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Ark Royal

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  1. Ark Royal
    Link To Previous Posts
     
    Having completed the station road bridge my attentions have turned to the Gallery and Footbridge.
     
    Many may remember this the 3D Printed Station Footbridge frm Shapeways printed  many moons ago.
     

     
     
    Unfortunaltely these parts are very delicate and it became apparent that transportation to venues and continual handling would not bode well for this item.
     
    With the station road bridge permanently attached to the layout and the Station platforms and buildings removeable for transportation it was apparent that the footbridge would also need to be a removeable item.
    Many iterations of the same concept have been explored but i feel the latest is by far the best solution.
     
     
    Footbridge Support Trestles
     
    These have always remained a 3D printed item. Although relatively thin wall profile by there very design nature they are quite rugged.
    I attempted home printing of these items and although they came out looking like the items the definition when it came to change in cross section of the diagonal braces was slightly underwhelming. In fairness the change is cross section is only 0.30mm in this scale so it is hardly surprising.
     
     
    A 3d CAD view of the offending items
     

     
    The solution was to have these printed by Shapeways as the layer resolution was 0.016 (left) opposed to 0.05 with the elegoo (right)
     

     
     
    The LH one is the shapeways version and the surface finish isn't as smooth the originals are made of wood so theywouldn't be smooth
     
    The 4 plynths painted and ready to fit
     

     
     
    Luggage Chute
     
    This was also printed by shapeways in the same material
     

     

     
     
    The Gallery
     

     
    Above : The Real Thing.
     
    The Gallery is scratch built from brass and sits on a brass sheet. This then sits onto the PCB that forms the roof of the Station bridge. This allows the entire footbridge and gallery to be removed for transportation
    The plynths and luggage chute will be glued to the underside of the gallery and staircase structure.
     
    This is still being worked so the woof cladding has only been taped for measuring purposed
     

     
     
     
    For the Gallery Windows i created an etch. This has the gallery windows and gallery window platform on.
     
     

     
    Left: Main WIndow - with internal version below and bars below that.
    Centre:  Gallery falsework that holds the 3 handrail supports. Below are the walkway and Kickboard. Below that the 2 side windows and bars
    RH: Gallery Window platform Handrails and Brackets. Smoke Deflector Brackets (?) 
     

     
    Each of the windows is formed of 2 etches. These are housed within a carrier. The carrier has holes areound it to aid alignment when the 2 parts are brought together.
    The red (1/2 etched) portions with the window, house a full metal bar to give the necessary relief. Additionally an extra 1/2 etch bar is added to the main supports (wide 1/2 etch section)
    Once each window section is soldered together they are painted and then a clear styrene sheet is sandwiched between the 2 layers before they are cut from the carrier.
     
    Current state of affairs
     

     
     
    Above: Main Gallery Windows
     

     
     
    Above: Side Gallery Windows
     

     
     
    Above: Gallery Window  Platform Handrails
     
    These are all awaiting assembly to the gallery once the staircases are attached
     
    Footbridge Staircases
     

     
     
    Above : The Real Thing
     
    I had considered making the flights of stairs from brass strip but that was a totally insane idea !
    Then i thought of having them etched which was not so insane.
    But finally i found my sanity whilst tinkering with the 3D CAD for the staircase structure and combined the staircse to the kickboard to give the some rigidity and had them printed.
     
    As these are hidden from sight mostly i chose to get them printed in versatile plastic from shapeways which has a grainy surface but is cheap,  unfortunately they don't fit in my Elegoo Mars printer in one piece.
     

     

     

     
     
    The top stair incorporates the angle which will throw the staircase off at the correct angle to align with the canopy columns and gallery sides (Hopefully !)
     
     
    They have been designed to fit into the rebates in the staircase plynths and into the rebates on the underside of the gallery floor.
    Why Southern Region couldn't extend the gallery and make them at 90 degrees i will never know. Obviously to challenge the modeller !
     
    Staircase Structure
     

     
     
    Above : The Real Thing.
     
    Having given some thought about having these printed and attaching them to the gallery by means of some glue i felt that this would then be the weakest link in the combined structure and with the constant handling and transportation may lead to future issues. For that reason i have gone for another etch.
     

     
    This is a hefty 0.90 mm thick (wanted to be 1mm as the posts are 2mm square) etch.
    Each of the 4 sides have to have the 3 main vertical posts soldered to them (the 4th is on the gallery). In doing this the top of the post are half etched to form a channel for the upper roof support to be fitted into.
     
    On the upper edge of each side runs a wooden handrail on the original structure, which sits flush with the vertical post on the inside but protrudes by 3 inches on the outside giving them a total thicknes of 9 inches or 3mm scale. This means that the handrails need to scratch built and then added to each side. Each of the relevant pairs of sides is then oined by the horiontal upper roof braces (pictured bottom of etch above).
     
    I have never tackled an etch this thick before and had therefore had not realised how much each part would need to remove the cusps from the etching process. That said - "it's the journey not the finishing that counts"
     

    Above: LH Staircase Pair (inner face) with vertical posts added.
     
     
     

     

    Above: RH Staircase Assembled
     
     

     
     
    Above:  RH Staircase Structure Cleaned and Etch Primed
     

     
     
    Above: Temporarily assembeld with staircase
     
    More to follow once i had more time to model.
     
    Mark
     
  2. Ark Royal

    5. Station Platforms

    By Ark Royal,


    P4
    Mike Ainsworth has been busy with the Station platform area.
     
    Platform Canopies
     
    He has built the canopies from scratch using brass sections to form the main canopy structures.
    The canopy columns were reused from Eridge mk 1. 
    These structures are suitably robust enough to remove them for transportation of the layout to exhibitions
     

     

     
     
    They were then clad in plastikard sheeting and individual sheet join ribs were represented with semi-circular plastic rod before the structures were glazed. The end face were clad with 4mm wood cladding represented plastikard.
     
     

     
     

     
     
    Finally given there coat of paint and weathering
     

     
     
    Platform Edging Brickwork
     
    Following the trial of the 3D home printed Brick Edging Strips (More Information Here) these have been applied to the platform surfaces before the face brickwork was re-applied.
     

     
     
    The platform upper surfaces have been lightly coated in chinchilla dust and await painting.
     
  3. Ark Royal
    For continuity i have kept the title of this section of the blog the same as Part 1 and 2 of the Road Bridge build.
    Anyone wishing to view these can do so HERE
     
    I would never have thought that it would take me this long to complete this project but it has !
    I guess that the loss of our old club building to acquiring the new premises did not help much.
    As Richard Stevens (Club Member) said " Its not the fiinshing but the journey that matters" how true he is 
     
    Last week i finally planted the Road Bridge on Eridge for the final time and it now resides as part of the scenery.
     
    Having re-read those entries its clear that much changed during that build. The original structure was built from styrene sheeting and the warp effect took its toll over a relatively short time so that version was sent to the scrap heap!
     
    The new version will not warp. Each of the 4 bridge pillars are made up of numerous layers of laser cut MDF clad in platikard brick sheeting. The Up and Down Mainline Pillars and the Down Bay incorporate the drop in  which is on the original bridge structure quite noticeable if viewed from the northern and southern side of the bridge. During this transition the exposed steel beams change to arched brick recesses as pictured below.
     

     
     
    I wanted to keep this feature on the new version , although never seen by the general public, i believe that when a photo is taken looking through the bridge this will be clearly evidient and so worthy of the effort needed to model it.
    The original plastikard bridge used styrene homemade "I" Beams to replicate this, on the new version these are brass. The reason for this is the pillars will be permanently fixed to the board (bolted down ust in case the track needs
    major repairs) so the roof of the bridge structure is now removeable for minor repairs. These brass "I" Beams are mounted on PCB Board and the arched brickwork then formed onto the "I" Beams.
     
    Unfortunately  it appears no photos of the build process were taken (note to self).
     
    EDIT: Found Them  Pictures Inserted
     

     
     

     
     
    The curved butress walls were 3D printed on my Elegoo Mars and then the brick cladding appled.
     

     
     
    Brick Cladding was applied to all faces of the bridge and curved walls before colouring them.
     

     
    On that note Thanks to RexAshton (of this manor) for the advice on using Watercolour pencils to colour the brickwork without which this structure still would not be finished. i love this technique
     
    Before ruining it 
     

     
     
     
    After Weathering
     

     
     
     
    The Almost Finished Article.
     
    Brighton Side
     

     
     
     

    London Side
     
     

     
     
    I'll add a photo view showing through the bridge later
     
     
     
     


  4. Ark Royal

    2. Mind The Gap

    By Ark Royal,


    P4
    For a long while we (KAG) have contemplated the platform edging bricks and how to replicate them.
     
    Mike (founder member and builder of Eridge Mk 1) remembers the tedious job of scribing plastikard to represent the brick mortar joints.
     
    After some thought on this matter I have come up with this design
     

     
     
    A KISS design that allows the edging to follow a gentle curve and at the same time adusts the mortar joint to suite the curve. The key to all this happening is in
    the thicknesses used to make the item.
     
    With the aid of a recent purchase ( 3D printer) i was able to print this design albieit with a support mechanism.
     

     
    The sprue prevents the brick edging from following a curve until it is cut between the pegs . 
     
    The adition of the sprue adds stability and greater handling area but comes with the downside that once installed needs to be removed and filed flush. This however still out weighs the prospect of scribing individual mortar lines.
     

     
     
     
    The above picture shows the Platform Brick Edging together with the sprue glued to the surface (platform). This was in my case an untreated bit of wood.
    Once set the sprue is clipped off and filed flush. Then the platform (brick) face is applied and the upper (tarmac) surface. 
    Finally the brickwork is painted.
     

     
     
     
     
    It seems to work well and is easy enough to install.
     
    Hopefully this can be replicated to the layout and in due course i will be able to post some progress results here. In the meantime manufacuring them is ongoing
     
     
     
    (missing photograph - sorry )
     
     
    Mark 
  5. Ark Royal

    1. The story thus far .....

    By Ark Royal,


    P4
    It's been 2 years since last we posted an update on the progress of the club layout. Progress is visible although at a moderate pace but then we only have 5 members and we try to meet every Thursday evening so time progressing the layout is limited.
     
    You can visit our early blog Here
     
    So the progress thus far
     
    Trackwork
     
    Painstaking work mainly by Mike has gone into this area to ensure smooth faultless running especially in reverse running out of the bay platforms to the headshunt and the down line bay platform to up line via the crossover. We are now confident with reverse propelling over the entire layout which allows the push-pull movements needed for the timetable. This is obviously hard to show and often taken for granted at exhibitions. The trackbed has now received a covering of the normal dirt and grime.
     
    Monuments have been added to the trackbed in the appropriate places. These were evident on the real location and used to check the alignment of the track.
    These were 3D printed as they are incredibly tiny, but their presence definately worth the effort.
     

     

     
     
     
     
     
    Scenery
     
    With the exception of the station road all of the layout topography foundations are in place. Work in covering the foundations with a variety of methods including static grass has been started by Richard and Chris.
     

     
     
    In the foreground are another new addition. The railway land was seperated along its entire length by Southern Region style concrete fencing posts with 7 wires between each post.  As far as we are aware no one makes this style of fencing so once again this was produced by 3D Printing.  Whilst a wide range of 3D printing materials were available for this model , the cheaper variety was chosen for textured surface finish.
     

     
     

     
     
     
    Holes were drilled into the landscape and then the posts potted into them. The holes in the post never came out on the printed version we purchased, they were only 0.3mm diameter! However since then and with the use of and alternative material I have had one sucess story with them, although i'm unsure whether the person who purchased them is now certified as insane!
     

     
     

     
    Our preferred if not prototypical approach is to attempt to "string" these using "EZ line" a fine flexible polymer elastic. This in itself may prove very challenging so a dispenser was developed to hopefully assist in achieving this.
     
    My Version
     


     
     
     
     
    Richards Version
     

     
     
    Both along the same lines but Richards is completed and as the picture shows primed ready to go so watch this space .........
     
    Buildings and Structures
     
    3 Arch Bridge
     
    The original bridge was looking somewhat tired and so Mike has constructed a replacement for this. The archways are finer and altogether it makes for a very nice model expertly painted by Richard.
     
    Before :
     

     
    After :
     
     

     
    Girder Bridge
     
    Simon has been busy building all of the bridges across the river most of which are in various stages of painting again by Richards Brushwork. The river has also been completed by Richard and looks stunning.
     
     

     
    Station Canopies
     
    Mike has done an excellent at building the station canopy structure from brass. So much so that it seems a shame to roof them. However both Mike and Chris have been busy adding the roof to these and progress is nearly complete.
     

     

     
     
     
    When the layout is complete the views through the station area will hopefully provide some stunning photograph oppertunities .
     
    Station Bridge
     
    This has been my achillies heal for way too long i'm afraid to say. The original rebuild here Here and Here  did not stand the test of time and started to warp. Added to which there construction did not make for having them removable in case of track repairs. Eventually i decided to have them Laser Cut from MDF however due to the shape of the pillars this was not so easy either. However progress has now been made and i'm looking forward to moving on shortly from this build as it is hindering progress on the landscape build in this area.
     

     
     

     
     

     
     
    Some shots of the underside roof of the bridge
     
    Viewed from the station platforms:

     
     
     
    Down Line Bay Platform: 

     
     
    Up Line Bay Platform:

     
     
     
    Trees
     
    Richard with some assistance from MIke have been starting the new tree collection. A few of which are pictured below in various stages of build. These look fantastic IMHO.
     

     

     

     
     
     
    Lighting and Pelments
     
    The lighting is in the form of LED strips that run the length of the layout including the fiddleyards, a combination of warm white and cool white diodes have been used . They are already encased in a rubber sleeve but they were then stuck into som cable trunking cut to straddle the support frames for the lighting. A 1ft gap has been left between each of trunking was left to allow them to be folded up for transportation to exhibitions. The Pelment obscures the viewing public from these lights and is clipped over the support frames.
     

     

     
     
     
    As can be seen in the last picture , more work is needed on the unsupported sections of this system to keep the LED strips from sagging but overall the setup works.
     
    Well i think that's most of the updates dealt with, i apologise if i have left anything out. There are plenty more projects ongoing that i will post when they come up.
    We plan to have another informal open day again this year, not an exhibition more a cuppa and slice of cake, play with the layout and chat. Will post more details when the
    dates have been finalised.
     
     
  6. Ark Royal

    3. Scaleforum 2020

    By Ark Royal,

    For those that want to watch the video we made as part of "Virtual Scaleforum 2020"  I have posted the link below
     
    Eridge Scaleforum 2020
     
    All the layouts featured can be found Here
     
    I'm not entirely sure how long they will remain on the web, so don't delay.
     
    Mark 
     
     
  7. Ark Royal

    Progress Report 2013

    By Ark Royal,

    Its Been a while since the last post but work has been progressing
     
    Track Work
     
    After countless hours propelling wagons and coaching stock back and forth ( Its a hard life BUT.....Someone has to do the job) followed by some fettling , the permanent way gang have now concluded all major work need on the track. We are now satisfied that both coaching and wagon stock can be hauled through all the pointwork.
    Its been a long and sometimes frustrating journey but the reward is seeing wagons snaking through crossovers as they are being shunted (apparently something that could not be achieved on Eridge Mk1).
     
    Unfortunately the files are too big but some short video clips here https://www.dropbox.com/sh/z3op670x0ntj101/38mXe2osZs
     
     
    Fiddle Yards
     
    This has been designed to use stock cassettes that are removable and that butt up to a track feed onto the up and down.
    A major improvement on Eridge Mk1 is the ability to turn these cassettes without removing them from the safety of the operating shelf.
    One fiddle yard has been completed and incorporates a sliding shelf to store stock formations when not in use. The other has been put on hold due to an immanent possibility that KAG HQ may need to be relocated
     

     
     
    Wiring
     
    The main track bus and feeds have now been installed. The Up, Down and Goods/Head Shunt are now separated into 3 DCC districts, mainly for the purpose of circuit protection
    All the crossovers have had their respective tortoise turnout operating units mounted and wired. At present this is being controlled by the temporary control panel but the new version is in build as we speak and will have a whole new feel about it ( This may become a post of its own... as it progresses)
     
    The cab bus has been installed and the utp panels mounted allowing 3 cabs to control the layout. The NCE SB3a Smart Boost Box has been trialed and it seems we get 6 cab addresses which is handy
     
    Scenery
     
    This is still in progress.. The viewing part of the layout is essentially 4 boards ( well 3 and 1/4 actually but)
     
    The "London End" board scenery form has been completed and needs the "Three Arch Bridge" upgrading. This will then have the final covering added in the form of static grass fibre. There is also two signals that need housing within this board.
     

     
    The "Station Entry" board also has its scenery form completed and just needs covering. This board also has the start of the river and the river crossing bridge.. both of which are in progress.
     
    The "Eridge Station" Board has little in the way of hill form but what gradients there are have been catered for. The Station platforms and Canopies are In Progress and this makes for some nice photo shoot opportunities looking through the canopies. The Station and platform building are all but complete and the Road Bridge which houses the Station is now under reconstruction.
     

     
    The "Country End" board (the 1/4 extension board) has had the scenery form done although this will need adjusting for the new Road Bridge,
     
     
    Buildings
     
    The majority of the buildings are being progressed in one form or another. With the immanent relocation of the club room it is this area that will probably be progressed until such time as we have found a new permanent club room. Which is difficult considering the size of the layout and the limited number of members and therefore resources at our disposal.
     

     
    Signals
     
    The majority of these have already been built ( thanks Rod). I have undertaken making the down starter only because this gave me the opportunity to design/build the unit that will operate the servo and to write the program that will interface with these servos... initial results are very promising . I will endeavour to get a video of this soon. This could well be another area on the layout that will get more focus in the next few months.
     

     
    So thats the progress so far
     
    Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to All at RM Web (hope Santa is kind to you)
  8. Ark Royal
    With work on wiring the layout now complete until the installation of the signal servo motors,Mike a I can turn our attention can turn to something that will be seen by the General public apart from the trackwork..
     
    For Mike this will probably been the progression of his fantastic work on the Station Canopies and I hope to report his progress on this as it happens.
    For Myself I am employed on the Road Bridge Rebuild.
     

    Eridge Station from platform level
     

    Erisge Station from A21
     
    A quick bit of history, The station was originally down at platform level and presumably the road bridge existed at some point in Eridge history. When the station was moved to its present day location straddling the tracks, the old road bridge was incorporated into this design. However the new part of the bridge was raised and the old part left unchanged. From either side at track level this fact is not apparent and only studying photos has this been highlighted.
     

    The aforementioned step
     
    This has throughout the design stage of the model proved to be a bit of a nightmare as no detailed plans are available and the step is in the darkest depths of the bridge where it is hard to determine its exact position. It is however clear that the step needs to be incorporated as this will have an impact on the height of the footbridge that butts up against the station/road bridge structure and indeed the gradient of the steps from the footbridge to the platform.
     
    This fact has greatly influenced the approach to this build. So my intention is to build the known factors first and hopefully use them to determine the position (if not totally precise) of the step and incorporate that. Some debate was made at club level to the amount of under bridge detail needed. I have concluded however that " if it exists, it exist to be modeled and therefore i will attempt to faithfully recreate it in its entirety (famous last words!). In my belief from previous photos taken of the layout this view will show a lot of details and will enhance the photo 10 fold.
     
    The Southern End of the Road Bridge
     
     

    The LH side of the Bridge giving entry to Up Bay Platform
     

    The Centre of the Bridge giving entry to up and down main lines
     

    The RH side of the Bridge giving entry to the Down Bay Platform
     
    The Model
     
    This is built using Slaters brick Plastikard and varying thicknesses of plain plastikard.
     


     
    All thats left to do on this part of the model is to add the capping stones on top of the wall (these will be 3D printed) these will be added on final build of the project prior to painting and weathering.Two rows of slate capping ineed to be added to the lower part of the recesses, i may attempt to make these from extremely fine plastikard.
     

     
    The model acrow props have proved very useful for determining the height on the layout
    The rear of this wall has been built to the same level as the front , this will need building up to the road form and will hide the platform that it sits on.
     
    More Modelling Needed
     
     
    More Progress (17/12/2013)
     
     
    The Pillars for the Southern End of the Road Bridge have been made. I need a visit to the club room to assess the exact location of these with the track plan and photos
     

     

     
     
    Meanwhile I-Beam Busy (sorry couldn't help myself).
     
     
    Busy making the beams for the underside of the bridge, cost saving measures
     
    The curved I beams, using a piece of copper pipe to form the curved plastikard
     

     

     

     
    The foremost beam is the one for the front on the platform side of the bridge , these need rivet detail adding and cutting to length as the pillars do not run parallel to the bridge.
     
    After the height transition these beams are just plain I-beams and there are 9 of them to build
     

     

     
    I found it easier to build them as a "T" then cut the web on them before preceeding to an "I", thus concentrating on them being upright rather than upright and the correct distance for the web
     

     
    The other web can then be cut to the required distance when the glue is cured
     
    More Progress On Station Road Bridge (16/03/2014)
     
    After a lengthy delay I am pleased to announce some progress on the road bridge build. Part of the delay was determining the height of the station building above the tracks. The only known measurements were those taken from the footbridge. These were used to determine the floor level of the station by means of a 3D CAD Drawing.
     

     
    Once this was produced i got slightly side tracked in producing this, however this will feature in another topic but thought it worthy of a mention as it will be seen a few times featured in pictures posted on this thread

     
    OK Back to this topic.
     
    The pillars in various states of completion.
     

     

     

    Many may notice that the pillar ends in previous posts have had to be extended. This was due to a slight error on my part, assuming the pillars sat on the gravel bed on the layout... actually they sat on the wood structure and so had to be extended.
     
    Just when you think you are making progress another unknown comes to light. This time via Rod ( of this parish - 10800) !! in the form of Retaining Walls. These are obviously now overgrown with vegetation or in the case of the one on the platform side removed.
     
    Fortunately not too much rework is needed to incorporate these into OUR model
     

     
    Edit: Photo removed copywright issue
    Work on the support structure for the road bridge roof can now start in earnest
     
    Mark
  9. Ark Royal
    Thought I'd add the photos to Rod's previous post.
     
    Unfortunately we are at the stage where progress is happening...be it at a snails pace....but the work we are doing has little visual impact.
     
    The track-work (all but complete) problem being the but as now its a case of sending the PW gang out to check for missing chairs and insecure rails.
     

     

     

     

    So that seems to be the size of it
     

     
    Or Maybe Not
     
    Discussions are on-going about adding the cross-over pointwork at this end which will allow for nice pictures to be taken through the bridge. In general i think "the committee" are in favor of this proposed extension.
     

     
    Meanwhile the tortoises are being attached....the popular misconception that this wouldn't take long has now been thoroughly dispersed...Although we are now only 3 away from completing this task...oh prior to the planned extension mentioned above.
     

     
    As this is a two-man job with the board on it's side, Al has been busy with his red and black marker LOL
     
    And the rest of the crew with their paint brushes
    Before

     
    After

    Amazing the difference some paint can make though this is just stage 1.
     
    Mark
  11. Ark Royal
    More Progress On Station Road Bridge (16/03/2014)
     
    After a lengthy delay I am pleased to announce some progress on the road bridge build. Part of the delay was determining the height of the station building above the tracks. The only known measurements were those taken from the footbridge. These were used to determine the floor level of the station by means of a 3D CAD Drawing.
     

     
    Once this was produced i got slightly side tracked in producing this, however this will feature in another topic but thought it worthy of a mention as it will be seen a few times featured in pictures posted on this thread

     
    OK Back to this topic.
     
    The pillars in various states of completion.
     

     

     

    Many may notice that the pillar ends in previous posts have had to be extended. This was due to a slight error on my part, assuming the pillars sat on the gravel bed on the layout... actually they sat on the wood structure and so had to be extended.
     
    Just when you think you are making progress another unknown comes to light. This time via Rod ( of this parish - 10800) !! in the form of Retaining Walls. These are obviously now overgrown with vegetation or in the case of the one on the platform side removed.
     
    Fortunately not too much rework is needed to incorporate these into OUR model
     

     
    Edit: Photo removed due to copywright issue
    Work on the support structure for the road bridge roof can now start in earnest
     
    Mark
  12. Ark Royal
    Unfortunately we had to vacate our "shared" clubhouse at Cobdown and so in March 2014 we became a club with a large layout and no premises - not a good combination !
    Hence the lack of posts.... but that has now changed.
     
    The entire layout was stored Thanks to Richard in his garage while a new clubhouse was found. Anyone having gone through this experience will know that this is easier said than done.
    Ideally we were looking for a site that was central to our membership, secure, cost effective and hopefully able to accomodate the entire 36ft layout.
     
    Many of the more traditional village halls or community centres require that the room be left empty and storage would once again be an issue. Finding a suiteable accomodation was a nightmare but finally we stumbled on old railway buildings. For many people this may be a route you wish to explore if faced with a similar situation.
     
    During the searching process, we were offered Eridge Station as a potential site for our new clubroom, the attraction of modelling Eridge at Eridge with all the possible research on your doorstep being a big advantage. However the distance between members and the site and the disadvantage of not being able to errect the entire layout swiftly crossed this off the list. We looked at several Network South East Old disused Stations along the Medway line. Each had a draw back but any room was better than none. Finally we came across Yalding Station, after an intital survey we found it best suited our requirements but had one hurdle to overcome. Another party was already interested as a commercial "going concern" in the form of a coffee house. This put us firmly at the bottom of the list. I remember this as being a frustrating time, when we all would have moved Eridge in immediately.
     
    What followed seemed to take an eternity but finally after waiting for the other party to fall by the wayside and legal contracts to be exchanged we finally took possesion of Yalding Station in March 2016.
     
    The station building had been un-occupied for quite a length of time and it was decided to take some time to brighten the environment up with a splash of paint etc. In total this took 3 months, largely down to plastering walls and It was at times a labour of love but thankfully the club rooms were complete and a delightful environment to have as a clubroom. The building also has one major advantage over others we looked at in that it allows the entire layout 24 ft plus two 6ft fiddle yards to be left permantely erect. Added as a bonus is that we have the ability now to house a seperate area to work on items "off the layout" with adequate workbench and lighting.
     
    Some Pictures of The Building The Day We Got The Keys
     

     

     

     
    "Good Things Come To Those That Wait."
     
    Pictures Post Refurbishment
     

     

     

     

     
     
     
    In June 2016 after 2 years in "storage" we finally moved Eridge Layout into Yalding Station - Happy Times. To all our amazements the layout had remained very stable and had sustained very little storage damage. Several Running sessions later and we are now back to meeting on a Thursday evening. The P4 Kent Area Group also opened the doors to the Scalefour Society for a Mini Exhibition/Running Day which was a landmark achievement given the circumstances. We thank all those that attended.
     

     

     

     

     

     

    Now that we are back up and running I hope to keep the modelling fraternity on RMWeb up to date with our Progress, this post is merely here to show we have not vanished off the face of the earth
  13. Ark Royal
    Well its been a long time since i posted any updates on the progress of this topic , mainly down to the New Premises Issues, which can be found here http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/35/entry-19433-eridge-mk-2-update-new-premises/.
     
    In September 2016 i took the plunge to have the footbridge printed as one piece, with the plynths and luggage shute as seperate parts, originally the gallery and each staircase were also going to be seperate parts, At the time i thought this the best route and now i think maybe not. However it shows the technology and what should be thought about when having parts printed.
     

     
    So why the doubt ?
     
    Well the plynths and luggage shute are fantastic. The level of detail is hard to match when scratch building. They are delicate but strong and I have absolutely no issues with these parts. They will find there place as part of the final Eridge Station Complex,
     
     
     
     
     

    However the Complete Footbridge is not so strong in one area and this lets the model down. Originally i had planned to have the footbridge gallery walkway made from brass with additional supports in the form of I beams to support it between the 2 rear plynths.
    Having seen the beautiful delicate luggage shute i decided to add the hatchway for this to the footbridge structure, this ultimately led to my downfall. After i'd made the design changes to incorporate the hatch i followed with the walkway structure made to a thickness of 1mm. This allowed the footbridge to still lock into the rear plynths and maintained the staircase height. This alone probably may have been substantial enough but then i added some relief to both upper and lower surfaces of the walkway to represent the floor planking. I have no idea what was going through my mind as no-one in the exhibition circuit would see this level of detail. Thus ultimately led to the decision to have the footbridge printed as one piece. Clearly this was never ever going to be substantial enough to support the weight. Added to that there was no direct structure between the gallery front and the rear roof member to the floor (as per the prototype) apart from the gallery side rear posts.
     
    With all this in mind whilst printing it must have warped and the results are that the floor sags in the middle and this in turn causes the gallery sides to bow and twist.
     
    All is not lost with this part of the build. My intention is to still use the stair sections with the gallery sides still connected. This will be mounted onto a brass section as originally intended, probably now with the gallery front structure being made from brass.
     
    The lesson learnt - whilst trying to keep to prototypical design , allowances have to be made to ensure the structure you are making is strong enough to support itself. Also whilst this technology allows for the finest of detail, this in itself can lead to complications in the structures strength. Prehaps when designing structures that span a distance unsupported the addition of some temporary bracing whilst the item is being manufactured would have kept this structure square and true.
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