'Cameo Callaton'

Cameo Callaton

Simpas

Western Thunderer
Rich,

Thanks very much but shhhhh - I've been very busy of late and haven't had the chance to do any posting. Retirement, it's great isn't it...!

The next 2mm Magazine is coming in October and I have written part two for that. I will endeavour to give WT subscribers a sneak preview beforehand time permitting. At the moment I'm engaged at a local crown court - the judge says we are the most important people there. Hmmm..!

I'm glad you weren't bored stiff at the weekend because I've been known to ramble at times, although not nearly as much as young Clifford (Fosse Way is a good route Jerry...!)) and my little CC effort hasn't really marched on too much, except for the painted cabinet, and the stonework experiments are indeed just that. I will show my failures though, sorry, my unsuccessful attempts thus far, at some stage assuming I can get a result with which I am happy.

We haven't failed until we stop trying to achieve - well that's my story and I'm sticking to it....

Mick S.
 

queensquare

Western Thunderer
I'm glad you weren't bored stiff at the weekend because I've been known to ramble at times, although not nearly as much as young Clifford (Fosse Way is a good route Jerry!)........

Mick S.

How very dare you sir, ramble indeed..... mind, I like the young bit!

Jerry
 

David Varley

Western Thunderer
Good to see you at Shipley yesterday, Mick - the stonework experiments looked good and I await sight of the trees with interest.

Quite how we got from 2mm trees to religious indoctrination escapes me ... maybe rivalling Jerry for rambling?

David
 

Simpas

Western Thunderer
Good to see you too David, and yes this is a project to enable me to do some of the things I've not done before so there is likely to be lots of experimentation. Practicing the stonework is surprisingly very therapeutic if a little time consuming but it translates into something original I think. Speaking of therapy; this is exactly how a conversation can gravitate onto other topics.......

Wi kin aal dee a birra bletherin noo n agen.

(For those whose first language isn't based in the north)

"We can all occasionally do a spot of talking"

Mick S.
 
Cameo Callaton

Simpas

Western Thunderer
Good morning all,

Those who are 2mmSA members may well have seen these pictures in print in the current 2mm Magazine which has just hit the streets. It was my intention to update this before the magazine went out but my pictures were a little on the large side to upload. Apologies for my apparent tardiness, I'm too used to taking and preparing pictures for print publications. I'm grateful to Adrian for his help in this respect.

Anyway - off we go. Here are some closer up shots of the servo (which is not really a servo now..!) and shows the component parts of the turnout and trap point operating mechanisms.


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Below can be seen the construction of the mounting for the micro switch from scrap PCB and brass angle - a proper 'botch up', but it works which is what matters, and needs little explanation. Refer back to previous pictures illustrating the movement and it will be apparent the micro switch can be changed out in seconds. without the need to employ a soldering iron. The change can be done is in seconds.
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A little piece of 10 thou brass has been used to extend the arm that operates the switch and this can be seen in both pictures. It's simply folded over with friction ensuring it doesnt come off. If it needs anything else to retain it a dab of solder or a spot of superglue will do.

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In the below shots of the baseboard can be seen the cutouts created for the DCC control and switch panels that will be installed. The picture really speaks for itself. I've simply cut out a rectangle of the apropriate size and in order to recess the switches (which will go in the right hand side cutout I've cut some small short strips and stuck them on the inside to create depth. This means the switches themselves won't be liable to damage during transit.

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Below shows the view from the inside from which can be seen the simplicity of construction. The coil to the right of the servo is an electro magnet which will be powered by a bank of eight AA batteries.

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I'll put some more up during the course of today, by which time I will have resized more of the pictures. In my earlier posts I must have just been lucky.

Mick S
 
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Cameo Callaton

Simpas

Western Thunderer
Jonte asked a little while ago about the sector plate so here is an underside view of the way it has progressed. It has been wired up and as can be seen is still a very simple affair. The unplugged plug dangling, is the feed from the main board and the two wires are soldered to a piece of PCB. It feeds the short section of track on the non moving section of the sector plate (left) and the track on the moving portion of the plate (right) via the switch. I used an inline plug and socket to enable me to remove the sector plate itself without having to get the soldering iron out. I need to take a couple more pictures of the sector plate from above to illustrate the simple alignment 'peg' so may try and do that today...!

Can you spot the curious Otter...?

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The fiddle.

There is one proper hidden fiddle siding that runs the length of the main baseboard (all 2' 6" of it..!) and what follows is my method of connecting it to the sector plate board

You have already seen the main single road sector plate at the right hand side of the layout which has limited capacity (one train length) but comparing this little project with the prototype that inspired it, there will be twice the number of trains appearing in model form than was the case at the real location so these fiddle arrangements I am about to describe should be more than adequate. I needed to be able to have some means of storing the train that was not being 'run' at and achieving this is the single road storage/fiddle siding behind where the back-scene will be. In order to avoid too much fiddling about with alignment when the sector plate is being attached I decided not to have a second track joint at the baseboard edge and instead opted to simply lay plastic track base on the sector plate side and slide the rails through from the layout proper. The single fiddle track road will not be painted so sliding the rails back and forth is relatively easy and it's a sure fire way of letting me know the fiddle yard is correctly aligned. See images below - upper view shows the rails before they are slid across and the lower shows them in place ready for traffic. Before you ask, the track on the sector plate is concrete sleeper flat bottom stuff, believe it or not this has raised detail which reads 'DOWMAC', the marvels of spark erosion technology...! Available from the 2mmSA as are all the plastic track products.

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Below, on the main part of the baseboard, the sliding rails to the sector plate, bottom of picture (the upper track is the 'main line'). These are electrified by two pieces of PCB being fed from the bus below decks, using a soldered connection seen to the right of the plates in this view, with a phosphor bronze wiper soldered to the underside of the rail and bearing on the plate maintaining contact as the rails slide through.


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In the photograph below will be seen a similar system is employed at the other end of the layout where the 'main line' and explosives siding disappear off scene. I moved away from the single fiddle stick idea adopting a broader approach, in more ways than one, and used this opportunity to extend the explosives siding on to the same fiddle base. This effectively gives me two fiddle roads at the left hand end which will mean additional flexibility allowing me to 'hide' a cut of wagons from public view. There is another beneficial effect of this; because I have no photographs or detail of the explosives facility that existed at the real Callerton, I can now just imagine it is some way off beyond the bridge which will form the scenic break into the fiddle at the left hand end and not be subjected to comments like "it was never like that". Electrical feed at the moment is only to one of these two fiddle roads, the one at the bottom of the picture, and is achieved slightly differently to the long fiddle siding by connecting wires soldered to the base of the flat bottom rail and allowing the rails to slide into the first three chairs on the layout in much the same manner as the long siding does on to the sector plate. This can be seen below with electrical feed to the front one (in this view) of the two spurs. The other road is not fed at this stage but could quite easily be if felt necessary in future. The Peco buffer stops are there to allow the three sleepers worth of rail to disappear and not run the risk of my careless clothed arm catching them. The visible wire and plug connect to the bus.

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More anon

Mick S
 

jonte

Western Thunderer
Thanks, Mick.

Nice 'n' simple connections. Think even I could do that.

There's a similar type of fiddleyard (in your last shot) in the Cameo book.

Respectfully, I think its simplicity alone, will make this little layout a strong contender. It's got my vote!

Thanks for sharing,

jonte
 
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Cameo Callaton

Simpas

Western Thunderer
Jonte,

Thank you. There a good number of interesting projects that have been entered and I think a high proportion are meritorious. I also think the Competition has got a lot of people doing things they maybe would not otherwise have done, which is good news all round for the hobby and the individuals concerned.

I'm costantly lurking here and elsewhere looking for, and finding, inspiration from what others are doing.

Mick S
 
Cameo Callaton

Simpas

Western Thunderer
Here are shots shots taken today showing the sector plate viewed away from the main baseboard.

It can be seen I have added a couple of sides to the plate to prevent accidental plunges to the floor. Looks as though it could be ineffective but, surprisingly, things don't seem to go very far if accidentally knocked. (I don't think it would withstand a size 9 boot mind but thankfully there aren't too many layout kickers about these days..) It's aligned to the rear hidden fiddle road in this view the alignment being achieved by two carefully drilled holes lined with copper tube in the bearing plate. A short piece of brass rod which is a comfy fit inside the tube drops into a similarly lined hole in the base bearing plate. I soldered a short piece of the copper tube into a bit of double sided PCB and this extends into the sector plate with the fiddle track on. Because of this it only needs a single screw to secure it. I'm just showing off with the little knurled brass wheel but does have a function - the extra mass generated means the 'peg' can drop into the hole in the bearing plate under its own weight as soon as it reaches the drilled locating hole. The locating hole for the other position can be seen just above and to the right of the visible screw that keeps the bearing plate fixed to the base and in this picture it is possible to discern the mark left by the brass peg as it tracks over the bearing plate. I did consider springing the 'peg' but quickly went off the idea because it makes a satisfying 'tink' as it drops relatively freely into the tube.

Aye, I've splashed a bit of matt black paint on the sides as well....!

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Below, a view of the sector plate aligned to neither of the roads but shows the brass 'peg' from which it is hoped can be gleaned the simple nature of the alignment.

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And here it is in the position it would be to enable the train to leave the fiddle and enter the scenic part of the layout. Astute observers will see I have dispensed with the MDF washers where the 'T' nut bolts that secure the fiddle yard to the layout are located. They turned out to be a bit flimsy so I stuck a couple of larger bits of wood in - much better.

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That's about it as far as the sector plate goes. It's the first time I've built or used one and I'm pleased with the way it works.

Mick S
 
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Cameo Callaton

Simpas

Western Thunderer
Now that I have completed a good few non modelling tasks (collecting brownie points as I went) I am now in a position to do a bit of catching up with the postings. Hopefully it won't be too long before I can report everyone is up to date with progress so far.

The last couple of pictures were of the sector plate and, staying with fiddle, here is a shot of what will be the scenic portion of the layout. The front road or explosives siding has yet to be extended as does the single rear fiddle siding which will be hidden beneath scenery. Do you know? I was almost certain I had taken a picture of the completed rear siding from this viewpoint ''burra wuz wrang' (roughly translated means, I fear I am mistaken) and this, although taken a little while ago, is the only such view I have. The uprights at each end are simply offcuts of 6mm MDF which are there to protect the rail ends as I manhandle the thing around the model room.

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Moving forward time wise and spinning the board over again we can now see there has been some progress made with wiring. The red swtches top left are DPDTs which I am using as on/off. They are, top to bottom:- section switch for rear fiddle road, section switch for left hand fiddle, switch for electro magnet (the power for which is the transistor battery (right top) and switch to operate the turnout and trap point. The green circuit board as many will recognise immediately is the NCE Powercab panel.


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LEDs are what I'm using for lighting and these can be powered by 12 volts DC using a transformer - I have a couple of the variable voltage sorts, or a bank of 8 AA batteries. It is something of a cobble up with the LED self adhesive strips being stuck to a shaped sheet of 2mm plastic that is screwed to the inside of the layout cabinet. The lights are quite effective. Somebody who knows more than me about lights will tell me I've done it wrong, but it hasn't failed, or worse still caught fire yet - I like them.

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I briefly mentioned a cabinet - well here it is, standing on the two Combitech trestles I made for it. The cabinet has an integral thin ply backscene which was a doddle to fit and because of the size of the project essential to guarantee the sky doesn't have a 90 degree bend in it.

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Further two shots showing where I am constructionally at the moment. Although I have given the cabinet and parts of the fiddle a coat of satin black paint, which I felt had to happen before I got much further, the cabinet itself hasn't yet been photographed by me in that state. I will try and put that right in the next few days.

The views below show the entire length of the layout viewed from two directions taken 'out on the patio' before the paint job.

I said that in a posh voice.........

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Mick S
 

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
'out on the patio'

....on the terrace - surely?

Are the LED strips all the same type of light or have you mixed bright white, daylight and warm yellow LEDS to give break up the starkness?

I like the main board - very neat :thumbs:.

I'm quite tempted to build one myself - for what I don't know. A modification I can see would be to lengthen the front and rear panels and increase their height to create recesses at either end. Then have the fiddle yards fold up into these dispensing with the need for separate mountable/dis-mountable fiddle yards.
 

jonte

Western Thunderer
Ticks ALL the boxes, Mick. A living, breathing definition of a Cameo. Well done.

I'm just off to order a skip for the monstrosity I've created. :(

Bestest,

jonte
 
Cameo Callaton

Simpas

Western Thunderer
....on the terrace - surely?

Are the LED strips all the same type of light or have you mixed bright white, daylight and warm yellow LEDS to give break up the starkness?

I like the main board - very neat :thumbs:.

Dave,

LEDs are 50/50 warm white and cool white. I took them from the reel seen in one of the pictures and soldered 29" lengths individually to the lash up of a pcb on the right of the picture insulating each with the red tape you can see. The little socket you can see takes the battery supply or a feed from the multi volt transformer.

Mick S
 

Simpas

Western Thunderer
Ticks ALL the boxes, Mick. A living, breathing definition of a Cameo. Well done.

I'm just off to order a skip for the monstrosity I've created. :(

Bestest,

jonte

Jonte, Nooooo

Put it to one side for a bit and then go back to it it'll be seen in a completely different light. I thought it was looking pretty good so don't do the skip thingamy... 'keep a gannin it'll be champion man' (do continue. It will turn out fine....!)

Mick
 
Cameo Callaton

Simpas

Western Thunderer
Thanks for the comments, I'll see if I can get a picture or two of the whole thing posted up, now the extremities have been painted.

Now that I'm contemplating the scenics I'm going to be getting into a couple of things not attempted before - stonework and trees. I've been playing with some 3mm expanded polystyrene for stone walling. When I've completed some trials I'll let folk see the results.

I am as ever, lurking to steal all your ideas......

Mick S
 

Blueeighties

Western Thunderer
Very inspiring this Mick, and it was good to be able to view it at Stannington yesterday.

I look forward to viewing progress.

Regards,

Lee.
 
Cameo Callaton

Simpas

Western Thunderer
OK, here's where the project is as of now.

The shot below shows the whole thing after painting the cabinet satin black. I have fabricated a cover for the left hand fiddle purely to allow the stock (DMU at the back or explosives vans at the front) to disappear into the darkness. The picture also shows the LEDs lit. Some useful suggestions from Nigel Cliffe yesterday regarding diffusing the effect of the LEDs which I will be incorporating into the final job. I have been playing with hiding from view the rear single fiddle road. Here you see nothing more elaborate than a thick card divider. It literally does just have sufficient depth to conceal the train with, at its narrowest point, only 35mm between the virtical wall and the back of the cabinet. Well, as my dear departed mother used to say; "enough is as good as a feast..!"

The girder bridge sides are a temporary fix to see how things look. The real ones are being etched for me by Bob Jones - they'll look canny because Bob is a bit particular with etching. At this left hand end of Callaton there will be a preponderance of stone built retaining wall because the scenic break (the two bridges) carry a disused colliery line. (another one of my inventions... well, it's my train set..!) I'm hoping a lot of the stonework will be hidden by trees, something else I'm looking forward to attempting which hitherto I've not made yet. Well not counting the twig and lichen efforts in my early modelling years which bore little resemblance to anything from the real world. Pay little attention to the card structure at stage right - this is just an experiment to see how much I need to do to disguise the exit on to the sector plate.

I have adjusted the carrying handle so that is sits horizontal. Every self respecting cameo has to have a handle.....
Aye, it diz.. tha knaas (oh yes it does..you know..!)

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The following few images were taken recently in the Newcastle upon Tyne area to give me a datum from which to work when I attempt to get the colour of stone right.First one is Hoults Yard, Walker Road.

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Next, this is between Stoddart Street and Clarence Street junctions with New Bridge Street. (ECML north of Newcastle) There will be a little retaining wall like this on Callaton.

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The rest are Redheugh Bridge Road, on the north side of the Tyne just outside the Metro Arena.

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As can be seen there is a bit of variety here with some being regular and some not quite so regular and the myriad of colours....!

I'm seeking to represent the stonework with 3mm expanded polystyrene. There are other methods using one or other forms of plaster or 'Das' type materials but I've almost settled on the less messy stuff. The down side is it's a bit more difficult to paint. So, although I do like the polystyrene method, the jury might still be out. Here are some of my attempts at reproducing stone, the earliest are at the top. I hope you can see the courses in the unpainted one. These are scribed with any sharp instrument and I have tried a few. I'm now preferring a sewing machine needle in a pin vice. There are two challenges, one being the depth/precision of cut and the other, painting.

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It has been beneficial to fabricate a 'T' square of sorts, just a simple affair does the trick. Keeps everything plumb - well it will when I learn not to over cut....! The loose piece of 'I' section plastic sits over the plain upright to give a (more or less) uniform horizontal line - the filed recess ensures this.

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All comments welcome.....

(Cryptic unconnected comment) Jerry....! Beautiful piece of drilling kit received tonight.

Mick S.
 
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jonte

Western Thunderer
Proscenium arch looks great in black, Mick. Very neat.
Stone colours/weathering look bang on to mine eye.
Foam core's nice stuff to work with and without the mess, as you point out.
Love the scribed tool, and the T square and I section are a brilliant idea!
Stone replication as per photos (from memory, one or two can be compressed to add a bit of relief, but I'm no doubt teaching my Granny here ;)).
That said, I don't reckon that a slight difference in height of stones in the flat would be that noticeable in 2mm scale, so totally ignore my last :(

Thanks for sharing, Mick.

Best wishes,

jonte
 
Cameo Callaton

Simpas

Western Thunderer
I'm back again....

The next few pictures show what's been going on of late. I have changed my mind about what kind of a bridge will form the exit at the left hand end and now plan on having a disused self acting incline, of which there were plenty in this area, and there are a couple of reasons for this. First the width is slightly greater than a country road, but the most important factor is because it is a disused incline I will be able to model it overgrown and maybe more easily disguise the transition into the scenic break. The first three pictures show the removable (at this stage) incline track bed. It's made from brass sheet with some styrene sheet stuck to it for rigidity. It has some track bases glued on. It's part of a three rail section that sometimes appeared near the top of an incline close to the 'kip'. Just the sleepers are left with a couple of lengths of rail. Next shot shows the corner of the layout where it will sit with just card for support at this stage and the next picture with the bed on top of the card 'abutments'. You may well be able to detect where one or two things have been tried before - me plannin's nowt se clivva n worran arful mess. (I did say my planning left a lot to be desired and oh dear, I'm not such a tidy worker)


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The next picture shows a couple of girder bridge sides. They are in fact etched nickel silver and have been altered to my requirements by friend and fellow 2mm Scale Association member, Bob Jones. These are just a little too long at present but that's how I asked Bob to do them on the basis that this kind of thing is easier to reduce then increase in size. The final picture today shows how the bridge sides started out as flat etches.

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I have been forging ahead with the stonework as some people who visited The Model Show (TMS) at Poynton last weekend will have seen. I've been cutting 45 degree angles and making what I think look convincing abutment quoins. You can judge for yourselves when I get the pictures taken.

This may be the last posting before Christmas so compliments of the season to everyone and happy modelling (if the opportunity presents itself) over the next fortnight or so.

Mick S.
 
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