Scratch making a signal

Having sorted the signal head I then made up the weight bar bracket and started on the offset wire crank bracket, the weight bar is made mainly from scrap etch pieces and in scale follows the LMS drawing size, so this item is really a one off unless Mr Fitness starts knocking them out for sale in Bolton's Bits. The down wire connection on the weight bar is temporary until I make something permanent tomorrow, note the weight has been filed at an angle on its lower side, this was standard practice so the weight could correctly return to its "on" position if the signal carried several bars such as slotting weights.

 

With a country background in the "on" position, ladder, lamp and nano LED yet to be installed.

 

And cleared in the "off" position... this one will be seeing paint next week, then I've got a nice little 15 foot Home signal to make for the Leek station diorama.

 

Glad you like and thank you for the nice comment.

 

The bottom end of this signal is complete now, I dressed the weightbar with a permanent linkage and sorted the offset wire crank bracket by adding in a crank... not sure yet which way to drive the motion from the servo, I could go straight down through the board as there is provision on the crank for that or I could make the connection horizontally taking the rod under the sleepers and hiding the servo in the embankment. The battery box has also been scratched from pretty much off cuts of brass from out of my scrap box.

 

And looking from the other side, the flat brass square on the two rods is the ladder base, clean up the signal a bit more and I think its ready for some paint. I'll fit the nano LED into the lamp case and test before fitting because it is just way too faffy a job otherwiseand also inhibits painting the arm and fitting the coloured glasses. The ladder is a plastic affair because I just cannot be bothered to make one from etches... soldering all those rungs with 4.5mm wire is too much for me right now, anyway that is the last fitting job for painting once the white has been completed. Next time you see this signal it will be under paint.

 

Yea it could well be... was quite difficult to scale accurately 22' 6and nine sixteenths inches Paint on tomorrow ... well white paint that is. I do have a brass ladder detailing kit but they are very work intensive to make andI really do want to get on with making the actual diorama now... I need to win another GOG POTM to increase my Modelu figure collection

 

So here it is the Up Leekbrook Distant signal, paint still wet, wired up and working on a temporary lash up, I'm happy with the end result and after a bit of tweaking here and there and a very thin coat of matt varnish with a touch of weathering this job is done. The servo and wiring proper will be done once the signal is positioned on the diorama board.

 

The green aspect looks a little dull but its only the camera angle. I like how the yellow lens still shows a grubby clear when the arm is off, this is a characteristic of real semaphores so I thought it best to capture that on the model as well.

 

Even managed to get a backlight showing too, the ladder hoop needs a bit more subtle curving yet ... something which needs to be done with care as this is so very delicate as plastic to etch don't make a genius bond. Next signal will be all an brass affair. I've even managed to mimic the standard of Stoke Glebe Street S & T visible cable tying for the lamp and contact box ... Malcolm Hewitt would be proud, wires everywhere. I'll take a couple more illumination shots later on as the light fades.

 

Cheers for the compliment Toto

 

Your 3D design skills are amazing dude... remember Leek station is not possible without your input designing... so you can be the first to operate it in the new Leek station ... I'll probably have died of exhaustion by then from making the model.