Garden Railway Forum

New to garden railways.
I would like to have a quarry line in 16mm using Roundhouse Hunslet and Billy.
Advice on best track to buy and also which slate wagons either ready to run or kit for would be very much appreciated.
Thank you
David

Hi David,
Welcome to the forum, there is plenty of advice to be had from the members. You will also almost always find relevant stuff if you use the search function.

If you are planning on a slate quarry line then Peco 32mm track is probably the best option. In 16mm it equates to 2ft gauge which is nominally what most quarry lines were laid to, and also will allow your proposed loco's to run easily. Be aware though that you do need their narrow gauge version, not their standard gauge 32mm track. The sleeper spacings are different but so is the rail height and point geometry.

I can't personally make a recommendation on the slate wagons you are after, either RTR or kits, because I have drawn and 3D printed my own. I'm sure others will have views though

What is your proposed track layout and how are you going to construct the track base?

Once you've recovered from the heart attack that the price of Peco points will cause, have a look at Cliff Barker products. His points are cheaper and he uses a finer scale rail (code 180) rather than the code 200 that Peco use.
It is equally as durable as Peco Streamline, and detailing of the plastic sleepers and chairs is more detailed.
Many manufacturers make slate waggon models, so you "pays your money and makes your choice". You'll find many garden railers will use a mixture of brands.
If you look under 'suppliers' in the forum you'll see a comprehensive list of most garden rail suppliers
https://gardenrails.org/viewtopic.php?t=13215
Cliff Barker track
http://www.cliffbarker.me.uk/
Welcome to a great hobby!

Having used Cliff Barker track and points on my garden layout and Peco on my first foray into sm32 and more recently on my alterations to the outdoor track, I would now stick with the chunkier rail profile of Peco for the better reliability and ruggedness of the latter. A little over two years into the life of the CB points I am having to replace the rail joiners where the switch rail meets the fixed running rail in his points as they break, I am using Peco ones. I have also detailed using magnets in place of the springs in the CB points where the spring hasn’t held the point closed or open firmly, and the problems I and a friend have both had with the flangeway being too wide, in our view, for good running, in my layout thread which you should find in the top half of the menu page of this forum section.

Please keep us updated as you make your journey in this adventure,

Phil

Welcome to the forum.
Looks like you're getting plenty of good advice.

Looking forward to seeing developments once you get started.

Rik

H Jones Engineering, Before The Buffers, IP Engineering, Coast Line Models, Slaters Plastikard and Raven Kreativ all make slate waggons of different types. Some are 3D printed, some are laser-cut and others are brass.

I myself have a rare Peter Binnie Ffestiniog Wooden 2 ton slate waggon, made from a plastic mold. I also have two Before The Buffers and two H Jones Engineering Dinorwic waggons, which are very nice and are the newest kits out of the list. Below is a photo of my friend's PDF Models 'Wren' and the BTB waggons, with added slate loads that they also sell.

Trenarren models also sell slate loads for the different slate waggons.

I haven't tried any myself yet, but the Houston Gate Loco Works kits for Penrhyn slate wagons look like good kits and are reasonably priced.
https://www.hglw.co.uk/light_industrial.html

Many thanks to all for the most helpful replies

David