Yūrakuchō

[Kamome442]

15 minutes ago, disturbman said:

I had been thinking about it for a while. Was just lazy about it.

magic moderator

 

No Way! Thank you so much disturbman. The power of moderators! 😀

[gavino200]

3 hours ago, Kamome442 said:

Also, my dad pointed out it would make a lot more sense to have a separate thread for the Throwback Thursday ideas. Makes perfect sense they do get lost in amongst the other posts. I will add a thread in layout planning and post a link here. There won't be one next week, I want to make them a little more presentable and include things like a pdf track plan where possible. 

 

Good idea. Does your Dad have a Japanese layout? He should come post here too!

[Kamome442]

2 hours ago, gavino200 said:

Does your Dad have a Japanese layout? He should come post here too!

 

No he is quite happy following the work I am doing these days. We started several projects together when I was younger they never reached completion, I was a little unreliable back then, changing my mind, moving away etc. We did help out on other peoples layouts quite a lot through the 90's and into the early 2000's, that was lot of fun.

Edited April 17, 2021 by Kamome442

[Kamome442]

How I design an Etched Bridge Part 3 - Drawing up the etch 

 

It has been a while since I posted. I usually work a 3 day week at my school however I have stepped in to cover another teacher for the other two days. Unfortunately it has not left me with a lot of time for rail related activities. I did want to finish this short run of posts on making bridges so that it can be a fresh start when I can get back to the layout. 

 

Working out what details to etch.

 

I start the process of creating an etch by looking at the drawings I have made and working out what details are possible and what are going to be completely impractical. Below is a rough model of how the actual bridge is fitted together. There are L shaped braces on both sides of the outer wall bolted together with rib that holds the track bolted to the braces. There would also be a second brace on the other side of rib, as mentioned before, that runs up the height of the track bed. This just attaches to the outer wall and can only be seen as a row of rivets and I forgot to add that to the illustration (the side the rib attaches does change over as shown, roughly half way along the bridge).

 

The first thing I drop is making the braces L shaped. In theory I could make lots of individual braces with an etched groove down the middle and fold them to get the L shape. Seeing as they work out to be around 1mm wide and would need to folded 90 degrees it wouldn't be long before I was driven mad by the whole process. Even if I did manage to make them all trying to keep everything square when putting it together would be a nightmare. A compromise is needed. 

 

The other thing to consider is that every etched part with rivets will only have them on one side, the back will be smooth. This is because details are etched half way into the metals surface, etching detail from the other side would just leave a hole. So for each part that I want to have detail on both sides I actually make a second mirrored part and then glue them back to back.

 

Converting the drawings.

 

To try and keep things simple I make as many parts as I can slot together. In the image below is part of the side wall. I have highlighted the braces in blue (top). When drawing up the design I try to group parts together. the rivets are all grouped separately to the braces. To create the slots I just select the grouped braces and change the height to half the height of the wall (middle). Finally I select wall and subtract the shortened braces, this puts cuts into the wall for the ribs to slot into (bottom). 

 

I can then select the bottom drawing and mirror it to get the reverse side. I really couldn't face drawing all the rivets again, just for an illustration of how it all fits together. Please just pretend they are there🙂

 

I used a similar process for the ribs (I haven't had time to redraw the ribs so there shape is still not quite right). At the top is a single piece, the braces are a full etch (shown in black) with the rib being a half etch (white). This will give the illusion of the rib being attached the to the back of the brace. Along the bottom are the reverse sides for each of the ribs. This will give detail on both sides of the rib.

 

How this fits together, an single main rib that slots into the walls and spans the full width and individual faces that fit on the back between each wall to give all the little details.

 

A comparison with original model. My simplified version on the left the actual construction method on the right.

 

To finish off the side walls they need a top and bottom to get the I beam profile. For this I copy the same braces from the side elevation and layer it over the plan view, shown below (top image). I add another line down the centre that will locate on to the wall, shown in white. I then subtract all the lines (2nd image), shown in black this will form the full etch part. Adding white to represent the half etch section (3rd image) you can see a set of groves that line up with the wall and each of the braces along the top. On the underside there are additional braces to support the ribs (their position can been seen in the 4th image). Subtracting these gives me the pattern for the bottom strip (5th image). These little braces are separate little etches that are glued into their particular recess.

 

How the top and bottom locate.

 

For all the other little detail parts the process is the same, each rib has top (usually the track bed) and bottom like the walls and I create them the same way. The important thing to keep track of is how many layers you add and remembering to reduce the height of other parts accordingly. I didn't do that for the first bridge I made so I had to file down each of the braces because they were 0.25mm higher that they should have been.

 

Preparing the etch. 

 

Once all the parts are drawn up I need to lay them all out ready to be etched. This is pretty boring and just involves moving parts around trying to fill all the spaces. I usually use a sheet size of 200mm by 300mm for no other reason than the cost of postage goes up for a larger sheet. The company I use ask for a drawing of each side of the etch. Once I have the drawing I duplicate and mirror it. They will use each drawing to create a mask for the front and back of the sheet. If you don't mirror the back image none of the parts will line up. So have talked about black full etch and white half etch several times. This is just a how I keep track of what each part needs to look like, if I want it full I colour it black, for half I colour it white. I always keep the detail on one side. This way when I prepare the drawing I know on the front image I delete everything coloured white, for the back image I select everything white and change the colour to black.

 

Below is how the joined set of ribs from earlier would look. The top row is the front image with just raised details I want to be full etched and the bottom is from the back, the actual shape I want the details etched on to.

 

Hopefully that was useful in someway. It is by no means a guide to how it should be done, just a guide to how I do it. I have pretty much bumbled through learning from my mistakes and I continue to make mistakes learn with each project.

 

Joe

 

[Kamome442]

And Now for Something Completely Different

 

This is a little something I have been playing around with in the background. Ever since choosing Yūrakuchō as the location to model I have never really been sure how to present the layout. It needs a canopy to display the layout name and mount lighting. I have drawn up many designs while planning it all out however nothing has ever felt right. I want it to be something interesting, fun and easily recognisable, I also want to fit the location. I played around with the idea of something neon but the area isn't really known for that. The area is best know for its restaurants and night life and that got me thinking. One thing there is a lot of is lanterns. When I worked on this section of the layout I really liked the atmosphere it created.

Source: Google Streetview

 

What I have come up with is pretty much just a rip off of the picture above. A simple red frame that follows the curves of the baseboards.

 

View from the Shimbashi end of the layout.

 

More of a top down angle, there is another curved board to add of the left.

 

Above the station I have added a second row, of six lanterns, the station name in the middle 4 with one on either side displaying the station numbers for the Yamanote line (JY30) and the Keihin-Tohoku line (JK25). 

 

 

As for what goes on all the other lanterns I was thinking of using the station stamp for Yūrakuchō. It would look something like this:

 

It would need to be attached to brackets that sit on the operators side and reach over the layout and I would need to find a company that would print the design on the lanterns. I would also need to make the frame so it can fold down for transporting the layout to and from shows. Of all the different designs I have worked on this is the first one that feels like it could suit Yūrakuchō.

 

I would love to know your thoughts, does it work or is it down right cheesy?! Also if I do pursue the idea further should it go all the way around the layout as a complete loop or just over the scenic section?

 

Joe

 

Edited May 3, 2021 by Kamome442

[Cat]

Sweet beans — that's cool!

[gavino200]

I like it!. Maybe just the scenic section. That in itself will be a lot of work.

[cteno4]

Wow, fun idea! Way of hiding pesky lights and having more creative sinage. I’ve not seen anyone come up with a very creative way of hiding lighting on show layouts. It always ends up clunky and disrupts the view as well as just disrupts the atmosphere. Signs as well can be disruptive even when done well.

 

I guess on the production and visual look you’re in for a penny, in for a pound, so doing the whole thing wouldn’t be that much more than a section. I like the idea of a even strip to give extra even light all along the layout and then the sign strip on top. You would certainly stand out at shows. You have already done lots of thinking on the layout shape and base to not be a box and fit with the theme, so I don’t see why not finish it out on the overhead!

 

great job at something that’s almost always ugly (lighting) and something that’s rarely good (sinage) into something really stunning!

 

kudos,

 

jeff

[kami_illy]

First things first: WOOWWWW! Awesome layout, ridiculously well detailed and (as far as I can see) super neatly executed! And the lighting / sign / canopy would be just the perfect way to complement the layout!

 

19 hours ago, Kamome442 said:

It would need to be attached to brackets that sit on the operators side and reach over the layout and I would need to find a company that would print the design on the lanterns. I would also need to make the frame so it can fold down for transporting the layout to and from shows

I think it would be easier to put the lanterns in a straight row. That would make the layout itself literally stand out in the middle part. Also the grid or girder frame of the lanterns could be supported by pillars in the far ends (standing on the sides of the layout) and in the middle (standing behind the layout). Not sure if that would work with a good illumination of the layout from above though. Anyways, whatever you'll do, it'll be as great as the layout itself!

 

For printing the lanterns; maybe you can get a rubber stamp cut and then transfer the print with a balloon or pad on the lantern itself. 

[Kamome442]

Cat, gavino, Jeff and Kami, thank you for your input and to everyone for the likes. I am glad I am not alone in liking this idea.

 

On 5/3/2021 at 5:14 PM, gavino200 said:

Maybe just the scenic section. That in itself will be a lot of work.

 

On 5/3/2021 at 5:51 PM, cteno4 said:

I guess on the production and visual look you’re in for a penny, in for a pound, so doing the whole thing wouldn’t be that much more than a section.

 

I totally agree about it being a lot of work, the frame itself should be quite simple (on the straight sections at least).

My feeling is that it will just be a lot of repetition once one is made. If it looks good I am more than happy to go all the way around.

 

On 5/3/2021 at 5:51 PM, cteno4 said:

I like the idea of a even strip to give extra even light all along the layout and then the sign strip on top. You would certainly stand out at shows.

 

That is good to hear, I hope that once it has been out a few times and people become more aware of the project that it will draw some attention. I really like the idea of it poking its head above the crowds of people and acting like a bit of a beacon.

 

10 hours ago, kami_illy said:

First things first: WOOWWWW! Awesome layout, ridiculously well detailed and (as far as I can see) super neatly executed! And the lighting / sign / canopy would be just the perfect way to complement the layout!

 

Thank you so much kami, a long way to go process is a little stop start as I have to research and plan each section. It should make a big leap forward over the summer. I am prepping lots of little details to add soon.

 

10 hours ago, kami_illy said:

think it would be easier to put the lanterns in a straight row. That would make the layout itself literally stand out in the middle part. Also the grid or girder frame of the lanterns could be supported by pillars in the far ends (standing on the sides of the layout) and in the middle (standing behind the layout). Not sure if that would work with a good illumination of the layout from above though. Anyways, whatever you'll do, it'll be as great as the layout itself!

 

Ohh I had not thought about doing it like an island in the middle! That is a neat idea. I agree it would be difficult light the layout doing it that way but I will definitely mock up your idea to see how it compares. I have the benefit of not having to commit to a design just yet, the more ideas the better I guess.

 

10 hours ago, kami_illy said:

For printing the lanterns; maybe you can get a rubber stamp cut and then transfer the print with a balloon or pad on the lantern itself. 

 

An interesting idea, I have always found tampo printing fascinating. I would be a lot of fun trying to create a printing process at home.

[gavino200]

17 minutes ago, Kamome442 said:

Cat, gavino, Jeff and Kami, thank you for your input and to everyone for the likes. I am glad I am not alone in liking this idea.

 

 

 

I totally agree about it being a lot of work, the frame itself should be quite simple (on the straight sections at least).

My feeling is that it will just be a lot of repetition once one is made. If it looks good I am more than happy to go all the way around.

 

 

 

I'm actually glad you made that decision. I imagined it both ways, and I think the lanterns going all the way would look great. I had a little remorse over giving a vote for the "half-way" option. 

[cteno4]

Joe,

 

it will float nicely just above the crowd. The gentle glow of the lanterns out could be stunning from a distance and you could probaby have internal diffuser to blast a lot onto the layout but glow nicely from the sides.
 

We had a big go around like 15 years ago with the club sign and how to do it and stick up bit not stick out as klunky at shows. Many of our train shows are in big places like fairground building so you get buried fast. Some do big pvc frames and such and can look really clunky. So one of our members did our logo hand painted and just club name on a relatively small scale (about 1x0.5m) and we put it up with to 8’ bamboo poles and hung from a bamboo cross piece and all tied together with twine in traditional bamboo lashing. Was simple and clean enough and very different looking without shouting. We have looked at doing lighting many times but ever gotten to anything we are happy with visually let along for easy construction, assembly/disassembly, transport or storage. But ours is a distributed, part time club effort so more restricting parameters…

 

cheers

 

jeff

[Kamome442]

On 5/4/2021 at 11:02 PM, gavino200 said:

I'm actually glad you made that decision. I imagined it both ways, and I think the lanterns going all the way would look great. I had a little remorse over giving a vote for the "half-way" option. 

 

Don't worry Gavino it was the option that would mean less work so I can't fault you for that 😃

 

On 5/4/2021 at 11:16 PM, cteno4 said:

it will float nicely just above the crowd. The gentle glow of the lanterns out could be stunning from a distance and you could probaby have internal diffuser to blast a lot onto the layout but glow nicely from the sides.

 

I am hoping it will look very welcoming in the middle of a busy exhibition. I hadn't considered using an internal diffuser. I had a loose plan to run an LED strip along the back of the red frame. Having all the light come from just the lanterns would be so much more satisfying!

[Kamome442]

I only have a little update for today. Progress on the bridges has slowed to a crawl over the last two weeks following a clumsy mistake gluing parts in the wrong order. This  resulted in me having to unpick a days worth of work and a lot of frustration. I decided I needed a break to regain a little sanity.

 

Thankfully there is no shortage of things to do. Now that I am getting a better understanding of what 3D printing can do, I figured I would redesign the bridge supports. Originally I had just printed the stonework and I was going to add the bricks using the plasticard to match the arches. Now that I know the printer tolerances I am just going to include them on the print. It should drastically reduce construction time.

 

Here is the updated 3D model ready for printing, with the bricks added. I also included the secondary brackets that sit along the top of the wall. These don't contact the underside of the bridge, I assume they are an emergency measure if the main support fails. It looks like the upper section is designed to crumple and absorb the force of a bridge falling.

 

This is the finished print, I used white resin which is difficult to photograph so I crudely brushed on some primer to help the detail standout. 

 

Till next time.

Joe

 

[Martijn Meerts]

The bricks came out really well

 

[Kamome442]

Happy Birthday Yūrakuchō!

 

I find it hard to believe it has already been a year since I started this thread and shared what I am working on. The response and support has been amazing and I cannot thank everyone enough for popping over and saying hello.

 

It has been a couple of weeks since my last post, I thought I had mentioned at the time I wouldn't get much modelling done. For the past few weeks I have been writing end of year reports form my class which takes up a lot of free time. After Monday I will be able to get back to working on the layout.

 

Seeing as Yūrakuchō Station opened 111 years today I figured I should mark the day with a small gift. I have attached a .pdf copy of one of the bridges I made for the layout. I didn't get a chance to write up a full set of instructions but hopefully is should be fairly self explanatory. I didn't add colour as I figured it could be printed on coloured paper or thin card. 

Yūrakuchō Bridge N Scale.pdf

 

Here is a screen shot of what is contained in the .pdf, I could only fit half the parts on an A4 sheet so two copies are needed to finish the bridge.

 

A word of warning, there are a lot of very fine details. This was drawn up to be etched in metal not paper. I would recommend using a sharp knife, even so there might be some parts that are just to flimsy. I can always tweet the design to make some parts thicker if need be, just let me know. For those working in HO I have enlarged the design to 1:80, it does need two copies of each sheet so six pages in total.

Yūrakuchō Bridge HO 1 of 3-1.pdf

Yūrakuchō Bridge HO 2 of 3-1.pdf

Yūrakuchō Bridge HO 3 of 3-1.pdf

 

Enjoy and thanks again.

Joe

 

Edit: I almost forgot I did a version for our B Train Shorty Friends

Yūrakuchō Bridge Shorty.pdf

 

 

 

 

Edited June 25, 2021 by Kamome442

[cteno4]

Fly times! It’s been wonderful to watch the exquisite pieces coming together!

 

thanks for the bridge I may have a go at making one in N.

 

jeff

[Doddy]

Nice Job Joe! Thank you for sharing the files. I can see a use for these drawings myself. 😎 😎 😎 😎 😎

[Kamome442]

On 6/25/2021 at 3:41 PM, cteno4 said:

Fly times! It’s been wonderful to watch the exquisite pieces coming together!

 

Thank you Jeff, hopefully it should all start coming together in the next 12 months

 

13 hours ago, Doddy said:

Nice Job Joe! Thank you for sharing the files. I can see a use for these drawings myself. 😎 😎 😎 😎 😎

 

Hi Doddy, welcome and thanks for the kind words. If you can make use of the drawings that would be awesome.

Like I said some of the parts are very fine as it was designed for etching. If you need the design tweaked in anyway please do let me know.

[Kamome442]

I finally got a chance to work on the layout this weekend. The first step was to unpack all the bridge sections that had been boxed up for the last month or so and try to remember where I was up to. 

 

I am almost ready to glue the separate parts together once the last little details are attached tonight. These are the plates that sit under the centre section wherever it attaches to the outer walls. Once that is done I can join everything together. I will need to create some sort of jig to help align everything and hold it all in place while it is being glued. Here is the progress so far with the completed walls and trackbeds:

     

 

I also got around to finishing up the drawing work for the retaining walls that support the Shinkansen bridge. I have been putting the off for quite sometime however having a short break has certainly helped with finding the motivation. As can be seen below the bridge (on the left) is on an incline and I needed to work out the correct gradient. 

Source: Screenshot taken from CT hitorikamonen's Youtube channel 

 

To find the angle I looked on Streetview for something that I knew would be close to horizontal. Thankfully someone had very kindly placed a big yellow girder directly under the bridge.

Source: Google Streetview 

 

From there I was able to easily draw up something pretty close to the real thing. After a lot of tweaking I finally settled on an angle of 0.8 degrees. The legs on my bridge supports attach to the baseboard so are longer than they should be. Once the road surface and pavements are added it they will be less gangly looking. 

 

Here are the printed supports with the Shinkansen bridge span and an outer wall for the adjacent Tokaido Main Line placed in their final positions. It also seemed like a good excuse unbox my latest arrival and check the clearances. I didn't place any track under the Shinkansen so it will be around 2mm higher in the end. 

 

A quick check of the clearances under the bridge too (the driver of this Friendly Limousine seemingly a little lost in Tokyo's side streets).

 

Since all the retaining walls are now printed I was able to get a sense of the complete scene. Trackbeds for all eight tracks placed roughly in their final position. The gap in the middle will be filled with a catwalk. 

 

Seeing as the front four tracks are a little lower than the back four, one last check of clearances can't hurt😉

 

Till next time.

Joe

 

 

 

 

[Kamome442]

Making Street Lights

 

It is finally time to start working on a new project. Since deciding to add lights to Yurakucho I have never been completely happy with the ready made lights I installed. While they are very well made and look great, they feel a little over scaled and don't quite match the prototype. Now it is time to have a go at making my own. 

There are four variations on this section, as seen below.

Source: Google Streetview

 

I plan to 3D print the housing around light and then use metal tubing on the first three lights and etches for the forth. This is a rough outline of the metal parts that I am going to try to create. As a quick note the ratio each section is not quite right, at this stage I just wanted an idea of what diameter tubing I want to try and use.

 

I said before that I had never planned for the layout to have lights and this has caused a few complications. The original solutions of a push fit with the wires running through a rubber hose inside the board worked well for the lights along the alley. However first and forth styles of light are under the bridges and once those are glued in place there will be no way of lifting the lights out of their holes. The solution I have come up with is a little complex and fiddly but I think it should work.

 

I plan to 3D print a channel for the wires that will drop into a hole cut in the baseboard and sanded flush so that is can be covered by the pavement. It will have the addition of a small recess that will hold a tiny 3mm magnet. I will use a small piece of metal, disguised as a concrete base, with a hole in the middle to hold the light. Once in place the magnet will hold the light in position and I can build up the pavement around the base. If I ever need to remove one of the lights I can very carefully lasso it and tip it on its side before gently feeding it out into the open. (I know right, what could possibly go wrong!?)

 

I have spent the last couple of weeks working out what I need and ordering supplies. The thinnest tube has an Outer Diameter of 0.5mm (with 0.35 ID) unto 1.2mm for the widest tube (I also ordered a back up set of tubes starting at 0.8mm as I am pretty sure 0.5mm will be way too small). Some of the parts arrived earlier in the week and I have spent a little bit of time playing around to see what I can come up with. Here is my first attempt using 0.5mm and 1.2mm tube, the ready made light on the left for comparison.

  

 

I also received some warm white and bright white micro LED's, here is one next to the LED used in the ready made lights.

 

 

I was fully expecting to have to ditch the 0.5mm tube for the next size up however the wire on these little LED's is insanely thin, it just might work. These pictures are actually incredibly deceiving. While the wire looks far too thick (maybe caused by reflection on the clear plastic coating?) one wire fits comfortably with a little wiggle room. The bare metal part of the second wire fits too however the coated wire is just too think (oh well).

  

 

Joe

 

 

[maihama eki]

I know you are in the UK, so this particular supplier doesn't work well for you. However, this guy sells pre-wired LEDs with super fine magnet wire. It will give you an idea what is possible in terms of very small LEDs and fine wires. His "Z" size LEDs are 0.65mm long x 0.40mm wide by 0.36mm high. He supplies them with 0.14 mm diameter wire.

 

https://evandesigns.com/collections/hobby-leds/products/chip-nano-pico-leds?variant=32155343323184

 

Your 0.5 mm OD / 0.35 mm ID tube is impressively thin walled. Two of these 0.14 mm wires should just slide in - although with not much room to spare, and maybe not if the tube is bent.

 

If only one insulated wire and one bare wire passes through - that is okay - just make the bare wire the ground wire and the insulated wire the "hot" wire. I was faced with a similar situation passing 2 sets of wires through a small tube to make a crossing signal. I thought that if I needed to, I would make the brass tube a common ground conductor for both LEDs, solder the ground wires to the brass tube, and then I would only need to pass the 2 hot wires through the tube.

 

[cteno4]

Led Barron on ebay will also have 402 with very fine magnet wire leads. They have the cleanest soldered I have ever seen.

 

jeff

[Kamome442]

Thank you mailhama - I will have another look at what is available on this side of the pond. I was thinking of stripping one of the wires as a last resort (I would need a very steady hand and probably a magnifying glass), I had not considered using the brass tube as the common return! I have a couple of ideas to play around with now.

 

Thank you jeff - I will take a look.

[cteno4]

Btw for stripping fine wires, these strippers are the best I’ve ever used. Expensive, but well worth it as the work so nicely. When you squeeze 4 blades circle in around the insulation and you just pull. Very nice depth gauge build in to strip consistent leads. I never break strands with these once I have the proper gauge set for a particular wire. No trying to lay the fine wire into the appropriate cutter notch (and many don’t go past like 26g) or only having insulation cut on one side by the jaw ripper kind. Also easier action by pulling straight out onnthe stripper rather than at a perpendicular. I love them, one of my favorite tools and I have a lot of tools! They work especially well on the 30g wrapping wire as it uses a pvc insulation that is made very tough.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Jonard-ST-450-Adjustable-Precision-Thickness/dp/B0032QZMWA/ref=sr_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=Jonard+stripper&qid=1626541621&s=industrial&sr=1-9

 

ive had pretty good luck flame stripping magnet wire in a lighter flame. I hold the wire with some fine needle nose pliers wirh 1-3mm of the end sticking out and quickly stick the end in the flame. Pliers help not have the enamel burn back too far then. I’ve thought of putting a little notch in the jaws to better surround the wire but it’s worked ok this way to then solder the ends to SMD leds. Once I check it’s functional and wires bent back how I want them I add a drop of either clear nail polish or gallery glass to the joints and back of the led to insulate and help act as a strain relief. Works well but is tedious. Since you can now get SMD leds with fine leads pretty cheap I now buy my way out of that and just bother soldering the bigger smds like 3528 I use in buildings that are very quick and easy to solder to 30g wrapping wire.

 

cheers,

 

jeff