Wallingford Industrial Railway Ltd - 4 January 2024 - Inside storage shed

[Ianm]

Hi All

I managed to get out into the garden for a short while before the storm arrived in the late afternoon. A quick look round the six storage sidings in the shed.

The WIRL operations are coming together slowly. I need to standardize on the couplings on the rolling stock - its a bit of a mixed bunch at present with different types and coupling heights on different elements bought from evil Bay etc.

I am trying out the couplings that Rik B posted a while ago. And will then have to work out a reliable buffer so the trains can go forwards and backwards! Its a bit hit and miss (mostly miss) going backwards at present!

I am very happy this set of points, motors and switches all work well - the protection of the shed helps a lot.

[Andrew]

That looks great!

I'm jealous though. I had a storage shed once (well, some sidings in the usual garden shed), but that was lost when we extended the house and I really miss it - setting up a run takes longer and stock gets damaged in the process.

Good idea to standardise type and height of couplings. I wonder whether some of the problems you've experienced are to do with the tight reverse curves at the entrance to the sidings causing buffer locking - but I don't have any experience of LGB type couplings...

Looking forward to future updates,

Andrew.

[GAP]

What area do the sidings take up?
I am just starting on a storage area in a shed and this looks like it might fit the bill.

[Ianm]

Hi Andrew

I think the reverse curves are certainly an issue. Rik B gave a design for a larger centre buffer which I think I will try when I have made up and installed his couplings on a couple of bits of rolling stock. And then try to remember to go through the reverse curves at “dead slow”.

Thanks for the comment.

[Ianm]

Hi Graeme

I’ll get the tape measure out tomorrow and send you the dimensions.

The shed is fitted between a tree and a bike shed, so constrained by the space. Ideally, it would be better to be longer to allow for a head-shunt and run round loop on at least one or two sidings so locos can run in ahead of their trains rather than having to reverse in (or get trapped with their trains). But it does getting the trains out a lot quicker and easier.

The shed was made out of two 8*4 sheets of plywood that had a previous life as boards used to protect our drive from a heap of rubble when we had a new patio laid.

[ge_rik]

Hi Andrew

I think the reverse curves are certainly an issue. Rik B gave a design for a larger centre buffer which I think I will try when I have made up and installed his couplings on a couple of bits of rolling stock. And then try to remember to go through the reverse curves at “dead slow”.

Thanks for the comment.

I use either my own 3d printed buffers or Binnie medium Carmarthen buffers. The usually work ok through my R1 point work in the storage sidings but stock, especially locos, with long overhangs need wider buffers - and the buffers need to swivel with bogies ob bogie and Cleminson stock.

I sometimes get buffers riding up over each other but that tends to be when I'm propelling stupidly long trains back into the sidings at the end of a session - eg see from 8:22 on this video:




Rik

[Ianm]

Hi Andrew

I think the reverse curves are certainly an issue. Rik B gave a design for a larger centre buffer which I think I will try when I have made up and installed his couplings on a couple of bits of rolling stock. And then try to remember to go through the reverse curves at “dead slow”.

Thanks for the comment.

I use either my own 3d printed buffers or Binnie medium Carmarthen buffers. The usually work ok through my R1 point work in the storage sidings but stock, especially locos, with long overhangs need wider buffers - and the buffers need to swivel with bogies ob bogie and Cleminson stock.

I sometimes get buffers riding up over each other but that tends to be when I'm propelling stupidly long trains back into the sidings at the end of a session - eg see from 8:22 on this video:




Rik

Thanks for additional info Rik. I thought it was an impressively long train when I first watched the video. Having failed to back two coaches through the points at Pit Head Halt - not shown in the WIRL 5 January video on YT - I am even more impressed to see your huge train back in.

Are the STL files for your buffers buried in the zip files for one or other of your Southwold vehicles? I could then print up a couple of sets to go with your Peckforton couplings and give it a go again.

[Ianm]

What area do the sidings take up?
I am just starting on a storage area in a shed and this looks like it might fit the bill.

Hi Graeme

I made a short video on the shed - if you need more info, feel free to ask..

[GAP]

What area do the sidings take up?
I am just starting on a storage area in a shed and this looks like it might fit the bill.

Hi Graeme

I made a short video on the shed - if you need more info, feel free to ask..

When I was talking about the shed this is what I was referring to. I could upscale.

Shed.JPG (143.16 KiB) Viewed 54595 times

[Ianm]

What area do the sidings take up?
I am just starting on a storage area in a shed and this looks like it might fit the bill.

Hi Graeme

I made a short video on the shed - if you need more info, feel free to ask..

When I was talking about the shed this is what I was referring to. I could upscale.

Shed.JPG

That certainly has possibilities

Carving about a metre off a side (or end) and as long sidings as possible would give an impressive fiddleyard with potential for interesting developments.

I look forward to seeing what develops.

Cheers

[Old Man Aaron]

Nice and practical, love the coffee shelf. I'd like to put something similar under a workbench one day, so storage yards like yours are always worth reading.
Suitably tiny yet grunty shunter for such a tight space, too.

[Ianm]

Nice and practical, love the coffee shelf. I'd like to put something similar under a workbench one day, so storage yards like yours are always worth reading.
Suitably tiny yet grunty shunter for such a tight space, too.

I have a plan (secret) to have a storage under the bench in "My Shed" at the other end of the garden for the locos. But that requires further negotiation for RoW with SWMBO

[ge_rik]

Are the STL files for your buffers buried in the zip files for one or other of your Southwold vehicles? I could then print up a couple of sets to go with your Peckforton couplings and give it a go again.

I've looked through a few of my possible zip files in the 3D files section, but don't seem to have uploaded them. I'll upload them separately. I may need to search around for the most recent version before uploading the files. I think I've made several versions over the years.

Rik

[Ianm]

Are the STL files for your buffers buried in the zip files for one or other of your Southwold vehicles? I could then print up a couple of sets to go with your Peckforton couplings and give it a go again.

I've looked through a few of my possible zip files in the 3D files section, but don't seem to have uploaded them. I'll upload them separately. I may need to search around for the most recent version before uploading the files. I think I've made several versions over the years.

Rik

Thanks Rik - that will be hugely appreciated whenever you can find the files.

WIRL is really benefitting from your work at Peckforton - the 7 January video (when it gets loaded) is using your Freight Manager system - with appropriate credits and references.

[Andrew]

Thanks for the video!

All this has got me thinking...

Over the coming months, we need to repair/replace the deck which stands above Penlan station on my line. While we're at it, we'll probably remove the wood store - we live in a built up area, so barely light the stove these days due to the growing evidence that we're probably not doing or neighbours' lungs much good.

That space could be used for a storage shed. I could build one from wood, but plastic might last better in that location, and ready made storage units seem to be available relatively cheaply. I'm thinking of this kind of thing: https://www.wickes.co.uk/Charles-Bentle ... lsrc=aw.ds

If I cut a hole at the bottom of one end (then probably strengthen it a bit), that's just long enough for three WHR bogie carriages... And I should fit three parallel sidings in there...

Not wildly attractive, but not hideous... And, if I put in a false floor a third of the way up, I could store tools there. It'd have to be removeable, in case of derailments, but those should be minimal because the pointwork would be outside...

Would that work??? Any thoughts welcome!

Andrew

[philipy]

About 4 years ago I put one of those storage boxes together for my son ( he is totally incapable of doing anything practical!) to store mygrandaughter's outdoor toys in. It is still going strong despite what Martha does to it! So I'm pretty sure it would be Ok for what you propose.
Whether your railway plans would work I've no idea.

[Ianm]

Thanks for the video!

All this has got me thinking...

Over the coming months, we need to repair/replace the deck which stands above Penlan station on my line. While we're at it, we'll probably remove the wood store - we live in a built up area, so barely light the stove these days due to the growing evidence that we're probably not doing or neighbours' lungs much good.

That space could be used for a storage shed. I could build one from wood, but plastic might last better in that location, and ready made storage units seem to be available relatively cheaply. I'm thinking of this kind of thing: https://www.wickes.co.uk/Charles-Bentle ... lsrc=aw.ds

If I cut a hole at the bottom of one end (then probably strengthen it a bit), that's just long enough for three WHR bogie carriages... And I should fit three parallel sidings in there...

Not wildly attractive, but not hideous... And, if I put in a false floor a third of the way up, I could store tools there. It'd have to be removeable, in case of derailments, but those should be minimal because the pointwork would be outside...

Would that work??? Any thoughts welcome!

Andrew

Funnily enough we "inherited" one of those sort of storage units from our neighbour (saving him a trip to the local waste disposal site as the rats had made some holes in the bottom to get at their chicken food!). It's now located to the left of the bike shed to the left of the Train storage shed - storing odds and ends - before making its way the waste disposal site.

As Philip says - it would probably work well - with a false floor and an entrance cut and reinforced so it can be closed when not in use (which reminds me I must fit a door to keep leaves etc from blowing in to my shed!) .

Not sure about having a shelf above the tracks as I find it useful to have access for coupling/uncoupling wagons to make up the trains. Still if you have fixed trains (at least in the store) then probably worth a go.

[Andrew]

Thanks chaps, I'll give it some more thought...

Do either of you recall roughly how far from the bottom of the until the floor sits?

And yes, I'd be propelling whole trains in there, already coupled. I need to think about pointwork - if I have to buy new that will significantly add to the cost, and if I need to use small radius ones the carriages probably won't like being pushed through the resultant curves...

[philipy]

Can't really remember how high the floor is but I'd think no more than a couple of inches.

On the subect of pointwork, this is crying out to use a system we had in the fiddle yard of a 00 exhibition layout about 40-odd years ago! The 5 FY sidings themselves were straight and parallel but curved inwards towards the approach and then there was a sliding traverser. The exit was straight but the traverser had 5 pieces of track on it, individually curved to join each siding to the straight exit road. Saves masses of length and a huge amount of cost. All it needs is a couple of lengths of ali angle as runners and a couple of lengths of flexitrack cut as appropriate. If you want any more info, let me know and I'll do a sketch.

[Ianm]

Thanks chaps, I'll give it some more thought...

Do either of you recall roughly how far from the bottom of the until the floor sits?

And yes, I'd be propelling whole trains in there, already coupled. I need to think about pointwork - if I have to buy new that will significantly add to the cost, and if I need to use small radius ones the carriages probably won't like being pushed through the resultant curves...

I had a quick look at the one outside - it hasn't got a floor. But there is a flat bit of the wall inside - only a cm or so thick and about 10cm or so horizontally. You could fix some boards to that to stabilize the walls and door opening, plus provide a base for the track.

My concern would be the sheds are quite flimsy so wouldn't offer much security. But does anything to a determined individual of a thieving bent

If you are only having 3 roads, then probably only one would have a severe reverse curve and only 2 points required.

Good luck.