Garden Railway Forum

I had a similar problem recently with my ELR Fowler, couldn't get above 25psi. Tried a thorough clean of firebox, tubes and chimney, also using charcoal and coal sieved to remove initially the fines and then lumps too big for a 10mm square sieve. Also found the blower was blocked, cleared with a bit...

I made a pair for my latest layout. I fixed a yard of track to a piece of timber and screwed it to the top of a 12-inch lazy susan. I cut out a 3ft circle from the baseboard and used cross-pieces underneath to secure it in position a couple of inches below the baseboard top. The base of the lazy sus...

The white square ones for the 16mm line don't have a filling and are not cemented in, just knocked into the ground with a big rubber mallet, as in when I nod my head, hit it. I am not sure about the bigger round ones for the Gauge 1, as I wasn't involved in building the line. I've a feeling they wer...

This is a photo of the painted PVC, complete with Garratt chassis under test with a borrowed boiler:

http://tinyurl.com/zdlob7n


Derek

It's a gauge 1 line, which you can see in more detail here: http://tinyurl.com/gmbwz8a The uprights are black plastic drainage pipes, the tops are wood impregnated with preservative and covered with roofing felt. The older sections are showing a little softness in places but generally it is in good ...

For rot-resistance, uPVC is easy to use and cheap.

Drainpipe for uprights, fascia/bargeboard and/or 1" square trim for horizontal track supports.

An example is here:http://tinyurl.com/p22lfvm



Derek

Glad you like it Annie, the horse-drawn wagon is from an Atropos kit that belongs to a friend of mine. We are now extending the line to include a second return loop, on the eastern side, just because we can and to make multiple-train running that more interesting. I took a couple more photos of Phas...

Hi Kjell,

I have an IP loco and a Deltang controller, and they work fine on 9v. Full voltage makes the loco go too fast, but it is easy to control the speed.


Derek

An update on progress, after a lot of hard work by numerous people, not all of the 16mm fraternity (yet) Phase 2 is nearing completion.

Some photos are here:

http://tinyurl.com/kru6h8a


Derek Pratt

After a season of successful running, we are extending the line to include a return loop and a wye. The aim is to improve operational interest, mainly by giving the operators the experience of avoiding (or not, as the case may be) head-on collisions. The necessary break in the new line for lawnmower...

Trackshack are quoting January 2015, but probably better to ring Brandbright and ask.

A major milestone for the new railway, the first circumnavigation! My Roundhouse Mountaineer (also on its maiden outing) does the first circuit, with Tony Kuivala at the controls: http://vimeo.com/89025067 An earlier trial run by Richard Jones' 'The Mighty Reds' is here: http://vimeo.com/89033726 Th...

Truth to tell I subcontracted the tracklaying to another member, as mine tends to follow the Ratty foreman's philosophy, namely that a bit of wiggle is good for the driver's concentration! Turfing-up was an important part of the plan, to try to integrate the railway into a garden setting and still k...

Philip, the topping is my version of Rowland's mixture, 1 part sand, 1 cement and 1.5 dried & sieved compost. The soffit board was sanded to take the gloss off then painted with Sandtex and sand sprinkled on top of the wet paint. Bearing in mind the wind and rain we have had during the process i...

Good progress despite the weather:

http://tinyurl.com/n9bjng7

Should be operable in a couple of weeks, although not finished by any means.

They also have a good-sized Gauge 1 line, recently extended to make it an even better-sized line. The good news is that Roundhouse locos run on it OK.

Seven garden railwayers from the Southport/Ormskirk/Preston area have joined the local model engineering society to build a 16mm layout in their premises. The plan for Phase 1 is a kidney-shaped track about 50m long on a 40cm high grass embankment. Initial trials using PVC soffit, window trim and do...

My Brunel only reverses occasionally, when it feels like it I suppose. It may be possible to adjust the gear to prevent it, but I don't really think it's worth the effort.

And yes, I love the Salem in blue also. Got it from Llanfair in September.

In defence of the boy racers, it can be difficult to drive a steam loco slowly on a short, tight line, possibly due to the fear of stalling on the curves. Battery electrics seem much easier to drive slowly.

Some more video of this layout is here:

http://youtu.be/lJ9uqyPqTE0

The Brunel is mine, as is the Salem diesel. The latter has a Timpdon controller, definitely no auto-reversing!


Derek Pratt