WIP LDD Model Railway Module _ Level Crossing & SIgnal Box

[jamesed_1971]

For the last couple of days, I been designing a module for my planned Lego Southern Preserved Railway Layout, the module contains a level crossing which can close and open (manual), a single track, and a signal box, below are three images of the Level Crossing & Signal Box Module.

level crossing gate closed.

level crossing gates open.

closer view of the signal box.

This is the signal box which I based my signal box on, I made a few changes to the model.

A image of the Level Crossing with the gates moved a stud in width away from the track.

A image showing the clearance between the train and the gates

Signal box in Sandwich, Kent UK

Signal Box in the UK

Signal Box near Attenborough railway station

signal box on the Nene Valley Railway (Wansford)

Edited February 6, 2014 by jamesed_1971

[Lazarus]

Nice work, good detail close to how I do my roads and track :-).

[Aaron]

Have you tried spacing the railroad ties 1 stud apart? It would look more realistic that way.

[cimddwc]

Nice. But isn't the left gate a bit too close to the track? It just allows for trains that are 8 studs wide including overhang, and even those may bump into the gate when they're not perfectly in the middle of the track.

[jamesed_1971]

Yes both gates are a stud bit close to the tracks, I have adjusted where the gates are and lengthened them by one stud

[ScotNick]

Nice design, but shouldn't the track be in the middle if there is just a single one?

[Spitfire2865]

The placement of the gates suits a double track more. If you shortened the gates, it would look a lot better.

[jamesed_1971]

The Layout is a preserved railway which was a double line, the preservation society who is restoring the line intend to restore the railway to a double track eventually, with that in mind, the preservation society asked the council to leave the level crossing alone when the council resurfaced the road running past the signal box, besides due to the width of the road, if I shortened the level crossing gates to match a single track, the gates would be too short for the road, plus I attend to add a send running track eventually once the layout is finshed.

[ScotNick]

Oh, that makes much more sense, and I'm interested to see more!

[eurotrash]

Looks good, and I just have a minor question but shouldn't the Signal box be swung round 90 degrees so that the main window side is parallel to the tracks?

[jamesed_1971]

in the UK, the majority of signal boxes are sited like I have placed the signal box, just like the four signal boxes i have uploaded.

[Wabbajack]

I really like that signal box. You could hide some PF stuff in it to operate the gates.

Edited February 6, 2014 by Wabbajack

[jamesed_1971]

I might add power Functions elements to operate the gates, but I need to modify some Lego Part, a 1x4 tile with a hole drilled in the tile so I can get a axle with a stud on the end, which also has to be shortened to 2 studs length as the space below the road surface is equivalent to five plates high, the idea is tow install four pulleys driven by two motors, one motor operates two gates with the red round tile and the other operates the other two gates

[zephyr1934]

The Layout is a preserved railway which was a double line, the preservation society who is restoring the line intend to restore the railway to a double track eventually, with that in mind, the preservation society asked the council to leave the level crossing alone when the council resurfaced the road running past the signal box, besides due to the width of the road, if I shortened the level crossing gates to match a single track, the gates would be too short for the road, plus I attend to add a send running track eventually once the layout is finshed.

That's what I thought from the first images, but you could really drive that point home by putting the second rails in JUST the pavement (as is often common in the US or 10+ after the rest of the track had been ripped up) and ballast mounds for the rest of the extent where the other track used to be.