Working Bridge and Boat Diorama

[Relic]

Thank you DrSprue for your encouraging and kind words.
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Now that the wiring diorama is basically completed, I can forget about that part of the project.
At this stage I started thinking about the landscape. That is, the river bank areas.
Here is the North side. My first objective was the staircase, and build from there.


Above: 7 years between these two photographs.



Created footpath under the bridge and up the hill.

[Relic]

[DrSprue]

Wow nice woodwork Peter!

[Relic]

Thank you Tony.
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Late last year the council put in a new pathway along Bridge Street. Even though the console is for a bridge pre 1995, I decided to add the 2017 addition to the landscape. A sort of bridge across the times project.





Measured this pathway, made notes, and took many photographs. Then proceeded to make a model of it.

[Relic]

Added some paint to the walkway. The council added a chrome rail barrier to an old boat ramp, now sealed and closed off.

[DrSprue]

[Relic]

Thank you Tony for
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There is a house partly in the display area. I took some photgraphs and figured out its dimensions.



Used scrap wood, Masonite, Perspex, and matchsticks to build the house.

[DrSprue]

WOw Peter that is really awesome wood work making! It looks very strong as well.. Now two!!

[Relic]

Thank you very much Tony. Yeah, I tend to over strengthen things.

I once built a few horse yards adjoined to a stable. I used very tall Stringybark threes, and their base trunks as corner pieces. When the neighbour saw the yards he said: "Blimey, are you keeping rhinos or something!".

[Relic]

I found the roof a bit challenging, espicially where the house is cut off at a diagonal.


Painted some figurines. Added one to the house. She is watching her world slowly come together.


Made a five light sequencer. One light per room. Every 20 seconds a light replaces another... as if someone is going from one room to the next.

[DrSprue]

Cool, that house looks just great! So funny how an LM555 and some cmos can be so useful. Nice PC board design as well Pete. Your beginning to remind me of me... except tho, you have a bit better skills!

[Relic]

Thanks DrSprue for your commpilients. Yes those parts are still available online, thank goodness. I am just as antiquated as the console in terms of electronics.
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I have a question:
I wish to use foam board, to cut and shaped, to fill the spaces for land fill. What materials can I use to seal the foam so I can, paint, glue grass, and insert trees?
I have been experimenting with water-based wood putty, it dries hard but seems a bit fragile.

[DrSprue]

Thanks DrSprue for your commpilients. Yes those parts are still available online, thank goodness. I am just as antiquated as the console in terms of electronics.
__________________________________________
I have a question:
I wish to use foam board, to cut and shaped, to fill the spaces for land fill. What materials can I use to seal the foam so I can, paint, glue grass, and insert trees?
I have been experimenting with water-based wood putty, it dries hard but seems a bit fragile.

Andy's hobby headquarters just did a cool diorama video with a tank that is neat and seems close to what you are doing. Check it out on youtube. Your antiquated as the console in terms of electronics? No... I still fix vacuum tube stuff these days..

[Relic]

Andy's hobby headquarters just did a cool diorama video with a tank that is neat and seems close to what you are doing. Check it out on youtube. Your antiquated as the console in terms of electronics? No... I still fix vacuum tube stuff these days..

Thank you DrSprue for your response and referral.
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Painted Bridged St.

[Relic]

[Jens]

I've found you here as well I see!

You've been busy for sure and I love to see your big diorama progress!
Looking really good as per usual but I hope you've got plenty of space because with this tempo you've soon got half the city built...

[Relic]

I've found you here as well I see!

You've been busy for sure and I love to see your big diorama progress!
Looking really good as per usual but I hope you've got plenty of space because with this tempo you've soon got half the city built...

Thanks Jens. No more buildings.

[Relic]

Discovered what the bridge swing gates looked like. They got replaced with boom gates in 1995.
Here is the best photograph (zoomed in and cropped) showing the swing gates.



Used Fencing wire for gate hinge axle, brass tubing, washers, solder, flat wire, and fly screen to make the gates.



Discovered that electrical terminals contain couplings ideal for attaching levers to the axles, and stoppers for links.



Showing what the gates will look like once they get closed across the road.

[DrSprue]

Oh wow that looks so detailed Peter! Are you going to put servos on those gate shafts and make them move?

[Relic]

Oh wow that looks so detailed Peter! Are you going to put servos on those gate shafts and make them move?

Thanks for compliment.
Yes, each gate will be attached to a servo.
The museum visitor needs to close the gates across the road (via control panel) before unlocking the span and raising it.
Also closing the gates at the end of bridge operations.
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Which brings us to the next part:

Designing and testing the servo controller circuit.


Designing and making four controllers on a DIY printed circuit board.


Making wooden brackets for the servos and gate axles. Assembling them under the display table.


Over each set of two gate servos sits microswitches which will be enabled when the gates are fully opened and closed. These will trigger other circuits, including the red and green control panel lights for each gate.

[Jens]

Your work still amazes me Peter and it only gets better and better!!!
Everything is so neat and tidy - and robust, so I think this masterpiece will be virtually maintenance free for many years to come! (which is important in a museum...)

The only sad thing is that it'll be installed on the opposite side of the world from me so I won't be able to see it for real

[DrSprue]

Wow amazing work Peter. Yup, your way ahead of me with the servo ideas. Awesome detail and It looks like you've been including what looks like a 555 approach in controlling them too and a cool PCB as well. Nice design bud.

[Relic]

Your work still amazes me Peter and it only gets better and better!!!
Everything is so neat and tidy - and robust, so I think this masterpiece will be virtually maintenance free for many years to come! (which is important in a museum...)

The only sad thing is that it'll be installed on the opposite side of the world from me so I won't be able to see it for real

Thanks Jens.
Have been requested to make a video of display in action (sure hope it works).
Perhaps the museum will have it on YouTube as a promotional tool.
Will let you know.

[Relic]

Wow amazing work Peter. Yup, your way ahead of me with the servo ideas. Awesome detail and It looks like you've been including what looks like a 555 approach in controlling them too and a cool PCB as well. Nice design bud.

Thank you Tony.

[Relic]

Playing around with motor controller circuits. Deicided to drop the voltage to the motors to slow down the revolutions and the speed of the span in motion. Using diodes in series to drop the volatges. The 'INCH' button, on the control panel, drops the voltage even more, so to gently dock the span back onto the road. The circuit opted for controlling motor direction (CW - CCW) is logic controlled.


There is a rotational drift after power is cut to the motor. This needs to be considered in terms of locating sensors which switches the power off.


Making the two motor controllers circuits on a single printed circuit board.

[Relic]

[OneSmallStep1966]

Wow, everything about this is incredible. Top work indeed

[DrSprue]

Wow amazing H-Bridge control stuff there Peter and the figures look awesome!

[Relic]

Thank you OneSmallStep1966 and DrSprue for your kind comments.
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The boat that traverses under the bridge moves up and down stream without turning around. It ought not to look as if it is reversing under the bridge. So, the boat is symmetrical, made from two bow sections. I bought two cheap wooden kits from China to do my first model boat build.



I cut the decks at its widest point, and the keels and cabin walls along the same line. Joined together with bracing from kit scrap.

The planks were too stiff to rely on glue to keep them in place. A planking iron to heat bend them was too expensive. Discovered a DIY method on the Internet. It requires a teacandle and a tin can. It works very well indeed. I was able to quickly bend the planks to suit the curvature of the hull.



Used the cabin ceiling as the horizon. Marked the bulkheads where I wanted the waterline. Planked the waterline. Then planked the space in between.



Used a hacksaw to cut the bottom off. Placed a sheet of sandpaper on the table. In a circular fashion sanded the boat flat and smooth.