Garden Railway Forum

Incredible what they can do with micro electronics now. The head of the Potters Orchid Railway permanent way uses one of those new fancy drones to inspect the recently ballasted track. This Drone looks remarkably like a dragon fly and has the same maneuverability. https://live.staticflickr.com/6553...

Peter Butler wrote: ↑Tue Jan 03, 2023 9:19 pm I think your ballasting looks spot-on. Clearly the Kingfishers approve too!

Thanks Peter, as I have said before, I followed your ballasting methods.
Thanks !

The POR's Great Ballast Saga is over. That was in total 8 full days devoted to ballasting, with a Covid bout thrown in there as well. Yesterday arvo after ballasting the sidings Plod did some dry brush dusting of mortar dye powders here and there and then with diluted SBR in a spray bottle wet it a...

The plantings on the new extension to Cabbage Tree Creek station yard are progressing. One day a wooden trestle will replace the plywood and pavers. Plod has always wanted to make a trestle bridge and 2023 might be the year. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52603249804_0e559c287b_c.jpg https://l...

Cooler weather and regular applications of H2O from the rain water tanks has MAM's plant selection coming along nicely after 2 years. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52603501918_2bfeb272ca_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52603250404_fa12279677_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535...

SBR is baking off nicely after 48 hours.

Plod lifted the plastic off the Potters Junction yard area his morning and discovered an effing cane toad has hoped about under the plastic last night and disturbed some soft areas. Never mind, out with the flying gang to do so some repairs today. Locos crews clean their fires while waiting time fo...

Popped another flower out last night, by lunch time it will have withered away.

Captain Plod was collecting an unidentified species on his back. MAM who is the head entomologist of the POR is yet to identify this little fella. Meanwhile the track ballasting continued at the Potters Orchid Railway. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52600219677_b7620fe824_c.jpg https://live.st...

Mr Specture is lurking, he has some final reports to do soon. It seems that Head Office is getting a bit toey for him to resume his inspections of other railways.

Mr Specture is lurking, he has some final reports to do soon. It seems that Head Office is getting a bit toey for him to resume his inspections of other railways.

What does one do on New Year's Eve when recovering from Covid ? Test steam the coal fired loco one has built. (It has been nearly 12 months since the loco build was first fired) Captain Plod can report that the steam test went very well with Welsh Beans as the fuel source. Radio Control tests to be...

A few spare hours of distraction and Plod knocks up a small wall. The stone is a bag full of rock pieces from the Gympie station yard, then some mortar and dye powder. There is a gap so if the signal cable cable casing or electrical wires have t be lifted then this can be done. The intention in gro...

Plod finished off the lower access steps to the Pottery and Railway while listening to 15 wickets at the Gabba. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52569405571_14b7ecc944_5k.jpg However before the warmth of the day set in some scenery fill ins was commenced at the Orchid House Station location. htt...

Thanks every one, MAM has mild symptoms. Late yesterday arvo, like a a good chairperson of the board she came down to peruse the rock wall work . https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52567881555_080d3bdaab_c.jpg Before location https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52510987113_882f229c78_c.jpg After T...

A few good hot days here baked off the white patches. MAM had a positive to Covid, not bad, better today, Plod has no symptoms as yet, but still skipped his last weekend of driving at the Rattler. He is hoping the 10kg of granite chips will arrive today so he can attack the rest of the ballasting o...

Cloudy days here, warm, humid, no blazing sun for a few days and some storms and showers about, so I cover up the track at night and open it up next morning. Some white patches appeared in the shadier areas, not soft at all, the ballast is still very firm. Perhaps I was over zealous with the SBR ? ...

Pardon my ignorance but what is SBR and Lanka571? As Peter Butler mentioned Styrene-butadiene or styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) describe families of synthetic rubbers derived from styrene and butadiene Davco Lanka 571 is the down under SBR version that I could track down. Sold at the Big Green Box ...

The chair of the POR board has her new Christmas present. It will be used as a pottery bench however on run days it will be most handy for loco prep and rolling stock storage with a handy power point at one end. It is also a flood lit area for night time ops. Plod assembled it yesterday arvo. https...

This is inspirational stuff, feels like "proper" railway modelling, as in really trying hard to recreate the look of the real thing - thanks for sharing! Loving MAM's pots too - Grace took a load out of the kiln this morning which she'd glazed on Saturday, so we got the magical next step ...