The Potters Orchid Railway
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Knowing how hard you and MAM have worked on your line with all the landscaping and permanent way work done, this will be one heck of a line to be very proud of.
ROD
Life is so easy when I run my trains.
https://gardenrails.org/forum/viewtopic ... 41&t=11364
https://www.youtube.com/@fairywoodlightrailway
Life is so easy when I run my trains.
https://gardenrails.org/forum/viewtopic ... 41&t=11364
https://www.youtube.com/@fairywoodlightrailway
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
I like the way you've matched the rock types and kept the strata uniform. Slartibartfast would be proud of you....
Rik
Rik
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Not being the best of gardeners, what is the purpose of all the straw? A weed suppressant maybe?
Phil
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Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Thanks, the selection of rock is getting thin, so I hope Slarti will be happy. We collected some free rock a couple of years ago and only now are we permanently fitting the rock into the railway.
Cheers from Dazza, The Hydrostatic Lubricator
The chances of finding out what’s really going on in the universe are so remote, the only thing to do is hang the sense of it and keep yourself occupied. Douglas Adams
The chances of finding out what’s really going on in the universe are so remote, the only thing to do is hang the sense of it and keep yourself occupied. Douglas Adams
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Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
The straw is sugar cane mulch. Down under it is widely used as a mulch covering for gardens, without it your garden will die in a week under our summer sun. It retains moisture in the soil, keeps the soil cool in summer and as it breaks down and more mulch is reapplied over the top it then adds organic matter to the soil. It will deter the weeds a wee bit but for good weed suppression here you need garden bed matting or a decent layer of pine bark chips. Once the garden's small trees and shrubs grow and cover the bed then the need to mulch will reduce. We have the native bush turkeys here, they can tear up a garden in 5 minutes and spread mulch and seedlings every where, it can be heart breaking. We actually put some mesh trays over the bed Sunday night to deter the bush turkeys and give the little plants a chance.
To keep the weeds down we are sealing the ground between the concrete track bed and the rock walls with left over cement and or mortar when some is left over from rock work. Then basalt chips or similar will be laid to fill the space from the fixed in place track ballast to the rock walls in an effort to reduce maintenance and weeds in difficult areas in cuttings and such like. Weeds here can grow very fast and appear out of no where, a wee bit of rain and they boom as it is the sub tropics and we live with a lot of vegetation and wild life about. If one lives in the suburbs and or town houses, then it is less of a problem as it is a environmental desert.
Cheers from Dazza, The Hydrostatic Lubricator
The chances of finding out what’s really going on in the universe are so remote, the only thing to do is hang the sense of it and keep yourself occupied. Douglas Adams
The chances of finding out what’s really going on in the universe are so remote, the only thing to do is hang the sense of it and keep yourself occupied. Douglas Adams
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Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Thanks Rod. I hope we have many visitors running their 16mm locos and stock at the POR in the years to come. We think this summer will be our first run days for visitors pending C19 and as the mud underfoot will not be problem with paths in place and such like. It is a building site down the back of our place, mess and mud ever where from the recent rains. My big thrill will be when I can steam my coal fired loco around the POR and have the sights, sound and smell of the loco. I think my loco build is at least 2 years away from being completed, mean while MAM's loco and visiting locos will be fun. Meanwhile I would a love to have a Roundhouse Taliesin to hold me over.
Meanwhile we will keep giving updates on what we are up to.
Cheers from Dazza, The Hydrostatic Lubricator
The chances of finding out what’s really going on in the universe are so remote, the only thing to do is hang the sense of it and keep yourself occupied. Douglas Adams
The chances of finding out what’s really going on in the universe are so remote, the only thing to do is hang the sense of it and keep yourself occupied. Douglas Adams
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Thanks for the updates, it's looking excellent, and really coming together - I'm impressed with your ability to keep a "Master Plan" in your head amidst all the chaos of construction. And yes, Taliesin is tempting!
Cheers,
Andrew.
PS I thought of you the other day during an episode of "Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries", in which a murder took place on a train - is that the line you volunteer on? I didn't see much of the loco (rather later than a 20's design though, I'd guess?), but the carriages were really lovely...
Cheers,
Andrew.
PS I thought of you the other day during an episode of "Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries", in which a murder took place on a train - is that the line you volunteer on? I didn't see much of the loco (rather later than a 20's design though, I'd guess?), but the carriages were really lovely...
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Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Andrew wrote: ↑Tue Jun 23, 2020 4:10 pm Thanks for the updates, it's looking excellent, and really coming together - I'm impressed with your ability to keep a "Master Plan" in your head amidst all the chaos of construction. And yes, Taliesin is tempting!
Cheers,
Andrew.
PS I thought of you the other day during an episode of "Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries", in which a murder took place on a train - is that the line you volunteer on? I didn't see much of the loco (rather later than a 20's design though, I'd guess?), but the carriages were really lovely...
Thankyou, yes the imagined vision was pondered long and hard before the first sod was turned. We sat on the garden bed above the back retaining wall of the railway and looked down with a glass of red wine, pencil, paper in hand and thrashed through what we could do in the space available, without over loading it, keeping the garden side of the gig, and not look like a table top loop, continuous running but with shunting prospects. Some inspiration for the main feature came from the Cairns to Kuranda line and the Stony Creek Falls bridge, but we went with the under arch and painted in the Firth of Forth Colour for kicks and giggles. We even have an extension in mind to run on stilts against the back fence to a station/ loop and a steam up bay and sidings under the yet to be built awing off MAM's pottery shed.
Re- Taliesin, I would want to fit a Slomo mech as I cannot cope with locos that bound about like an epileptic kangaroo, I don't think that it is possible with the inside motion, so it is no or make a Slomo wagon to go behind it and fit a zero back lash coupling. I am yet to get back to the Slomo tender for my loco build as all our winter time is applied to have a reasonable railway for Summer, Christmas and new year fun but that might inspire me to.............................
"Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries" was filmed in Victoria which is 2000kms + away from us to the south. It is a 5' 3" gauge line. I volunteer at the Mary Valley Rattler which is in the town of Gympie here in Sunny Queensland. Qld mainline is 3' 6" gauge. My return to footplate duties is booked for the 25, 26th July and I am looking forward to this, however this could all change with the C19 mess.
Last edited by Hydrostatic Dazza on Tue Sep 22, 2020 10:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Cheers from Dazza, The Hydrostatic Lubricator
The chances of finding out what’s really going on in the universe are so remote, the only thing to do is hang the sense of it and keep yourself occupied. Douglas Adams
The chances of finding out what’s really going on in the universe are so remote, the only thing to do is hang the sense of it and keep yourself occupied. Douglas Adams
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Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
I will add, MAM and I have never done this before, let alone even visit and seen another garden railway in the flesh but for gazing upon the empty Hampton Loade railway at the SVR in 2015. It is all research via SMT mag, pictures and the web. So the learning curve is steep.
Cheers from Dazza, The Hydrostatic Lubricator
The chances of finding out what’s really going on in the universe are so remote, the only thing to do is hang the sense of it and keep yourself occupied. Douglas Adams
The chances of finding out what’s really going on in the universe are so remote, the only thing to do is hang the sense of it and keep yourself occupied. Douglas Adams
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Ah, thanks - as you'll have noticed, I know roughly as much about Australia's heritage lines as I know about its geography! I could just tell it wasn't the Puffing Billy line and remembered that some nice carriages also featured in a video you posted a link to! Enjoy being back on the footplate!Hydrostatic Dazza wrote: ↑Tue Jun 23, 2020 10:03 pmAndrew wrote: ↑Tue Jun 23, 2020 4:10 pm Thanks for the updates, it's looking excellent, and really coming together - I'm impressed with your ability to keep a "Master Plan" in your head amidst all the chaos of construction. And yes, Taliesin is tempting!
Cheers,
Andrew.
PS I thought of you the other day during an episode of "Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries", in which a murder took place on a train - is that the line you volunteer on? I didn't see much of the loco (rather later than a 20's design though, I'd guess?), but the carriages were really lovely...
"Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries" was filmed in Victoria which is 2000kms + away from us to the south. It is a 5' 3" gauge line. I volunteer at the Mary Valley Rattler which is in the town of Gympie here in Sunny Queensland. Qld mainline is 3' 6" gauge. My return to footplate duties is booked for the 25, 26th July and I am looking forward to this, however this could all change with the C19 mess.
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Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
To keep the workers moral up in the muddy cool conditions at the Potters Orchid Railway the MVL under arch was again helicoptered in for a viewing.
Cheers from Dazza, The Hydrostatic Lubricator
The chances of finding out what’s really going on in the universe are so remote, the only thing to do is hang the sense of it and keep yourself occupied. Douglas Adams
The chances of finding out what’s really going on in the universe are so remote, the only thing to do is hang the sense of it and keep yourself occupied. Douglas Adams
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Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
The Potters Orchid Railway's senior manager is also the railway's head horticulturist and so soon as a feature is far enough along to hold soil the planting takes place so when the summer running kicks off the plant growth will be well underway.
Little snippets of greenery to soften the lunar landscape of the ravine, or should we call it a gorge ?
Little snippets of greenery to soften the lunar landscape of the ravine, or should we call it a gorge ?
Cheers from Dazza, The Hydrostatic Lubricator
The chances of finding out what’s really going on in the universe are so remote, the only thing to do is hang the sense of it and keep yourself occupied. Douglas Adams
The chances of finding out what’s really going on in the universe are so remote, the only thing to do is hang the sense of it and keep yourself occupied. Douglas Adams
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Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Meanwhile at the Potters Orchid Railway the chief laborer is working under the directions of Slartibartfast. There is tension as the rock supply is low and the concrete use soaring. There are comments that Rocks and Cement has become tiring to the spirit, any how the pond was commenced, shaping, clay lined, plastic liner, then more bags of concrete. In hindsight due to the cool damp conditions, quick setting cement would have been much better.
Cheers from Dazza, The Hydrostatic Lubricator
The chances of finding out what’s really going on in the universe are so remote, the only thing to do is hang the sense of it and keep yourself occupied. Douglas Adams
The chances of finding out what’s really going on in the universe are so remote, the only thing to do is hang the sense of it and keep yourself occupied. Douglas Adams
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Going well Dazza. I'm looking forward to seeing how the water flows.
Philip
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Dazza, looking good, what mix of concrete did you use, and did you add anything to it, also how long do plan to allow it to set before adding water
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Looking good! You know you are making good progress when the water feature goes in! As with all your projects, it looks well engineered.
Rik
Rik
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Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Thanks every one for the kind comments. Jimmy, I used general mix concrete for the pond, the same stuff for the track bed and other major work. For the pond I should have used a rapid set brew to stop the slumping, it got too late, too cool, no sun and so I left it in the dark to cure before I could properly finish it. First light Monday morning I got up and while still soft I chipped out the thick slump where the pump will sit. I used two layers with fine Chicken wire in between the layers in the pond. A plastic liner and then clay smoothed out over the soil. I reckon it will be this weekend before I add water. I have many tasks with rock advancement about the pond after work and I only get an hour at it before dark. I am looking at the dwindling reserve of rock and becoming less fussy, no doubt some geologists will be offended.
Last edited by Hydrostatic Dazza on Tue Sep 22, 2020 10:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Cheers from Dazza, The Hydrostatic Lubricator
The chances of finding out what’s really going on in the universe are so remote, the only thing to do is hang the sense of it and keep yourself occupied. Douglas Adams
The chances of finding out what’s really going on in the universe are so remote, the only thing to do is hang the sense of it and keep yourself occupied. Douglas Adams
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Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Rock work progresses at the Potters Orchid Railway, however Slartibartfast is constantly complaining that he will be offending geologists all over the galaxy. The directors of the POR reply with, "Do your best with what you have been provided with,get on with it, and here, have another beer" That seems to help ease his frustrations.
The poor sods did not have plastic chairs in Northern France circa 1915
The poor sods did not have plastic chairs in Northern France circa 1915
Cheers from Dazza, The Hydrostatic Lubricator
The chances of finding out what’s really going on in the universe are so remote, the only thing to do is hang the sense of it and keep yourself occupied. Douglas Adams
The chances of finding out what’s really going on in the universe are so remote, the only thing to do is hang the sense of it and keep yourself occupied. Douglas Adams
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Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
The MVL bridge was yet again helicoptered into place for for a viewing by the POR head director. The director commented that the flowing water makes satisfactory soothing sounds and was pleasing to watch. The rock worker was rewarded with a soothing beer and snacks. This was pleasing and encouraging to the rock fatigued work force to press onwards.
Cheers from Dazza, The Hydrostatic Lubricator
The chances of finding out what’s really going on in the universe are so remote, the only thing to do is hang the sense of it and keep yourself occupied. Douglas Adams
The chances of finding out what’s really going on in the universe are so remote, the only thing to do is hang the sense of it and keep yourself occupied. Douglas Adams
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
"....keep right on till the end of the road, keep right on till the end...."Hydrostatic Dazza wrote: ↑Sat Jul 11, 2020 11:06 pm The poor sods did not have plastic chairs in Northern France circa 1915[/b][/color]
Philip
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