Perrow Coast Railway

[Peter Butler]

I'm with you all the way Matt, scenics make the railway and ballast is an essential part of that!
There seems little point in having a railway in the garden if there is no attempt to integrate it with natural materials.  You might just as well put a circle of track on a car park!
Contraversial!...me???

So this wouldn't appeal?



0r this...................?



Admittedly, this line (at Fiskerton in Nottinghamshire) isn't ALL like this, and it DOES look better when its got plants around it, but it does work and minimizes gardening!

You're quite right Brian.... no appeal! This is not what Matt or myself are about. We are attempting to create our own scenic railways using natural materials in a realistic way, as much as can be done taking scale compromises into account.
I have no interest in just making a circuit for trains to follow without putting them into a miniature scene. Locos are expensive items so why not give them every opportunity to look, and perform correctly on a railway?
My career has always been in the art world, so seeing the complete image is most important to me.

[MDLR]

That's absolutely fine! Some just like to operate, some like to create landscapes. Each to their own.

[Keith S]

I like railways that have a bit of both. I like the ground-level, realistic ones best, but I dislike kneeling on the ground to service the locomotive, so I think when I have my own railway it will be largely ground-level but with a section on a good "viaduct" I can stand beside to water and oil.

[TTHLRMatt]

I totally agree Brian, everyone to their own. The screws are TurboGoldXT's, hardened.

[Peter L]

That's absolutely fine! Some just like to operate, some like to create landscapes. Each to their own.

This, right here, is the essence of garden railroading to me.

[hussra]

Definite preference for the scenic, ground level look here (or at least, approximately ground level) but needs must in our garden, and as others have said each man to his own. The raised trackbed down the left hand side should be disappearing in a sea of foliage very shortly, in any case, however raised it may be!

[TTHLRMatt]

The method for construction has been decided upon for coming up the left hand side of the garden including a temporary stretch which will be replaced by a bridge. Thorpe station will mainly be able to be built with peco short radius curves but dont worry. L&M's will be able to run through platform 1. Clearances will allow articulation, 1/12th (me) and 7/8ths (Michael) !!!!

[TTHLRMatt]

**UPDATE TIME**
First day of work in a while, work started at 1pm and whilst starting, I was finding some screws in the garage......and then LNER Fan Sam walked in and scared me sh**less.
Here is the temporary headshunt at the end of Thorpe to give some run round room. This is only temporary as decking is going in and the line will curve round up the side instead of stopping there and then.

The overall work site by around 5pm

To get Sam back, here is a pic of him just before he left! Its just what he wanted


Anyway hes not the PCR even though he did help a lot!!!. Here is the fixing method for the headshunt

Still temporary track but Tarn Holt was brought out for Sam to have a look at before he went to see if he fancied one.

A future sight maybe, a train disappearing behind the tree.

The same spacing method, THE GOLDEN DRILL BIT

Half way to stained

Early stages of construction for the entrance point end of Thorpe. The closing end to the left is where the bridge will end.

The same section at the end of the day, but still not finished. We were one plank short. ONE. We will need to buy a whole plank ti finish it!!

Well thats most of the wood work done, now earthworks!!

[MDLR]

The same section at the end of the day, but still not finished. We were one plank short. ONE. We will need to buy a whole plank ti finish it!!

I assume you will be creating a nice curve on the front edges of the planks once the final one's gone in!

[TTHLRMatt]

Indeed yes, that will be the plan

[TTHLRMatt]

Right, a long awaited up date is due but before we get to this weekends work, here is what was not posted about last year in July!
The track was starting to be laid and Lanty Slee was used to test the overhang being one of our bigger locos.


The exit/entrance point was initially pinned.

Track bending consisted of using the blizzy bender.

The reverse curve needed was a pig to bend but was done right after a few tries!

Snacks were readily on hand!

To solve one problem, we straightened the tighter of the set track curves which we had into a wider radius.

Now my Mum is very anti harm to wildlife and we had to snap a branch off the tree to get the trains past. Nothing like a bit of mud to cover it up!

Now for many photos of bending track....







The overhang



Thats that until I update to the present day..... when I have time.

[Dannypenguin]

Nice work However I think you made a mistake with that tree, you should have done this:

[Snailrail]

I notice the custard cream went first - good choice !

[jim@NAL]

good work there nice and solid construction

[TTHLRMatt]

Danny, judging by the domestic authorities opinion on a branch being taken off, I think she might have a gone a little bit ape s*** if we had gone straight through it
Anyway, I should be updating up to date soon.

[TTHLRMatt]

Before I get started on the current building progress, I think its about time that I start talking about the rest of the railway  :P  

Locomotive Status




We also have a number of other loco parts of which I will update later!

[TTHLRMatt]

*Notice*
No 20 - Percy is entering the works in a few days for minor cosmetic alterations to the cab interior.

[Lner fan Sam]

Good news for Percy, always had a bit of a soft spot for him.

[TTHLRMatt]

Yeh, he is probably just getting a cream cab interior.

[TTHLRMatt]

Right, in March I said I would update on the progress then..... its now May and during my exams so as a destresser, I thought I would get this up to date and keep on top of many activities starting with what happened in March!
Well the track was laid out in a rough way to see what we wanted. Note the long straight heading into the far right. This is not permanent and will eventually make its way right around the garden!

Now for something completely different! We took the advantage whilst Mum was out to put operation "Sleeping Piggie, Screaming Matt" into operation. Basically, we want to get up one side of the garden and needed to dig foundations where numerous dead guinea pigs are buried (dont worry, natural causes ) but we didn't want Mum to know! In the end they all came out among-st lots of "Yoric" jokes and myself flipping out as a skull "moved". Neadless to say its still not done but we dug too deep. Heres me "digging".

I had put down some cement for the road section on Thorpe but this had not turned out well due to me not smoothing it out and the wood still being wet so this was smashed up and transported in a suitable manor!


We (me and my step dad(Lakeshoremike)) worked a bit late as well putting in another point.




This little happy chappy did not mind all the work (NB unfortunately, between then and now, Scamper passed away, RIP).

The next day, the Fuchsia was wheeled down the park, after being dug up, to be planted beside the railway!


And thats us up to now! I shall try and do that update very soon.