TECHNICAL INFORMATION
The layout is built into an old television set and, hopefully, gives the impression of a television programme featuring Blackpool trams running along the promenade during the illuminations season. It should be mentioned that both the BBC and ITV transmitted live television pictures of the illuminations from two converted "toastrack" tramcars - in black and White!!
When Len discovered fibre optic strand it was only available in two sizes, 1mm and 2mm diameter, although 0.25mm 0.5mm and 0.75mm diameters are now also available. 1mm diameter strands were chosen because this equates to a size of 3 inches in 4mm scale, just about the correct size for light bulbs as used in the Blackpool illuminations.
This medium was therefore ideal to simulate the individual bulbs used in the illuminations, and could be used to transmit the light from a comparatively small number of hidden light sources, such as electronically controlled tree lighting sets.
A problem soon encountered was that with fibre optic strand the light it is transmitting can only be seen when viewed head on. Thus, only one person could see the light on a small portion of the layut at a time. This problem was solved by creating a crude lens using a hot soldering iron to "blob" the end of the strand. The light intensity transmitted by the firbre optic strand varies on how straight the cut is and how "polished" the pick up end is. Polishing can only be carried out by the time honoured methods starting with very fine grit "wet and dry" paper and working down to flour paper and ending up using "Brasso" or "T.Cut".
The basic background colour is black, as are the street and paving stone surfaces, upon which are glued full colour full 4mm scale laser copied photographs of the structures on Blackpool's promenade. At this scale each individual bulb on each structure becomes visible and a 1mm diameter hole is drilled through the backscene. A fibre optic strand, with the lens preventing it pulling through, is then inserted into the hole and taken to a piece of beer barrel tubing (ask for it from your local publican when he's replacing his pipes - he'll only be throwing it away anyway). Each piece of tubing is twice as long as the light source, eg a Christmas tree lighting set bulb, into one end of which is placed the light source and into the other end approximately 30 fibre optic strands - the exact number varies slightly.Although not difficult tasks in themselves, the total proceedure was very time consuming (Isn't that what hobbies are for though?). Connecting each of the more than 13000 individual fibre optic strands to the appropriate light source to replicate the prototypical sequences was especially difficult because bulbs from as many as six different Christmas tree lighting sets are needed on the frontage of a single building
Where an area needs to be lit, as in the case of the signs on Central Pier for example, a full size black and white photocopy of the backscene is made and glued to the bare backscene board (in this case a piece of hardboard). A series of drill holes are made just inside the area to be cut out using the photocopied image as a template, these then being joined together using a small saw or hacksaw blade. The resulting "hole" is then enlarged to its final size and any irregularities smoothed out using a file. The black and white photocopy is then removed and replaced by the full colour laser copy which will form the backscene. An appropriate light source is placed behind the backscene and shines through the cutout area to illuminate the sign as per the prototype.
The trams, which are 4mm scale models of Blackpool's trams, are constructed in a variety of ways. Some are Hadfield plastic kits which are motorised using Tramalan motorising units. These units consist of a centrally mounted motor powering one axle of each bogie via a rubber tube transmission. Others are made from Hadfield kits with Tramalan white metal "converson" kits to make a different type of tram. David Voice etched brass kits and motorising units are also in use as are whitemetal kits specially commissioned for the layout. Trams are gradually having lights fitted using grain of wheat bulbs fitted into white opaque drinking straws with fibre optic strands transmitting light for the head and tail lights. The electricity for traction power uses the two rail system used on most model railways whilst the interior lighting is powered from the overhead wires with return through the negative running rail.
