2015 Display Table Design Thread

[beany]

Matt, you're a star mate, good on ya!

Here is where I got to today before my mum wife called me in for my tea
This is 6 foot by 4 foot remember (or a tad less to fit in my car now)


As can be seen on the left - there is not too much room for dockside paraphernalia. A couple of straight lengths are yet to be added to take it to the edge of the board as per the plan I drew. I don't know if the cranes can stand on the railway track or if an additional board will be required.

Control wires have been soldered to the track and dropped under the board through drilled holes. They will resurface through holes I will drill nearer the front right area of the boards where the two controllers will sit where Joe/Josephine Public can play trains. The sidings in place will be the platform roads, and the sidings yet to be run will be for loco sheds and other wagons - I shall crowbar in as many sidings as I can as I know there are a lot of wagons and coaches in the pipeline!

Any comments gratefully received - let me know what you are thinking guys and girl(s).

[ShaunW]

That looks pretty damned good to me Al, what a star and it will look great once populated with all of the various locos and rolling stock. This is going to be something very different for the punters at SMW and all the better for it I say!

[mattbacon]

Looks great, Al! I know I should know this, but are you providing the "runners"? None of my Kitmasters have either internal drives or a modified tender or coach with a "bogie motor".

I'll also measure up and see how many feet of siding the locos will need to stand on. If it won't easily fit in the layout, maybe well have to have a static "railway museum" over with the airfield and village!

bestest,
M.

[JohnRatzenberger]

Got Matt's address - Thanks !!

[TomW]

Looks great, Al! I know I should know this, but are you providing the "runners"? None of my Kitmasters have either internal drives or a modified tender or coach with a "bogie motor".

I'll also measure up and see how many feet of siding the locos will need to stand on. If it won't easily fit in the layout, maybe well have to have a static "railway museum" over with the airfield and village!

bestest,
M.

Im sure I remember Al saying he was providing the motive power when we spoke at Farnborough but I am also going to bring a couple of runners from my own collection ( they are Hornby RTR's and not the right timeframe but can be used in a pinch).

Regards

Tom

[beany]

Yes, I'll bring the runners - for the 2-6-2 Prairie Tank my plan was to use the Lima chassis and replace the body with the Airfix one - although if I run out of time this may have to run as is with the Lima body and just hope nobody notices. The same goes for the 4-6-2 Battle Of Britain class - I have an Airfix one already built and can sacrifice it and perform surgery on it and make it fit my Tri-ang chassis. This one has a built in smoke generator (if you drop in a drop or two of lightweight oil) which may add that extra pzazz - as long as it doesn't set off the Telford smoke detectors!!

Tom, or anyone else, please do bring any runners along as well - just in case there are any failures on the day - the more the merrier.

I'll also bring all my extra track so we can add some ad-hoc sidings etc. as Matt suggests if we decide it is necessary on the day.

[mattbacon]

OK... this is a bit of a surprise. I've measured up, and built or on the bench I have 94" (yep... nearly 8ft!) of Kitmaster locomotives...

And that's without the Evening Star (s), Stirling Single, Italian Tank, Drewry Shunter, Mogul, Biggin Hill, City of Truro, Rocket (though that one's teeny tiny) and Schools Class. Or John's and Splash's coaches. Or Tom's rake of wagons.

I think we should try and make sure that we get the widest possible selection of Classic British Railway Kits on display -- I doubt that all of the Kitmasters will have been seen in one place for many a year, and the same is probably true for the Airfix railway kits (although a selected few survived in the catalogue until quite late into the 70s, a lot disappeared much earlier )

Also, have we got a plan for where and how to display "collateral"? Boxes, leaflets, display stands etc... I think the Classic Kit "ephemera" we have displayed has always been a key element that makes CBK SIG tables a bit different from the typical SMW offering, so we shouldn't lose sight of that. For me the running trains are the "icing on the cake" of the display, not the "raison d'etre"... which is not for a minute to detract from Al's sterling work.

bestest,
M.

[Ratch]

I have this Airfix Class 31

Not sure if it runs as I've never put it on track

[TomW]

Those old Airfix 31's are pretty reliable Ratch, I had a pair of them in BR blue, both 40yrs old and smooth runners if a little noisy.

Regards

Tom

[PaulBradley]

Thanks, Matt - expect a largish box a the end of October!

Regarding peripherals, I can provide the boxes and instruction sheets for my vehicles.

I also have the standard CBK SIG tri-fold brochure on electronic file if anyone wants to print up some. As for a display-specific brochure, how about something with design elements from a railway timetable?

[beany]

Matt and all CBK members...

I think we should try and make sure that we get the widest possible selection of Classic British Railway Kits on display -- I doubt that all of the Kitmasters will have been seen in one place for many a year, and the same is probably true for the Airfix railway kits (although a selected few survived in the catalogue until quite late into the 70s, a lot disappeared much earlier)

I totally agree with this Matt, however I can't just magic 8ft of extra display space out of thin air - which is why having given it a few minutes thought I can offer you 12 feet of extra display space - specifically with a view to lining up the Kitmaster locos and coaches so they can effectively been seen as a display in their own right.

Hence my solution would look like this (please forgive the crude sketch - I'm not much of a technical artist but I think you can see what I'l aiming for):



The idea is to run a batten along the back of the baseboard. This will support four uprights which in turn will support a two tiered base with track glued to it for the locos (two tiered so the front ones don't obscure the back ones).

Also, have we got a plan for where and how to display "collateral"? Boxes, leaflets, display stands etc... I think the Classic Kit "ephemera" we have displayed has always been a key element that makes CBK SIG tables a bit different from the typical SMW offering, so we shouldn't lose sight of that.

Hardboard or foam board can be mounted on the uprights and any signage - e.g. CBK signs and any other flyers, or even boxes, can be mounted on there (to save cluttering up the main display area). Those intending to provide these items will have to decide how to mount these items - blue tack, double sided tape, self adhesive Velcro or whatever.

Sound like a plan? I'll need to buy the extra materials for this so let me know ASAP please. The main framework can be put together and laid flat in the car and then I will bring my drill and screwdrivers to finally assemble it at Telford on Friday afternoon.

Cheers
Al.

[ShaunW]

That certainly gets my seal of approval Al. Personally, I always prefer displays that at least have some items raised above the table to bring them more or less to eye level - I think such display tables look aesthetically pleasing and they save my creaking back from too much bending forwards, which it definitely does not like

[mattbacon]

That looks great, Al.... good thinking, that man. And I'd forgotten Splash's Deltic, so we may need all of that 12 ft! I guess some could also find a home in the sidings, as needed. It would be good to figure out what collateral we do have, so I'll start a separate thread for that, where people can register what they have available.

I'm also thinking, given the relatively high prices some of these change hands for, and the fact that they are small and relatively portable, that we might want to provide a vault (not literally... just tuck them away somewhere out of view) for the runners and display models overnight at least.

bestest,
M.

[TomW]

Matt and all CBK members...

I think we should try and make sure that we get the widest possible selection of Classic British Railway Kits on display -- I doubt that all of the Kitmasters will have been seen in one place for many a year, and the same is probably true for the Airfix railway kits (although a selected few survived in the catalogue until quite late into the 70s, a lot disappeared much earlier)

I totally agree with this Matt, however I can't just magic 8ft of extra display space out of thin air - which is why having given it a few minutes thought I can offer you 12 feet of extra display space - specifically with a view to lining up the Kitmaster locos and coaches so they can effectively been seen as a display in their own right.

Hence my solution would look like this (please forgive the crude sketch - I'm not much of a technical artist but I think you can see what I'l aiming for):



The idea is to run a batten along the back of the baseboard. This will support four uprights which in turn will support a two tiered base with track glued to it for the locos (two tiered so the front ones don't obscure the back ones).

Also, have we got a plan for where and how to display "collateral"? Boxes, leaflets, display stands etc... I think the Classic Kit "ephemera" we have displayed has always been a key element that makes CBK SIG tables a bit different from the typical SMW offering, so we shouldn't lose sight of that.

Hardboard or foam board can be mounted on the uprights and any signage - e.g. CBK signs and any other flyers, or even boxes, can be mounted on there (to save cluttering up the main display area). Those intending to provide these items will have to decide how to mount these items - blue tack, double sided tape, self adhesive Velcro or whatever.

Sound like a plan? I'll need to buy the extra materials for this so let me know ASAP please. The main framework can be put together and laid flat in the car and then I will bring my drill and screwdrivers to finally assemble it at Telford on Friday afternoon.

Cheers
Al.

I think that will be an excellent solution Al

Regards

Tom

[ShaunW]

It would be good to figure out what collateral we do have, so I'll start a separate thread for that, where people can register what they have available.

This mirrors something I also have in mind Matt. PM sent.