Staple Hill Railway - New Line

Soar Valley Light · Post by **Soar Valley Light** » Mon May 09, 2016 10:07 pm

I'm so impressed Jim, both with the speed and quality of your work. After three years I still haven't laid an inch of permanent way!

Your line is looking really good, it's clearly well engineered and well thought out. Keep the pics coming please.

James from Devon · Post by **James from Devon** » Mon May 09, 2016 11:22 pm

Thanks guys

I must confess to being a bit of a workaholic... I can't stand to have nothing to do. My job is also very demanding and indoors so when I get a day off or have some leave, I make the most of it and work from first light until it gets dark hence the rapid progress. In fairness, it is taking shape much faster than I expected.

Soar Valley.. I was looking at your build diary, I wouldn't describe that as slow, seems to me that you are doing a great job of the groundworks and building really high quaility footings for your line. That will serve you ell for years. It'll all be worth the work!

I am planning on having some freinds over for a Regner-fest in a few weeks!

Pepsi tree is coming along fine thanks!

Cheers

Jim

tom_tom_go · Post by **tom_tom_go** » Sun May 15, 2016 5:08 am

Videos and pictures of the Regners please when they all come to visit

Post by **ge_rik** » Sun May 15, 2016 10:16 am

Really impressive progress, Jim. I too would like to see video of the Regner-fest. Seriously tempted by one of their vertical boilered locos.

Rik

tom_tom_go · Post by **tom_tom_go** » Sun May 15, 2016 12:32 pm

If you were more local James I could bring mine along:

I can recommend them Rik, bullet proof - they just work

Post by **ge_rik** » Sun May 15, 2016 1:59 pm

tom_tom_go:118028 wrote:If you were more local James I could bring mine along:

I can recommend them Rik, bullet proof - they just work

Now you're just putting temptation my way ........ :sad11:

Get thee behind me. :twisted:

Rik

PS - Sorry - thread drift.......

James from Devon · Post by **James from Devon** » Sun May 15, 2016 8:39 pm

OOO lovely Chaloner! If you are ever down this way, the kettle will be on, your both most welcome!

I promise to post some regner pics and video! I live in a tiny village and between me and Graham Wilkins there are at least 5 here! another couple up the road with another mate so plenty to choose from!

I have a Vincent and Konrad "Kotowska" and "Gulliver" respectively on my line. I did have a Chaloner but I sold it ...found it too tall, more 7/8th and didnt really run it often.

I can't recommend the Regner locos too highly, very reliable, powerful, great fun, don't need to chase them round the garden as they just chug away. Also, for the price, you get a lot of loco for your money and they are ripe for modifications!

James from Devon · Post by **James from Devon** » Sun May 15, 2016 8:52 pm

Hi guys!

Another few dry days and I took a couple of extra days off work so got some more work done.

End of the loop with retaining wall and raised bed. It doesn't reach all the way round the loop as the tracks for the second loop will be built near the camera. (Sorry for the low quality pic, I got concrete dust on the camera lens!!)

Built the second platform...flagstones going in

Second platform done, this took significantly less time than the first one!

Track through station ballasted, dry stone wall and gate at the back of the bay and crossings between the platforms:

Black mortar screeding over the tracks in the yard, ready for coal stage and loco shed debris!

Not totally railway related but started on paving the rest of this side of garden

Overall shot of the station:

And to end with some, some trains!

Hope you like these and thanks so much for all the support!

Jim

Peter Butler · Post by **Peter Butler** » Sun May 15, 2016 9:34 pm

Own up now..... you've had the builders in haven't you? I can't believe how quickly, and superbly, you have achieved this work.
It looks good now but when it matures it will look just great!

James from Devon · Post by **James from Devon** » Sun May 15, 2016 9:43 pm

Builders! Damn!, why didn't I think of that! ;)

If I could afford builders, then that would be perfect!

Thanks Pete, really glad you like the work so far! I do like to get my hands dirty and work hard. When I work on the garden, I spend the 9-5 ish time on heavy building and then the nice fun railway detail work in the evening until it gets dark. I have a lovely wife who comes out planting the flowers and shrubs and keeping the tea topped up. She loves to sit and watch the trains!

I also have a steady stream of curious neighbours! Most of them say I should charge for entry. Funny, none of them left a cheque on the way out!

Cheers

Jim

Peter Butler · Post by **Peter Butler** » Sun May 15, 2016 10:02 pm

It is always encouraging to have support from a wife who takes an interest. My wife is good with flowers and a supply of drinks (usually Pimms) on warm days and when she feels she has time to waste on garden railways!
Neighbours? None, unless you count sheep.

LNR · Post by **LNR** » Mon May 16, 2016 12:33 am

The station with the bay road and general layout looks very prototypical Jim, I particularly like the dark screeding for the loco shed area. That will look good with some general junk laying around. Also good to have your wife's support, makes it that much more enjoyable. Your pace in getting this done could be a video, "how to build a garden railway in six easy steps". Well maybe leave out the "easy"!
Grant.

Dwayne · Post by **Dwayne** » Mon May 16, 2016 2:55 am

Impressive.

robyholmes · Post by **robyholmes** » Mon May 16, 2016 7:31 am

Very nice! Good work.

James from Devon · Post by **James from Devon** » Mon May 16, 2016 9:56 am

LNR:118072 wrote:The station with the bay road and general layout looks very prototypical Jim, I particularly like the dark screeding for the loco shed area. That will look good with some general junk laying around. Also good to have your wife's support, makes it that much more enjoyable. Your pace in getting this done could be a video, "how to build a garden railway in six easy steps". Well maybe leave out the "easy"!
Grant.

Hi Grant. Thanks for the comments.

Not sure how to get across on video the pain in my shoulders and back following a couple of days of hard railway building!!

Joe · Post by **Joe** » Mon May 16, 2016 4:07 pm

Really really impressive, im looking forward to seeing the plants develop over time; would be a great line for a big running session

TTHLRMatt · Post by **TTHLRMatt** » Mon May 16, 2016 5:09 pm

The station area looks stunning!

Do you have any photographs of your dry stone wall at all? I am looking to put one in my station area and would be interested to see how it was done/made!

tom_tom_go · Post by **tom_tom_go** » Mon May 16, 2016 7:50 pm

James , where is your off switch! You are making amazing progress...

James from Devon · Post by **James from Devon** » Mon May 16, 2016 8:11 pm

TTHLRMatt:118097 wrote:The station area looks stunning! :shock: Do you have any photographs of your dry stone wall at all? I am looking to put one in my station area and would be interested to see how it was done/made!

Hi Matt

Thanks for your lovely comments. I cheated with the dry stone wall, it came from Modeltown! very reasonably priced. I glued the sections together and did some filler and dremel work on the joints to hide them. Then a careful paint job!

Cheers

Jim

James from Devon · Post by **James from Devon** » Mon May 16, 2016 8:13 pm

tom_tom_go:118101 wrote:James , where is your off switch! You are making amazing progress...

Hi Tom

My off switch happens automatically. About 3pm this afternoon during cuppa time at work.... things really start to hurt!! I have 4 days to recover before the weekend, then I'll be back at it!

Cheers

Jim

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