Garden Railway Forum

I have been unhappy with the railway for some time now because of it's position in the garden.  

Since my partner was made redundant she has been able to take the lead in gardening duties and I have seen that the railway is blocking plant and vegetable growth particularly where the loop nearest the conservatory is which takes up valuable space for pots and as a seating area:



When my neighbour and I replaced his fence last year I gained additional space behind the red robin bush so after some heavy pruning I ended up with a tree and access to this new space:




Milo helped with the cuttings



The hedge has been cut back to allow viewing of trains again and the Cotoneaster will be encouraged to eventually cover the back fence:



A new loop with be constructed around the red robin 'tree' while the long straight through the flower bed and loop next to the conservatory will be removed.

Looks great fella. I need to do something to hide the fence on my line.

Very nice indeed. I'm contemplating how to deal with the backdrop of a brick wall that is home to a voracious creeper. Your line looks really good, I definitely think the modifications add something.

That's one lovely lab by the way! Dogs have their own unique way of helping out don't they?

looking great I do love all the rusty bits

This is the part of the track being removed as I forgot to take a picture earlier showing this:



You can see this part of the railway dominates the garden which is not what I want. I believe when you look at a garden you should notice the garden first and then be surprised there is a railway running through it.

I hear you all about hiding fencing/walls as my garden is boxed in by all our neighbours:



As part of the railway alteration we are going to change this part of the garden shown above (the track will remain the same, managed to negotiate keeping the other loop for continuous running!) giving it an oriental touch so watch this space!

Milo is a very special Labrador (aren't they all) and is part of the family without question. I doubt I will ever own one like him again:



Molly our cat on the other hand is just a typical moggy who does as she pleases

Had a crack at removing one of the track supports today while keeping the fence post intact.

I am glad I used METPOST posts rather than concrete as I just used bricks and a large metal pole to lever it out:

Patio reclaimed!



Here is a new view of the line I have never seen before due to the red robin being overgrown:



Yes that is a cat you saw enjoying her new found sun spot in the above pic



After taking the picture of the line behind the tree I sat there and thought this would be a great spot to sit and run trains although achieving this would mean that I could not have a loop.

So after some measuring I have come up with this idea for a station that fits in the space and allows trains to run round:


Measurements are in mm

I have SSP slomos reserved for when they are released for the Lady Anne chassis which allows realistic slow running needed for this set up. I would not need point motors as the trains will always come into the station the same route and the points will be set in the same position by the use of springs under the track which I have used before on the loops on my line with success.

The remaining hurdle is how to get the train to uncouple without intervention. I have spent some time looking at the Kadee range of couplers which would allow magnetic uncoupling, however, this would mean a complete refit of all my stock.

So the loop may still happen under the tree, however, I do like the idea of having a line with some function as opposed to just a race track.

I suspect the second photo is a view of the CAT rarely seen - never mind the railway!

It all looks lovely and definitely a nice operating position. The operation sounds interesting too. I wonder if anyone has ever found a way of automating chopper couplings?

Keep up the excellent work (wish I could make such quick progress) and please keep the pics coming. Once more I find these shots a great inspiration to spur me on.

Happy civil engineering,

Andrew

Soar Valley Light:112362 wrote: I wonder if anyone has ever found a way of automating chopper couplings?

Been pondering this one for a while and I reckon you could use this idea which I have seen done in OO scale in the past:

http://www.modelrailforum.com/forums/in ... topic=8094

Then I thought about the Hornby uncoupling ramps I had as a kid and came up with this:



Loco/rolling stock simply passes over piece of raised track bed be it a piece of wood, etc and then lifts up the chopper leaving the coupler without a chopper fitted behind.

The idea these developing, however, I think I am on to something as the wire attached to the coupling could be made to look like a bob weight

That looks a very promising idea tom-tom-go. Please keep us updated on your progress. Some sort of lifting arrangement for the ramp probably wouldn't be beyond the wit of man to prevent unintended uncoupling.

If you turn the piece of copper wire into a bob weight it will perform the additional useful function of discouraging accidental uncoupling when in motion.

Peter in AZ

Tired out the uncoupling idea with Steamy Clare and it works perfectly every time:

So here is the final design:



Unlike the previous station layout this set up allows the station building to face forward which you will be able to see lit at night. It also allows trains to arrive at the station without having to negotiate a tight curve.

I have tried to reuse parts of the old railway, however, I ran out of wood today so here is progress so far:




This will be the station approach:





Painting the back fence was a pain in the bottom although it brightens the garden up now.

I am planning to place gravel under the tree and box it in to create a sitting area. Once finished placing a camera here should provide some good videos for training entering and leaving the station.

It was getting dark by the time I finished, however, here are some night shots of the shelf railway restored (minus the track for now):

I like how your railway runs down the back of larger plants. Means the loco can go in and out of sight which I enjoy seeing.

looking good I love all the rusty bits on your line adds lots of character

jim@NAL:113129 wrote:looking good I love all the rusty bits on your line adds lots of character

I like line side junk. My finest piece will be a Mamod loco on the cheap to rust somewhere

Starting to play around with the track plan and inevitability have changed the design to now include a head shunt so I have another point on order from Track Shack:



The station layout (behind the camera are two sidings as per the original design):



I like what Rik has done using Deltang equipment for remote point operation although if I go down the route I will use servos for slow point throw and realistic signal bounce.

As it was such a nice day today it motivated me to get some more track work done.

So we went from this:



To a platform




Some slabs were left over from when we had our patio done years ago so I know they will weather in time.

Looking really good. Like the platform especially

Rik

Very nice indeed! You can't beat natural materials.