Somewhere SW of London. Somewhen before today

Next step - the facing point lock for the Down Passenger line.  Non-passenger lines don’t necessarily need these so this fiddly piece of asssmbly which includes getting the rod between the rail and sleeper base will be a one-off. 
Prototypically the lock would be on the tie-bar but as I am unwilling to disassemble the Peco spring mechanism this will have to suffice. 

Lovely weathering of the track Rick.

How do these point locks work ?  Never really noticed them before amongs all the usual clutter between railway lines.

What have you use for ballast ?  Looks very realistic.  :thumbs

I am sure that Rick with agree with me when I say that sometimes one needs to improvise when trying to get the little bits to stay together until the weld hardens!!

I do agree with Barry!  My approach has been to apply Superglue and count to 15 so that it starts to go off and then offer the two parts up to each other. One joint at a time. 

The Down end now has its full rodding and locking. The “London” end was going to be very tricky; getting rodding underneath both the track and the bridge would have been a challenge in dexterity indeed. 

Instead I have made use of what was already there namely two surface-mounted point motors. Black wire has been stuck to them and fed back to the ‘box to represent motorised points. 

The SW Division had some of these from early on, both electric and pneumatic, so it isn’t outside the scope of modeller’s licence to use this set-up here. 

Stunning work there Rick! So much detail. 

I like that idea for the cables to the actual point motors.

The layout is looking good, Rick, more and more detailed.

[user=321]SRman[/user] wrote:

I like that idea for the cables to the actual point motors.

The layout is looking good, Rick, more and more detailed.

Necessity very much the mother of invention here Jeff and thank you (and others) for your kind comments.  

 I tried to tease point rodding under the tracks first but it just wasn't going to play nice.  Or indeed at all.  I might have done more harm than good.  

So I hatched Plan B with a few lengths of black wire.  "Simples" as a meerkat might say.  

It has taken many hours of extraordinarily intricate work. And it will take more time yet to reduce the intensity to the preferred dim yellow. There is also some corrective re-wiring to be done. But five minutes ago I threw a switch and the first of the station lights …..





….. came on!!!!!

Not bad for a Ratio plastic kit which is definitely not designed nor built as a working model. 

After dark with the room lights off. The only illumination here is from the platform lamps (not yet all wired in) and the signals (which still need the green lenses adjusted to the correct blue-green shade). But that’s what I’m talking about 

That really does look authentic Rick - brilliant !

When you get around to it, the shadow of the odd passenger or two waiting on the platform will complete what is already a wonderful scene.   :thumbs

Wot 'e said. Would yellow or orange led's get you where you want for the glow of incandescent lamps?

[user=6]Petermac[/user] wrote:

That really does look authentic Rick - brilliant !

When you get around to it, the shadow of the odd passenger or two waiting on the platform will complete what is already a wonderful scene.   :thumbs

Something like this?

[user=1120]peterm[/user] wrote:

Wot 'e said. Would yellow or orange led's get you where you want for the glow of incandescent lamps?

I haven’t been able to find pre-wired yellow nanoLEDs but I suspect were I to use them they would appear pale yellow rather than an incandescent glow. I have the regulator fitted now which has brought the intensity down somewhat. 

[user=1753]Gwiwer[/user] wrote:

[user=6]Petermac[/user] wrote:

That really does look authentic Rick - brilliant !

When you get around to it, the shadow of the odd passenger or two waiting on the platform will complete what is already a wonderful scene.   :thumbs

Something like this?

A less decent man would lead the lady to the slightly darker end of the platform  ;-)

Indeed Claus but he wouldn't be able to see what he was doing …………… :hmm

I suppose he could always feel his way 
Nice lighting effect there, good atmosphere :)

Would a dab of appropriately coloured paint on the LED reduce the brightness?
Terry

Another day and a few more lights are wired and working.  I need to investigate further as to why the yard and street lights are not working as they are fully wired.  It might be polarity or it may be a loose connection somewhere.  It could easily be the case that the street lights, which are basic plastic kit items with nano LEDs stuck to them, will simply not work although the platform ones do and have been built in a similar manner.  

Following completion of the lighting the next step will be to remove all the stock parked on the layout, give everything a thorough dusting-down, complete the small amount of track weathering yet to be done and then see how it all runs.  

I haven't had a full running session yet.  There are some improvements I would like to make to the track wiring arrangements.  I am stuck with one circuit for the two passenger lines because they merge off-scene through a short length of single track and at the other end they pass through the crossover-with-slip piece which was specially made.  To keep the wiring relatively simple I haven't used isolation through the diamond or slip preferring to switch the various sidings in and out as required.  

The yard is divided electrically into three with blending between controllers necessary at the changeovers.  Not too hard in a slow-speed environment but it may be possible to make some moves easier than they are at present by altering the isolation.  

And then …..

….. the next project has already begun.  The baseboard has been built for a small and portable OO-9 / OO project intended for exhibition use. This also has to be as light as possible in order to be lifted by just myself in and out of the room and around two right-angle corners in the hallways if it is to get through the front door.  No mean feat when height is involved from harbour up to cliffside …..  

Watch this space through next year.

[user=711]col.stephens[/user] wrote:

Would a dab of appropriately coloured paint on the LED reduce the brightness?
Terry

It might.  The shades are painted warm white and will have a little weathering added.  I could try the same colour on the LEDs though too rich (into the creams / yellows) and it will look wrong.  
Another option I have had suggested is a dimmer but I don't think dimmers and LEDs work together.  With all the lights wired in series the worst of the brightness will be dealt with electrically.  It wasn't too bad last night when I turned the room lights off and took photos with only the platform and signal lighting available.  

More lights means more pictures. Careful inspection will reveal a couple of spots where wiring still has to be disguised or concealed but it’s definitely getting there.