LNWR signal box build
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QUOTE That really has turned out superbly
Thanks. I am pleased with it and as the evenings have gone on - one coat of something a night - I've been noticing how out of date the last gallery photo was.
QUOTE Almost seems a shame to weather it !!!
I will do the base but I'm very reluctant to do the super structure....
David
Thanks. I am pleased with it and as the evenings have gone on - one coat of something a night - I've been noticing how out of date the last gallery photo was.
QUOTE Almost seems a shame to weather it !!!
I will do the base but I'm very reluctant to do the super structure....
David
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QUOTE You could always pretend the original burnt down
What's more likely to happen is that I will try to scratch build an all wooden ex GNR box based on one of the boxes at Leeds Central and this LNWR one will be redundant. I think I can get away with shiny A3s and A4s appearing because they are on "running in" turns after a major overhaul at Doncaster works, but shiny freshly painted signal boxes in the '50s especially on a doomed line is probably pushing it a bit too far
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Or maybe once I start fitting the details like gutters and drain pipes it may become easier.
David
What's more likely to happen is that I will try to scratch build an all wooden ex GNR box based on one of the boxes at Leeds Central and this LNWR one will be redundant. I think I can get away with shiny A3s and A4s appearing because they are on "running in" turns after a major overhaul at Doncaster works, but shiny freshly painted signal boxes in the '50s especially on a doomed line is probably pushing it a bit too far
Or maybe once I start fitting the details like gutters and drain pipes it may become easier.
David
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228 Posts
Hi David,
Great to see a detailed post about brass kit construction -- I bought my first such kit (an LBSC coach) from the Roxey Mouldings stand at a exhibition yesterday and I'm trying to remember soldering from school electronics club 15 years ago! I really do have no clue, and I even had to ask Dave (Roxey's owner) what flux is actually for...
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QUOTE (dwb @ 28 Feb 2009, 21:13) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>[...]
About the only tip of my own to pass on from this episode is that I found it a great help to sellotape (and it was Sellotape) the plasticard to the steel rule to ensure that it wouldn't move when I was cutting it. I must have got through yards of the stuff.
[...]
Perhaps two small G-clamps (like this) on the edge of your workbench would be more secure (and less wasteful!).
Tips for mount cutters from someone who's mounted countless pictures:
Cheers,
Tom
Great to see a detailed post about brass kit construction -- I bought my first such kit (an LBSC coach) from the Roxey Mouldings stand at a exhibition yesterday and I'm trying to remember soldering from school electronics club 15 years ago! I really do have no clue, and I even had to ask Dave (Roxey's owner) what flux is actually for...
QUOTE (dwb @ 28 Feb 2009, 21:13) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>[...]
About the only tip of my own to pass on from this episode is that I found it a great help to sellotape (and it was Sellotape) the plasticard to the steel rule to ensure that it wouldn't move when I was cutting it. I must have got through yards of the stuff.
[...]
Perhaps two small G-clamps (like this) on the edge of your workbench would be more secure (and less wasteful!).
Tips for mount cutters from someone who's mounted countless pictures:
- Use some scrap plasticard or mount board as the sacrificial surface, rather than a proprietary cutting mat. The mat's high friction and the way the blade is set up in most mount cutters adds up to the cutter stuttering a lot.
- Using the same material underneath means there's no variation as you pass through the sheet
- Make a series of passes -- don't try to 'dig' down into what you're cutting
Cheers,
Tom
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Thanks for the tip about using the mount cutter Tom, I'll remember that one for the next time. The soldering advice given in the thread was really useful, so if you run into any problems have another look at it.
I am still working on the box, so there will be one or two more photos to come. I came up with a track plan for the box to control and did a signalling diagram for it. Then I put together the lever frame with levers painted in the appropriate colours and positions. There's still more bits and pieces of painting to be done and more detail to add. It's a lot of small tasks which either need drying time between them or delivery time whilst small parts get delivered.
David
I am still working on the box, so there will be one or two more photos to come. I came up with a track plan for the box to control and did a signalling diagram for it. Then I put together the lever frame with levers painted in the appropriate colours and positions. There's still more bits and pieces of painting to be done and more detail to add. It's a lot of small tasks which either need drying time between them or delivery time whilst small parts get delivered.
David
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3,614 Posts
a very nice signal box david. it turned out really well.
I also do stained glass and one of the tools i use is a ruler with a non slip backing. its perfect for when you areally dont want anything moveing. and also very good for lineing coaches when you dont want to scratch paintwork.
I got mine in lead and light in camden.
I look forward to seeing the interior develope
Peter
I also do stained glass and one of the tools i use is a ruler with a non slip backing. its perfect for when you areally dont want anything moveing. and also very good for lineing coaches when you dont want to scratch paintwork.
I got mine in lead and light in camden.
I look forward to seeing the interior develope
Peter
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6,202 Posts
Hi David,
The box looks superb ....... the soldering braid is a godsend at times to clean up joints i agree
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look forward to seeing more progress
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your thread reminds me i have a few N brass wagon kits i started last year that need finishing off
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The box looks superb ....... the soldering braid is a godsend at times to clean up joints i agree
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Work is still in progress - the electricians are in doing the internal wiring. The outside light on the landing is in place. In the meantime the sign makers have got one of the name boards up. The guys with the gutters say they'll be back next week. There's no sign of the boiler chaps with the rest of the boiler flue pipe to take the smoke out through the roof. The sanitation department are checking on what to do about the drains, or lack thereof.
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As for the name, there is an Engine Shed Junction in Leeds but I don't think it has a signal box and I'm not sure it's on LNWR lines either. However since this isn't a model of a specific prototype and it could well appear on different layouts, "Engine Shed Jnc" is nicely non specific so that the board doesn't have to be replaced. One 'G' vanished as soon as it was liberated from the sprue and an i disappeared somewhere along the way as well.
Another part to go missing was the first surface mount LED. I think there is a spring board effect in the carrier strip. I removed the cover and next thing I knew the space was empty and absolutely no sign of the "pixie dust" sized LED. Still I haven't killed any through soldering, so the loss rate is bearable.
I really wasn't sure about the mortar washing. It was so dull and overbearing when I first applied it but it seems to have settled down.
Although I can see through the windows, I'm not sure I can get my camera to focus through them, so here's a photo over the signalman's shoulder. I am thinking of leaving the roof parts loose, so I can take a peek from time to time. A lot of hours have gone in there.
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David
As for the name, there is an Engine Shed Junction in Leeds but I don't think it has a signal box and I'm not sure it's on LNWR lines either. However since this isn't a model of a specific prototype and it could well appear on different layouts, "Engine Shed Jnc" is nicely non specific so that the board doesn't have to be replaced. One 'G' vanished as soon as it was liberated from the sprue and an i disappeared somewhere along the way as well.
Another part to go missing was the first surface mount LED. I think there is a spring board effect in the carrier strip. I removed the cover and next thing I knew the space was empty and absolutely no sign of the "pixie dust" sized LED. Still I haven't killed any through soldering, so the loss rate is bearable.
I really wasn't sure about the mortar washing. It was so dull and overbearing when I first applied it but it seems to have settled down.
Although I can see through the windows, I'm not sure I can get my camera to focus through them, so here's a photo over the signalman's shoulder. I am thinking of leaving the roof parts loose, so I can take a peek from time to time. A lot of hours have gone in there.
David
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844 Posts
Great to see and thanks for sharing. How did you paint the interior given the construction method? I am wondering if rooves should be left off and the spray primer liberally applied as best as can to the interior as I will no doubt be tackling one of these down the track. Is the interior the Wills kit? Apols if this is mentioned previously. I like the fact you put in the signalling diagram - even I didn't do that but did apply a pixie dust LED in the form of a desk lamp assuming that the box would have been dimly lit at night anyway.
Great stuff!
Great stuff!
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QUOTE How did you paint the interior given the construction method?
Once I had applied of a coat of etch primer from a can, I used very small brushes. There is enough room to be able to get at most of the area you need to without too much difficulty. I tended to do either the front or the back which meant I had something to hold on to and not having a floor gave access from both top and bottom. In fact I only secured the top to the base on Friday night and as you can see the roof is still loose. The interior colour for the walls is B&Q Magnolia from a tester pot - 98p for 50ml.
The interior is a Wills kit. The thing I like best about it is the way the bottom part of the frame sits right into the floor - you have to cut a long slot in it. It will be interesting to see how the light falls through to the locking room once I have it completed. I have come across a few photos of signal box interiors where there is a piece of carpet on the front part of the lever frame to stop draughts from below. There are also a couple of kits from Springside - one large, one small but I don't know what they're like.
I've still to fit the main lights for the cabin. These are of the lighthouse type. I've fitted a couple of 10 thou discs to give the appearance of shades. They will be hung from the centre beam which is just out of shot. The wires will run down rafters which will be fitted to match the ones you can see under the front. The rafters are not structural and seeing that they're 20 x 40 thou is probably just as well.
I had to create a signalling diagram so that I knew what colour the levers would be. Since I draw them with the MS "Paint" program, it's not too hard to print them down to the size required.
I think I'm on the home straight now and thanks for the kind comments, they are appreciated.
David
Once I had applied of a coat of etch primer from a can, I used very small brushes. There is enough room to be able to get at most of the area you need to without too much difficulty. I tended to do either the front or the back which meant I had something to hold on to and not having a floor gave access from both top and bottom. In fact I only secured the top to the base on Friday night and as you can see the roof is still loose. The interior colour for the walls is B&Q Magnolia from a tester pot - 98p for 50ml.
The interior is a Wills kit. The thing I like best about it is the way the bottom part of the frame sits right into the floor - you have to cut a long slot in it. It will be interesting to see how the light falls through to the locking room once I have it completed. I have come across a few photos of signal box interiors where there is a piece of carpet on the front part of the lever frame to stop draughts from below. There are also a couple of kits from Springside - one large, one small but I don't know what they're like.
I've still to fit the main lights for the cabin. These are of the lighthouse type. I've fitted a couple of 10 thou discs to give the appearance of shades. They will be hung from the centre beam which is just out of shot. The wires will run down rafters which will be fitted to match the ones you can see under the front. The rafters are not structural and seeing that they're 20 x 40 thou is probably just as well.
I had to create a signalling diagram so that I knew what colour the levers would be. Since I draw them with the MS "Paint" program, it's not too hard to print them down to the size required.
I think I'm on the home straight now and thanks for the kind comments, they are appreciated.
David
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10,023 Posts
The sparks say they are finished but the control box is a duff one, so they'll have to come back. The lights can be either all on or all off and the stove just isn't right at all.
The chippies have completed the roof timbers but there's still no sign of the stove fitters with the rest of the chimney pipe.
Once it gets dark, the lights will get a proper test. Hopefully someone will catch it on camera.
In the meantime here's a wide angle macro close up of the inside rear wall of the box taken at about 9:25 this morning from a cherry picker.... The distortion of the woodwork is an optical illusion according to the chippies but they were wearing rather strange grins and there was a strong smell of glue about them....
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David
The chippies have completed the roof timbers but there's still no sign of the stove fitters with the rest of the chimney pipe.
Once it gets dark, the lights will get a proper test. Hopefully someone will catch it on camera.
In the meantime here's a wide angle macro close up of the inside rear wall of the box taken at about 9:25 this morning from a cherry picker.... The distortion of the woodwork is an optical illusion according to the chippies but they were wearing rather strange grins and there was a strong smell of glue about them....
David
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4,539 Posts
Delightful! But where's the signalman going to get his water from? Nice empty space back left (as looking at the picture above) for a small sink and draining board, perhaps, like this:
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(St Albans South, of course!)
Regards,
John
(St Albans South, of course!)
Regards,
John
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The night light test has taken place and some photos were taken. It appears from the first photo that they were taken at 9:25pm, exactly 12 hours on from the previous set - quite a coincidence
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I don't think anyone is going to fall down those steps in the dark. There's plenty of light from the outside light.
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Like Hamlet's father's ghost this unfortunate signalman is doomed to walk the watches of the night or in this case pull off lever 10. The idea of the amber LED is that it will flicker and give a fire like glow. I was not inclined to bury it in the stove so it hovers just above it instead which doesn't look great when viewed close up, but from a distance it may provide the right effect.
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Pulling back a bit, you can make out the telephone, clock and desk, which was the whole reason for putting lights in.
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And here it is with the roof off.
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I had hoped to run the lights from a half dead decoder but I've decided that it's actually completely dead. For this test, the negative leads from the LEDs have been commoned with power being provided by my trusty H&M Duette. I have connected a 1N4001 diode in the reverse direction to protect the LEDs in case I turn the knob the wrong way. I will look for a cheap decoder with 3 output functions, one with flicker. There's a meter of 0.5mm wire in that box, I think it's actually ESU decoder hook up wire.
The LED over the door is a bit on the cool side (blueish) but the two internal lights have come out rather well. I'm not sure about the stove light but I had decided that this was a top loader, though maybe the LED would be better stuck to the side. I am looking forward to seeing how looks when connected to a firebox flicker function.
David
I don't think anyone is going to fall down those steps in the dark. There's plenty of light from the outside light.
Like Hamlet's father's ghost this unfortunate signalman is doomed to walk the watches of the night or in this case pull off lever 10. The idea of the amber LED is that it will flicker and give a fire like glow. I was not inclined to bury it in the stove so it hovers just above it instead which doesn't look great when viewed close up, but from a distance it may provide the right effect.
Pulling back a bit, you can make out the telephone, clock and desk, which was the whole reason for putting lights in.
And here it is with the roof off.
I had hoped to run the lights from a half dead decoder but I've decided that it's actually completely dead. For this test, the negative leads from the LEDs have been commoned with power being provided by my trusty H&M Duette. I have connected a 1N4001 diode in the reverse direction to protect the LEDs in case I turn the knob the wrong way. I will look for a cheap decoder with 3 output functions, one with flicker. There's a meter of 0.5mm wire in that box, I think it's actually ESU decoder hook up wire.
The LED over the door is a bit on the cool side (blueish) but the two internal lights have come out rather well. I'm not sure about the stove light but I had decided that this was a top loader, though maybe the LED would be better stuck to the side. I am looking forward to seeing how looks when connected to a firebox flicker function.
David
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Very nice David.
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The light really helps you focus on the inside detail.
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