Garden Railway Forum

I should perhaps point out that it has not been the same half dozen, half-completed projects for the last eleven years, but a rolling list, as most railway projects do not stall completely. At the moment I am finishing up a TDLR style third-brake, and two other carriages, on a do a little leave a li...

Peco 45mm code 250 flexi track does not need a railbender on it.  Bend it to the curves you want by hand, tack/screw/nail/glue it down to something and job done. True if you build a timber viaduct for the whole railway. However, if you float your track in ballast - my preferred method of constructi...

The SVRR sleeper spacing is American - roughly 24 scale inches - which is a little narrower than we used in Britain and Ireland. Anyone who is not a rivet - or in this case sleeper - counter will not notice. However, if your (imagined?) prototype is industrial or something like that then all bets ar...

Setrack is track on a moulded plastic base that basically does not bend. a.k.a. Sectional Track. When it comes to flexitrack, anything from code 200 upwards really needs a rail bender to get a smooth consistent curve.  Your can achieve this using simpler rigs - the nails in a plank method - but you ...

I use Aristocraft European tie/sleeper spacing track for my layout, which as it is made for the North American market might be pretty easy to get hold of.  I usually buy from St Aubin Trains in Idaho, they use Fedex and UPs to ship boxes of track.  It uses Elephant-proof rail, but once ballasted loo...

Keep your curves on the wide side. I use 10' radius on my 45mm line, but still have a couple of vehicles I have to watch for the "Norwegian throw" on the S bends. My Clogher Valley saloon in particular is going to need its couplings changing to the centre buffer, hook and chain type before...

The comment from my SWMBO was "that's not multi-taking but railway modeller's ADD." She has to put up with me having several projects all half-finished at the same time for the last 11 years so she knows of what she speaks. Multi-tasking for men is drinking beer and watching TV at the same...

Williams, AZ is about 65 miles from us to the northeast, and about a 1000' higher.  They are supposed to be getting about 15" more snow overnight Sat/Sun which will make life interesting on the Santa Fe mainline tonight.  At 5400' we'll probably get less than half of that. The local narrow gaug...

I am one of the Irish NG crowd and having had my eye caught by the more tramway-like lines such as the Castlederg and Victoria Bridge, the Schull and Skibbereen, and the slightly more "mainline" Cork and Muskerry, I thought I would have a go at reproducing that sort of a line in my yard.  ...

I managed to get outside and take a few pictures this afternoon ahead of the next stormrolling into town.  I have to warn you though, most of my stuff is in a state of runnable, but not finished as certain jobs - like fabricating carriage balcony handrails - are up there with painting the fence!   h...

The current ongoing project is Anglicizing a Ruby.   I've decided  the main things that need doing are: 1. Loose the sand pot on top of the boiler - done 2. Change the dome - done - replaced with roundhouse Millie dome 3. Install longer regulator handle so I can do the 'off balance grab' from the si...

Which season do you think is the worst for Garden Railways, Id say this 1 where in now. the weathers horrible, rainy and cloudy and the gardens all bleak and dead looking. roll on late spring! Summer rainy season is probably the least inviting here due to the heat and relatively high humidity - not...