Garden Railway Forum

Great progress, thanks for the update.

The completed part of the upper trestle is looking great with the stones underneath it...

Cheers,

Andrew.

I had a think about the 5% grade and decided that it may be to steep, so I extended the horizontal to 6.1 Metres (20Ft in old money) with a drop of 255mm (10 inches) this gave me a grade of 4.1% which should be OK.
Because the support rails are in between fence posts I had to put in a small post between the rails, I use some galvanized C Purlin to do it.
Now that the 2 lines are at the same level they will now pass through a 180 degree 3.1 Metre (10 Ft) Diameter curve leading to a straight which will head back parallel to the lower line at the same height before turning 90 degrees.
I laid some boards out on the ground to get an idea of what I will have to do, looks like at least 3 posts to be concreted into the ground.
Now that this is finished I will be going back to the Low Trestle

Blog has been updated. https://ringbalin-light-railway.blogspo ... -page.html

Good progress there. Glad you altered the gradient, it did look a bit fierce originally.

Live steam locos with Slomos love gradients!

Very original solution to the trestles and ground level. Good thinking.

Don't worry about the grade. Either shorter trains or a second loco will add to the operating fun.

Interesting to see how you go with the grades, contemplating a 1 in 29 grade against the load at the moment. About to do tests.
Grant.

gregh wrote: ↑Fri Mar 13, 2020 8:09 am Very original solution to the trestles and ground level. Good thinking.

Don't worry about the grade. Either shorter trains or a second loco will add to the operating fun.

The longest train will have a Shay on the front end so with 3 motors it should work OK.
My biggest problem is going to be how to raise the line back up to the upper level I do not have the same space to gain the elevation.
I am thinking possibly a Helix or some sort of "S" loop to take it up bit of thinking to be done.

Speaking of the Shay I have just updated my blog with a description of how it is wired for battery remote control.
I used a robotics motor controller of a type which I have found to be both economical and easy to use.
Link to the blog page https://ringbalin-light-railway.blogspo ... -shay.html if you do visit please have a look around at the other pages and posts.
I will be adding descriptions of the other locos that I have and the methods of radio control I use as time goes by.

I'm enjoying your Blog. Nice work with the RC.

Really coming along nicely!
I agree with Greg re the blog. Interesting detail on the RC system

Rik

ge_rik wrote: ↑Mon Mar 16, 2020 7:27 pm Really coming along nicely!
I agree with Greg re the blog. Interesting detail on the RC system

Rik

Thanks Greg and Rik.
The RC system I found while looking for some parts, they are reasonably priced relative to others and I can get them readily plus the R/C gear from Hobby King is very keenly priced.

Work on the low trestle area has started.
A few pictures to show the work, I have put some stones and roughed in some turf to get a feel for what I am trying to do.
Blog to be updated.

Using the chicken wire to support the stones to contour the slope/gap is a very clever idea, I do like that.

Using the chicken wire and mesh allows the rainwater to pass through and air to circulate, so hopefully there will not be any rot due to the timber staying wet.

I have updated my blog with another loco description.

As can be seen in a couple of pictures above, the high trestle developed a low spot centered on 1 bent, initial investigations suggested that the dodgy method of skew screwing the support board had failed.
Further investigations revealed that 2 of the 4 screws at the end of the baseboard and one on the bent support had been sheared possibly by something heavy landing on the trestle.
I suspect either next doors moggy or "old poss" the possum using the trestle as a pathway after jumping off the fence.
This has now been repaired so work is scheduled for the low trestle work to recommence.

Blatant blog advert; https://ringbalin-light-railway.blogspo ... -page.html
The blog has been updated to include descriptions of 2 more locos ( Side Rod and Sugar Cane), these ones have sound cards and motor delay so that the sound "Revs" build before the loco begins to move.
The delay is provided by running the throttle signal through a "Picaxe" microcontroller, sound input passes straight through but motor is delayed.
The sound cards are of a design dating back to the 1970's using discrete IC Shift Registers, these days the same could be achieved by microcontrollers.

I had the same problem with cats and possums, but an electric fence energizer from the farm has fixed that. I don't know if anything has received a boot from it, but as much as anything I think the click click sound as it discharges is keeping things away. As you sound like an electronics person, would an electronic clicker be worth a try.
Grant.

LNR wrote: ↑Mon Mar 23, 2020 2:20 am I had the same problem with cats and possums, but an electric fence energizer from the farm has fixed that. I don't know if anything has received a boot from it, but as much as anything I think the click click sound as it discharges is keeping things away. As you sound like an electronics person, would an electronic clicker be worth a try.
Grant.

The biggest problem with "old Poss" is that she and bub live in my roof space and I cannot get anyone to come and get them out.
Even if they are out of the roof they can't be relocated more than 50 Metres away (protected species).
My solution is to get a carpet python and shove it into the roof space but SWMBO has given an emphatic "NO!!!" to that suggestion.
There are a large number of fruiting palm trees on either side that provide year round food, but one neighbour is going to cut all his down sometime this year.
The electric fence idea may work near the railway but probably won't work anywhere else as "old Poss" jumps from the roof into the trees. El Moggo hopefully may get a zap which should deter it.
There are sonic devices that are used to keep possums away from garden beds, according to an expert I contacted, but who was to far away to help remove it, won't get them to move That may be an option as well.

The "Low" Trestle has been finished and baseboard either side installed.
Blog will be updated later

Coming on well, it's a great feeling when you get on a roll!

Just a thought, if it were mine, I would be sooo tempted to fill in the triangle between the RH corner at the end of the low level section and the first angled board joint on the brown boards, just to make it 'flow' visually.