Garden Railway Forum

So with the DVLR coming to a close I have already begun to plan the new railway. Instead of shelves I have the whole "L" shaped flowerbed to play with and so have lots of choices to make.
The first of which is track!
I am planning to not use the fine scale gauge 1 track as lovely as it is it just doesn't look right. I was altering it but my Grandad thinks that as the company went bust it will become collectable and that I should stop removing a third of the sleepers...
The new out and back from Snape St. back to Snape St. (via return loop) should be about 36m and then there is a branch line off this that goes into Woodbridge station. I think I will need around 20 yards of track and by buying second hand peco track and points it'll come to about 250 pounds.
I think that sounds a little steep. What are your thoughts - any other suggestions?

buy the rail and use wooden sleepers. you can laser cut the holes for the chairs for an accurate gauge. just buy the point work

Mr. Bond of the DVLR wrote: I think I will need around 20 yards of track and by buying second hand peco track and points it'll come to about 250 pounds.
I think that sounds a little steep. What are your thoughts - any other suggestions?

Yes I have a thought.....


...32mm gauge track is significantly cheaper then 45mm
Seriously I don't know, LGB track is going for silly prices, as is Aristocraft and most of the other 45mm suppliers. I'm not sure if it might be worth looking at Accucraft, or even building your own

Or just convert to 32mm

For a whole railway, £250 isn't THAT bad.

But I'd say, buy some Peco flexi rail used in the Sm32 stuff, then make the sleepers yourself and creosote them Perhaps use hornby track pins or something to hold the rails inplace, or use proper chairs.

hmm
I like the idea of spiked track - very NG and light railway looking.
Brandbright do sleepers for track don't they
I wonder how much it works out as.
If cheaper I might have to give that a go!

You could "LASER cut" a jig of somesort to make up panels quickly too.

Mr. Bond of the DVLR wrote:hmm
I like the idea of spiked track - very NG and light railway looking.
Brandbright do sleepers for track don't they
I wonder how much it works out as.
If cheaper I might have to give that a go!

I've just made 3 lengths of track with spikes & self cut sleepers for use in the works. I can honestly say I won't be doing that again. Fiddly & time consuming. If you do think of doing that then I would say buy materials for a few lengths first & give it a try first.

Hmm not sure, brandbright sleepers are spikes + rail comes to around 208 pounds for 20 yards. So no point. Unless I can buy cheap material for sleepers from a builders merchant and also spikes (nails) and then just buy the rail and have a go. I jig would be necessary obviously. MDLR - you have home grown track - any advice?

'Cos my dad will not buy proper track, because of the cost, we are making track from steel bar, and flat steel for sleepers, welded together. Now I'm leaving my dad to figure how to build points

Mr. Bond of the DVLR wrote:MDLR - you have home grown track - any advice?

My track is actually Brandbright. If you are thinking of going that way, and knowing what you have available to you in the way of equipment, I'd say buy chairs, joiners and rail and make your own sleepers (having bought a pack of Brandbright ones, or a point to get the sizes right - the first couple of sleepers at the "toe" end are standard ones) and laser the holes - to laser the whole sleeper (seeing the problems you've had with the carcass of your loco shed) might not be viable.

However, though cheap it will be mind-numbingly boring and you'll have to allow at least half-an-hour to make up each yard length. there is also more maintenance involved (creosote every year) and the sleepers WILL go rotten eventually. There's also the potential problem that lasered holes might get bigger rather more quickly than drilled ones, as the "crispy bits" degrade.

These days, 90% of people use Peco track - does that tell you something??

Peco track is fab,
How much do home built points cost and where would I buy the battening...?

The battening can be 12mm square from B&Q - soaking it in wood preservative before laying is always a good plan!

As much as I love the idea of home-made track I have decided to go for the Peco track. This I can put down and take up as much as I please when I move house etc.
Maybe one day I will have home grown track!

So track out of the way, I have turned my attention to planning a few bridges. One of the main features of the railway will be the river and the methods of crossing it,
I want a model of Wilfred Bridge:

and a model of a lift or swing bridge as well.

ooooo this is going to be good. very good. watching this with interest Mr Bond!!

Looking forward to progess here, I see this line is going to be more scenic than the last.

Anything, you will find, is more scenic than a shelf. I have mocked both briges with K'nex and will take photos tomorrow.

Oh dear me. I have fallen victim to Sods law in a big way.
I have just bought that second hand track, £250 pounds worth of it and someone has just offered me track for the price of postage (thank you)

You can't win can you!
Oh well, I didn't order enough track in the first place due to tight budget so more is very appreciated!

Progress!
Track plan

Setting up track on bricks

Woodbridge station

The track out of Woodbridge is quite reminiscent of that on Raven Square. It will not be staying!

A boat which I plan to convert to a thames barge eks affair to sale on the river...

General view of the garden, you get an idea of why I am making a new railway, so much more space yet still so little!

I have to fit a balloon loop and small town in hear, and half of it has to be removable - lucky me!

Awsome , you've got the whole summer to work on it (like me )