Garden Railway Forum

One thing I was not aware of until a discussion over on Facebook last year is that the Bertie has a high centre of gravity with more weight on the rear axle thus can be prone to centrifugal force rollovers on tight curves - mine has done it twice now. I've had a couple of derailments but thankfully...

The construction work on the 'table' for the main station has proceeded quite rapidly. I had the first 6' panel more or less complete on Saturday morning, and this was joined today by a second. I would describe the construction as 'orthodox' - PVC legs embedded in, and partly filled with, concrete; ...

As far as I can discover, the Filcris used in the UK is just recycled HDPE. The composite decking materials such as 'Trex' used in the US and 'modwood' here in Oz are a mixture of plastic and wood fibre (sawdust?) and are more stable. The data I have on the Aust 'Modwood' is that it expands with te...

I am leaning towards giving it a good lathering with fence stain, rather than felting. The worry with our relatively damp climate is that the rot will set in quite quickly and I will end up with a bench life of less than 10 years. I do know that the decking boards are intended for use laid flat, and...

I have not done the raised track bed thing before, but I am currently construction a raised platform for the main station of my line. This is constructed of 5.5" by 1" (actual) deck boards carried on a 3" by 2" wooden frame on PVC drainpipe posts. Thus far we are OK. The question...

I try and make things substantial, Andrew, but I really don't want to have to lay masonry unless I have to. My main thing is to avoid using inappropriate materials. For example, softwood posts are a non-starter here because of the wet and the termites - hence going for either PVC or concrete. I got ...

It is usually called composite over here, and is readily available, but quite expensive - around three times the cost of pressure treated timber. Treated decking boards are supposed to have a life of 10 to 15 years here, so I am keeping in mind the fact that replacement will come due somewhere aroun...

I did indeed get a little further. March 22 C U O me a peony.JPG This was close of play today. The ivy covered area has been cleared and the first four posts are in. They are a lot more lined up than the look in the photo, it seems to be a trick of the camera angle because every thing measures about...

I have been clearing the site for a couple of weeks now, and have developed a fairly keen eye for how much ivy I can wedge in the wheelie bin and still get the week's rubbish in there! The final stage this morning was removing a well rotted tree stump, which must have belonged to a far sized tree as...

Rattle cans, masking tape, and painting before laminating help me enormously. I am not good with a paint brush being generally best at applying a single colour to a large area, and anything lucky enough to get in the way. Removing the expletives, my painting style has been described as being reminis...

Of course, having got myself organized it is pishing it down today! :roll: Good job I remembered to put the cement straight in the shed - everything else is dumped at the work site. They have promised us a full day of it, so I am going to have to watch the basement too, because if the water table ge...

As anyone who knows me can tell you I tend to be motivated by deadlines more than anything else. Until I have a deadline looming I will ding around, read, do research, chase various rabbit trails, and generally amuse myself whilst dealing with the routine. I guess it is a case of 'knowing one is abo...

I am liking the plastic downpipe idea more and more - it somehow seems more efficient. How deep do you go below the surface? I would be inclined to go about 8" to a foot depending how far I could get down before hitting a tree root or a rock. :D This is the first time I have had to build a rais...

I have been able to get down in the basement again the last couple of days and seem to have got quite a bit more done without really trying. 19Mar trains1.JPG I am a long way on with the van with the partition between the mail and guard's compartments in position, and the roof rolled. Lots of little...

Peter, I have heard a cacophony of different views on whether or not to felt. I was going to object to felt on the grounds of our humidity and rainfall, but when I saw you are in West Wales I decided it was a case of 'never mind!' We are warmer than West Wales but otherwise the climate is similar, s...

I was thinking of the standard perforated block used in construction. Not too bad to drill with the right bit and a hammer drill, but a material I have stayed away from in the past. I don't enjoy the racket from drilling operations, and was only contemplating it this time due to the relative small n...

This may be a series of questions induced by lack of sleep and coffee, but I have to build a raised section for the Far End Tramway. So, does this sound workable? I need a series of short pillars (approx. 18" tall) to hold up a decking board superstructure, and the good old 16" x 8" x...

One reason I have a soft spot for pot boilers is that their 'sweet spot' in terms of running is much larger than that of the single flue, internally fired, types. The down side is that they are appreciably less efficient. My Millie will chug away happily for 30-35 minutes after the initial temper ta...

That is decidedly odd. The first thing I would have fingered is the Filcris because it is known to have a high degree of expansion and contraction. However, I would have expected it to go bananas in the summer not now. Any idea what the temperatures were when you laid first the Filcris and then the ...

I'll give the Regner idea some thought. I won't be able to say with certainty what the steepest grade will be until I get out there with the surveying tools, but some sort of geared locomotive would be an idea if I have too much of the really steep stuff. Realistically, if I have to go steeper than ...