Let there be lights
One of the things I get asked quite often is where I got my platform lights from. When I tell people I made them I’m often asked if I can make more. Well its nice to be asked but I really don’t want to get distracted from what I should be doing and besides which they are dead easy to make anyway.
Before I get into how, some thoughts on the subject of lights on layouts. People easily get sucked in by the gimmikyness (is that even a word) of working lights. Of course that’s fine if that’s what you want and you run your layout in the dark but if you don’t it does leave 2 questions:
Why compromise the look of the light to make it work?
Why are the lights on in the day anyway?
OK you don’t have to compromise the look of the light (I built a ‘dayburner’ street lamp to prove to myself I could) but on in the daytime? Its just not how things work. Thus my lights don’t work because they don’t need to.
So anyway, in true blue peter style here’s how I make my platform lamps.
You will need:
- 1mm dia brass rod
- 20 x 80 thou strip
- 20 x 100 thou strip
- 80 x 80 thou strip
- 2mm OD, 1mm ID plastic tube
Preperation
If you have a strip cutter (I use one of these these – if you haven’t got one then you should, its one of the handiest tools I have!) set it to 22mm and cut 1 each of the 20×80 and 80×80 strips for each lamp you need, you no doubt will need more than one). Cut the one 20×100 strip to 23.5mm and the tube to 24.5mm. One end of the tube need shaping to a taper and I mount it into a mini drill and run it against sandpaper to get the shape I want. Use a dabbing action so that the tube doesn’t get too hot and starts melting.
The 80 x 80 piece needs a 1mm hole drilling through its center and the ends shaping with a file and the brass rod need to be cut to length, I use about 80mm as I want it mounted through the platform and into the baseboard. You should now have a kit of bits ready to assemble.
Assembly
Glue the shaped 80 x 80 strip to the 20 x 100 so that its centered (make sure the hole is the right way, obviously) and the 20 x 80 on top – again make sure its centered.
Glue the plastic tube onto the brass rod so that its base is 60mm from the top. When these have set glue the pole to the head ensuring everything is square and that’s it (told you it was simple)
Further detailing
There are 2 types of these lamps ones that fold and ones that don’t. The folding ones are generally used on platforms where the running lines have overhead so that maintenance people don’t have to use ladders. The bases on the 2 types are where the differences are. On the rigid ones they have a lozenge shaped access panel on the base which can be simply made by cutting a lozenge shape from paper or a sticky label. The folding ones are more distinctive and I etched an overlay for these. Few of New Streets lamps are actually the same, some having loudspeakers, platform telephones or HST stop signs added to them (or any combination thereof) although none had station nameboards which are common on many platforms. New Street had the name printed on the lamp head itself, these were printed on DIY waterslide transfer paper (available from here)
still counting!
The thing I have found building something large and repetative is to celebrate the little milestones rather than just focus purely on the final destination. I also find its good to look back now and then too, so with that in mind…
Back in July last year I was here with my platforms. 
Today I am here. The milestone is that all the pillars on the nearest board are done. In fact there is only the large walls halfway along the ramps that display the timetables, some iron work on the platforms and people (more thought on those in a future update) to do and the platfroms on this board can be considered finished. 
Next stage is to finish the pillars and final structures on the next board and once the ironwork and people are done thoughts can turn to the ceilings.
I must admit I wanted to be here earlier than now but got distracted. Once the ceilings are in and the lighting is working I feel the model will really start to feel like the real place.
1, 2, 3, 4,… …38, 39, 40!
Thanks to some helpful feedback on a forum I have redone the pillars so that the bumpers are higher up (thanks again to Tim for re-lasering me some) and continued with building more. I dunno how I missed the bumper height as I had set them at the right height on the walls.
The title of this post refers to me building a batch of 40 TV monitors for the platforms. A simple enough task with a bit of Evergreen square tube, some strip sections and a spot of glue and a file but the numbers mean it took a whole afternoon! The reason why the middle one doesn’t have any brackets is the monitors are on the none viewing side of the pillar. That’s true for the one on the left too but being on the first platform I thought you might see the brackets from some angles.
Below is how they look in situe
From pillars to posters
Thanks to the help of my long term friend and his laser cutter I have made a start on the pillars that litter the platforms at New Street (and also give i its characteristic look of a public loo!).
The tiles are laser cut onto paper which is then wrapped around a wooden inner. Half round microstrip is used for the bumpers around the base. The laser cut is very very subtle and it looks like a print but you can feel the cuts and more importantly in certain light you can see them even though you cant make out the black lines from the same angle. The wooden formers are used because these pillars (there’s an awful lot of them) will have to take the weight of the shopping center above. For that reason holes are cut through the platforms and the pillars are glued to the baseboard. The area where the tiles stop mark the height of the ceilings.
Another mind numbingly repetitive but ‘needs to be done’ tasks is to add posters to the walls. For a long time I have been collecting 1987 posters as and when I find them and some are shown here. The frames are simply 30thou microstrip.
For some more (and Ive got to be honest way more interesting) examples of Tim’s work with his laser cutter click here
Oddball DMU, Final part
Hi All
Just to draw a line under my oddball DMU project, heres the pair complete bar the weathering. As the weathering will essentially be a repeat of the entry for the class 108 DMU theres no real reason to repeat it here but I will add pictures to the DMU galleries when they are done. The windows on the class 100 are a combination of Hornby’s 110 and the Replica flush glazing for their Mk1 coaches. The plain windows being cut from acetate sheet and everything being secured in place with Klear.
The tail lamp is a bachmann one with a new handle from 0.35mm wire.
Gangways for DMU’s
Hi All
I’ll get back to the oddball DMU in the next entry but this time (and still related) I have been looking at gangways. The ones Bachmann supply with their first gen’ DMU’s are quite nice and correctly feature the double scissors that most DMU’s carry. However it doesnt really matter how nice they are if there is still a gap between them.
The easiest way to fix this is to use something like these (or make your own) and while not super accurate, lets face it no one is going to notice anyway! However I have for a long time been a fan of the Masokits gangway (see here for Masokits) which while perhaps a bit OTT and a bit tricky to build are well worth having a go at.
Basically it still works the same way, essentially folded paper but surrounded by etched ends and that all important scissors framework. The etchy bits when assembled look like this.
There are some extra brackets in the kit (which i left off) and it also caters for different types (GWR or LMS). You can even lock them together as per the prototype if you want too! I pretty much followed the instructions with one deviation. The instructions suggest soldering the backs of the pins with a oiled Rizzla (other makes are avialable) paper acting as a barrier. I chose to solder the pin to the outer arm and crimp it when assembled to old it all together. In reality the paper pushes the arms outwards keeping everything in place anyway.
One painted (carefully!) the paper is folded up and popped into place and a small peice of crepe paper (supplied in the kit) is glued over the top to represent the tarpauling. (you could easily add this to the ones mentioned earlier to improve them if you wanted too.)
The finished result on a class 108 DMU. I only fit one as the exhausts tend to interfere with them working. A light dusting of weathering is all thats needed. As I said at the start, no one is going to notice anyway but thats not the point!
Oddball DMU part 2
The comment in part 1 about the 105 being a tip from the box job wasnt 100% accurate. The 105 I got had headcodes but my prototype doesn’t so out with the filler and sandpaper!
The model was also a DMC when I need a DMS but luckily some careful work with fine sandpaper and the yellow stripe came off. Thinners on a cotton bud took care of the first class stickers on the windows and the numbers.
On to the chassis – the 1o5 only needing the buffers replacing with something finer (18″ Oloes from A1 models) and the buffer beam painting red on both vehicles. On the class 100 I ground off all of the little brackets on the solebar and added bits of microstrip to deepen the underframe. I havent re-attached the radiators yet.
An oddball DMU
Hi All
I’ve had a throat infection meaning no modelling for nearly 2 weeks but i’m now getting back into the swing of things. The story behind the following actually originated from a discussion about class 105’s at New Street. While they did put in appearences they were something a bit different. By my era though they were no longer to be found in the midlands. Or so I thought.
Searching for class 105’s I found this picture of a class 105/100 Hybrid at Tysley. Theres another picture of it still at Tysely in October 1986 and the unit lasted well past mid 1987 so I decided it would be something a bit different.
Pic © Andy Cole @ Andy’s Trains and used with permission. For more of Andy’s pictures see http://www.flickr.com/photos/67444577@N02/
While the 105 is nice to have its not exactly special in model terms, being a pays your money, tip it from the box affair but the 100 is something a little more interesting. The prototype being built by Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company in the latter half of the 1950’s, some only lasted about a decade before withdrawals started. This one 53355 lasted until 1988 and was the last of its class in revenue earling service. It was also the last DMU to run on the national network that didnt have onboard tail lights. Its class mate 56301 was the first DMU vehicle preserved.
I ordered a spare hornby 110 body for a few quid so, with not a lot to lose by having a go, I set to work on producing a drawing of both classes to see which bits I had to move and which i could keep. The drawing is below
On Wednesday the 110 body duly arrived and was duly assaulted with a razor saw and scalpels, below shows the bits I left in place.
Above the class 100 Jigsaw showing the re-arrangement of the bodysides. I also removed the window frames at this point. Next to go were the roof vents and the end domes, to be replaced with spare DC kits ones. I figured that it would be easier to remove the smaller headcode boxes from the DC kits domes than reprofile the existing roof. The joins were filled and sanded and then a quick coat of primer to check how it all looked. More filling and sanding was required. I picked up a power twin class 105 and set to work making the Hornby body fit the Bachmann chassis. The buffer beames were cut off and new ones made from a bit of microstrip.
Close up of the front showing the new buffer beam and new buffers with their mounts.
Christmas Quickie (part 2)
Hi All
I have been continuing to work on the Bachmann 108 and due to the unusually warm (for January) weather I have managed to get the weathering done.
My thoughts on weathering are as follows, always look at the real thing, work with the techniques not against them to get the effect you want, one technique on its own is not going to do everything and aim for it all to disappear! This last one might be a bit odd but in the real world unless something is spectacularly dirty you shouldn’t really notice the weathering. In my opinion if you show someone a model and you are not discussing the subject, if the first thing they say is nice weathering you might have over done it! (other methods and opinions are perfectly valid of course)
Its also wise to consider how something gets dirty and the way the environment it operates in affects it. A rally car, splashing about in the mud will look splattered and heavily streaked – Trains don’t tend to do this. There’s some fabulous books on weathering from Military modellers (FAQ are a personal favourite) but again a Panzer tank in desert colours will weather differently to a train. Even trains don’t weather the same. An American locomotive will often be a lot dustier than a UK one that sits in our wet weather a lot more.
Anyway enough waffle – here’s what I did!
Stage one – finish the painting stage – I used the maskol trick on the roof so some lighter grey showed through. I have also used a thin wash of grey/brown for the dirt that collects in the door frames etc – I don’t want it spotless but I want it to look like its been cleaned. Note that I haven’t touched the underframe yet except for painting the silver exhaust pipe brown.
Here I have airbrushed the underframe with my own concoction of track dust. Think about the angle that the dust gets onto the underframe and spray it from a similar direction (from the side and below). Also do the inner ends while you are at it. The roof has been sprayed with a mixture of gunmetal and black and while I had that colour in the airbrush I picked out some of the darker areas of the inderframe to.
The picture on the left is how the bogie looked after the Airbrush stage was finished – prototype pictures show a build up of grease on the bogie sides (as well as other areas of the underframe) and this was added by dry brushing. Dry Brushing is one of those throwaway terms that people use but it doesn’t really tell you what it is. Essentially its nothing more clever than using next to no paint so that it picks up the highlights. By working the paint that you do have you can blend it into the existing colour but you don’t want an effect that’s as smooth as an airbrush will give you. I use neat gunmetal for this stage. You can see the very subtle streaks on the lower body side.
There are some areas that are a bit more bunged up than most and for these i use black (again dry brushed) and sometimes a bit of Klear floor polish for the bits that look wet. You don’t want to go mad with the Klear – just enough to give a glint now and then. While you have the paints out you can use a cotton bud to ‘blob’ a bit of Gunmetal on the buffer heads to represent grease.
The finished result. By looking at the real thing and using techniques that do the work for you there’s nothing difficult about it. Sure there’s a large worry factor to taking your paints to a model if you haven’t done it before but you can always use a battered second hand model, a toy car or even a plastic tub to practise on first.
By the way I also finished off the 2 47s I was talking about earlier on the workbench. Pictures of those are in the class 47 gallery.
Christmas Quickie
Hi All
I know this wasnt on my to do list but its not 2013 yet and it was only supposed to be a quickie. The Bachmann class 108 DMU.
I brought this model when it first came out, since then the large headcode version is now available RTR but its not the end of the world to swap from the small to the large (especially when you have spare roof domes left over from DC kits EMU’s). The plan was simple, swap the headcode boxes, add the handrails to the cabs. Fit new buffers (the originals were too big – I believe Bachmann may have sorted this) and mounts with the step, buffer beam details a spot of paint/weathering and bobs married to your auntie! However theres a prominent moulding line down the side of the cabs which is bugging me. Those shell ventilators look a bit puny too so am thinking they might have to go as well. The headcode boxes need blending in a tad and the tops need to be flattened off a bit too.
2012, My season review
Well 2012 has been as busy as ever modelling wise but with not a lot ticked off my self imposed to do list.
I had hoped to make inroads into the Palisades shopping center that will sit over the station (well to be honest I said that at the start of 2011 too) but I havent actually started yet! The stuff that needs to be built for the platforms (while not too difficult but quite repetative) has taken a lot longer than I thought it would. I was also hoping to get another couple of boards started and to finish off my previosly started class 303, 310, 312 and 317 EMU’s.
Southern Pride class 310 as it was in July 2011, Alas it went untouched in 2012!
However going completely off topic to what I had planned to do I have quite a lot to show for 2012. At least one example of all the locomotive classes I will need are now finished with the notible additions being a couple of Bachmann 85s (ok not a lot of work in those) and the addition of 7 more class 31’s to complete those required. All the track laid so far has been weathered and after years of putting off using my airbrushed I can honestly say ‘we’ are getting on better now than we ever have before. I seem to have built quite a lot of wagons this year too.
Other projects
The test for Calcutta sidings 2 went well and we should be hitting the exhibition circuit next year (although Phil and Tim have done the work there) and we did several exhibitions with Moor Street which behaved itself very well indeed (sadly the van less so in the last case, returning on the back of a lorry when we should have been setting up at the show!). There was my completely off topic LEV1 project too.
So whats next for 2013?
The following list will probably be ignored again but here goes!
- Finish my class 303, 310, 312 and 317 EMUs
- Finish the platforms
- At least get started on the Pallisades
- build the next 2 boards
- Make a start on drawing up my class 116 etches
- Finish a half started rake of BBA and BAA’s
- Start working on rakes of coaches.
- Do more buses!
- Add the wagon section to the site.
The coaches will be the biggie of that little lot. I expect most of this project in 2013 will be research.
Cheers
Jim
Class 47’s get set for hybernation!
Hi All
My class 47 project is due to go into hybernation for the winter with the chassis of 47 549 and the roof of 47 485 both requiring airbrushing to proceed. (I do all my spraying outside) Below is where 485 has gotten to.
The body has received a light weathering and this one will run as a light loco so no need to replace the original lima chassis. (I’d already rebuilt the battery box area so it seemed a shame to bin it.) I do plan to swap the windows on the rest of my class 47 fleet over the winter an also to mount them on vi-trains chassis but no point posting that here.
tweaking the nose
On the left the lima original windows and on the right the Shawplan replacements. You can see the obvious shape difference. I have also flattened off the nose a bit on the example on the right.
Why are all 4mm scale duffs, kinda, duff?
If theres one loco i would really love one of the RTR producers to get spot on out of the box its the class 47. Not because I like them, actually its the opposite, i dont. I just cant rustle up much enthusiasm for them, give me a 50 or a peak any day.
There have been many attempts, the original hornby effort, although crude got the shape pretty well. The less said about the underframe and bogies the better. Then there was lima. A lot better and when detailed up looked quite good but the bogies were a standard item and thus too short. Heljan arrived in the UK market with a central motor and a sensible drive arrangement (A1A-A1A). Ok not the same as the real thing but once a bit of springing was applied to the centre axles it could pretty much cope with anything. One slight spanner in the works, the face was all wrong and it was 2mm too wide (gaining the name tubby duffs)
After a big gap Bachmann entered the class 47 market with a model derived from their earlier class 57, which came with a lot of class 57 details on the underframe (since corrected I believe) and odd looking windows. Plus it had all wheel drive which means in P4 they are a bit iffy as they tend to rock on the centre axle. Finally we have ViTrains. Essentially a stalled lima re-hash of the class with a heljan style drive, the right width and better bogies than the Bachmann effort. The Vitrains model is so nearly there but not quite. Unlss Dapol decide to have a go its fair to say we may never see the definitive class 47.
It was a conversation with my friend Phil that drew my attention back to the Lima 47. As all things lima pretty much slagged of on forums due to pancake drive and the lack of extra bits stuck on and value added price points like working lights they were discarded in droves for the newer models but as is Lima’s way the toolmakers had something about them that just ‘got it’! Its not perfect the windscreens are wrong for a start but it is perhaps the most fixable.
On the left a lima body on the ViTrains chassis, on the right the ViTrains version. Note the height difference over the body (the photo was arranged so that the roof lined up) and the more raked back look of the vitrains windscreen.
47840 at New Street
The size of the Vitrains windscreens seems to big to me and perhaps the nose is a little flat. While the Lima model features replacement window frames from Shawplan. The top of the nose is too curved though. I also think I need to mount the window frames a bit lower on the next one.
This was supposed to be easy!
I became aware of a problem before glazing my TRSB that would add a fair bit more work to the project and that was…
… the colours! On the left is the JLTRT rail grey that I used (which I think is about right) but the other 2 are Lima’s interpretation on the same colour. Its not a trick of the photograph. Lima’s greys dont match each other let alone the JLTRT grey. Sadly I plan for 2 rakes of HST stock in blue and grey and since I spray colours outside and its a bit cold this project will have to wait until next year. Oh well, one down 13 to go!
Mk 3 Coach Bogies, some thoughts
Aside from some odd ball test bogies the Mk3 coaches ride arround on BT10 bogies of which there are 2 obvious types.
On the left a BT10 bogie fitted with Girling wheel slip detection as fitted to the prototpe HST vehicles and loco hauled Mk3a coaches. On the right the BR wheel slip version as fitted to most production HSTs and loco hauled Mk3b coaches. Both pictures show the right hand end bogie which is where the distinctive orange boxes are.
Top left. The Joeuf bogie representing the Girling version. Joeuf have moulded the wheelslip gear on both sides so it need to be carved off the left hand end bogie side (as you look at the coach.)
Top right. The Southern Pride cast version of the same bogie.
Bottom left. Southern Prides version of the BR version BT10 bogie.
Bottom right. The lima BT10 comes without any wheel slip gear at all. as can be seen from this picture I have fitted larger axleboxes and make a representation of the BR equipment from wire and microstrip.
Ongoing Mk3 project
Hi All
My mark 3 coach project contines with the grey area repainted on the TRSB and thoughts turning to glasing.
On the Intercity coach I reused the original glasing (except for the toilet windows) but treated it to a coat of Tamiya smoke. On the TRSB I cut new windows from a brown plastic wallet I found in a stationers. (you would be surprised how hard it is to find tinted plastics – if anyone knows of a supplier please let me know). This was secured in place with Klear (a floor polish)
Cheers
Welcome to my Workbench
Hi Everyone and welcome to the workbench section of my site.
Here you will be able to see what I am up to as well as ask questions or leave comments.
So getting stuck in curretly I am looking at Mark 3 coaches, starting with…
… the Lima TRUB (Trailer Resturant Unclassified Buffet). For my era and location a TRUB isnt all that useful, most HSTs turning up at New Street were the cross country type which featured TF, TRSB, 4x TS and a TGS. The essential difference between what you see above and the coach I need is that TRSB’s (Trailer Resturant Second Buffet) have 4 large windows not 3. Hornby have just done a new Mk3 Buffet with 4 large windows but sadly thats not right either being a RFM (Resturant First Modular).
The idea was to use etched window frames from Shawplan and some drilling and filing to make the changes.
Above – after the work. By being careful I only need to respray the grey area, saving the white lines so that they match with the rest of the train. The red stripe scrapes off which is handy but remember to give the coach a quick spray with matt varnish before you mask it or the red stripe and those all important white lines will be pulled away buy the masking tape. The Resturant-Buffet 125 wording was also removed as it looked a bit too soft.
On the subject of Mk3 coaches I have also been busy on a test model for the loco hauled variety.
This uses the ancient Jouef model as it features the correct roof and bogies for a Mk3a. The moulded on paint lines were removed and the coach resprayed into InterCity livery. Some ETH gear was knocked up from microstrip and wire and the end ladders are some N gauge white metal signal ladders with some rungs removed.
P4 wheels dont quite fit into the bogies as supplied due to a thick rectangular block moulded where the bearings are. Also Joeuf used an odd sized axle. However the remedy is simple – the moulded block is easily filed down and the moulding for the axle length opened up using ‘Eds Tool’ – basically a double ended 26mm long drill bit that you pop into the bogie and twist to cut the bearing holes deeper.
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