Post 25 10-4-2016
Homemade Operating Ice skating pond on New Addition
I built a small operating Ice Skating Pond and it was located near the new Addition outside loop. This location gave the opportunity to install a Rail Road Bridge. The ice skating pond is on the farm. The ice skating pond was made from a pane of glass painted white on the bottom. It was attached to a pond shaped cutout in the train board. An old Barb B Q rotisserie motor (all I had at the time) was used to power a 7 inch diameter, ½ inch thick ply wood disk with 6 round, 1 inch disk magnets that were recessed and glued into the plywood (I would now use a microwave table rotating motor with a 4"dia lazy susan bearing to support the disk as the motor would be quieter). It was installed very close to the bottom of the glass pane. Radio Shack small ½ inch dia. magnets were glued to the feet of the skaters with epoxy glue making sure all had the same magnetic polarity pointing up the same. The skaters were from Plasticville people sets and other sources of toy figures of roller or ice skaters, ballerinas or dancers. The magnets all had the opposite polarity of the rotating disc to make sure they attracted each other.
The mini Christmas tree lights on the bridge provide lighting for the Pond at night.
Ice Skaters in Action (note Ice Resurface Zamboni Machine)
Bar B Q rotisserie motor that drives the plywood disc with the magnets.
There are several commercial made ice skating rinks or ponds available for much less trouble but they would not be as much fun to build as this one. They are too big for my location. I now have one but have not installed it because mine is recessed under my bridge and most of them are above grade. It Is also too large for my available space. I use it at Christmas as a holiday display.
Charlie
