A Train Robbery - Diorama update

A while back I made several posts about a diorama I'd been making for my Dad based on the opening scene of the film The Assassination of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford. The diorama was finished scenery-wise and in residence on my Dad's shelf however, the lights from the special effects lighting did not provide a good nighttime atmosphere.

I used about 20cm of LED strip lights and painted them blue with Tamiya clear blue paint. This allows the light to shine through and changes the colour of the light. I use this technique a lot to get the right colour for oil lamps (using Tamiya clear orange). I connected up the LED strip to a spare port in the wiring harness and we were done. I think the blue light is enough to give off an atmosphere of a moonlit night and it means that the diorama isn't so dark that you can't see the details. 

The diorama before the lights

After adding the blue-tinted LEDs

Century of steam

 A little while ago this video popped up in my YouTube algorithm. There aren't many steam locomotive simulator games on the market, and I've never seen one that has targeted turn-of-the-century railroading like this title is. 

The game is called Century of Steam by Studio 346. It's still in development, but as far as I'm concerned, it looks gorgeous. The developers have said that the footage in the video is all in-game footage, and none of the shots are cutscenes. 

If you enjoy the trailer, be sure to check out some of the other videos on their channel showcasing the game in more detail. I don't think any of my computers will have the specs to run this game at the moment. But I'll be watching it with interest. Enjoy.

Turntable build part 4

The more I've been using my new modules the more I felt I wanted to be able to move the turntable without reaching into the scene. I didn't want a motorised solution. I like turning things by hand, which really is in keeping with the time period I model. I hadn't been able to find a hand crank system for a turntable so in the end I plucked the courage to build my own. 

I found some plastic gears on Aliexpress and picked up some brass rods from my local hardware store. I ordered two sizes of gears and the slightly smaller one looked like it would do the trick. However, I needed a solution for attaching the gear to the rod, which would be the turntable spindle. I had some Meccano that my kids don't really play with. So I used one of the collars and used small bolts to attach the gear to the collar, which is attached to the brass rod (see photo).

I made up a plywood box to house the gearing from scrap ply. The brass inserts from electrical connectors held the wormgears in place on the rod. For the crank wheel, I used my largest hole saw to cut a hole in the edge of the layout, I used the cutout as the crank wheel, which is attached to the rod with grub screws. A scrap piece of metal was spruced up for the handle. 

Overall, I'm pleased with the performance. The turntable moves nicely and slowly. I may have to refine a few things as the crank wheel is a little snug in the hole in the layout edge. But, for now, it is working and looks pretty good. 

The next thing for the turntable will be to work on the decking and details, followed by some scenery in the pit. 

Doesn't look like much but its the beginnings of a hand crank system. 

The large gear is on the turntable spindle. The worm is on the hand crank. I added a bottom plate to prevent the turntable spindle from flexing when turning. 

The completed hand crank at the layout's edge. The crank can be removed for transport.