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Davey

MOC: Train Switching Tower

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Every good rail-yard needs a switching tower and with the expansion of Stacy's and my layout this year, it was time to add one. Order and control must be maintained inside the LEGO rail-yard or we'll have trains derailing all over the place. It's the switchmaster's job to ensure everything goes smoothly. From the second story of this building, he can see everything that is going on and make sure that the trains go where they are supposed to.

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This MOC was actually based on a model railroad switching house that I found on a UK model railroading site. The model I based it on is a kit from Hornby. Many thanks to DaCheese for helping me find it. Here is a picture of the Hornby model.

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I think my favorite part of this build was getting the stair railings to look just right. It took a little bit of playing around, but I like the result and they are really sturdy! That's a good thing since one of the ways I judge my MOC's is how delicate they are. Mine have to be capable of being played with for me to like them. :tongue:

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Here you can see the inside which is furnished. I'm thinking about going back and redoing the inside. It was kind of a quick job before Brickworld, but it works. If I have Stacy redo it, I am sure it will turn out much nicer! :classic:

More (and larger) pictures are available on my Flickr Photostream.

-Dave

ToT-LUG

Edited by Cyclone Breezerider

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Dave:

This reminds me of something out of a model railroaders catalogue. It's fantastic! I love the color combination. Tan and dark orange looks terrific. The standard white windows work very well giving the MOC an almost "classic town" look. It's also neat to see how you used the train ends as the railing for the 2nd floor - very creative, and a design that works well. I also like the interior detailing that is what one would expect to find in a switching tower. This would have made a great scene for Murder on the Emerald Express.

Great model, and I'm really enjoying all your fantastic creations! :thumbup:

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Great job Dave! It sure beats the crap out of my Blocksford Signal Box. I love the details of the interior, the only thing I could suggest is that you tile the floor inside. I'm loving all your train MOCs that you've been sharing with us, and I hope you continue to do so. Although you constantly mention your layout, I've never seen any photos of it. Where can I find some?

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Great job Dave! It sure beats the crap out of my Blocksford Signal Box. I love the details of the interior, the only thing I could suggest is that you tile the floor inside. I'm loving all your train MOCs that you've been sharing with us, and I hope you continue to do so. Although you constantly mention your layout, I've never seen any photos of it. Where can I find some?

Hey now! I really like your Blocksford Signal Box! That was a really cool MOC and I'm actually contemplating stealing your design for a smaller signal box to be used on a siding out on the mainline. :classic: As for the layout, here are some pictures from Brickworld 2009 that were taken by Bill Ward.

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I don't have any pictures of my current basement layout yet, since we are just finishing setting it up again after Brickworld. However, you can follow the evolution of our 'LEGO Lair' on MOCPages. Pictures of the new layout will be up soon. :classic:

-Dave

ToT-LUG

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Fantastic work CB, I thought it looked like an old UK signal box! The basis for your model could well be the Hornby model of the signal box from Dunster (now at Minehead) in Somerset, or maybe the Dapol model of the one at Oakham in Leicestershire. The page I've linked to for the Dunster box shows a typical interior; usually a box has one side with a solid back or a few windows to get some light in and a side covered in large windows side by side to give a good view of what's happening outside. Often the big windows wrap around the sides to about half the width of the box. Inside, the most prominent feature of a steam-era signal box is the lever frame that you can see to the right of the second image. Above will be a schematic diagram of the track layout controlled by that box and other stuff inside might include devices used for communication by bell codes between neighbouring boxes or to control block working and a stove. I hope that helps anyone who's working on a signal box MOC.

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Fantastic work CB, I thought it looked like an old UK signal box! The basis for your model could well be the Hornby model of the signal box from Dunster (now at Minehead) in Somerset, or maybe the Dapol model of the one at Oakham in Leicestershire. The page I've linked to for the Dunster box shows a typical interior; usually a box has one side with a solid back or a few windows to get some light in and a side covered in large windows side by side to give a good view of what's happening outside. Often the big windows wrap around the sides to about half the width of the box. Inside, the most prominent feature of a steam-era signal box is the lever frame that you can see to the right of the second image. Above will be a schematic diagram of the track layout controlled by that box and other stuff inside might include devices used for communication by bell codes between neighbouring boxes or to control block working and a stove. I hope that helps anyone who's working on a signal box MOC.

Thanks for the great links! I will definitely use some of these to redo the interior of my signal box. :thumbup: :thumbup: I also managed to finally find the picture of the signal box I modeled mine after. It was a Hornby model.

r8853-east-signal-box.jpg

-Dave

ToT-LUG

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Dave, I found your BrickShelf folder. Man, you should take some more pictures of your layout and give them the thread they deserve. That was some fantastic stuff mate. I'm not sure why there was a hole in the middle of it, but the rest was totally awesome! You guys have some dangerous potential with the brick, I'm sure of it! Well done. :classic:

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Great Job Dave, the color scheme is nicely understated, and very realistic. Will you be using it to hide any of the auto-track-switches that you had hidden inside trackside shacks?

If I could make one suggestion, a 3 wide balcony (one for railing, two for standing) could add a bit of visual interest in the form of a complete railing and perhaps a minifig or two standing up there.

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Great Job Dave, the color scheme is nicely understated, and very realistic. Will you be using it to hide any of the auto-track-switches that you had hidden inside trackside shacks?

Hey now! If I destroy the trackside shacks, where are the hobos going to live? Please...think about the hobos!!! :tongue: Seriously though, nah...no plans to hide switches in here. I'm sticking with the shacks for now.

If I could make one suggestion, a 3 wide balcony (one for railing, two for standing) could add a bit of visual interest in the form of a complete railing and perhaps a minifig or two standing up there.

I agree completely! I've been contemplating this ever since I built it. The original goal was to make sure it didn't exceed the boundaries of the 16x32 baseplate aside from the stairs. This limitation came from a previous layout I was using it on. Now that the limit is gone...it's time to build Rev 2.0. :classic:

Of course with the MOCOlympics coming up in about 2 weeks, I don't know how much MOC-ing I will be doing that isn't related to the contest.

-Dave

ToT-LUG

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