Copenhagen Fields

[Caley Jim]

I believe it was the 1914-18 spat which caused the change of name from German Silver to Nickel silver.

 

Jim

[CF MRC]

As mentioned previously, I have taken some photos of the fabrication of the second somersault signal. The main components come from MSE (Wizard Models). The etch doesn’t quite manage the holes for the operating linkage so these were drilled out 0.2mm for the linkage and 0.3mm for the pivot. 

The signal arm bracket requires a bit of work to help locate it on the doll. Working on the principle that it easier to drill a long 0.5mm hole through the doll rather than 0.3mm, the bracket was bushed with a length of Albion Alloys brass tube, OD 0.5mm, ID 0.3mm. This then acts as the pivot for the spectacle and back blind. The far end of the bracket also needed building out with a washer. These components were located in a vermiculite block using pins and soldered together.

The pivot bush makes it easy to locate the bracket on the doll.

Once in place, the front face of the pivot on the bracket was filed flush, as the spectacle has to work behind the signal arm.

The spectacle was soldered to some 0.3mm brass rod and filed flush. It was then linked up with a length of thin phosphor bronze wire through the 0.2mm diameter hole in the actuator arm.

The PB linkage was bent forward in the position of the application point on the signal arm.

The three components were then chemically blacked to prevent soldering (but scraped off where the collars / back blind needed to be soldered on.

Once on the bracket the pivot pins were retained with a collar  and the back blind, which was also used to connect the drive rod.

This arm doesn’t quite pivot as vertically as the other one: the linkage length and pivot relationship is critical, but it is within the normal range. I am jolly glad that I don’t have any more to make as working arms on this signal bridge as my patience and eyes are pretty well exhausted. 
 

Tim

 

 

 

[nick_bastable]

did you make the washer ?

[CF MRC]

6 hours ago, nick_bastable said:

did you make the washer ?

On the etch. Pay attention, top photo…

 

Tim

[D-A-T]

I’m still amazed by what you, and others, do in 2mm finescale. Sometimes it’s only by the size of the file marks or blobs in the solder (no criticism intended) that you can tell how small the parts are that you are working on. Inspiring. 

[DLT]

And I find signals fiddly in 7mm.....

[micknich2003]

On 09/05/2024 at 21:03, Caley Jim said:

I believe it was the 1914-18 spat which caused the change of name from German Silver to Nickel silver.

 

Jim

A look through my 1940 volume of The Model Railway News reveals both Nickel Silver and German Silver are used, German Silver as late as the December issuie.

[t-b-g]

32 minutes ago, micknich2003 said:

A look through my 1940 volume of The Model Railway News reveals both Nickel Silver and German Silver are used, German Silver as late as the December issuie.

 

Hello Mick. During WW1, it seems that the attitude towards Germany was not as anti as might be expected in some places. I have some pages from an old Engineer Magazine from during WW1, which has superb drawings of the GCR 2-6-4T loco. The articles on the back of the pages are fascinating in the way the war and Germany are covered. There is nothing overtly anti German to speak of. A typical example is a story concerning a factory being opened in this country to produce slide rules "due to difficulties obtaining them from the previous supplier". Another talk about steel factories in Germany doing well financially due to large orders from the government but suffering manpower shortages. So to see the term German Silver still in use doesn't surprise me greatly.

[bécasse]

And then, of course, there were the British cement manufacturers who put profit before patriotism and sold their product to the Germans via neutral Dutch intermediaries in considerable quantity throughout the conflict. The Germans apparently considered British cement to be far superior, particularly for the construction of blockhouses, to their own domestic product. Annual sales of cement to "the Netherlands" during the conflict were some four times higher than they had been in peacetime. Trading direct with the Germans would, of course, have been illegal.

[richard i]

1 hour ago, bécasse said:

Trading direct with the Germans would, of course, have been illegal.

But was done. Germans did not have rubber and Britain could not grind glass to make lenses for binoculars, so for the duration of the war they traded these as a straight swap. I personally have never understood why. You can do without binoculars, but rubber for wheels and seals would really slow the Germans down. Modern equivalent: oil and gas from Russia. 
Richard 

[CF MRC]

The Belle Isle Up signal bridge on Copenhagen Fields is now made. It has been quite an epic to get it built, taking far longer than I thought, but I think it will look the part once painted & installed.

 

Making the linkages for the two working dolls required some pivot bearings for the angle cranks. These were made from some square section brass tube with a hole drilled through it, the top filed away,  and then a 45 degree notch also filed into the stock, next to the pivot, almost all the way through. The pivot was then soldered onto the signal bridge, and the handle waggled until it broke away.

The etched crank was chemically blackened to stop it from soldering when the pivot wire was soldered in place. 

The signal posts were mounted onto turned brass cylinders, with the operating wire passing through the centre; again chemically blacked to make sure nothing untoward happened when soldering. 

Hitherto, I had used a strip of PCB to support the signal under construction; this was replaced by a block of wood to act as a handle with precisely bored holes to locate the brass feet and also to be a drilling guide for the layout. The bottom of the lattice posts were further reinforced by two right angle pieces of brass at the foot. These really stiffened up the base.  

Some of the operating linkages have been simplified or omitted - e.g. only a smattering of balance weights, but the complexity of the overall design makes up for it. The access to one of the lamp-man’s lower landings is conjecture on my part as there is no photographic evidence: but it makes it interesting. 

Once I’ve tried it on the layout a careful spray job will follow. In the meantime, back to more gross modelling. 
 

Tim
 

Edited June 11 by CF MRC

[Kylestrome]

I see you have some gravity defying wagons in the yard.

 

David

[Donw]

I expect Tim has working wagon brakes pinned down tight.

 

Don

[CF MRC]

Magnadhesion. 

(AKA Evostick)
 

Tim

 

[CF MRC]

A week ago the KX Goods Yard ramp line would have looked like this:

The line to the Caledonian Goods & Coal Yard had been roughed-in with a place holder by Mike Randall about 10 years ago, refined some more in 2016 and incorporated with Matthew Wald’s Goods & Mineral Jcn. Signal Box in July’ ‘21. It is the final major civil engineering structure to be finished - above ground.  I thought it was about time the area was worked-up some more, especially as we are having a photo shoot on Thursday. Mike’s core was basically sound, but much more detail was needed, with filled-in arches under the ramp and more ‘business’ in the S&T yard.  The side walls of the ramp were marked out with a pair of dividers. 

The arches were scribed-in and then the centre part cut out. The arch ring was paired away with a #15 scalpel plate to give a guide line for painting. 

 

The structure was further refined and string brick courses and capping added. The arch infill pieces were thinned down so that there was a slight height difference with the arch spandrel. 

A new 1mm thick ply track bed was made and the track laid directly on to this: the base being screwed down to the ply sub-structure with 1/8” ~1 wood screws. 
The goods yard now looks much bigger than it did: a strange effect, really, whilst the S&T yard has acquired some signal bits and extra buildings from the old Hill End layout. Signals are being made, indeed the Down Goods gantry to the south of Copenhagen Tunnel can just be glimpsed in the background, being made by Peter Chapell. Finally a bit of an arty shot with some early morning mist in the yard. [/URL

A busy week…
Tim

 

Edited June 18 by CF MRC

[yaxxbarl]

Tim,

 

The fine mortar courses in the brickwork are very nice - what are you using for the brickwork plasticard? Is it some of your own make?

 

Cheers,

 

John

[CF MRC]

Yes, it is made by a hot forming process on an etched zinc plate, originally manufactured by Dave Hammersley of Roxey Mouldings. 
If we use Slaters brick sheet, the surface detail is sanded off until it virtually disappears and that also gives a finer appearance. 
 

Tim

[bécasse]

The real trick with the Salters brick sheet is to paint it a dingy greyish colour (perhaps a bit variable in shade) and let the paint dry really thoroughly, and only then to sand it down.

[CF MRC]

32 minutes ago, bécasse said:

The real trick with the Salters brick sheet is to paint it a dingy greyish colour (perhaps a bit variable in shade) and let the paint dry really thoroughly, and only then to sand it down.

Not sure that will work for London stocks in 2mm scale, David. 
 

Tim

[bécasse]

28 minutes ago, CF MRC said:

Not sure that will work for London stocks in 2mm scale, David. 

For London Stocks I would use a dark grey (GW wagon grey perhaps) with some yellow added (how much might need experimentation) - and then give the sanded down "bricks" a very light (use a make-up brush) dusting with a black powder paint. A further dusting with a light grey powder paint might be finally necessary, possibly only in places, but London Stocks generally went remarkably dark quite quickly until the Clean Air Acts came along in the 1950s.

[CF MRC]

The completed Belle Isle Down signal bridge has been trial fitted at the north end of Gasworks Tunnel.

 

A bit of work round the bases will finish the job. 

 

Tim

 

 

Edited June 18 by CF MRC

[micknich2003]

Brilliant.

[CF MRC]

A visitor to Copenhagen Fields returning to York. 

The beautiful Coronation set was made by John Aldrick and is more normally seen on Peter Kirmond’s superb York layout. 
 

A minor signal bridge is now well installed at the Gasworks Tunnel end of Belle Isle. 


Tim

Edited June 19 by CF MRC

[St Enodoc]

3 hours ago, CF MRC said:

The beautiful Coronation set was made by John Aldrick and is more normally seen on Peter Kirmond’s superb York layout.

Two top blokes.

[Grafarman]

Morning Tim et al

Many thanks for the guided tour around the layout at Buxton; as it was my first time seeing this beauty I was somewhat over-awed, and grateful for the commentary.

I won't bore you with the dozens of photos I took as I'm sure you know what it looks like by now!

A truly outstanding achievement, and fascinating to see how it's developed over the 40 years' building.

Thanks again; hope you had a safe journey home.

Best wishes

 

David