The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

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Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by Andrew » Mon Dec 03, 2018 9:41 am

Morning all,

Yesterday I braved the rain and the gloom to clear the line and give Russell a run to test out the Slomo that Tom has recently fitted for me. The first run was not a success, other than to highlight just how in need of maintenance so of my track is, but the second was better - and I'd promised Tom I'd make a film. It isn't a great film, by any means - the garden and railway were in a mess, I wasn't familiar with either the iPad I was using or running with a Slomo, and I don't have three hands. It times I was trying to control my loco with my knee, so this doesn't really show the "Slo" bit of the Slomo to its best advantage. There is some "mo" though, so let's get on with it...



Anyway, it's an update on the railway of sorts. It's not necessarily apparent in the video for the reasons mentioned above, but running with the Slomo was something of a revelation in terms of slow, smooth, controllable operation, better than electric models I reckon. I'm looking forward to spending more time getting used to the new set-up - more videos to follow in the summer... Thanks Tom!

As I said, the runs (and in particular Russell's pony trucks and the buffet cars foot boards...) did demonstrate where my line needs some work. The bit immediately above the middle station needs relaying I think, but it's the least accessible bit of the line (it runs beneath the deck and the swing sofa), so I think that will need to wait until the weather's better. not to worry, there's plenty to be getting on with in the meantime...

Cheers,

Andrew

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Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by SimonWood » Mon Dec 03, 2018 9:49 am

Great video. The thing I really love about seeing a slomo loco is not so much the slowness of speed as the gentleness of acceleration. The way Russell pulls away, and the starting and stopping in the run-round sequence is just superb.

To make the video tag work you have to use the 'share' version of the link from the Youtube page, i.e. https://youtu.be/mvbfe4HrCs0 rather than https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvbfe4HrCs0, then it should work:


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Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by tom_tom_go » Mon Dec 03, 2018 9:55 am

Glad you are happy with it Andrew.

Posting videos how to here:

https://gardenrails.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=9208

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Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by Andrew » Mon Dec 03, 2018 1:07 pm

SimonWood wrote: Mon Dec 03, 2018 9:49 am Great video. The thing I really love about seeing a slomo loco is not so much the slowness of speed as the gentleness of acceleration. The way Russell pulls away, and the starting and stopping in the run-round sequence is just superb.
Thank you! The camera-work was pretty shaky, some of the starting a bit abrupt (even with a Slomo) and some of the stopping not very, err, "stoppy" while I get used to the Slomo, but there's lots of potential there. I was particularly pleased with how it helps drive round the curve under the apple tree - coming up the hill there's a steep climb, an abrupt change to being level, then a sharp curve, then another climb. Driving that smoothly is very hard to achieve, even my Konrad runs away a little on the downhill run, but the Slomo seems to iron it all out...

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Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by IrishPeter » Mon Dec 03, 2018 2:03 pm

I thought the video was terrific. Slo-mo really seems to take the jerkiness out of the running and make the whole thing look as though it has the heft which our small locos and trains necessarily lack.

I do rather like your railway, even in its winter state. It seems to be so much part of the garden rather than an alien imposition.

Peter in Va
Traffic Pattern? What pattern? Spuds out; grain in, but cattle, sheep and passengers are a lot less predictable.

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Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by Andrew » Mon Dec 03, 2018 6:29 pm

Thanks Peter, that's very kind of you.

The railway does need a fair bit of work to bring it up to scratch, but I'm determined that next summer will be a good one and see the line really looking its best. I'm glad you think it looks "part of the garden" - that was one of my aims, and it works better in some bits than others, but I'm grateful that my mind's habitual musings on track plans etc took me in the direction of the "end to end spiral" concept, which does seem to suit the gently sloping site. I looked at the pictures of your garden the other day and reckon your "end-to-end with S bends" should work pretty well, I'm looking forward to seeing you progress with that...

Cheers,

Andrew.

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Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by IrishPeter » Tue Dec 04, 2018 5:22 am

I think I will be able to manage a smallish continuous run and then the S arrangement up the hill to the side of the shed. Compared to where I used to live the present house's garden is quite visible, so I think I am going to have to fix things down more, which is a bit awkward as I like track that is free floating in ballast - except when it is time to tamp and level!

I had never quite realized your line was an end to end spiral. I had assumed it was a continuous run with termini spurred off the main run. A case, I think, of photographs being misleading.

Cheers,
Peter in Va
Traffic Pattern? What pattern? Spuds out; grain in, but cattle, sheep and passengers are a lot less predictable.

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Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by Andrew » Tue Dec 04, 2018 12:46 pm

IrishPeter wrote: Tue Dec 04, 2018 5:22 am
I had never quite realized your line was an end to end spiral. I had assumed it was a continuous run with termini spurred off the main run. A case, I think, of photographs being misleading.
It's only just a spiral! I've knocked up a sketch plan which might help...
(WH)WHR plan.jpg
(WH)WHR plan.jpg (146.54 KiB) Viewed 5516 times
It's not to scale, I should add!

I could turn it into a continuous run if I rebuilt Trefechan on a hefty gradient and turned Penlan into a junction, but I think it might spoil the light railway ambience... A return loop in front of the swing sofa would more than double the run, but I'm not sure I'd get planning permission for that... It's not a terribly long run (a good reason to take it slowly!) but as you can see, much of the journey from Trefechan to Clarach is uphill (the 1 in 40's probably not accurate!), which is how the upper terminus ends up loco-height-and-a-bit above the lower one.

Anyway, there it is, hope it helps visualise what's going on...

Cheers,

Andrew.

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Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by IrishPeter » Tue Dec 11, 2018 2:13 pm

Yes, a huge help, but I had to ponder it a bit, and it had given me a few ideas in that I like the relative simplicity of what you have done. I am inclined to over complicate things. I am heading towards an out and back format, or possibly a dog bone or dumbbell type arrangement too, but the first named is the simplest in the space I have. You do manage to pack a good deal in without it seeming too crowded, and it gives a good sense of a journey from A to B.

Taa for the map!

Peter in Va
Traffic Pattern? What pattern? Spuds out; grain in, but cattle, sheep and passengers are a lot less predictable.

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Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by LNR » Wed Dec 12, 2018 12:51 am

Just completed a ten page catch up of your line Andrew and concur with Peter, you have managed to pack a good journey into a small space. The diagram certainly helps picture things. The video is also inspiring.
Grant

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Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by Soar Valley Light » Sun Dec 16, 2018 2:45 pm

HI Andrew,

That's a great video. As Grant says, it's inspiring. I love to see a proper railway being operated. The slomo is clearly worthwhile.

Andrew
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Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by Andrew » Thu Jan 03, 2019 1:04 pm

Hi all - and a belated Happy New Year!

I've got a bit of a thing about trying to run a train on New Year's Day - perhaps it's about starting as you mean to go on, or just a nice bit of peace and quiet in the hurly-burly of the festive season? As it happened, the 1st January was fairly chilled here, and I spent much of the day merrily chopping foam board, but mid-afternoon I did manage to get outside. There wasn't really time before dusk for a proper steam-up, so good old "Margaret" did the honours with the manky trucks.

They were retrieved from the tunnel and shunted into a sensible order before the little train headed up the hill:
NYD 1.jpg
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NYD 2.jpg
NYD 2.jpg (344.89 KiB) Viewed 5221 times

"Margaret" was finding the gradients rather tricky so, fearing dying batteries and having to retrieve the train from under the deck or worse, the run was aborted at Penlan...
NYD 3.jpg
NYD 3.jpg (359.16 KiB) Viewed 5221 times



So, just a short run to start the year - I'm hoping there'll be plenty more to come! I finally found the TX that's shared by my Bertie and WD Baldwin, so if I find the time they'll be getting a run before too long -I'm particularly keen to see how the Bertie looks on the slate wagon rake...

Cheers all,

Andrew.

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Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by LNR » Thu Jan 03, 2019 11:33 pm

Glad to see some of the MOTTLITS out in the daylight once again. Like the first pic.
Grant.

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Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by philipy » Fri Jan 04, 2019 6:27 am

Nice Andrew.
The trackside fence posts in the 2nd picture, are they just posts with no wires? They look effective, if so.

Errr, BTW, whats all the foamboard chopping going to be about?
Philip

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Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by Andrew » Sat Jan 05, 2019 8:40 pm

Hello!

The fence posts do have wires (at least in most locations they do!), it's nylon (?) fishing line, but I think the stuff I purchased is a little too fine. In the spring I plan to do a litte work to this section which will include a coat of preservative (it's all gone rather green!) and refreshing the wire - I'll probably go for thicker line this time...

There are a few foamboard chopping projects on the go, but none have yet progressed to anything terribly recognisable or photo-worthy - more in due course!

Cheers,

Andrew.

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Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by philipy » Sun Jan 06, 2019 7:58 am

Andrew wrote: Sat Jan 05, 2019 8:40 pm Hello!

The fence posts do have wires (at least in most locations they do!), it's nylon (?) fishing line, but I think the stuff I purchased is a little too fine. In the spring I plan to do a litte work to this section which will include a coat of preservative (it's all gone rather green!) and refreshing the wire - I'll probably go for thicker line this time...
I used braided grey coloured fishing line for fence wires. It looks not to unlike twisted galvanised wire. Comes in various thicknesses and I'm hoping will be strong enough to catch a runaway loco ( haven't tested that yet!)
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UK-300m-100- ... SwZOBbk50L
Philip

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Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by Andrew » Mon Jan 07, 2019 9:09 am

Excellent, thanks Philip! What thickness did you purchase?

Cheers,

Andrew.

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Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by Andrew » Sun Jan 20, 2019 3:41 pm

No much to report outdoors at the moment, and progress indoors has been impeded by an urgent need to tidy the house - including my train stuff. I thought you might be amused/horrified to see the cupboard which acts as my store and where everything that's made for the line starts its life... Here goes:

The cupboard.jpg
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At the top of that heap are the Big Big Tipper wagons, perched on top of a whole bunch of plastic sheet etc, which is balanced on Tom's station building! That's why I needed to get them boxed up and out of the way - see the rolling stock thread. To the left of the building is the WKLR well wagon which needs some repairs to mouse damage (no, really, they nibbled the blooming thing while it was stored under the house!), and a stack of small WHR wagons that don't currently have anywhere else to live, hidden behind various pots of paint etc. On the right is the People Pot of plastic figures awaiting surgery, among other things... On the shelf below are a set of ex-library drawers, full to overflowing with all sorts of bits and bobs, from hand tools to detailing parts. The cans of spray paint in front of them a precariously balanced and often fall onto the shopping trolley when disturbed by someone accessing the hoover or recycling bins... Naturally this mixed-use cupboard isn't ideal for either purpose, but we've only got a small-ish house, so it has to do!

One of the benefits of tidying up (apart from things getting tidier) is that you find things you'd forgotten about. Her's a picture one of my daughters drew for me when she was 5 -she's 15 now:
Daisy's picture.jpg
Daisy's picture.jpg (269.23 KiB) Viewed 5420 times

I had the foresight to write down on the back what she told me when she presented it - "Daddy and his train, going round the track, with the climbing frame in the middle"... I'm the purple chap on the left (it's a good likeness), the train's on the right, the track's in light blue, with the climbing frame in green and dark blue...

Cheers all,

Andrew.

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Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by philipy » Sun Jan 20, 2019 4:01 pm

Andrew wrote: Mon Jan 07, 2019 9:09 am Excellent, thanks Philip! What thickness did you purchase?

Cheers,

Andrew.
Andrew,
My apologies, I missed this question from a couple of weeks ago.

I used 100lb breaking strain, which is 0.55mm ( so it says). I picked that because I wasn't sure what it really needed and I thought better safe than sorry. However 0.55mm scales to about 0.4 inches which is a little thick in real terms. I guess that maybe 60 or 70lb would be closer to scale.
Philip

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Re: The (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland Railway

Post by Andrew » Sun Jan 20, 2019 4:09 pm

philipy wrote: Sun Jan 20, 2019 4:01 pm
Andrew wrote: Mon Jan 07, 2019 9:09 am Excellent, thanks Philip! What thickness did you purchase?

Cheers,

Andrew.
Andrew,
My apologies, I missed this question from a couple of weeks ago.

I used 100lb breaking strain, which is 0.55mm ( so it says). I picked that because I wasn't sure what it really needed and I thought better safe than sorry. However 0.55mm scales to about 0.4 inches which is a little thick in real terms. I guess that maybe 60 or 70lb would be closer to scale.
Great advice, thank you!

Andrew

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