Staple Hill Railway - New Line

[James from Devon]

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

[ge_rik]

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

Rik

[James from Devon]

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.

[ge_rik]

........ 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]

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!

[James from Devon]

Hi Tom

Yes it is the same stuff and yours was the post that I referred to. I like the colour, is has darkened very slightly after I bonded it with PVA and here in devon, it is close to that used on the South Devon Railway.

Thanks for the comments about my line, the main circuit got connected up this weekend so I can now run trains!

As an aside, I loved reading your building diary, a lovely and well thought out railway that you have there. You gave me an awful lot of inspiration so thank you!

Jim

[James from Devon]

A lovely weekend here in Devon and the exciting news is that I finished the blockwork and track laying on the main circuit and one of the two balloon loops. I was able to treat myself to a cuppa while watching some trains run around the garden which was lovely!

Here are some pictures from the work...

I was getting concerned that as I neared the end of the block laying on the the loop that my levels may have been a little out (this is my first block laying ever) so I got a long post and had a final check.....

And the result was..... a massive sigh of relief!

Almost there...

The complete circuit and loop, I have removed the turf from this side of the garden which has now filled the resulting void in the middle of the loop. This will be the site of an as yet, unnamed village.

Another view

A busy moment at Staple Hill shed

Baguley with a coal train


Next up this week is laying the slabs and pathways with a couple of benches to sit on and enjoy the trains.

Hope you like these and thanks for all the encouragement.

[LNR]

Glad to see you have trains running James, your moving along at quite a pace. The block work is looking really good. I notice what seems to be a fairly open fence line, I hope security is not an issue.
Grant.

[James from Devon]

Hi Grant
Thanks for the comments, I make the most of a dry day or two when it comes along! I have put up a willow screen at the front of the garden which gives some privacy from the road. We are lucky that we live in a very quite cul-de-sac in a very small village, security has never been a problem here. Also, we have lovely neighbours either side so we left the open fence that was always there so we can have a chat!
Cheers
Jim

[Peter Butler]

Wow, Jim.... if you have achieved this since your first post at the end of March you are a real Superman!!!! It looks wonderful and the planting is going to be very colourful when it becomes established. I can see you have planted your own Pepsi tree too.... good luck with that one!

[Soar Valley Light]

I'm so impressed Jim, both with the speed and quality of your work. After three years I still haven't laid an inch of permanent way!

Your line is looking really good, it's clearly well engineered and well thought out. Keep the pics coming please.

[James from Devon]

Thanks guys

I must confess to being a bit of a workaholic... I can't stand to have nothing to do. My job is also very demanding and indoors so when I get a day off or have some leave, I make the most of it and work from first light until it gets dark hence the rapid progress. In fairness, it is taking shape much faster than I expected.

Soar Valley.. I was looking at your build diary, I wouldn't describe that as slow, seems to me that you are doing a great job of the groundworks and building really high quaility footings for your line. That will serve you ell for years. It'll all be worth the work!

I am planning on having some freinds over for a Regner-fest in a few weeks!

Pepsi tree is coming along fine thanks!

Cheers

Jim

[tom_tom_go]

Videos and pictures of the Regners please when they all come to visit

[ge_rik]

Really impressive progress, Jim. I too would like to see video of the Regner-fest. Seriously tempted by one of their vertical boilered locos.

Rik

[tom_tom_go]

If you were more local James I could bring mine along:



I can recommend them Rik, bullet proof - they just work

[ge_rik]

If you were more local James I could bring mine along:



I can recommend them Rik, bullet proof - they just work

Now you're just putting temptation my way ........  :sad11:

Get thee behind me.  :twisted:

Rik

PS - Sorry - thread drift.......

[James from Devon]

OOO lovely Chaloner! If you are ever down this way, the kettle will be on, your both most welcome!

I promise to post some regner pics and video! I live in a tiny village and between me and Graham Wilkins there are at least 5 here! another couple up the road with another mate so plenty to choose from!

I have a Vincent and Konrad "Kotowska" and "Gulliver" respectively on my line. I did have a Chaloner but I sold it ...found it too tall, more 7/8th and didnt really run it often.

I can't recommend the Regner locos too highly, very reliable, powerful, great fun, don't need to chase them round the garden as they just chug away. Also, for the price, you get a lot of loco for your money and they are ripe for modifications!

[James from Devon]

Hi guys!

Another few dry days and I took a couple of extra days off work so got some more work done.

End of the loop with retaining wall and raised bed. It doesn't reach all the way round the loop as the tracks for the second loop will be built near the camera. (Sorry for the low quality pic, I got concrete dust on the camera lens!!)

Built the second platform...flagstones going in

Second platform done, this took significantly less time than the first one!

Track through station ballasted, dry stone wall and gate at the back of the bay and crossings between the platforms:

Black mortar screeding over the tracks in the yard, ready for coal stage and loco shed debris!

Not totally railway related but started on paving the rest of this side of garden

Overall shot of the station:

And to end with some, some trains!




Hope you like these and thanks so much for all the support!

Jim

[Peter Butler]

Own up now..... you've had the builders in haven't you? I can't believe how quickly, and superbly, you have achieved this work.
It looks good now but when it matures it will look just great!

[James from Devon]

Builders! Damn!, why didn't I think of that!  ;)

If I could afford builders, then that would be perfect!

Thanks Pete, really glad you like the work so far! I do like to get my hands dirty and work hard. When I work on the garden, I spend the 9-5 ish time on heavy building and then the nice fun railway detail work in the evening until it gets dark. I have a lovely wife who comes out planting the flowers and shrubs and keeping the tea topped up. She loves to sit and watch the trains!

I also have a steady stream of curious neighbours! Most of them say I should charge for entry. Funny, none of them left a cheque on the way out!



Cheers

Jim