Garden Railway Forum

So did you get the old Anna going once she arrived? These old Beck have brass boilers, something to keep an eye on and drain dry when the locomotive is not in service to prevent the water from drawing the zinc out of the brass. Yes the notch is for a servo rod to go forward to a crank arm mounted in...

As far as I know, your going to be on your own laying your own track, much like is done in the larger ride on scales of 4.75, 5 inch and 7.5 inch gauge. You might try posting over on Mylargerscale forum, its more USA based where as this one is more UK based. But always good to ask everywhere you can...

To bad you cant fit twin outside cylinders with inside slip eccentic valve gear. That would help with space issues. Turn the valve chests inwards so they are inside the frame and fit the slip eccentrics to the rear driven axle. Even just fixed eccentrics for forward running only could be done that w...

Long overdue, but here is a video of her pulling a friends rake of Mercian Models LNWR coaches at a show our steam group set up at this past fall.

As part of an engine swap with a gentleman, I ended up with a very tired Regner Stainz. It was his first engine and ran many miles on a ground level railway with little to no cleaning of the motion work. So the oil got gummy and filled with grit, which has wore out the eccentric straps and the side ...

I would add, if you fear you have run it to low or nearly out, just shut off the gas and let the locomotive cool down. Adding water to a low or nearly dry boiler is worse than just letting things cool off. These wee beasts are very over engineered. I also, when adding water top up, will fit the feed...

Looking for someone to build me a gauge one version of the Bassett-Lowke Stanier mogul, keeping to the style and flavor of the original Bassett Lowke model. While I am sure its not a cost effective way to get such a model, there really is no other option. From the deep flanges and "steam roller...

The space to run gauge 1/G scale and live steam operation is what took me into the garden years ago. I barely have the room for a small HO Marklin set up indoors, so we first put a loop of G scale around our living room ceiling. The the ability to purchase and enjoy live steam happened, so first a g...

Thanks Keith, Once I get some proper coaches for her to pull, or at an upcoming steam up pulling my friends coaches, I will take a longer video of her running. Once she is going and you get the throttle set, I can just sit back and watch or take video.

And for some vintage steam action, my newly aquired Midland Railway Compound. Made by Bing for Bassett-Lowke back in the 1920s. She is a alcohol fired pot boiler, I am using Bioethanol as it does not soot up the paint work, very little smell to it unlike the denatured alcohol sold at hardware stores...

I dont have any gauge one cars for her to pull, just LGB stuff. A friend does have some cars, and I will get to pull them at a steam up at a museum our local steam group is setting up the portable layout at on the 30th of July. I did replace the perished seals on the safety valve, it was leaking lik...

Here is the video of her running on the railway.

The loco arrived today, she tested great on air, burner works great on the bench, so a test run on steam here shortly.

Having been smitten with the vintage garden railway of the late Peter Strange and the Duck End videos featuring it. I have started a change over to more of a vintage gauge one look. Finding and shipping classic gauge one buildings to the states is problematic at the least. So I will have to find my ...

I am running a Bix ceramic gas burner set up in my O gauge Corgi/Bassett-Lowke Stanier Mogul. Rather than try to fab up something, which I am not that good at. I used their set up designed for the Mamod SL1 locomotive and adapted it to the O gauge loco. Gas valve is fed from the top of the tank in t...

I am planning on buying an old Bing for Bassett Lowke LMS Compound #1000 as its one of the few that will gauge one engines that will tollerate my less that perfect track work and LGB track/switches with its tinplate style flanges and wheel treads. But....how do they run? I have seen pics of one runn...

The bunker is on my gas fired Billy, Elk has the tender and the typical open cab back that comes on the Billy. Roundhouse offers a coal bunker for the rear of the cab that fits the Billy, Katie and Lady Anne. I put one on my BIlly.

I put one of the new rear coal bunkers that Roundhouse offers on my factory built Billy, that also really makes the engine look more complete as a tank engine. The open cab back really needs either the bunker or the tender.

I would also, in hindsight, recommend a satin or matte finish for the model vs the high gloss that Roundhouse uses. Typical paint from a rattle can does not have enough hardener in it to deal with the grit and grime of a coal fired model. It scratches up very quickly when you clean it up, many times...

That would be Justin Koch of Nanticoke boiler works that does Jay's coal conversions. I know he is booked up for boiler work a good year to 2 years in advance. I know at one time they were planning a coal fired Lady Anne, but I am guessing it would be more like the DJB set up with axle pump, working...