ray Von,


    Low relief building
    I finally decided on a name for the layout, and added name-boards to the station today.
     

     
    I settled on a French influenced one, inspired by a local road which in turn is named for a medieval landowner whose legacy is the road name and the remains of a gatehouse.
     
    I think that the name fits in well with the Southern Region near-coastal setting.
     
    The signs are "Knightwing" white metal (8 pack) and are grey primed with a bit of white dry-brushing (thanks to RMweb for the info on that subject!)
     
    I produced the signs using an Android phone app called Phonto, it's really handy and easy to use.  They are printed on regular paper, mounted on thin white card.
     
    In order to ensure that the signs were placed uniformly, I made a simple card template for drilling the post-holes:
     

     
    I really like the way they look on the station - they make it look more "real!"
     

     

     
    Other jobs attended to today were the addition of a "Wimpy" bar (the back scene is nearly complete!)  
    I used a bit of artistic license - I don't think that there would prototypically be signage on the rear/side of the building, but what the heck!
     

     
    Thanks as always for looking in!
     
     
  20. Ray Von

    Building Detailing and Foliage Scatter.

    By Ray Von,


    Detailing
    Just a few odd jobs today, attached the lift shaft to the flats, added some concrete fence panels to the pub yard, made some platforms for the Railfreight Depot loading bays, and (because I can't find a suitable permanent candidate) added a temporary door to the goods depot - just to make it look functional.  Also got on with adding a bit of greenery to the trackside...
     

     

     

     

     
    Primed some station name boards today, as soon as I figure out which colour to paint them - they'll be put in place.
     
    Thanks for looking in!
     
  21. Ray Von

    Lifts for the Flats and an Extension at the Pub...

    By Ray Von,


    Low relief building
    I though I'd spoil the little residents of the layout by adding a lift shaft to the flats that were erected recently, I also enlarged the pub - adding ground-floor flat roof extension (room for a couple of pool tables, or a dining area, or a function room available for hire - who knows!?) :-)
    All additions were constructed from plasticard and / or leftover bits from model kits. 
     

     

     
  22. Ray Von

    Flats

    By Ray Von,


    Low relief building
    Taking certain liberties with reality once more, I've made a small block of flats for my layout.
    I used various bits from my box of scraps, plus plasticard, card and even baking paper(!)
    I "raised the block up" with a section of plasticard painted to represent concrete, and a piece from a European N Scale kit to give the impression of underground parking or something like that...
    The doors and windows are from spares, the windows are dressed with baking paper net curtains (the kind that were very popular in the period I'm modelling!)
    I used 1mm styrene sheet to make the balconies (probably not prototypical over a busy railway line, but still.)  
    Brick pattern plasticard strips - leftover and already painted from a previous part of the layout - were used for the obvious.  With card pieces used to represent rendered exterior wall.
    Very thin styrene square rod was added to the top of the building to finish off.

     
     
  23. Ray Von

    Last of the Ballasting and Some Building Detailing.

    By Ray Von,


    Low relief building
    Injured my hand really quite badly while cutting styrene sheet.  Annoyed at myself for not being more careful - using a scalpel and a metal ruler, the blade jumped over the ruler and cut a sizeable bit off of my finger. 
     
    Anyway, onwards and upwards!
     
    Finished the last of the ballast today, a strip at the back of the layout.
     
    Also, added some detail to my pub building -
    Air conditioning ducting from a P and D marsh white-metal kit, a stonework base (Kibri textured plastic sheet) a name and a sign, and some glazing - popped some people in too, but will do a better interior in the future.
     

     
    Started work on a scratch built goods depot, attached to the station building, plasticard brick sheet and some odds and ends from the scrap box - I envisage this building as now being owned by a private business, due to the arrival of the more "modern" Railfreight depot, in recent times...  
    It will need an appropriate large sliding door adding and maybe a small platform section.
     

     
    Added a bit of the ducting to the Co-op Supermarket, I'm looking out for some fan units as well.
     

     
    Not too bad for a days work with a disabled digit!
     
    Thanks for looking in!
     
  24. Ray Von

    Traverser, Tweaks and More Tracks.

    By Ray Von,


    Wiring
    Discovered today that I had ordered a different track (PECO SL-300F I believe) than I usually use - SL-300.  
    The result was that the track on the deck was approx 1 or 2mm lower than the track on the layout. Hmm...
    If I hadn't used "set track" points at the top of the traverser I could just raise the whole thing.
    However, the solution was pretty simple - a (temporary) strip of plasticard of the right depth, to lift the track very slightly.
     

     
    I already have some ordered for other jobs, so a nice neat strip will soon be in place at the edge of the traverser deck.
     
    The other jobs attended to today were the adding of a single magnetic terminal, to supply power to the front fork of the rearmost track - when it is brought to the front of the layout.
     

     

     

     
    I also added the track I have left in stock to the deck, more on order(!) 
     

  25. Ray Von

    Third Rail Cabling

    By Ray Von,


    Third Rail
    Added a few bits of wire to represent the cabling that connects sections of third rail.  I've no idea how prototypical it is, but it looks ok.  Reference was from photos I took of actual track, or memory and from online images.
    I used the wire from inside sandwich bag ties, curved into visually pleasing arrangements then primed white and later dry brushed black and white.  They are held in place with tiny beads of superglue.
     



×
×
  • Create New...