Garden Railway Forum

Peter Butler wrote: Fri Apr 19, 2019 11:12 pm Hi Rob, I do like your railway and locomotives, but I love your dog, she's gorgeous. Is she a Cocker-Poo?

Thanks Peter! She’s actually a full Cocker Spaniel, she’s just due for a haircut

Her name is Wilma

What a great spot for the engine shed. Looks quite natural under the trees. Some really great shots. Very atmospheric.

Rik

Great photos, lot's of atmosphere.

Wilma makes my dog look very old!

tom_tom_go wrote: Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:32 am Great photos, lot's of atmosphere.

Wilma makes my dog look very old!

Thanks Tom!

ge_rik wrote: Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:20 am What a great spot for the engine shed. Looks quite natural under the trees. Some really great shots. Very atmospheric.

Rik

Thanks Rik, as with many things it sort of happened by accident.

It used to be where the loading dock is. I needed more siding space and more engine shed space, so I stole a bit more garden from my dad and moved it....

Great photos Rob! They set the scene really well.
Mitch

Great photos, thank you!

I think you've mentioned previously that you've spent time volunteering on the Ffestiniog, and I reckon it shows in how you operate your railway - nice and busy, with lots going on, but done in a realistic fashion. When I watch the FR's webcams I always enjoy the amount of "off timetable" pootling about with works trains etc that goes on, which your photo of the Bo Bo shunting the log wagon reminded me of - that's looking great out in the garden, by the way.

Cheers,

Andrew.

Andrew wrote: Sat Apr 20, 2019 8:01 pm Great photos, thank you!

I think you've mentioned previously that you've spent time volunteering on the Ffestiniog, and I reckon it shows in how you operate your railway - nice and busy, with lots going on, but done in a realistic fashion. When I watch the FR's webcams I always enjoy the amount of "off timetable" pootling about with works trains etc that goes on, which your photo of the Bo Bo shunting the log wagon reminded me of - that's looking great out in the garden, by the way.

Cheers,

Andrew.

Thanks Andrew.
You’re right, I was a volunteer there for almost ten years, although I mostly worked the WHR section.
The railway was always intended to be a ‘real railway’, which is why I didn’t want a roundy-roundy. I’m glad it seems to be working!

On that theme....

LOTI’s last job on Friday was a short lineside clearance train. It headed out loaded with the necessary tools (a pair of secateurs) and came back loaded with plants!

I enjoyed those videos, more please!

tom_tom_go wrote: Sun Apr 21, 2019 10:17 am I enjoyed those videos,

So did Wilma..... and me!

Thanks Guys.

Wilma seems to be getting more confident with the trains, she kept barking at one earlier....

Not much activity today, but I was home in time to run the evening ‘Flying Kipper’.

First, No.3 has to do a bit of shunting....



A while later, just as dusk falls, it arrives back, headlamp glowing and now with the two fish vans in tow...

Speaking of operating like a real railway....

Since introducing battery power to the railway a couple of years ago, I’ve inadvertently killed two li-po batteries by leaving the li-po alarm plugged in overnight.

It’s not the most expensive mistake to make, but it is bloody annoying.

So I looked to the real railway for a way to remind myself to disconnect everything that needs to be.

I purchased a pack of key rings off amazon, the type with a removable card insert. These came in a variety of colours, blue, black, red etc. and can be hooked around a chimney, lamp iron or coupling hook

The reds are used as ‘battery disconnected’ reminders, blue as ‘no water’, black are ‘on charge’ and grey are ‘not to go’.

The latter are used to remind me that a wagon or loco has a fault that needs rectification before it’s next use.



This wagon is one of my workhorses. It’s a cheap nequida copy of an LGB wagon that I’ve tarted up and varnished.

It (and it’s matching pair) generally live outside during the summer, and are often loaded with plants, off cuts, ballast, soil and spoil! They have just been used to check clearances and what not whilst I fitted the new points, so this one now has a nice splattering of cement dust!







Natural weathering!

I am all for natural weathering!

The tag system is a nice idea even if they are over scale...

Any chance of a video of your Silver Lady as interested to see how she copes with a shunting layout without a Slomo.

tom_tom_go wrote: Mon Apr 22, 2019 6:04 pm I am all for natural weathering!

The tag system is a nice idea even if they are over scale...

Any chance of a video of your Lady Anne?

I did once try a more in scale version, but unfortunately I found they just got lost really easily. They generally only get used whilst I’m storing stock anyway.

I was intending on running it quite a bit this weekend and attempting a bit of video, unfortunately it’s reverser servo has failed and needs replacement

Maybe the batteries you are using are worn out?

tom_tom_go wrote: Mon Apr 22, 2019 6:35 pm Maybe the batteries you are using are worn out?

I’ve tried three different sets. The last set (from a brand new box) improved things, but it still won’t hold forward gear.

Switch another servo used on the loco in it's place, does it have the same issue?

tom_tom_go wrote: Mon Apr 22, 2019 7:26 pm Switch another servo used on the loco in it's place, does it have the same issue?

Was planning on doing just that. Haven’t had time to take the body off yet.

More maintenance work over the last few days.

A few years ago the village suffered a terrible giant Mouse attack. This caused damage to the roof of the middle terraced house, the unpainted hidden side of one of the shops and the shop front itself. Hungry little dear.



The whole area has been given a good clean, and I’ve made a start on making a pavement. The area is intended to be a courtyard, so there’s no vehicle access. There was originally room for a small road entering bottom left, but I’ve since extended the headshunt. The cut out bit allows the shed door to open fully.

After this was done it was time to run a couple of trains;

‘Eilean Donan’ arrives at Top End with a short engineers train;



And then shunts into the yard to pick another wagon up;



After arriving back at Charlwood, it added another two open wagons to the train;



Before handing the now much heavier train over to LOTI;



With LOTI off on its way, Eileen Donan shuffles off to the shed to drag No.3 out so it can be steamed;



No.3 is seen arriving later on with a very short passenger train (I really need more carriages!);



A bit of shunting to add a van to the train;



After an inspection to try and find the cause of its frequent derailments, one of the bogie opens is dropped off at Top End by No.9, one of the last moves of the day;

Forgot one...




“Excuse me, what time is the next train?”

You shouldn't have forgotten THAT one! Lovely shot.