The Potters Orchid Railway

[FWLR]

That bridge looks superb Dazza, and with MAM's brilliant work it will look fantastic...

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

That bridge looks superb Dazza, and with MAM's brilliant work it will look fantastic...

Thanks. The bridge is hoped to disengage the eye looking at the entry to the 850mm radius curve then the cutting and tunnel is to assist the camouflage of this sharp curve In the next life I will design the terrace walls to fit 1500mm =+ radius loops. My bad.

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

The Potter is working studiously on the POR contract for the ceramic stone bridge to be installed at Potters Junction.

[FWLR]

Thats looking great Dazza.

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

The contract for the Stone Road Bridge progresses. The call was out for a large round surface to use a drying form. Captain Plod rummaged through the workshop, the empty steel hand cleaner tub, used as a rubbish bin will do the job. Plod gave it a good scrub and bingo.

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

Work on weed proofing the Potter Orchid Railway's track corridor and cuttings progress at a slow and steady rate. Brews of ready mix concrete, sand, 5mm stone chips, mortar dyes and a few hours of Captain Plod attempting to be creative, just muck about and try out ideas and see what works. It is to be a garden railway, not a scale model railway. There are strategic drains and flow paths for the storm water rain and the signal push pull wire casing and lamp light wires are buried. Tests with the garden hose to check drainage and a leaf blower show that all seems firmly fixed as intended. We have a constant shower of Gum and Camphor laurel blossoms, leaves and twigs so a regular garden hose flush and or leaf blower will be required before a run day, thus no loose ballast. One day to come the track bed will be fixed ballasted and those material tests on a couple of sidings are not far away in time.
Recent plantings are going well, it will be interesting to watch how they will fair during our hot summers. We plan to fit a spray sprinkle system on the top edge of the back wall of the railway to ease this problem.

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

With the electric moonlight turned on (LED floods on the back deck over looking the back yard, another one of MAM's brilliant ideas) Captain Plod likes to sit and watch the evening arrive over the POR. For the directors of the POR the late afternoon and evening runs are the important intended social events to enjoy. So pondering how the lights and plants (when they grow up to be adults) and the ambience of the railway is imagined and intended is enjoyable. It helps to have a glass of Red in hand as well. The stack of pavers will be the Pendle Valley Signal box. The ply on sticks will be Orchid station, which is another Pendle Valley kit that awaits construction. The Orchid house can be seen on the higher level in the back ground. The signal lamp wires will be tidied up into a water proof battery box next to the interlocked 12 lever frame. (on hand but yet to be installed) One just has to sit and ponder and let ideas flow, come and go before dinner. Currently it is one of Captain Plod's favourite moments of the day.

[Old Man Aaron]

Just catching up with your progress, really coming together nicely. I must say your rock-work in particular, is phenomenal.

Regards,
Aaron

[FWLR]

Your bridge is just so brilliant Dazza.... Far, far better than my poor attempt at stonework.

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

Your bridge is just so brilliant Dazza.... Far, far better than my poor attempt at stonework.

Thanks but it is MAM's brilliance, I just sourced the picture and did the drawing.

[FWLR]

Shame MAM doesn't live in the UK Dazza, she would certainly be in demand for her brilliant work.

Can you please pass on to her, what a brilliant artist she is...

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

Shame MAM doesn't live in the UK Dazza, she would certainly be in demand for her brilliant work.

Can you please pass on to her, what a brilliant artist she is...

MAM says thank you and you are too kind. Right at this moment she is attempting to ring Roundhouse for more parts.

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

Running express with essential supplies . POR Sunday evening.

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

Potters Junction tunnel Portal contract is well underway.

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

Filling in the little details but it takes a decent amount of time. Captain Plod has never done this garden railway caper so it is try and learn. We will see how it weathers and wears in. More planting and previous plantings are showing good signs of growth at the POR. In time the cane mulch will be covered completely

[FWLR]

Superb photos Dazza. MAM's artistic quality's look even better has the portal receives more work on it.

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

The base of Home # 8 is permanently installed at the Potters Orchid Railway. The operating wire and the lamp light wire are unclipped as the cement sets. The permanent way head is paying attention to the drainage as the storms in this local can be considerable. The signals will only be installed for special run days when the good wine and smelly cheeses are brought out

[Peter Butler]

It's all looking wonderful now, but I'm sure that we would all like to know the secret of ensuring the electrical connections remain waterproof, especially as you describe the area as having considerable storms?
Personally I'm probably more interested in the smelly cheese variety!

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

It's all looking wonderful now, but I'm sure that we would all like to know the secret of ensuring the electrical connections remain waterproof, especially as you describe the area as having considerable storms?
Personally I'm probably more interested in the smelly cheese variety!

Peter, I hear you, I checked the workings of installation and removal many times with the test prototype signal and those pics may be in this thread a year or two ago. We will not be operating or have the signals in place when the storms are about, for fear of the crashing tree branches about the place and hail. The battery end will be in a weather proof box at the signal box. (this box is on the Red Room work bench at this time) The unbroken figure 8 bell wire is also in a casing of heat shrink from the battery box (soldered to the brass bus bars that I am to make this weekend) to the signal base. The wire end that emerges from the ground at the signal base is a small RC model type plug with another sleeve of a more expensive heat shrink sleeve over the joins that has internal glue for extra pull strength and to prevent water seepage along the wire entry to the plug. When not in use the plug at the signal base has a dummy plug inserted to keep dirt and water spray out out. The signals are to be only intended to installed for a special run session, they are installed by sliding the signal onto the fixed in place base and a light nip of the M5 cap head using the ball end of a long series 4mm hex key, then the cover plug is removed the signal lamp light wire plug goes into the plug that is attached to the operating wire casing at the base. The operating wire is simply nudged into the bell crank hole. When the signals are not in place the signal bases are covered by ceramic bases that MAM made. Also the plug ends are above any standing water and rail level in heavy rains. A day of our warmth and sun and it will be dry ! Also the heat shrink and the ceramic base cover keeps the UV off the plugs and thus crumbling plastic which is my main concern here. The stainless steel operating wire is inside an unbroken length of Shimano Teflon tube inner lined bicycle gear cable casing with a non drying very light grease and the end caps have rubber seals to keep moisture creep along the push pull wire out. I will attempt to take pictures to explain. If this does not work properly then we resort to plan B. As yet there is no plan B Trying to think it out so the plan B is not called upon. However, there is always something...
In the next life it would be fun to design and produce a commercial signal system for garden railways however right now I want to get back to my metal work.

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

We will see how well this works as "The Earth's elemental forces work upon the parts"
I forgot to take a picture of the cover over the base when the signal is removed for storage.