Blackwater Canyon Line - April 28, 2024 - Sanky Wanky Coffee Co, Lights??

Hi Mark, as you know I have been on the road and have made it to Missouri!

I have to say you are doing an amazing job on your layout and the swanky coffee shop is looking great! I like how you take your time and dont rush things1 i really need to learn that skill! LOL

Well needless to say we are now looking for that wonderful train room with attached home! LOL It is nice to have the trip over and be able to get on my computer to check in!

Take care and I will check in again soon!

Thank you, Mike!  It bears repeating once more, I am glad you made it safely to Joplin!! 

On the Sanky Wanky, I did paint the extra couple parts I had forgotten and installed them.  I don't like how my chimney flues/stacks turned out, so I removed them and will try again.  The weatherman expects several days of rain again, so I hope to get back at it and even work on the new sides for the lower lift-up girder bridge.

LOL Just think about it, RR employees probably hate rain and snow. But model RR'ers just rain and snow as it gives us time for the layout and trains!

Good luck on the lower lift bridge!

Mike, I'm sure it is similar for railroaders as it was for us power and telecom employees.  It's harder to work on electrical equipment in the rain than snow.  You really have to be paying attention to where everything is so the equipment doesn't get wet.  It doesn't matter as much if you do.     Rain, snow, cold, heat, all just makes the given task harder for that day!  I certainly was thankful when I moved into an inside job when I was 51.  51!  Woah!  That was quite a while ago!! 

Mike, thank you!  Yes, besides cosmetics, I need to tweak the lower bridge some.  It has been binding a bit all winter.  Even though I have climate control including a dehumidifier, I'm wondering if it will get worse this summer.  Therefore, I may be doing a bit of an overhaul.  It certainly has worked well using your plan and Plexiglas parts!!!    That deserves a two thumbs up!! 

@Mark Boyce posted:

Mike, I'm sure it is similar for railroaders as it was for us power and telecom employees.  It's harder to work on electrical equipment in the rain than snow.  You really have to be paying attention to where everything is so the equipment doesn't get wet.  It doesn't matter as much if you do.     Rain, snow, cold, heat, all just makes the given task harder for that day!  I certainly was thankful when I moved into an inside job when I was 51.  51!  Woah!  That was quite a while ago!! 

Mike, thank you!  Yes, besides cosmetics, I need to tweak the lower bridge some.  It has been binding a bit all winter.  Even though I have climate control including a dehumidifier, I'm wondering if it will get worse this summer.  Therefore, I may be doing a bit of an overhaul.  It certainly has worked well using your plan and Plexiglas parts!!!    That deserves a two thumbs up!! 

Thanks Mark, I am glad the Plexiglas parts are working for you! The bad news is that the scraps I had left over got left behind in Washington State, I guess I will have to find some new stuff! LOL

Well done, Mark!

Peter

Thank you, Peter!!

I haven't been totally idle on the Sanky Wanky Coffee Company.  I realized I had glued more parts together than I had wanted to before installing lights, and found the glue held tight enough that I was going to break something trying to get it apart.  This is mainly referring to the roof.  I finally solved the problem by making a slide in ceiling for the second floor like the ceiling/floor I made to separate the two floors.

Each ceiling got two strips of LEDs, this shows one before I jumpered the two strips together at the end that is slid in first.

Here I drilled some holes so the wires could be fished down the inside of one chimney.

Here I am testing the lighting using one of the LED boards from Rod Stewart for passenger cars.  I have quite a few of them.  Yes there are places where light is leaking out and I haven't addressed the one story office section.  The wiring is still held together with alligator clip leads, but things don't look half bad.

Part of being a Model Railroader is also being a problem solver and able to come up with a plan B when plan A doesn’t work out. Good job Mark. I actually like the ceiling idea better. While a removable roof works. On some structures sometimes you get some light leakage if the fit isn’t perfect.

Looks good Mark. Creative problem solving. 👍👍

Bob

Looks wonderful Mark! I am sure you will get the leaking light problem fixed soon just like you concur all the other things that seem to come up!

@Mark Boyce posted:

I haven't been totally idle on the Sanky Wanky Coffee Company.  I realized I had glued more parts together than I had wanted to before installing lights, and found the glue held tight enough that I was going to break something trying to get it apart.  This is mainly referring to the roof.  I finally solved the problem by making a slide in ceiling for the second floor like the ceiling/floor I made to separate the two floors.

Each ceiling got two strips of LEDs, this shows one before I jumpered the two strips together at the end that is slid in first.

Here I drilled some holes so the wires could be fished down the inside of one chimney.

Here I am testing the lighting using one of the LED boards from Rod Stewart for passenger cars.  I have quite a few of them.  Yes there are places where light is leaking out and I haven't addressed the one story office section.  The wiring is still held together with alligator clip leads, but things don't look half bad.

Great Job Mark as always you seem to figure a way out of any corner you get boxed into! As others have said, you will no doubt plug the light leaks and what a great job you will do!

Looks great Mark. I think it’s a blast fixing little problems like that. Had the same issue on my church. Sealed the inside of the roof with that flex tape stuff you see on tv. Was left over from another project. lol.

Mike

A small cove of black caulk will fix those leaks!

Thank you, Dave, Bob, Mike G, John, Mike Poncho!!

Yes digging out of a jam can be challenging, but rewarding when an idea starts to come together.  I was short on ideas, but couldn't think of a way to describe the issues to ask for help on the Forum.  The way the roof is inserted in this model being actually glued underneath the inner brick work at the top made it a given that I wouldn't be able to make it removable when the model was completed.  Looking back, I think the ceiling was almost necessary to easily install the LED strips.  Otherwise I would have had to support (hang) them on the thin roof trusses.

As I said before, Dennis Brennan did a great job of designing a kit that really mimics Frank Ellison's original, but with modern materials and techniques.  Frank didn't provide an interior, so Dennis didn't either.  I think the kit is great for someone like me who desires a basic building to make a start, and then each builder can add highlights, or additions either interior or exterior as desired.

LT1Poncho Mike, I was thinking of using some kind of tape to seal off the light leaks.  I had some idea of where they would be while I was building, but putting light inside is really necessary to find them all. 

Now that I'm rested from some yard work, I hope to get back at the Sanky Wanky this evening. 

Mark, the effort on detailing the interior makes a huge difference with the lighting.

Gene

@Mark Boyce posted:

I haven't been totally idle on the Sanky Wanky Coffee Company.  I realized I had glued more parts together than I had wanted to before installing lights, and found the glue held tight enough that I was going to break something trying to get it apart.  This is mainly referring to the roof.  I finally solved the problem by making a slide in ceiling for the second floor like the ceiling/floor I made to separate the two floors.

Each ceiling got two strips of LEDs, this shows one before I jumpered the two strips together at the end that is slid in first.

Here I drilled some holes so the wires could be fished down the inside of one chimney.

Here I am testing the lighting using one of the LED boards from Rod Stewart for passenger cars.  I have quite a few of them.  Yes there are places where light is leaking out and I haven't addressed the one story office section.  The wiring is still held together with alligator clip leads, but things don't look half bad.

That’s very impressive Mark and excellent problem solving. That’s an eye catching structure.

Jay

Most of the fun in our hobby is problem solving. And you are pretty good at it.

  Nice job Mark'.. I love those LED strip lights'.... Building looks great lighted'...👍

Looks good Mark and great idea with the slide in ceiling

Great idea, Mark!

Peter

Thank you, Gene, Jay, Myles, Ted, Poconotrain, Peter!

Myles, I like to think that reading your detailed descriptions of problems you have had to work out have helped me think better than I used to. 

Of course there are so many others on the forum who have posted problems and suggestions that have helped me to think through things better.

Ted, the strip LEDs are really handy for lighting the inside of a building, just like lighting a passenger car.  I would have handled it differently if I only wanted certain rooms lit and others dark.  On this building I thought if they are working after dark, then the whole building would be lit, so that made it easy. 

That raises a question.  Should I assume the owner and secretary went home so the single floor office would be dark?  Or am I over analyzing things and should just light everything? 

Leave some areas dark. I always add some light blocks on some floors/spaces that would be more realistic (to me) and a bit less toy-like. In a factory or office building having all spaces lit might be a reality, but a store with apartments over top or a house, all rooms would not be fully lit. For example: my engine house is fully lit, the art gallery is not.

@Mark Boyce posted:

...

As I said before, Dennis Brennan did a great job of designing a kit that really mimics Frank Ellison's original, but with modern materials and techniques.  Frank didn't provide an interior, so Dennis didn't either.  I think the kit is great for someone like me who desires a basic building to make a start, and then each builder can add highlights, or additions either interior or exterior as desired...

Now that I'm rested from some yard work, I hope to get back at the Sanky Wanky this evening. 

Mark, you absolutely nailed my intent. This allows me to provide these kits at a reasonable price, making them available for anybody. I love hearing about what you and others have done with my kits. Tapping into one's creativity is what this hobby is all about!

By the way, routing the wires through the chimney is brilliant. Had I thought of that, I would have predrilled the hole. Kudos, Mark!

Dennis, thank you for confirming what I guessed.  Thank you for producing these kits, and making them affordable!  Well worth the price.