Time to build a railway...but where?

Peter Butler · Post by **Peter Butler** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 8:39 pm

That's a lovely loco Stewart, you're a luck guy having such a nice model.... where do you run it? Is there a track near to where you are?

Stewart Gethin · Post by **Stewart Gethin** » Fri Aug 21, 2015 3:06 pm

I have a ground level railway running around our garden. I have got a thread on it on here I believe, just haven't updated it in a long while. Only just got her into running condition as the valve timing was out. Just a few cosmetic issues to sort out now and then she'll be good to go.

Stewart

edit : here's my track

http://gardenrails.myfreeforum.org/about4977.html

Peter Butler · Post by **Peter Butler** » Sat Aug 29, 2015 9:57 pm

Another project begun.... plenty still to finish, but why not?
Some time back I 'won' a motorised chassis from ebay and it has been sitting patiently waiting for me to decide what to do with it.
Following the build of my last steam outline battery loco I am ready for another to join the stable. I know there are resin bodies available to fit this chassis but I like to create something myself.

I didn't want an open cab for a start. There had to be room for batteries with access to them and the receiver etc.. I also avoided a second saddle tank design. So... side tanks it was, with a small coal bunker built into the back of the cab.
This is what I came up with...

These pictures are before the fitting of Cambrian rivet heads, so far I have attached about 350 before running out. I will be at Llanfair next Saturday and hope to get more there. The project will be on hold until then.

Big Jim · Post by **Big Jim** » Sun Aug 30, 2015 12:02 am

Smashing build that is Peter.
Were did the dome come from?

Peter Butler · Post by **Peter Butler** » Sun Aug 30, 2015 6:28 pm

An update on the rivet head application.... I have drawn out lines where the heads are to be stuck and measured an equal distance between them. Having now run out completely I will have to wait until the Llanfair show where I hope to buy enough to complete the model.
I will not put them as close together in other areas of the loco as they would not have been pressure or load bearing in those places.

The coal bunker is detachable from the body by removing two screws underneath. When out of the way access to the battery box (boiler) and receiver (side tanks) is a simple matter.

Jim.... The brass dome is one of those things I have had for twenty years or more and I have no idea where it came from. It appears to be either pressed or spun, not cast.

Big Jim · Post by **Big Jim** » Sun Aug 30, 2015 6:35 pm

Never mind.

My eyeballs are crossing just looking at all the rivet detail on that.[/b]

Post by **ge_rik** » Sun Aug 30, 2015 8:40 pm

Brilliant!! Absolutely brilliant!
Looks like she will have great character.

Rik

jim@NAL · Post by **jim@NAL** » Sun Aug 30, 2015 8:54 pm

cracking job peter looks so good amazing what you can do with plastcard

Peter Butler · Post by **Peter Butler** » Wed Sep 16, 2015 8:59 pm

More Plasticard creations....
Not long ago I made a winding house to head one of my inclines. It was made from embossed plastic sheet with a drum inside and 'slates' on the roof...

Unfortunately I needed two the same so I decided to have the sides and drum cast in concrete. These are the original patterns

Cain Howley has cast the units and I have begun to asemble them.

Meanwhile.... the original plasticard building is being altered to a ticket office with the addition of a 'timber' clad frontage.

jim@NAL · Post by **jim@NAL** » Wed Sep 16, 2015 11:12 pm

great model yet again peter

Post by **ge_rik** » Thu Sep 17, 2015 6:29 am

Interesting that you got Cain Howley to make castings for you. Is their fee reasonable? Do they get to keep the mould and market the resulting product?

Rik

Peter Butler · Post by **Peter Butler** » Thu Sep 17, 2015 1:27 pm

Hi Rik, I have sent a PM message to you.

Soar Valley Light · Post by **Soar Valley Light** » Thu Sep 17, 2015 7:40 pm

Once again Peter a beautiful model. What material are the walls cast in? Your ticket office looks a very crisp and clean piece of work. Obviously executed with great care. Thanks for sharing.

Peter Butler · Post by **Peter Butler** » Thu Sep 17, 2015 11:29 pm

Soar Valley Light:113498 wrote: What material are the walls cast in? .

Cain uses a natural crushed grey stone ballast type material with some small aggregate included. It dries with a highly detailed surface finish.
I have used a cutting disk to alter the shape of the tunnel mouth and can tell you it is extremely hard concrete. It can be drilled with a masonry bit to add locating pegs etc.
These buildings are destined to last a very long time in my opinion.

Peter Butler · Post by **Peter Butler** » Fri Sep 18, 2015 5:51 pm

Just about finished the winding houses now, 'slate' roofs are on and plain barge-boards, nothing fancy!

The ticket office is done too... only thing to add is the 'Tickets' sign.

Andrew · Post by **Andrew** » Fri Sep 18, 2015 9:26 pm

Looking good! Like the paint job on the concrete stonework...

Andrew.

Peter Butler · Post by **Peter Butler** » Tue Oct 06, 2015 1:47 pm

Not much to report at the moment.... waiting for some more stone walling which I ordered some time ago, also waiting for the rivets from Cambrian (slight delay in manufacturing due to personal reasons) but no panic on my part. Also, some gears to replace stripped ones on one of my diesels.
I have made progress on the stonework on the railway quarry section and will send pictures soon.
Best news of all is that I have a Weasel in residence! As I was standing quietly by the railway I caught sight of movement from the corner of my eye. A Weasel was standing only two metres from me looking all around. It popped back underneath the boards and reappeared again without seeing me. Obviously out of scale but still a wonderful thing to see!
I can see now why my dogs take such an interest in the area.

Peter Butler · Post by **Peter Butler** » Fri Oct 09, 2015 9:41 pm

Some pictures of the stonework as mentioned above...

The last one shows stone cemented in position but waiting for the soil to be put in place. Also, this shows how I prepared the ground by covering the entire surface with weed control fabric. This has two advantages, one keeping the roots of grass and weeds already established from spreading into the planting area, and two, preventing the moles from pushing up through the plants and destroying the landscape.

Most of the wildlife is welcome here but moles are nothing but a pest and leave a trail of mess and destruction wherever they go.

Post by **ge_rik** » Fri Oct 09, 2015 11:06 pm

Looks really good, Peter. I did wonder at first whether you had decided to cover everything in tarmac .... then read the description.

Great news about the weasel. Just caught a glimpse of a green woodpecker taking off from our front garden when we arrived home yesterday. At least I think it was a green woodpecker. Either that or a parrot.

Rik

Andrew · Post by **Andrew** » Sat Oct 10, 2015 9:29 am

Well tarmac would certainly stop the moles...

And I enjoyed the weasel update too - I've only ever seen weasels once, three of 'em running through the long grass near the top of Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh, lovely little things...

The quarry's looking great - I've just noticed the brick repairs to the top of the stone chimney, a lovely touch...

Andrew.

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Time to build a railway...but where?

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