The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

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ge_rik
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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by ge_rik » Sun Jul 23, 2017 9:55 am

The geometry of that point looks spot-on. I'm envious of your patience. I'm a bit 'bull at the gate' with my projects, I'm afraid which is probably why I spend a lot of time remedying faults in my tracklaying.

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by bazzer42 » Sun Jul 23, 2017 2:20 pm

That does look good and love the look of home made track. There was a set up in the 16mm guide where the track was handmade and really looked the business. I'm like Rik though, patience isn't one of my virtues.

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by markoteal » Tue Jul 25, 2017 2:20 pm

Very neat and tidy Andrew - very envious - I also fall into the same gang as Rik and Bazzer - i tend to dive in and have to remedy later on!
Where did I put that uncoupler?

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by philipy » Tue Jul 25, 2017 3:29 pm

Very good Andrew.
I'm afraid that I'm with the others when it comes to preparation ( or lack of it) work.
Philip

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by Soar Valley Light » Tue Aug 22, 2017 8:00 pm

Just a quick update.....

Turnout construction has continued, proving further the construction techniques I'm employing. I will describe these in more detail in the future but I feel I ought to prove the operability of them first - and to do that I need to get some more track down and find time to run some trains!

I've managed to increase the length of track laid by 50% in recent weeks. Sounds impressive doesn't it? But going up from 8 yards to 12 yards is hardly going to take me to the moon and back! However, I have another eight or nine lengths built up ready and the turnout that unlocks the next stage is now complete. This next stage opens up half of the main circuit - about ten lengths of track. One more turnout will unlock the other half back to the second terminus. The headshunt from the runround at this station will continue and connect into the loop of the intermediate station, thus forming a continuous run if required, it will also form part of the sidings at both stations. I intend to operate the railway as an end to end line but it never hurts to have the opportunity to shamelessly tail chase when the mood takes one!

Meanwhile the bathroom rebuilding grinds slowly on and will demand attention from me. I also now have two permanent way designs for heritage railways on the drawing board that I MUST press on with. That requires clearing the dining room table (AKA my switch and crossing assembly yard!). Despite this I'm hoping to get the turnout I completed this evening laid in the next couple of days and then press on with the plain line down one half of the circuit. I have to divert the electric cable to the lamp at the bottom of the garden to do this. I've been meaning to crack on with it all summer - it's a story all of it's own!- I need to do it without any further delay before the nights begin to draw in and the light is required to light the way! Once this next stretch of track is down I will feel justified in pausing permanent way operations whilst some test running is indulged in. THAT is something I'm most definitely looking forward to! :thumbup:

Andrew
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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by LNR » Wed Aug 23, 2017 4:03 am

Glad to hear from you Andrew, and good to know things are still moving ahead. It sounds as if trains may be running by this Christmas.
Grant.

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by tom_tom_go » Wed Aug 23, 2017 8:19 am

Given the recent line I visited Andrew all the effort you have put in will be worth it once you can sit with evening sun behind you and trains are running along the sweeping curves of your railway.

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by Soar Valley Light » Thu Aug 24, 2017 7:45 pm

Thanks guys,

I do look forward to sitting beside the line and to doing so before Christmas - this year!

Against all the odds I managed to find time to make a start on moving the garden light and re-routing the electric cable. It dawned on me during the job that moving this lamp to its 'temporary' location was one of the first jobs done when I commenced the work to terra form the garden. The whole garden railway project sprang from that. The scariest aspect is that it must have been at least four years ago! Progress on returning the lamp to it's final position went far better than I had hoped and I managed to get the whole job completed! I'm delighted.

This leaves the way clear for some determined track laying - as soon as I find some more time. Progress updates to follow - once there is some more progress to report on!

Andrew
"Smith! Why do you only come to work four days a week?
"'cause I can't manage on three gaffer!"

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by Soar Valley Light » Sat Aug 26, 2017 8:33 pm

Some more progress today..................... but only just. :evil: I'm not sure that I should admit to the debacle that commenced this morning with some basic surveying. I had the end of the track so far laid at one end of a curve and a turnout positioned at the other end of the same curve. Some simple calculations should have resolved the radius required to produce a circular curve between the two tangent points, and consequently the versines required to set the track out. Could I get it to tie up and come out with some realistic numbers - could I heck as like. Well, it's not like I do it for a living or anything! :scratch:

After about an hour and a half of measuring and remeasuring I finally decided to attempt setting out the info I'd calculated..... and the problem became clear :idea: , I was working from the left hand rail at one end of the curve and the right hand rail at the other! :oops: :oops: :oops: Somewhere I have a photo of this being done in 12" to the foot scale! That unlocked the problem and I came up with some details, track laying began. :mrgreen: The alignment on this section has been modified since the foundation went in to allow for the loop and the connection to form a continuous circuit. Nothing massive but I knew the track would move across on the filcris runners. And move it did, far further than I had imagined, it was almost full gauge at one point and I began to worry that the loop road wasn't going to be on the runners at all :shock: . When I reached the turnout there was a definite misalignment, nothing massive but the curve had definitely overshot. I unfastened the last yard and 'eased' the alignment to get a 'fit'. All well and good, until I stood up and viewed the job from a different angle. It all started well but the sharpening up was painfully obvious. I reckon I was down to just under three foot radius. I didn't measure it because I realised pretty quickly that if I left it like that it would haunt me for ever. What one of my permanent way colleagues refers to as 'making your teeth itch'! :| Looking at the job I realised that the curve that had produced back from the turnout was a sweet alignment. I decided to recalculate all over again (!) this time using a new tangent point at the end of this acceptable curve. Up came the two lengths of track it had taken me the whole day so far to lay (And it was getting on for tea time - next door had fired up the barbie and were charring pig, making me VERY hungry!) I was setting out using a 500mm chord length. The new versine on that length was only about 1.5mm less but once I got cracking putting the track back down things fell right into place. THANK GOODNESS! :sunny:

Anyway, a picture speaks a thousand words and four tell a whole story!
Contractors train Aug 17.jpg
Contractors train Aug 17.jpg (900.95 KiB) Viewed 3825 times
As you can see, the contractors were using a wagon to transport materials for the first time. No steam unfortunately, the wagon was drawn by a donkey - me!

I've got three other shots to share but the computer says no! They are apparently too large. If I find a way to resize them I'll up load them later.

Andrew
"Smith! Why do you only come to work four days a week?
"'cause I can't manage on three gaffer!"

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by Soar Valley Light » Sat Aug 26, 2017 9:30 pm

Success!

This is where I got to today.
Aug progress.jpg
Aug progress.jpg (169.65 KiB) Viewed 3818 times
This is where I've come from
Aug completed so far.jpg
Aug completed so far.jpg (156.75 KiB) Viewed 3818 times
This is where I'm headed
Aug the way ahead.jpg
Aug the way ahead.jpg (161.45 KiB) Viewed 3818 times
Andrew
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"'cause I can't manage on three gaffer!"

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by tom_tom_go » Sat Aug 26, 2017 9:56 pm

It is great to see the photos of your work Andrew.

The line is going to be excellent!

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by ge_rik » Sun Aug 27, 2017 8:09 am

Great to see some track in situ, Andrew. The head of nickel silver marches on!

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by LNR » Sun Aug 27, 2017 8:20 am

Gee, the look of the garden has come a long way since your early pictures Andrew, and your trackwork does look very professional. Nice sweeping curves as they should be, your couplers will have an easy time of it me thinks.
Grant.

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by Soar Valley Light » Sun Aug 27, 2017 8:14 pm

Thanks for the comments chaps.

Against all expectations there is more progress to report today. I was early turn Signalman at Rothley today but managed to get away earlier than expected. I finished of a little bit of yesterdays efforts before I went to work. This only involved sending down a couple of pins that I'd either missed yesterday or which had worked loose as the track cooled last night. I also loose laid the first yard of track off the turnout - just to see where I was going and how it 'felt'. Once I got back I nailed this in it's final position and then pressed on with another four lengths. I was pleased with this progress as it included having to break off from pway work to lay the next stretch of geotextile between the two bridges. This involves an element of gardening as the edges of the geotextile need to be trapped and the pea gravel cess drain installed on top of it. It was a great relief as I moved onto length no. 3 as I was able to go from kneeling and bending down to ground level to being able to work standing up, as this length brought me alongside the operating well!

There was also an element of adjustment to the track panels today. I've had a stock built up ready for some time, all with standard gauge sleepers. It's always been my intention to use gauge widened sleepers on the tightest radius curves (1350mm rad). Most of this is in the curve at the house end of the main circuit, forming a semi-circle. There is also a little bit in the loop at Woodhouse Eaves (one road laid yesterday), a small amount to be laid in the loops at Shepshed (when the time comes) and a small amount entering the terminus at Abbey Lane. This has left a stock of gauge widened sleepers on hand and so I decided to lay them in the second tightest radius curves (1540mm rad) laid today. As they reverse a coupe of times I thought it would be a good idea, helping as it will to reduce 'flange drag'. Consequently I had to stripp off some of the standard gauge sleepers and slide on some gauge widened ones. The bench I bit down in the well proved a very pleasant spot for this job and the ledge I built to stand mugs of tea on beside the bench also proved very succesful!

This is where I got to today.
Aug 28 head of steel.jpg
Aug 28 head of steel.jpg (174.73 KiB) Viewed 3786 times
This is where I'm going next.
Aug 28 the way ahead.jpg
Aug 28 the way ahead.jpg (152.74 KiB) Viewed 3786 times
This is the end of yesterdays works and the first part of todays.
Aug 28 yesterday into today.jpg
Aug 28 yesterday into today.jpg (185.44 KiB) Viewed 3786 times
This is a view across the long curving embankment, scene of most of todays work.
Aug the long embankment.jpg
Aug the long embankment.jpg (177.73 KiB) Viewed 3786 times
This is the site of Anstey station. I'm pretty set on having a short traffic siding here and the present tracklaying spree will have to pause when it reaches this spot as the turnout needs building! I've not completely decided on where the turnout is going to be sited yet but it will almost certainly be on the short section of straight that exists just before the start of the 1350mm rad semi-circular curve. That's where the chilli plants are standing on the track bed in the photo below. You can also see the gauge widened track track dropped loosely in place in the foreground on the curve itself. The jumble of brickwork is where the path down into the operating pit will cross the line.
Aug Anstey station.jpg
Aug Anstey station.jpg (147.69 KiB) Viewed 3786 times
I really should be doing some work on the house or the allotment tomorrow, but it's forecast to be another glorious day, ideal fro track laying.........! :mrgreen:
"Smith! Why do you only come to work four days a week?
"'cause I can't manage on three gaffer!"

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by tom_tom_go » Sun Aug 27, 2017 8:27 pm

I like the pit idea on your line Andrew.

Maybe in my next house!

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by LNR » Mon Aug 28, 2017 12:47 am

I foresee many photos being taken on the long curving embankment in the not too distant future. A very picturesque view. I hope you are wearing an inward grin Andrew, as all your meticulous planning comes together in leaps and bounds. Well deserved.
Grant.

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by bazzer42 » Mon Aug 28, 2017 9:58 am

Agree with Grant, this is going to be a classic when you're finished ( do we ever finish?) . Just noticed the pit, uncanny, as the layout I mentioned earlier with the hand built track was built around a dropped operating area. It does make things a lot easier, I would imagine....

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by Peter Butler » Mon Aug 28, 2017 7:56 pm

Just wonderful work Andrew... detail and perseverance to achieve (near) perfection will pay dividends in the future. Your planting is becoming established too, so when the track laying is completed the whole railway will look good in its landscape.
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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by markoteal » Tue Aug 29, 2017 12:06 pm

Great to see the track going onto those sweeping curves - and the planting is bedding (sorry no pun intended) in nicely!
Where did I put that uncoupler?

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by Soar Valley Light » Thu Aug 31, 2017 8:12 pm

Well my friends, it's finally happened!

After significant progress over the bank holiday the contractors engaged in the construction of the CFLR decided on Tuesday that locomotive power was needed to keep up the rate of progress and to test some of the completed works. Consequently they searched the plant and machinery stores and extricated a simple manual loco, gave it a quick 'once over' and deployed it on the line. Steam was raised and loco used with an open wagon to transport some of the heavier granite blocks required to retain the pea gravel drainage ditches beside the track bed. Once the main work was done the opportunity was taken to give a tour of the works to the directors present on the works that day, using the swept out open wagon as a makeshift conveyance.

https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=qOHl57hJc3c

Although a good deal of the track was still only roughly laid the operation was deemed a success and several areas requiring further attention were identified in the process. This resulted in the contractor taking a second loco from the P&M stores, this time a heavier and radio controlled machine. This again proved it's worth, identifying further locations where additional fettling of the track is required. In particular some twists that need packing out and a gauge fault on a crossing nose. A further tour was offered to the directors. On the return trip a derailment occurred due to the gauge fault on the turnout, noticeable by a pause in the return journey. The crew quite quickly had the tender back on the road and the directors were barely aware anything had happened!

https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=NW9QDFOhlZU

The first loco had been left at the end of the newly laid track to act as a 'dead end'. The final job of the day was for the second loco to collect the first and drag it back to the construction compound.

Contractors loco's heading home for the day.
https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=yMMmJEugI7s

It's safe to safe I'm chuffed! :roll:

When I uploaded the videos I discovered the ones I took about four years ago of the loose-lay Mamod track I had on the old back yard to prove to myself that I really was up for the project. It was a logical step and confirmed I liked the idea..... the rest, as they say, is history!

Andrew
"Smith! Why do you only come to work four days a week?
"'cause I can't manage on three gaffer!"

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