The Ship Model Forum

Late last year the Ballina Naval & Maritime Museum received a console that once operated the Wardell (NSW, Australia) lift-span bridge.
My task is to build a model bridge and boat, and modify the console to operate the two.
My only experience with model making is a 1/10 scale model of an electrical apparatus built by Nikola Tesla. That was about 30 years ago. My electronics experience is also antiquated - like the console is. So both the modelling and electronics has and still remains to be a challenge.

So far the project is about halfway to completion. I will be posting images and text, over the next few days, to where I am at the present.
When downloaded I will let you know when I am at its end.
I am hoping to get some helpful suggestions from that point on. Especially about building the small boat.

The actual bridge:


The control panel and layout drawing:


Inside the console:

_________________
Peter.

The display table area is 1.2 x 2.4 m (4 x 8 ft). The 1/72 scale allows for the whole bridge length to fit in nicely.

The proposed layout for the display:




The lift-span portion:


Span and boat motors pulley system for the working diorama.
The motors and most of the pulley system will be under the table, in a control box with its electronics.

_________________
Peter.

Since the boat will be mobile, via pulleys, from under the tabletop, a slot/gap through the table will be required to traverse the boat under the bridge.
The boat will have a keel/flange, through the table, with pulley wheels attached.

The tabletop assembly:


The control box which houses the span and boat motors, pulleys, and electronics:

The control box has two access doors for servicing.

_________________
Peter.

To appease the neighbors, I avoid all noisy work in the evening. This is the time for designing, make drawings and plans, writing a service and operating manual, painting, and testing and building electronics.
In regards to electronics I needed three DC voltages. 24 volts for panel lamps and LED lighting. 12 volts for motors and relays, and 5 volts for digital logic circuits.
For this I had to build a power supply unit (PSU) which will be installed in the bridge console. From this PSU I can develop the rest of the circuitry.

The PSU circuit diagram:


The printed circuit boards, assembled and tested. Each voltage source can handle 2 amps:


It was decided to replace the front panel of the console with a clear perspex sheet. This is to allow the museum visitors to view inside the console.
The console exterior will remain looking antiquated, except for the panel screws, which had to be replaced. The exterior has been rust treated and satin varnished. However, since the internals is anew, so too will the interior console surfaces. I decided to paint it a dark 'Boatshed' Grey. This will help to contrast the coloured wiring. So, the console interior will be a sort of 'lit' diorama.

To add extra lighting, to the interior, a blown fuse indicator circuit was added to the PSU. That is, while voltages are OK their output indicator will be a green light (LED). If that output fuse blows, the green indicator will go off and the red indicator goes on in its place.

Blown fuse indicator circuit board:


The main diorama will include sound effects, such as an warning bell before bridge operation, a fog horn, and a diesel/steam engine sound for the boat. The circuitry for this, and its speakers, will be installed within the console.

For speakers, I used a set from an old analogue TV set. However they needed a bracket for keeping its diaphragm from touching anything when mounted onto a surface:


The console need slots to accommodate the speakers, connectors to (under table) control box, and power socket:

_________________
Peter.

Back to the bridge building.
The bridge footings:


The piers:


The girders and span plate:


Acrylic undercoat:
The holes at end girders are for bare electrical wiring to poke out and become contact points for the bridge span. The span will have its own electronics installed. This is mainly for the span's vessel traffic lights.


Fender piers (aka Dolphin piers). The outer most centre piers have been drilled for installing navigational lights:


to be continued. Tomorrow I'll post some more photos. Hopefully I will catch up, to where I am at, by then.

_________________
Peter.

WOW! Very ambitious and very impressive!
Kevin

Thank you Kevin for kind words.

_________________
Peter.

The bridge span understructure requires navigational lights, and contact points for power and control data:



Added basic framework so I can get a better idea of how I am going to channel/route the wiring to the span hut:



A more practical approach for cable anchoring points (fishing swivel soldered of bolt head):







After checking wiring continuity I filled the trenches with wood putty:

_________________
Peter.

On top of the bridge span is a hut, balconies and gangways:





Installed the cable anchoring points, longitudinal bumper rollers (made from microswitch actuator arms), and one optical light switch. The later is for triggering the vessel (boat) traffic lights, from red/stop to green/go, when span is fully raised.





Included lateral bumper rollers. These rollers minimize the chances of the span getting caught up onto the bridge towers, and to guide the span to its correct resting position:



Traffic lights for river vessels:



Equipment storage and housing on span balconies:



The hut:



The gangways:





Road and footpath railings:



to be continued tomorrow.

_________________
Peter.

" STREWTH !!! "

what a project !


fascinating and different!

JIM B

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....I buy them at three times the speed I build 'em.... will I live long enough to empty my stash...?
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.html

IPMS UK SIG (special interest group) www.finewaterline.com

Thank you Jim B for the thumbs up.
Interesting avatar flags you have there. I have a dual nationality (Swiss-Australian), where my father is Swiss, mother is Polish, and I was born in Australia.

To continue; now for the bridge towers.





On top of the towers are two sets of pulley wheels and brackets.
I was not happy with the available pulley wheels, they were not narrow enough. So I made my own from washers by sweat soldering them together.
I needed 10 pulley wheels.



making the brackets for the pulley wheels.







The towers are not yet secured into place. The road base has to be installed first.
These photos are simply to see how it will look; and to see how much clearance there is between tower frame and bumper rollers.



Installing the gangways for servicing the wheels.







To be continued.

_________________
Peter.

Very cool! Already looking forward to the next update, thanks for sharing.

Lou

Thank you Lou for following.

To continue. The road traffic lights need to be made, and wired, before installing the road base.
Top left photo shows my early failures before finding the right approach to making the holes.
The bottom right photo is just to see how it might look on the bridge.



It was during this time I realized that the span, once the towers are installed, will not be removable for servicing. Both the bumper rollers and tower pulley wheels restrict removal.
So I decided to replace one lateral set of bumper rollers for a pair of detachable ones. Now the span can be removed laterally (sideways).



Building the road and footpath; routing the wiring; and securing the road and towers to the girders.



Installing all the road and footpath railings.
The spaces, in the railings, near the traffic lights are for the swing gates (not yet built).



to be continued later.

_________________
Peter.

To continue...
The wiring under the tabletop needed to be organised.
All the wires, from the diorama, will be routed towards the centre of the bridge where the control box will be.



Then I painted the road and footpath railings.



The rest of the bridge got painted a cement grey colour.
I do not plan to show any weathering of the bridge. It is to took brand new and pollution free.



The bridge road is concrete (cement with gravel). So I decided to mask off the road a splatter paint it with a dark grey.
Unfortunately the splatter got overworked in some areas. In other words, I blotched it up.
I was tempted to repaint it and start again. But felt that I could patch it up.
So I dried brushed the dark with cement colour and visa versa.
Then did it again with a fine paintbrush.
Painting the road within the span was very tricky.



Now for the road markings. Double centre lines and fog lines were added. Then road reflectors added.
I was playing around with 1/72 scale cars in the bottom photos.
The cars will be installed near the completion of the diorama (not smashed up of course).
As you can tell, the gates have not yet been installed. I am still waiting for parts and materials.



Well this is where I am at, with the diorama, for the moment.
Future postings will arrive as I complete each stage.

_________________
Peter.

impressive project, and I hope the wood won't start working due to humidity and temperature changes...

Seems we're all alike looking at the accident footage , childhood is never far away...

Thanks Silenoz for kind words.
I have considered those possibilities and I am hoping both the use of doweling and paint will minimize any structural changes over time.
I won't be around, long enough, to see it happen anyway, so I am not going to worry about it.

Yes, there is something seriously wrong with, us humans, feeling good about escaping what others have not.

_________________
Peter.

Getting back to the Control Panel, it got cleaned up and painted.
Here is underneath the instrument panel.


The panel got revamped.

_________________
Peter.

I know I have been away for a long time, health issues got in the way.
Not sure if anybody is interested in seeing anymore about this project.

_________________
Peter.

This is an impressive project and requires a lot of work! I would be following this with interest.

Merry Christmas!
Aop

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On the way:
--1/350 Tamiya DKM Tirpitz Nov 1944

--1/350 scratch-build HMS Lion never built battleship (1938)

And our artworks!

Glad you are feeling better. Hell, yes, keep posting. A very cool project.