Wykeham - Somewhere in the South.

[bulleidboy]

A new arrival - Wykeham probably c.1957

100_0542 by Barry Clayton, on Flickr

[Fratton71D]

This is looking really good.

I do like the effect of the lighting you are incorporating. I had considered this for Shawhurst but in the end I decided Shawhurst will always be bathed in just day light.

[bulleidboy]

Thanks for the comments. I think lighting is a bit like sound(?) - it's nice to have it on for a short time, but it doesn't have to be a permanent feature. I have a few sound fitted locomotives, but other than impressing the grandchildren, I never have the sound on. The Class 205 Thumper does sound very good - but only for a few minutes. I'm now building the Metcalfe Retaining Wall to go at the back of the fiddle yard, the previous picture showed "borrowed" walling from elsewhere on the layout - I have been "challenged" into fitting hidden downlights into each arch, illuminating old posters on the walls - I might do this - but it will be switched.

[bulleidboy]

A very poor picture of the fiddle yard retaining wall, with dimmed LED lighting in each archway. It's difficult to get a picture almost in the dark without using the flash. At least I now know what it looks like.
I have now fitted Kadee No.18 couplers to some of the coaching stock (only the ends of each rake), and have fitted magnets under five of the six tracks in the fiddle yard. I am also awaiting delivery of a Dapol SR Home signal and a DCC Digital iP point motor, which will be wired to operate together just in front of the tunnel leading from the fiddle yard.

100_0567 by Barry Clayton, on Flickr

[bulleidboy]

I have now fitted the SR Home signal just in front of the tunnel exit from the fiddle yard. I have yet to wire it to the Cobalt iP point motor. I have been thinking about painting a "weathered" sighting panel behind the signal arm on the tunnel facing stonework. The short section of track on the right is a piece that was never lifted and will eventually be ballasted and heavily weeded.

100_0555 by Barry Clayton, on Flickr

[bulleidboy]

Very little work done of late. I have wired the Dapol Home Signal to the Cobalt Digital iP point motor, and they work well together - they are operated by the same toggle switch or by DCC from the Hornby Elite. The retaining wall lighting now has a variable voltage switch(?) and it doesn't look too ridiculous - I need to add some posters into some of the alcoves. I am currently making some more powered Ratio Platform Lamps. The branch line station will the Scenecraft Shillingstone Station. I don't know whether anyone else has this building, but it is difficult to get the canopy in the correct position without it falling forwards onto the track. I don't know how difficult this material is to drill holes into, but I'm wondering whether two or three headless track pins inserted into the main building and then the canopy slid onto these pins, it would stop it toppling forwards. As the station/platform sits on the lifting section, I am also thinking of glueing four bolts internally, one in each corner of the building, that would pass through the platform and board with a nut on each bolt it would hold the station building in place, and save me removing it every time I wanted to go out of the door - I haven't made a decision on this yet.

[bulleidboy]

I have now added "totems" to the lamp posts. These are from Tracksidesigns and are mounted on etched brass backplates from Dart Castings.

IMG_0455 (1) by Barry Clayton, on Flickr

[bulleidboy]

I've done very little on the layout over the last month or so. Hopefully with autumn now very close and less time spent outside, lots of jobs that need finishing, will be finished.

The picture below shows dusk at the fiddle yard taken from the branch line station. The new Hornby Mk1 carriages with lights are impressive, but the lights do emphasise there are no passengers - as yet?

IMG_0475 by Barry Clayton, on Flickr

[Dad-1]

A cracking layout.
Ha, the lighting problem of showing empty interiors to
anything, buildings, coaches .... the work load squares !!

Geoff T.

[bulleidboy]

I've now placed the branch-line station in position. I mentioned awhile back that the canopy appeared unstable, so I drilled two very small holes, one at each end of the station front wall, and corresponding holes into the canopy, I then inserted two track pins with the heads cut off, a tight fit, but the canopy is now firm, and cannot tip forwards, as it did before. I need to add some lights and people. I have also placed a new point into the branch-line approach - I now have two operational platforms, which I had before, and now a siding as well. I did notice the other day a "thawing" in the resistance to having the room door re-hung to open onto the landing rather than into the room. This would mean that the lifting section could remain "almost" permanently in place and I would not have to keep moving things that were not fixed down - at the moment I am still agile enough to crawl underneath. I just noticed that the platform surface has a shine to it - it must have been raining!

IMG_0476 by Barry Clayton, on Flickr

[carnehan]

Lovely work Bulleidboy, the passengers and platform paraphernalia will just finish that scene off nicely.

It must be quite a well to do area with the artistic lighting in the retaining wall recesses.

Paul

[bulleidboy]

I have today fitted the new Yard Lamps - they really are a well made item. A special order from RML Electronics. I saw them sometime ago on another forum. I emailed RML told them what I had seen and where, they said they could make them. A few weeks later a sample arrived, it was just what I wanted, I confirmed that they were fine, and they made up the rest of the order - they arrived a few weeks later. That was sometime ago, and they've been sitting in the cupboard until now. I now need to get some lighting into the engine shed. The yard lamps run on 12/16v, but I find them a little bright - I have, at the moment, placed a small voltage regulator in the power supply, which really does reduce the brilliance. The picture was taken before the "VR" was fitted.

IMG_0513 by Barry Clayton, on Flickr

IMG_0512 by Barry Clayton, on Flickr

[bulleidboy]

In preparation for fitting lights into the engine shed roof, I have built a girder framework. This will have the same type of copper rods incorporated into the roof framework as I've used before - the LED's will the be attached to these rods - the rods drop down in the corners just inside the entrance of the shed, and will slide into brass tubing set into the shed base, and protrude just below the boards underside - power can then be attached. The copper rod was bent into a "U" shape in two sizes (inner and outer power supply), and slid into position, as it was not possible to complete all the bends required and fit the rods into the roof, I have used a brass tube sleeve to attach the roof rods to the rods that drop down through the boards. The rods are a tight fit into the tubing, but a dab of solder should improve the power conductivity. The interior of the shed will need a coat of paint to cancel the "light bleed". I have given the underside of the roof a coat of thick black paint and this has worked in completely eliminating the light bleed through the roof. The walls would probably a have a white lime wash - I may have to paint them black, and then a coat of white.

https://flic.kr/p/Z4pZuq

[bulleidboy]

I've been playing with the small LED's again. I have added some to the Ratio Platform canopies, and there are also some in the goods shed. I think the Chinese idea of warm-white is a little different to ours, but someone has recommended Tamiya Yellow Lacquer - just a touch on the LED's. Power supply was as used previously - copper rods in roof structure, running down platform canopy support leg, through a hole in platform and board, and then power attached using a choc-bloc secured to rod. I have also installed a voltage regulator, but even on lowest setting, the lighting is too bright. The engine shed also has lighting, but getting the power to it is a nightmare - storage cupboard has to be moved - next job!

IMG_0545 by Barry Clayton, on Flickr

IMG_0022 by Barry Clayton, on Flickr

[Dad-1]

3 Cracking low light photos, most effective.

Geoff T.