The Yard - A small industrial layout in 7mm

[Pencarrow]

Good morning Martin, some lovely work going on on the layout. Interesting that you're not the first to report mould issues in recent days!

A minor observation if I may. One thing that jumped out at me on your recent build was the span over the road. In reality this would need quite a substantial beam to support the brickwork above.

You could have had an exposed steel beam, but probably too late for that. The second option would be to pretend the beam was there and it was faced with brick. Normally the brick would have been oriented vertically on end. Again probably a bit late for that.

So that leaves a concrete beam. Probably a good 4 bricks deep and sitting a good 12" into each side. You could retrofit this by gluing some thin plasticard over the brick.

This is the bit I mean:

 

[Greengiant]

Pencarrow, you are indeed correct about the beam, I did mention I had forgotten it in my post. Annoyingly the beam has been on my bench all the time and I still forgot it
It is an RSJ, but I may opt for your suggestion of a concrete overlay beam, that would be the easiest to do.
Martin

 

[Greengiant]

I have made some electrical switch box cabinets and junction boxes on the laser cutter and given them a coat of paint.

Made a start on a power box for the gantry crane, mainly as something to cover the fixing bolt of the crane chassis!

Laser cut some pipe end caps as a two part item. I kept them in frames to make the gluing together easier. Once dry they are then snipped out from the frame.

Some of the new pipe runs with the laser cut end caps and brackets painted with primer. Tube is Evergreen with 3D printed bends.


Now with the top coat applied. Here I am installing small wire pins, these are to help strengthen the fixing bonds to the building walls. I need to do this because the layout experiences all sorts of knocks and bangs while taken to exhibition, failure to do this quite often leaves you will detail parts fallen off on the layout, not a good start to a show.

Martin

 

[Greengiant]

For a while now we have wanted to make a new transmitter box for the gantry crane. One reason was because the current transmitter is far too complex. We only need forward/reverse, left/right and up/down, just three channels.
It is too easy to accidentally hit a function button when picking up and putting down.
At one show this happened and it changed the transmitter mode to 'Helicopter' and started to zero the channel that controls the hook, winding it up into the drum being unable to stop it!
Luckily Neale saw what was happening and immediately cut the power to the crane itself to prevent disaster. The winding motor is strong enough the easily snap the chain.
Another reason is the current handset is rather a bright orange and stands out a bit.

The new transmitter box will be a mix of laser cutting and 3D printing, I did the laser bits first.
Needing curved ends for comfort, I experimented with different settings for a 'Living Hinge' cut to enable the curving of a 2mm thick, solid MDF sheet.

The best setting was 1.5mm spaced cuts, here shown with gravity alone forming a curve.

The three main parts of the case cut out, my schoolboy maths came in useful at last to calculate the length of curve, I could then get the Living Hinges the correct length and the dovetail joints to meet up at the rear.

The cutouts either end either end make up the access hatch once the outer is wrapped and assembled. Case hatch yet to be cut. The baseplate with the offset hole is for the 3D printed battery pack. Joystick holes and fixing holes are obvious.

The rear hatch cover needed a lip to rest on and have captive nuts for fixing. Brass nuts soldered to scrap NS sheet were then epoxied to the frame.

To enable me to accurately glue the lip to the case, I cut a jig to align the lip precisely.

In this photo the hatch can be seen, below that the lip and alignment jig, not yet bolted in place.



The jig in action while the glue sets.


This resulted in a neat and accurate finish, not that it really matters, only we will see it, but I just like it to be right. It also shows the dovetail joint holding the case together.

The whole case assembly did stay together without glue while I was checking the fit, I was pleased with that.

Cover fixed in place with four brass CS bolts.


From the front.
This has now been coated with MDF sealer ready for painting, but we liked the raw look, so will not be painting it for now.


Side by side with the transmitter it will replace.

The box is now with Neale for fitting out.

Martin

 

[Greengiant]

Back to the extractor units.
For durability 8BA bolts were epoxied in place which had already been soldered to brass sheet, hopefully they won't detach.


From scrap MDF bits from previous jobs, small packing pieces were cut. Their purpose just to hold the unit clear of the supporting foamboard during painting.


Here mounted on foamboard prior to painting, keep it clear of the foamboard, which itself makes a very useful method of handling until painting and weathering are complete.


Some of the units assembled, some brackets and electrical switch boxes.


Ready for painting, the fronts held with double sided tape.


All primed.


Initial paint applied.


First application of weathering, which then gets blended and feathered to taste.


A before and after of this type of unit.



Martin

 

[David Waite]

Hi Martin
The Transmitter box looks fabulous so neat and with a lovely Art Deco style about it, modern laser cutting is certainly
changing how woodwork is done.
David.

 

[Greengiant]

A bit of below the scene work done this weekend.

Not all shows provide barriers. We need them to stop people getting into our line of sight when operating the crane and lorries. It also keeps fingers away, the front edge of the layout has taken some punishment at shows. Takes hours to make and seconds to ruin.

We welded up some strip and tube and used a set of tent poles for the bar.

To attach the legs to the layout I used Rivnuts, one of those tools you don’t use much, but very useful when you do. For this purpose M6 nuts to match the rest of the bolts were used. It acts like a big pop rivet gun to fix the threaded inserts.

Rivnut blanks

The layout support on its back ready for drilling the rivnut holes.

Rivnut insert loaded onto the expanding tool.


The tool ready for action, it is just a simple operation of pushing the two arms together, this pulls the tool through the insert which collapses it and splays it behind the metal sheet.


Job done. This leaves us room to walk along the front if required. Standing against the barrier with arms outstretched, I can just touch the baseboard edge.

If the barrier is pushed, the thin strip along the floor bends up slightly taking the impact from the layout support.
Martin

 

[Greengiant]

The latest bit of work on the layout is the wiring. We don't have a vast area of scenery, so I am trying to get as much included as possible.

Whether the end result is worth the effort involved, only time will tell.

I have used 0.7mm wire for the cabling and bent up cable clips from 0.45mm wire. It took a bit of trial and error to come up with a technique that gave consistent results for making these clips. They have a long spigot because this is passed through the building wall and bent over to hold the clip and wire in place, no glue required.

Clips inserted with tweezers. This is then held down tight with the tweezer handle while the wire is bent over inside the building.

The cabling is effectively floating above the wall surface, this means small pieces of paper can be slipped between wall and cable to mask while painting the cable. The cable is initially coated with a black marker pen prior to installation, this then seems to take black acrylic fine.

A couple of installations, just a few more buildings to go now.



Martin

 

[Lyndhurstman]

A lovely rendition of reality. And the consideration of it in observation.

Cheers

Jan

 

[Greengiant]

We made some tweaks to the barriers to get them just where we want them, pleased with the result. An added bonus, I had some rubber end stops in stock left over from a car project which fit the pole.

Neale has kitted out the new crane transmitter box, very pleased with how it has turned out. Far simpler and not as distracting as the original orange handset.

A Brucie bonus is its fits the control panel shelf as well!

The buildings are all back on the baseboard now.

All I need to do now is service the rolling stock and weather the Class 08. If I get time a few little scenic bits to add to the layout. Then we will have a test running session next week to familiarise ourselves with operating, especially now that Neale has tweaked the lorry control handsets with different power curves for steering and drive and the crane with flatter curves.

If all goes well, we shall be ready for Ally Pally in just over a weeks time and a magazine shoot in April.

Martin

 

[Greengiant]

Layout all packed up and ready for loading tomorrow morning, then off to Ally Pally to be there, hopefully by 12 noon to set up.

Martin

 

[Greengiant]

We are all set up in the Great Hall at Alexandra Palace, all very easy, especially being able to take our vehicles into the hall. Back home by 4pm, looking forward to the two days of the show. Very pleased with the amount of space we have.
Only downside was the London traffic!






Martin

 

[Greengiant]

We had a great time with The Yard at Ally Pally, very pleased with all the kind comments we received, much appreciated, makes all the hard work worthwhile. The lorries and crane were popular, the supplied sturdy show barriers proved popular for leaning and watching the layout in operation.
The show Stewards were all very helpful.
The only downside, which is entirely our own doing, we did not get much chance to see the rest of the show, the layout needs constant operating, there is nothing you can just leave running. Will rely on the photos and YouTube videos posted over the coming days to catch up.
The weekend is catching up with me today, will leave it a while before working through the small snagging list, ready for the next show in July.

Martin

 

[Greengiant]

This Sunday we had a photo shoot for Hornby magazine, for those that have done these you will know what a long day that can be to get the right shots, plus some video.

They always seem to come up with angles and views we had never considered. Looking forward to seeing the results, just the article to write now!







Martin

 

[Greengiant]

We now have 13 shows under our belt, each time, we have a list of tweaks and improvements to incorporate before the next outing.

One such improvement is a simple operator notification that a train is ready indicator. We do not run to a sequence or timetable, but just wing it and go with the flow.

An issue we (mainly me) did have was forgetting if a loaded or unloaded train had been sent under the crane. Because everything runs slowly, it can take a while for a train to be loaded/unloaded. Also talking to spectators which I enjoy, distracts me from what is going on, but talking is a vital part of the showing experience.

The up shot of all this is when I look under the crane I cannot remember was the train I sent loaded or unloaded and ready to depart? Sometimes your progress is prevented by a lorry blocking the exit, so you go back to shunting the front line instead.

I changed the operating method by adding a simple rule, empty trains from factory to crane and loaded trains from crane to factory. Which worked well, but I kept forgetting to check if the train had been loaded and move it out of the way.

We do not shout to each other when a train is ready, it is usually a knowing look or nervous twitch which alerts you!

To improve on this we simply cut two new control panels on the laser, which included space for two extra switches and yellow LEDs (see photo below).


Now when the crane operator is ready for the train to be moved, they press the switch next to the relevant track the train is on and the LED flashes on the crane end control panel and the factory end panel. I take control of the train and press the same switch on the factory panel and this cancels the flashing LED. All very simple and basic I know, but when you are operating 7-8 hours a day over two days, every little helps.

A short video demonstrating the procedure.

Martin

 

[Greengiant]

I have been working through the ‘To Do’ list in readiness for Chatham.

Martin

 

[Greengiant]

I have now finished the fiddle yard amendments and painted the changes.



The TK turntable has also been painted, I may have to paint the knobs.


A start has been made on making a section of post and rail fencing to go alongside the track in front of the 'Castleton factory'.


Martin

 

[Greengiant]

The more I looked at the turntable knobs, the more they stood out and distracted the eye.


A few minutes rummaging through the ‘Might come in useful one day’ boxes, turned up two black alternatives.


They I feel are a lot better, blending in with the rest of the black fiddle yard elements nicely.


Martin

 

[Scale7JB]

Not sure how I have missed this, though I have been away for a while.

Absolutely brilliant. Hope to see it at a show sometime.

JB.

 

[Greengiant]

Not sure how I have missed this, though I have been away for a while.

Absolutely brilliant. Hope to see it at a show sometime.

JB.

Thank you. We will be at Chatham in July, Rapido Railex in September and NEC in November. Do say hello if you see us.
Martin