Garden Railway Forum

Apologies for the delay in responding but thanks to you all for the explanations. I think from my perspective I will continue to describe radii as "x", there seems to be too many variables in using the "Rx" system.

With all the discussions that have been taking place recently on track gauges and the like, it has brought to my attention that a lot of people refer to radii as R1, R2 etc. Excuse my ignorance but can anyone tell me what these radii actually are?

And don't forget that a whistle used on air will not sound/perform the same when used with steam. When I used to make whistles for larger 3.5" gauge engines I could spend ages experimenting to get the sound I wanted and when making the even smaller devices for 16mm engines the problems are even...

It's a good number of years since I last read a copy of Railway Modeller, primarily because I thought that somehow the magazine had lost it's way and there were just too many adverts. Reading here about Peter's article I thought I had better put my bias aside and buy a copy, I'm very impressed by th...

Well I thought some of the things that we do with garden railways is a bit OTT but this really beats anything that I have seen. Reminds me in some respects of me as a child with "Brickplayer" used to drive my mother mad with the mess I made with the wallpaper paste type cement that it used...

Another way to cut slabs is by using the diamond disc to score a line on the cut point on both sides of the slab, then supporting the slab on blocks a smart blow on the cutting line with a rubber mallet usually results in a clean break of the slab. Obviously this doesn't completely remove the dust p...

You say that you are putting the loco away for a while, could it be that limescale is building up and throwing the whistle out of tune?
Just a thought.

This I think is one of your finer creations Rik and I still can't believe the speed with which you do it, if that was me I'd still be thinking about it.

This is the horticultural grit that I've used straight out of the bag before washing. I estimate that the average grit size is 3 - 4mm, as can be seen some of the grit is a bit larger at maybe 5 - 6mm but they are few enough to pick out if they cause a problem.

Thank you all for your kind comments, that's one of the benefits of this forum that others can see what I'm trying to achieve, most of my friends and family seem to think to I've got a screw loose to want to do anything like this. George, yes it is the Pendle inn and my model measures 200mm deep x 3...

I have also used silicone sealant (clear) as an adhesive and my findings reflect Peter's opinion. It is perfectly adequate as a temporary fixing - I use it to secure figures in place to stop them falling over due to wind and local cats. At the end of the season when putting things away for winter st...

Having been delayed for various reasons with my ballasting, I've now managed to complete the bulk of it and now that the SBR is fully cured/hardened I'm now putting back the various buildings and lineside features on my railway. 20190530_170406-01.jpeg Generally speaking I'm pleased with the way it ...

Considering that was supposed to be a "test fit" it looks to me as if they had been in place for years. Well done Rik, your projects are always a true source of inspiration and put my efforts to shame.

I do have a subscription to Garden Rail but only because I prefer a digital version, no piles of magazines lying around to upset certain people! Here in West Norfolk (UK) suprisingly my local corner newsagent has it on his shelf and certainly it's available in W.H.Smith.

Clearly your clocks must run at a different rate to mine. I never seem to have enough time in the day to do what I do least of all your prodigious output. Well done Rik, yet another project that sets your line apart.

That really looks superb and presumably an added bonus is that you don't have to cut the hedge anymore.

Ah, that video takes me back. I can remember as a small child being terrified of the coal delivery men, to my then mind huge blokes with black hands and faces from the coal dust and the leather (?) reinforcing patches on their jacket shoulders for some reason has always stuck in my mind. Not forgett...

OK chaps I was wrong. I've had a look at a couple of carriers and as you all say it is about the right priceI, teach me to check things before opening big mouth! I still think the postage is a lot of money though but perhaps I've got used to buying a lot on line where often the postage is free.

Superb! I love the slow running on your railway, very realistic.

20190422_152858-01.jpeg Well I've bitten the bullet and decided to continue securing the ballast with SBR, not only does it make for a very firm trackbed it will also stop the birds from scattering it in all directions, a problem which is very prevalent in my garden. You can see in the photo the sl...