Sumida Crossing

[KenS]

Of I ever do DCC your coming to my house and wiring it  :laugh:

 

I think mine was more than enough for me. 

 

Although it looks pretty bad (and was a lot of work) it's not really complex. Part of the mess here is that I'm using separate bus wires for the Commuter and Subway loops, which was due to an earlier misunderstanding of how much power trains draw.  I've kept that for future flexibility, but if I were starting over I think I'd skip it and have a single power bus for the track. 

 

Then it's just a matter of connecting the bus to the circuit breaker, the circuit breaker outputs to the first terminal strip, the strip to either the detector board inputs (blue wire) or the second terminal strip (gray wire), the detector board outputs to the second terminal strip (more blue wire), and that second terminal strip to the track feeders (with a blue wire looped through the white RX1 sensor for transponding).  As long as you keep blue and gray straight (which I managed to screw up in one place) and follow the rules for RX1 wiring (no wire w/in 2" of a detector w/o twists, and wire going through the sensor from printed side to non-printed side on the way to the track) it's not hard.

 

Trying to do a lot of that in a small space is a pain, but aside from planning where the wire runs will go to keep them out of the way (which took about 5 minutes) and planning how the track is broken up into detection sections (which took longer, but was mostly done months ago on paper) there wasn't a lot of thought involved.  Just repititious work.

 

Like ballasting, it's a boring activity, but once you start doing it, it's just "more of the same", and not really hard.

 

My real take-away is that to do this right needs more space to lay things out, so wires aren't all massed together in a small space, and that ease of access is going to be very important. What I'm thinking of for the future is a separate "detector board" with the circuit breaker and detectors and a bunch of terminal strips on a sheet of light plywood, which can be built separately and attached to the layout (via the terminal strips) and re-used in the future with different track designs. I'm thinking of something I can attach under the layout and hinge down for work without removing wires, or fully remove and take to a bench if necessary.

 

Digitrax shows something like that in one of their documents, but it wasn't really clear why they'd done it that way.

[scott]

Then it's just a matter of

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^    You lost me just about there. 

[KenS]

It took a long time, much longer than I expected back in December when I took the tables apart to start work on the backdrops, but it's all back together now, and wired up.  Most of the track is still missing though, as some painting needs to be done topside, and there's no point in putting the track back before that's done.  And I need to test all the wires/circuit breakers/occupancy detectors and see what I wired wrong (I always wire something wrong).

 

But while I was at it, I installed a test strip of LED lights in the right half of the subway station.  This is the "white" strip (about 5000K, near "daylight" in color) that I'm thinking of using for fluorescent lighting.  It looks a bit too blue (although not as blue in person as it comes across in this photo), but perhaps I want that.  I need to think on it a bit.  I'm going to install a similar strip of "warm white" (3100K) lights on the other half of the subway station for a comparison test, but I ran out of crimp-on spade connectors (another 100-count box gone!) and need to visit the store before I can do that.  I expect the Warm White lights to look a bit reddish, as the room lighting is around 3400K (compact fluorescent spots in track lighting fixtures), but we'll see how it comes out.

 

I installed a 20 inch strip (30 LEDs), using the red/black leads that came on the end of the strip to wire it to my lighting power bus under the table.  They're pretty bright: I took the larger photo showing the train hand-holding the camera, set to f/5, 1/30 sec, ISO 1600, exposed for the front of the layout (the close up was taken at f/8, 1/30, ISO 800, trying to get an exposure more suited to the locomotive and more depth of field). The plexiglass needs a good cleaning, or I need to play with manual focus and shallow depth of field to focus on the train, or both.

 

The strip is installed at the very front, along the underside of the metal bar you can see in the larger photos, with the LEDs pointed down.  There's a Kato platform between the two tracks, so the locomotive, which is on the rear track, is being lit by spill from the side of the LEDs and bounced light.  I was thinking I might need a second strip down the middle of the platform to illuminate the rear track, but that doesn't seem to be a problem. 

 

I may add a small strip of heavy styrene between the LEDs and the window, so you can't see them. But they actually look a bit like light fixtures, so I may just leave them as-is. And this makes me want to add the back wall of the station (what you see now is insulation foam painted gray) and some advertising posters, so the view through the windows is more than just a bare gray platform in a gray tunnel.  So I may do that before putting the roof and the Shinkansen line back in place.

 

And yeah, the EF510 seems to be a bit lost if it's in a subway tunnel.  It was handy and I needed a photo prop; it won't normally operate in the subway.

[KenS]

More LED work.  I installed the Warm White strip (left window) so I could compare the two.  I also cleaned the plexiglass and used a tripod and manual focus this time; the results were much better.

 

Power consumption adds up: between the two strips (60 LEDs) I'm burning nearly half an amp.  That's only about 15-25 mA per two-inch strip, which is low for this model.  Of course there's 20 two-inch strips here, but three 6-floor buildings would be about the same. I'm thinking of re-doing my lighting power to use a larger supply than I'd previously planned.

 

The photos are a little misleading.  The camera just doesn't like the bluish-white "white" LEDs (which might be a good reason not to use them) and photographs them with a much stronger blue tint than I see.  I do see a blue tint, but they look better in person than they photograph; slightly on the blue side, but reasonable for a "harsh fluorescent light" look.  The "warm white" LEDs photographed better, although I still had to play with the white balance of the image to get the picture to look like what I see, but to me it looks much more like incandescent lighting.  Good for a house, and maybe for outdoor lighting (e.g., yellowish sodium lights), but a bit too warm for an office building or subway station.

 

This time I broke out the Tokyu Metro 10000, which will be one of the denizens of the subway line. It looks right at home.

[Bernard]

Wow Ken that 1st photo I think got the effect you were looking for all along...seeing a subway running while a whole city on top is busy. I shows that the busy is also busy underground, the backdrop makes the whole imagery work! 

[cteno4]

ken,

 

great stuff! i got a roll of those lights with this idea in mind a couple of months back and looks like it will be perfect for my use as well!

 

part of the blue is probably your camera's auto white balance. you might try setting the white balance on florescent light and see if that backs off the blue on the leds and hopefully not too much effect on the rest of the scene. some cameras let you set the white balance on a spot (ie piece of white paper under the lights) then use that for taking the pictures.

 

could also see about putting a tab of translucent paint on the warm whites to see what that might do to give a little bluer tint to them. i agree they look too much like sodium vapor lamps, bit too yellow.

 

btw im looking to see about using some of these strips in our new kitchen for some accent lighting and also to create some tall vertical light poles (in plex tubes) for our driveway as its long and folks back out of it and have a hard time telling were the edge of the driveway is. regular driveway lights are too low and folks just end up backing over them... the current does start to add up!

 

cheers

 

jeff

[KenS]

Jeff,

  It's not the AWB.  I did manual white balance (it's a Canon SLR), and then I played with processing the raw image in Aperture with different white balances when I didn't like the results. There's no single WB setting that produces a life-like (or what I'd consider life-like) result.  I think the problem is that LEDs don't put out a balanced spectrum, they have emission spikes, and camera sensors aren't linearly sensitive to all frequencies.  I think the LED is putting out a blue that overdrives the sensor.

 

It may be something I could adjust.  I haven't played with RGB adjustments before, so I'm not sure how effective that is. And on the one hand, I don't want to have to do too much post-processing to take a simple photo (my hobby is model railroading, not photography, after all  ). But on the other hand, part of taking a good photograph is doing more work than simply pointing and shooting.  Bother.

 

Warming the color with paint (or maybe some kind of translucent gel as used in theatrical lighting) is an idea worth checking out. Hmm, and I have some UV-blocking gel sheet that I used on my fluorescent lighting that might do interesting things.

 

By the way, they make a waterproof version of the LED strips for use in places (like kitchens) where water exposure is possible.  I'm not sure how they'd work outdoors, and you pay a premium for them, but it might be worth checking out.

 

Bernard,

  Thanks.  It is nice to see the results beginning to take shape and start to look at least somewhat like I'd hoped for. And that "busy and layered" look is a big part of what I'm aiming to achieve.

[cteno4]

ken,

 

ok figured you probably had tried, but though just check. yes i think you are on target here that too much at one wavelength is freaking the sensor. yes you would need to go into the rgb to try and tweak it out. i never got very good at that, but i have seen some wonders done by some graphic artists correcting things.

 

i think tamya also makes some translucent paint. lighting gels are great but hard to find sometimes in subtler colors.

 

saw the u/w strips. actually in the kitchen it would be under the cabinets, so no worries. the outside ones i have 5/8" heavy walled plex tubing and vinyl caps so should stay well sealed up. biggest issue right now is figuring out a ground attachment method that will tolerate getting hit and not snap. either something like a spring or a base that the rod can pop out of if hit. amazed at how many lights have been hit! moved them further out but still hit. low ones that would not get hit are not seen and if i move them too far out its the siren call to pull the tires off the driveway into the ditch on either side! maybe we should just get a drive thru car wash track system that pulls the cars in and out!

 

cheers

 

jeff

[Tenorikuma]

Jeff,

  It's not the AWB.  I did manual white balance (it's a Canon SLR), and then I played with processing the raw image in Aperture with different white balances when I didn't like the results. There's no single WB setting that produces a life-like (or what I'd consider life-like) result.  I think the problem is that LEDs don't put out a balanced spectrum, they have emission spikes, and camera sensors aren't linearly sensitive to all frequencies.  I think the LED is putting out a blue that overdrives the sensor.

 

Yeah, DSLR sensors and the circuitry that process them expect continuous-spectrum light rather than the emissive spikes of LEDs, sodium vapour lamps, etc. They're also designed to be more sensitive to the green component of colours — because our eyes are more sensitive to greens.

 

If you're using Aperture, try playing with the tint in addition to warmth and colour balance. Tint is useless for photos taken in natural light, but it's often good at compensating for artificial light spectra.

 

Playing with RGB values (say, in Photoshop) requires a pretty advanced sense of colour control.

[KenS]

maybe we should just get a drive thru car wash track system that pulls the cars in and out!

 

What you need are the rollers they use at the start of the guide to force wheels into it: just put big rollers around your driveway so the cars trying to angle out get pushed back. 

[rankodd]

I just got hold of the "warm" white and "pure" white LED strips, and I have to say that the warm white ones are very yellow :( I've got some individual 3mm warm white LEDs that have a much more realistic incandescent colour.

 

I'm going to try using some Gallery Glass in Snow White (translucent white colour, like a liquid styrene...) to try and adjust the colour. Early tests seem to show that the yellow will overwhelm it, though.

 

The pure white strip looks pretty good for fluorescent lighting, though. I'll likely go with that for the majority of my commercial buildings.

 

My roll came with the resin waterproofing on it, even though it wasn't mentioned in the listing. It's a slightly sticky, soft, rubbery plastic that is stuck on the  top of the strip, and has a half-dome shape. Fortunately, it seem easy enough to remove.

[KenS]

The pure white looks better in person than it photographs. But I still haven't convinced myself that I want to use the pure white in the subway, mainly because of the "how it photographs" problem.

 

I'm thinking that for now I'm going to leave both sets in the two halves of my subway station and do at least a basic interior, and just let it sit for a few months and see how I feel about it.  Most of the rest of my uses will be office building interiors (pure white) or houses (warm white) and I'll probably do a couple of those fairly soon to see how they look.

 

I have been wondering if I can find some kind of translucent white plastic trim that I can put over the strip of LEDs like a lamp diffuser that might soften the pure white kind a bit. I need to go wandering around home improvement and crafts stores looking for some suitable material.

[CaptOblivious]

The pure white looks better in person than it photographs. But I still haven't convinced myself that I want to use the pure white in the subway, mainly because of the "how it photographs" problem.

 

I'm thinking that for now I'm going to leave both sets in the two halves of my subway station and do at least a basic interior, and just let it sit for a few months and see how I feel about it.  Most of the rest of my uses will be office building interiors (pure white) or houses (warm white) and I'll probably do a couple of those fairly soon to see how they look.

 

I have been wondering if I can find some kind of translucent white plastic trim that I can put over the strip of LEDs like a lamp diffuser that might soften the pure white kind a bit. I need to go wandering around home improvement and crafts stores looking for some suitable material.

 

Mylar drafting film is perfect for diffusing light. You might also consider traditional vellum as a good option.

[Mudkip Orange]

What are you using for platforms in the subway tunnel? Just the KATO guys?

[KenS]

For now just Kato, although I've been thinking I'll switch to the new tile ones (which means stealing them from my Shinkansen station and ordering more) as they look better for an indoor station than the standard Kato "asphalt-look" ones.

 

They're actually not quite wide enough (the tracks are a bit farther apart than the standard spacing because of the curve across the river).  But the eye-level view forced by the small window on the side of the station disguises that quite well. Someday I may scratch-build a platform that's more suitable.

 

Mylar and vellum. Hadn't thought of either of those. Interesting idea, thanks.

[KenS]

Here's an update on my subway station.  I've crawling through the design phase, as I've had a couple of business trips in the last month that kept me from doing much on the layout. However I think I've got all my design issues settled now (except for the color of the lighting, which I'm still working on).

 

I'm going to use the newer Kato tile-surface platforms (23-107, 108 and 120) with some of the structure that would normally hold up the platform awning. The back wall will be tile, using Evergreen 4501 1/16” (1.6mm) styrene. To that back wall I'll glue some simple styrene billboards (offset from the wall with thin styrene mountings) and glue some fairly small printed photos to those.

 

The photos below show the mock-up I did for this (the side view has been color-corrected to eliminate the blue cast).

 

Although you can't easily see it in these two photos, I'm using the S248PC (20-875) concrete-tie single-track straight from the V15 set for the front track that can be seen through the window.

[Bernard]

Ken - I really like the 1st photo...having taken NYC Subways most of my life, I like how it's developing!

[KenS]

It does look more NYC than Tokyo with the girders.  All of the Japanese subway stations I could find hid platform girders inside cylindrical structures (concrete or perhaps just cosmetic), although riveted girders between the tracks were visible in older stations and are often seen in above-ground stations platforms.

 

Right now I'm planning to go with the girders, but I could hide them inside some kind of cylinder and still keep the overhead structure, for a more modern look.  I'm going to give that more thought.

[Mudkip Orange]

If you decide to stick with the NYC look, you need American Apparel ads. Lots of American Apparel ads.

[bill937ca]

Most Tokyo subway stations seem to have pillars especially those stations with side platforms.  Also many Tokyo subway stations are getting platform gates.  There are photos here of some Tokyo subway stations.

[David]

Most Tokyo subway stations seem to have pillars especially those stations with side platforms.  Also many Tokyo subway stations are getting platform gates.  There are photos here of some Tokyo subway stations.

 

I don't have a link but GreenMax has put out platform gates. I think they come in a package of 6 or 8, unpainted and ready to be used with any brand of platform.

[Bernard]

It does look more NYC than Tokyo with the girders.  All of the Japanese subway stations I could find hid platform girders inside cylindrical structures (concrete or perhaps just cosmetic), although riveted girders between the tracks were visible in older stations and are often seen in above-ground stations platforms.

 

Right now I'm planning to go with the girders, but I could hide them inside some kind of cylinder and still keep the overhead structure, for a more modern look.  I'm going to give that more thought.

 

Not at all...to me it looks more like Tokyo than NYC.....NYC is very dirt, sooty, billboards everywhere, no vending machines....the only thing in common is the crowds of people. You're on the right track.

[KenS]

Most Tokyo subway stations seem to have pillars especially those stations with side platforms.  Also many Tokyo subway stations are getting platform gates.  There are photos here of some Tokyo subway stations.

 

Cool link, thanks.

 

From that, I see only three stations with riveted girders in evidence, all three only appearing between the tracks.  In one, there is a pillar on the platform and a girder between the tracks.  So at least for the Tokyo Metro, it would appear that they always case the support structure if it's in the pedestrian area.  That makes me think I want columns.

 

Gates are a different matter.  While they may well be the future, they're not widely adopted in Tokyo yet.  Of those photos only the Fukutoshin, Marunouchi, and Namboku lines had gates (the latter was the only one with full-height gates). There may be others, but many of the lines are still gate-free.  I don't think I'm going to include gates, since they just get in the way of seeing the trains. 

 

My Greenmax Tokyo Metro 10000 (which runs on the Yurakucho and Fukotoshin lines) actually came with a set of half-height platform gates if I wanted to install them.

 

Mudkip: I think I Japan the iconic ads are weird beer ads, although I haven't found a good one.  I did find some others I'll use.

[Mudkip Orange]

I did find some others I'll use.

Watanabe vs Vader is EXTREME.

[KenS]

Here's another try, with columns and a bit of platform furniture (and yet more photoshopped ads).

 

And yes, those columns are beverage straws. They fit perfectly. I wonder how well they'll take spray paint.

 

I think I like this better than the bare girders.