Staple Hill Railway - New Line

mightymax · Post by **mightymax** » Mon Apr 11, 2016 2:30 pm

Hi James, love seeing projects as they are built. Love the station, what are them edging stones you used on the platform, and where do they come from?

Keith S · Post by **Keith S** » Mon Apr 11, 2016 2:58 pm

He says he made masters himself out of clay, and then casts them in resin and paints them. The "filling" is mortar dyed black. Clever, eh?

James from Devon · Post by **James from Devon** » Mon Apr 11, 2016 6:36 pm

Thanks chaps!

The weather in Devon over the last 2 weeks has been ...well...disappointing! it managed to rain or even hail on every day off so progress has been slowed. I did manage to get out yesterday and today for a while so here are the updates and pictures:

The end of the first bridge and the embankment taking shape. There will be rocks and logs at the bottom of the slope to hold back the soil and I think I am going to plant the sides with Chamomile:

Embankment from the other end. There will be a junction here to a short balloon loop back to the station and also a choice of routes around one or both sides of the garden:

The cutting through the rockery at the top of the garden. I couldn't resist posing "Gulliver" with some clay wagon empties for a picture. The plants are in so should start looking nice come summer. The point is the junction for Platform 1 or 2. Just ballasting on this section to finish.

Thanks for looking chaps, hope you like them.

Jim

James from Devon · Post by **James from Devon** » Mon Apr 11, 2016 6:42 pm

mightymax:117385 wrote:Hi James, love seeing projects as they are built. Love the station, what are them edging stones you used on the platform, and where do they come from?

Hi Mightymax.

thanks for your comments, much appreciated

Keith is right. I used air drying clay to make 4 large and 4 half sized slabs so they were all slightly different, rustic looking. I used chinese takeaway tubs and made moulds from RTV silicone and then cast hundreds from resin. Once set, i used car spray paint primer and once that was dry i sprayed them dark grey. Before that dried, I oversprayed with brown and a little white to get them the colour i wanted. Last step was to spray them with varnish ...a good few coats to make them last.

Platform was made from reinforced concrete ... I made a 20mm high mould. I glued the edge slabs on with no more nails and then as keith said, filled in the gap with cement...you can buy dye from Amazon for about a fiver! It takes some time but I am happy with the results.

Let me know if you want any more info.

Cheers

Jim

Dwayne · Post by **Dwayne** » Mon Apr 11, 2016 7:57 pm

Great shot of Gulliver.

mightymax · Post by **mightymax** » Mon Apr 11, 2016 8:15 pm

James from Devon:117405 wrote:
mightymax:117385 wrote:Hi James, love seeing projects as they are built. Love the station, what are them edging stones you used on the platform, and where do they come from?
Hi Mightymax.

thanks for your comments, much appreciated

Keith is right. I used air drying clay to make 4 large and 4 half sized slabs so they were all slightly different, rustic looking. I used chinese takeaway tubs and made moulds from RTV silicone and then cast hundreds from resin. Once set, i used car spray paint primer and once that was dry i sprayed them dark grey. Before that dried, I oversprayed with brown and a little white to get them the colour i wanted. Last step was to spray them with varnish ...a good few coats to make them last.

Platform was made from reinforced concrete ... I made a 20mm high mould. I glued the edge slabs on with no more nails and then as keith said, filled in the gap with cement...you can buy dye from Amazon for about a fiver! It takes some time but I am happy with the results.

Let me know if you want any more info.

Cheers
That's a great bit of information, I'll give that a go myself I think for my planned halt to be built over the summer.thankyou.
Jim

James from Devon · Post by **James from Devon** » Wed Apr 20, 2016 7:34 pm

Managed to make some more progress on the line this week. I took out the temporary railway that I built with posts and boards, I was amazed how much warping and twisting had occurred in just over a year. I am glad to be running on a concrete base from now on. I also learned a very valuable lesson...never again will I fix track down with panel pins, it was murder getting them out without damaging the track. All track now screwed down on the new railway.
I am about 3/4 of the way round now with the new line and there is enough track to run on, albeit backwards and forwards.

Here are some more pictures:

This is start of the tunnel, not only is it nice to have one, this has a purpose as you need to walk over it to get into the garden now that there is track all the way around. I went for the traditional breeze block and paving slab method.

Taking shape, I have some large flat rocks to add to the top of the mouth uprights which will finish off the front and hide the paving slab.

I decided to build a retaining wall on the base of the embankment, I am happy with how this turned out and of course the soil won't wash away in the rain.

Long straight at the opposite side of the garden.

I am starting to experiment with ballast, I have settled on this type.

And to finish this update, Lady Isabella in the newly ballasted bay platform.

Hope you like these, hopefully there will be some more to add after the weekend.

Happy steaming!

Jim

pandsrowe · Post by **pandsrowe** » Thu Apr 21, 2016 8:51 am

I have to say that I'm impressed with your progress so far and with time as the planting matures it will look the part of a true 'garden railway'.

I am starting to experiment with ballast, I have settled on this type.

Would you please give a little more detail on your ballasting.

sstjc · Post by **sstjc** » Thu Apr 21, 2016 10:33 am

I think you may well be surprised how much of your soil will wash away despite the retaining wooden fence. However when I had something similar many moons ago I just picked up a bag or two of cheap supermarket compost whenever I was forced into a shopping trip and it was a moments work to top it up. Made shopping a bit more bareable too !

Lovely line by the way and great progress !
Barry

Soar Valley Light · Post by **Soar Valley Light** » Thu Apr 21, 2016 7:15 pm

Great work Jim,

Your works is clearly of a good standard.

I, too, would be very interested in more details about your ballasting methods if you get the chance please.

Keep up the good work and keep the posts coming.

Andrew

James from Devon · Post by **James from Devon** » Thu Apr 21, 2016 7:38 pm

Hi guys

Thanks for the lovely comments, of course, if any of you are ever down this way you'd be welcome to come in and have a run and a cuppa!

The ballast is Trugrip68, its for resin bonding normally. I got the idea from a post on this forum. You can get sample bags from here:

http://resinbondedaggregates.com/produc ... esin-bound

One sample bag does about 7 feet of track and the samples are free postage. Its not the cheapesty solution but scale ballast is very hard to come by I found. it does come up lighter than the image on the above website as you can see in my pics.

I am also a little worried about loss of earth on the bank, I will keep topping up but I am going to plant chamomile lawn on this section so I am hoping that once that is established the root network will hold it all in place a little better. I guess time will tell.

I tend to get a couple of days off work and go for it from first thing until it gets dark such is my excitement at getting it all running, I normally pay for that the day after with many aching muscles!

In other good news, I bought some bridge sides from ebay, they arrived today so that's Saturday's project.

Post by **Andrew** » Thu Apr 21, 2016 8:34 pm

It's all looking very good, thanks for the update! I really like the carriages (IP mini L&B?), and the shot of them sitting in the bay too - it has a real sense of "something about to happen"...

I've found earth creeping down from walls etc to be a bit of an issue, but planting does help keep it in place, and helps disguise the resultant gap too...

Cheers,

Andrew.

Post by **ge_rik** » Fri Apr 22, 2016 8:22 am

Looks like you've go off to a flying start and that you're going to have an interesting looking line, scenic-wise. I do love watching a railway grow - looking forward to seeing progress.

Rik

sstjc · Post by **sstjc** » Fri Apr 22, 2016 9:41 am

Very interesting... That Truegrip stuff looks good but on the webpage its black whereas in your pictures your ballast doesn't look black. Is there a reason for that?

Barry

LNR · Post by **LNR** » Fri Apr 22, 2016 9:59 am

Jim,
Your ballast does look good. Assuming you haven't used the resin bond,
have you used anything to bond it with, or is it tamped loose. It appears to be quite a sharp aggregate.
Grant.

James from Devon · Post by **James from Devon** » Mon May 02, 2016 9:24 pm

Hi All,

Here is the update for this week. It has been typical bank holiday weather so I have been working on a loco shed - pic below. Only about 10 feet of blockwork and track to complete the first circuit which is very exciting! I have the day off work on Thursday so I am planning on getting that finished.

Got the bridge sides fitted (Thanks Derek - Bazzer from Ebay, love them!)

There were some questions about the ballast... On the website I shared the link to, the image shows the ballast with its resin bond added which darkens it considerably. I wont use anything like that, the stretches that I have done are bonded with good old fashioned PVA/water/washing up liquid mix which seems to be holding it in place just fine so far.

Here are the pics:

This is the bridge with sides, rock facing and a short train!

New loco shed almost finished, minus doors as yet! This came from Modelworks, its a lovely kit to put together. I need to put in the base for the yard which will be more black mortar with coal mixed in. The shed can then be bolted down!

Tunnel almost there, got some plants in as ground cover so hopefully this will start looking less "new" soon! I am still on the look out for some stone to finish the top of the tunnel mouths.

This is the far end of the garden and I was laying out points to check line up of the blocks, this is the main junction which will give options for short route around the garden, dogbone balloon loops or taking the route over a bridge across the path and a long route of both sides of the garden. The track curving off to the right will form a raised bed with a quarry area.

Thats it for now.

Hope you like them and I will keep you all updated!

Cheers

Jim

Post by **ge_rik** » Tue May 03, 2016 6:12 am

Brilliant progress, Jim! The line is really coming together. It'll look even better when the planting becomes established.

Rik

James from Devon · Post by **James from Devon** » Tue May 03, 2016 7:41 am

ge_rik:117827 wrote:Brilliant progress, Jim! The line is really coming together. It'll look even better when the planting becomes established.

Rik

Hi Rik.
Thanks for your comment. I have to admit that I am excited to see all the planting established...I will have to be patient! Actually, I do have to credit you for some of the ideas for my line. Your excellent website about your railway really shows how beautiful a garden line can look with careful planting. Your line looks like its always been there...top job!
Cheers.
Jim.

Post by **ge_rik** » Tue May 03, 2016 11:45 am

James from Devon:117831 wrote: ........ Actually, I do have to credit you for some of the ideas for my line. Your excellent website about your railway really shows how beautiful a garden line can look with careful planting. ..........

Thanks Jim. Glad you've found my blog to be useful. You give me and my horticultural skills far too much credit. I use the Darwinian approach to gardening - nature decides what will grow and what won't. I then let Mind Your Own Business fill in the gaps.

Rik

tom_tom_go · Post by **tom_tom_go** » Sat May 07, 2016 9:02 am

James from Devon:117648 wrote:The ballast is Trugrip68, its for resin bonding normally. I got the idea from a post on this forum. You can get sample bags from here:

http://resinbondedaggregates.com/produc ... esin-bound

One sample bag does about 7 feet of track and the samples are free postage. Its not the cheapesty solution but scale ballast is very hard to come by I found. it does come up lighter than the image on the above website as you can see in my pics.

Hi James,

Was it the same stuff I tried?

http://gardenrails.myfreeforum.org/ftop ... asc-60.php

Yours looks great but it was too light for me, even a bluey kind of colour?

You are making lightening progress, well done!

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