7mm Birmingham Moor Street

[Focalplane]

A start on the re-inforced traverser was made this evening. I bought soft steel bar and cut it into ten 18cm lengths. I have placed these either side of five of the nine rails, trapping the appropriate roller bearings in place. Nothing has been fixed yet. The spare roller bearings will be redundant but cannot be removed easily so will be parked out of the way (with blutac?) Tomorrow I will drill holes in the bars and the Tufnol deck and bolt the bars in place. 5 x 3 ball bearings should work well to evenly spread the load while the bars will maintain position without yaw.



I see this is IMG_0666 on my iPhone. Oh dear!

 

[Focalplane]

I have fitted four of the five steel bar pairs, two toward each end and the plan has worked quite well. The extra weight keeps the wheels on the rails and the channels prevent serious yawing of the table. But will this be enough? So my plan is to leave it as a manually operated device for the time being, at least until after I visit the UK in August (and Telford at the end of the month). This way we'll see how it behaves and meantime think of a better plan.

While waiting for the point levers to arrive I will start on the platform framework, basically supports for the brick faced walls below the platform paving. I'll use more soft steel bar for the space over the traversers (just like the girders in the prototype, see warwickshirerailways.com and a photo on post #5). I will use thin plywood for the platform surfaces, topped off with plastikard paving stones. The concourse will be at the same level and so the platform framework will also be extended to form the foundations for the station building. I am doing this now because the grandkids are coming and they will find it easier to understand what it is I am building (the younger girl is into D&T *and making things).

* D&T - Design and Technology for those who went to school many years ago!

 

[Focalplane]

Help!

What do people use to glue Plastikard to wood! PVA glue doesn’t work for me. I am trying to add brick sheets to the hidden timber supports for the platforms. Picture to follow. I have several plastic cements in stock, one of them might work?

Paul

 

[JimG]

Help!

What do people use to glue Plastikard to wood! PVA glue doesn’t work for me. I am trying to add brick sheets to the hidden timber supports for the platforms. Picture to follow. I have several plastic cements in stock, one of them might work?

Just use MekPak or whatever solvent you use with styrene sheet. A problem you might run into if sticking a large area of styrene to wood is a problem with the wood contracting or expanding. I used to make up a solution of original Evostick and MekPak which gave a glue layer with a bit of elasticity to glue styrene to wood, but they changed the makeup of Evostik some years ago and my method no longer worked well.

Jim.

 

[Focalplane]

Thanks, Jim, I have several solvents in stock and will try MekPak first. I have used Butanone to stick C&L chairs to plywood but don't have much in stock until Telford. The wood is inexpensive fir (Fr. "sapin") which is quite porous which will help. At the moment I have clamps everywhere around the platforms, so maybe a photo later for all you night owls who stay up past my Central European bed time.

An update on the traversers. Simon and I have decided to meet up at Telford when I will bring the electronic parts (no traverser!) for a test set up and run. So that will be my summer holiday project - no loco kits or coaches, just Arduinos and a wallet for Telford.

 

[Focalplane]

OK, sweet dreams, fellow Western Thunderers, these photos should send you to sleep:

 

[Peter Cross]

I buy MEK by the litre from chemical suppliers a lot cheaper. Butanone and MEK are the same thing. I'm sure you'll have them in France I can get it here in Brazil.

 

[jonte]

Apologies for being late to the party, Paul, but this is really top drawer, real engineering stuff

What I also admire is the neatness of your work, the signs of a considered and methodical mind. Admirable.

As JimG has already kindly and promptly replied, Mekpak or just plain old styrene glue (I call it the pear-drop smelling stuff - mine’s Tamiya) will stick paper and wood to styrene. Incidentally, I read somewhere that plumbers use what is essentially Mekpak for cleaning/preparing? plastic pipe, and is available over the counter at any plumbers’ merchants for pennies. Just wish I could remember what it’s called. Perhaps someone can enlighten.

Will continue to follow.

Best wishes,

Jonte

 

[simond]

Jonte

“Pipe cleaner”!

It certainly used to be MEK, though a quick google failed to find any.

I bought MEK on eBay, a couple of quid per litre.

Atb
Simon

 

[Peter Smith]

Hi Paul,

This is my first contribution on here and I joined specifically to be able to respond to your question. In my experience you shouldn't stick embossed plastic card directly to wood, you need a layer of thicker plastic in between. Stick the embossed sheet to that first with Mekpak and then stick the thicker sheet to the wood with Evostick. Use at least 1mm/40thou if not thicker.

Having said that, I personally wouldn't use embossed sheet. These two pictures are of my model of Snow Hill, not far from your area, and all the brick is printed on paper. It's much, much easier, there is no painting and it looks fine.








As Moor Street is still there I would suggest photographing the actual walls of the real station and from those pictures producing an A4 sheet of building paper...you can't get more accurate than that.

I'm going to be there tomorrow, on the way to Stratford beer festival, so if you'd like me to take the pictures, produce the building paper and e-mail the artwork to you I'd be happy to do that. You can then at least see if you like it. I'd better take the pictures on the way rather than coming home!!

I would do the platform surface, edging stones etc. in just the same way.

Cheers,

Peter

 

[Focalplane]

Thank you Peter, for your advice and offer to take photos. Most kind of you - and of course that includes your contribution of older photos which I have not mentioned on this thread before.

It is apropos that you have included photos of your fine model of the UP side of Snow Hill (if I remember correctly you "only" did the one platform, "only" being an inappropriate choice of words!) On another thread I started last week I showed a completed jigsaw puzzle of "Summer Saturday at Snow Hill". You model captures the flavour of the place just like Philip Hawkins did with his brush!

I have used printed papers before, on a 3mm plywood engine shed I built, and the effect was most pleasing. So for the station building I will think long and hard about adopting your suggestion. Here is my engine shed, or part of it!



There will be no need to take photos of Moor Street as I already have a plan to do this with my grand daughter in August. She is coming here in July and will be excited about making a contribution to the project, so a site visit is a must.

On reflection, parts of the restored building have been modified, most noticeably the entrance porch which was never there! But your offer is most kind. Do enjoy the Beer Festival, have an Old Hooky on me! And if Alcester's UBU have a stall ask them about the origin of the name.

Thanks and glad you have joined up! Paul

 

[Focalplane]

Apologies for being late to the party, Paul, but this is really top drawer, real engineering stuff

What I also admire is the neatness of your work, the signs of a considered and methodical mind. Admirable.

Will continue to follow.

Best wishes,

Jonte

Well, Jonte, you don't know the "real me". I do NOT have a considered and methodical mind and my workbench is always untidy. But your comments are flatteringly welcome!

The topside of the traversers were never "designed" I just used what happened to be available, buying only the Tufnol sheets. Also, I try to take a daily walk and it is during these hour long sessions that I come up with ideas to be tested on the bench. In the summer I don't walk so much so have fewer ideas. If we have a heatwave (la canicule = dog days) I stop thinking altogether.

Paul

 

[Peter Smith]

Hi Paul,
I seem to recall that UBU was named after their dog.

When you've got the pictures e-mail them to me and I'll turn them into building papers.

Cheers,

Peter

 

[Focalplane]

Hi Paul,
I seem to recall that UBU was named after their dog.

When you've got the pictures e-mail them to me and I'll turn them into building papers.

Cheers,

Peter

Whose name was "Utterly Bl**dy Useless".

That's a very kind offer, Until September then?

Paul

 

[Focalplane]

Well, the above comments about Plastikard and MEK have put me in a state of quandary. I just tested the first piece of Plastikard and it peeled off easier than an over-ripe banana skin. It may be because I had tried PVA glue on the same wood "wall" last evening.

For my engine shed I used brick paper printed from paperbrick.co.uk website. I just tried it and no file was generated - I think the business model has changed from donations only to renting time by the hour.

Last evening I also had a discussion with LarryG about ballast colours. As usual my decisions tend to be based on what I have in stock and coarse brown Woodlands Scenic is therefore going to be my choice. I sprinkled some down to take a photo:



I have access to a few colour photos of Moor Street and the main line, mostly on warwickshirerailways.com. Here are some links:

Moor Street Station: A grimy Great Western Railway designed 2-6-2T large prairie No 4161 of the 51XX class on a three coach suburban passenger train - Main line with local suburban emerging from Snow Hill Tunnel

Moor Street Station: Ex-GWR 4-6-0 King class No 6026 'King John' is seen at the head of the up Cambrian Express as it leaves Snow Hill tunnel by Moor Street station in 1959 - Main line with hoist roads also visible and ballasted. Note what I think is a heap of sand adjacent to the DOWN main line. There was a sand trap for runaway wagons in those days.

Moor Street Station: A colour view from the cab of 350hp diesel shunter of the wagon hoists seen in British Railways Western Region days - Goods yard showing cobbled setts between tracks and some very dark brown ballast in the approaches. The colour scheme for the hoists is most useful.

Later photos taken during the diesel multiple unit era show predominantly brown ballast but with scattered pockets of fresh pale gray ballast added.

My own brown ballast will be weathered, heavily is some places.

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

There are several sources of brick papers and one of the better ones I have seen are the downloadable ones from Smart Models

Texture Sheets

Redutex also offer self-stick textured brick papers and are bit more expensive. This is their web site (Español, Deutsch, English, Français) and they can be purchased in the UK/EU

3D textures sheets in scale 0 and 1 - Redutex

O Scale

 

[Focalplane]

Thanks, Dave, all three look most useful! Peter's idea of photographing the prototype seems the best option but these options are all worth knowing about.

My printer is playing up (I am sure Mr. Epson thinks it's time I upgraded a printer I bought in 2008) so print at home brick paper is a no no at the moment. I am still working on the Plastikard veneers and have improved their stickability by sanding the substrate free of PVA glue.

More photos to come! Paul

 

[jonte]

Thanks, Dave, all three look most useful! Peter's idea of photographing the prototype seems the best option but these options are all worth knowing about.

My printer is playing up (I am sure Mr. Epson thinks it's time I upgraded a printer I bought in 2008) so print at home brick paper is a no no at the moment. I am still working on the Plastikard veneers and have improved their stickability by sanding the substrate free of PVA glue.

More photos to come! Paul

Please give the polystyrene glue a go, Paul. Most recently, I glued the Evergreen microstrip framing to the wooden matchstick walls with it and it’s stuck firmly. I just doused the wood first with glue before applying to the rear of styrene as usual. A trial piece perhaps?

Jonte

 

[Focalplane]

I sanded off the dried PVA glue and re-glued the Plastikard. So far, so good. Two years ago I built a
Plastikard skinned replica of Penmaenpool’s engine shed, using soldered brass strip as a frame. No wood was involved and it stands tall today:



Actually there is some bass wood above the doorway but it’s not structural!

 

[jonte]

Jonte

“Pipe cleaner”!

It certainly used to be MEK, though a quick google failed to find any.

I bought MEK on eBay, a couple of quid per litre.

Atb
Simon

Sincerest apologies for the late reply, Simon, but I seem to have overlooked your post of yesterday.

Yep, pipe cleaner it is. I wasn’t aware you could get MEK on eBay so thanks for the heads up.

Bestest,

Jonte