Time to build a railway...but where?

A place for the discussion of garden railways and any garden style/scale portable and/or indoor layouts
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Peter Butler
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Post by Peter Butler » Sat Oct 10, 2015 10:43 am

Andrew, I can't take credit for the brick/stone construction of the chimney, it is cast that way! It is another of Cain Howley's structures which are all pictured on his website. As you are not too far away it would be worth your time popping over to see (and collect?) some items for your railway. Also a good opportunity to drop in to visit my railway too. Can't guarantee any wildlife being present though.
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Post by Big Jim » Sun Oct 11, 2015 6:40 pm

Glad to see things are progressing well Peter. I must confess I have a soft spot for weasels/stoats/ferrets and other Mustelidae having kept ferrets for years.
They might help keep the mole population down.

However if you want a good method of mole control I can recommend this from one of your fellow Blackcountrymen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fePU5CI ... IHpas#t=62
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Post by Andrew » Fri Oct 16, 2015 2:30 pm

Peter Butler:113729 wrote:Andrew, I can't take credit for the brick/stone construction of the chimney, it is cast that way!   It is another of Cain Howley's structures which are all pictured on his website.   As you are not too far away it would be worth your time popping over to see (and collect?) some items for your railway.   Also a good opportunity to drop in to visit my railway too.  Can't guarantee any wildlife being present though.
Apologies for the delayed reply, I've been stuck into a job application for weeks and haven't spent much time pursuing my hobby either online or anywhere else - all sorted now, and I MUST run a train this weekend!

I really like Cain Howley's stuff, but don't have room for anything much other than railway buildings, and I'll be scratchbuilding those to fit my Welsh Highland theme - the ex-NWNGR slate and yellow brick ones are so distinctive that I can't really use anything else. Well, other than corrugated tin...

Weasels or not I'd love to run on your line though Peter, maybe I could drop you a line when the weather warms up again in the spring? You never know, the Gwili might have their Carmarthen extension finished by then and I could pop in there too...

All the best,

Andrew.
Last edited by Andrew on Sat Oct 17, 2015 12:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by Peter Butler » Fri Oct 16, 2015 5:19 pm

Pencil that on your calendar Andrew, we can arrange details later!
I travelled on the Gwili yesterday on their Cream Tea 'Strawberry Special'

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It was a bit of a treat for my Mum's 90th birthday. I'm pleased to say the weather was beautiful and we all enjoyed the experience. According to staff there the extension will not be open this year (again!!!) but should be ready for next season.
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Post by Peter Butler » Thu Oct 22, 2015 7:29 pm

Previously I explained how I prepared the ground with weed control fabric, since then I have continued with more stonework and here is the progress so far...

Before....

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After....

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The areas of fabric still exposed will be covered with a layer of Pembrokeshire Blue Slate chips to form a footpath so that any derailments or failures can be reached.
Last edited by Peter Butler on Thu Oct 22, 2015 10:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Soar Valley Light » Thu Oct 22, 2015 7:55 pm

Excellent work Peter, really excellent. More ideas to nick for my forthcoming construction work! Many thanks for sharing.
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Post by Peter Butler » Thu Oct 22, 2015 10:47 pm

As the weather improved today, I took the opportunity to lay more ballast. It needs to be dry in order for it to be put in place and remain dry for a day or two, or be covered to prevent rain from diluting the SBR bonding agent which I use. Our local weather forecast looks promising for a while so I took a chance.
Whilst doing this it occurred to me I have mentioned this process before but not shown picture details of the stages to achieve the final result.
To begin with I make a treated timber track bed raised off the ground to preserve it from constant damp conditions. This is covered with a layer of felt, as used on the underside of roof structures, with the weave on the top. On this, the track is screwed in place....

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My choice of ballast is horticultural grit which I grade to remove extra large chunks. I think it is still overscale but from a distance looks ok! I also quite like the warm colour as it fits in well with my local stone. On either side of the ballast I add Chicken Grit (crushed shell) to give the appearance of local quarry working waste...

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The SBR is diluted slightly with water to help it flow (only by about 5-10%), washing liquid can be added to break down surface tension but it isn't as necessary in this scale as it might be in 4mm etc...
I apply the mix from a plastic bottle with a spout (PVA glue bottle) and flood the ballast covering the stone completely to form a skin when dry....

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At this stage it takes on a blue tint which looks a bit concerning but dries completely clear within 24 hours. It does still need to be protected from wet weather for a further period and might show signs of disolving slightly even after that. However, when set hard it is there to stay!

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Post by philipy » Fri Oct 23, 2015 8:08 am

Thanks Peter, thats pretty much what I had envisaged from your previous descriptions.

How do you attach the felt to the timber track base before ballasting? I've been folding it down at the edges and using small galvanised felt nails along the side of the timber, with roofing felt adhesive at joins.

Following your example, I've been doing some trials with SBR and I have to say that after about 4 1/2 months it seems to be holding well on top of ordinary roofing felt.
Philip

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Post by Andrew » Fri Oct 23, 2015 10:09 am

Peter Butler:113911 wrote: Image
Squint and it could be the Aberglaslyn Pass... Well, maybe not quite, but the blue slate does have a river-y look, and with the track on a rocky ledge above it...

It all looks great, both attractive and practical, lovely. Are you tempted to add some (non-running) grotty little wagons to the quarry sidings? I'm thinking of doing that on my line, I love looking out of the window and seeing a wagon or two quietly rusting in the rain, it suggests a living railway even if nothing's run for weeks...

Thanks for the photos,

Andrew.

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Post by Peter Butler » Fri Oct 23, 2015 10:31 am

Philip.... you go to even further trouble than me! I use felt nails on the sides as you do but adhesive.... no. Joins between the felt are nailed across the width of the join and the heads vanish underneath the ballast.
Andrew... I do agree with you about the use of static, rusting wagons on the disused quarry sidings. I have some tippers which I could use but will build slab wagons too. It all helps with the run-down appearance of the previous life suggested by the railway. I have the disused inclines so wagons would complete the picture. I feel another Winter Project coming on!!!!!
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Post by Soar Valley Light » Fri Oct 23, 2015 8:46 pm

Thanks for detailing the process Peter, I've been giving it a good deal of thought this week and was steeling myself for a trawl back through previous posts looking for exactly what you've just posted!

My current thinking is to use plastic strip runners fixed to short posts. This will all be at ground level, whether that be cutting or embankment (there's rarely anything much in between!). I'm thinking of some sort of separator, most probably on top of the strip, with the track fixed on top of that. Ballasting can then take place in the way described above. I did consider leaving it loose but suspect it will be lost though erosion, wind, sweeping up leaves, etc, etc..

Having done all this the embankments can be built up to level in soil or the cuttings trimmed to form a neat cess at the level of the ballast. If there is any depth or length to the cuttings I will seriously consider pea gravel cess drains beside the plastic strip. If that is the case I'll probably carry the separator out over the drain rather than wrapping it down the side of the plastic. I have the end of a roll of geotextile in the garden that I've been using under the new path, I will probably use that as a separator under the track - after all, that's what it was designed for, having been recovered off a 12" to the foot relaying job! :D
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Post by philipy » Sat Oct 24, 2015 7:15 am

Peter Butler:113916 wrote:Philip.... you go to even further trouble than me!  I use felt nails on the sides as you do but adhesive.... no.  Joins between the felt are nailed across the width of the join and the heads vanish underneath the ballast.
I've used the adhesive at the joins to try to waterproof them. It seemed a bit pointless going to the expense and trouble of laying the felt, only to then leave gaps that sneaky water can get through, at relatively frequent intervals. A quick smear of a bituminous 'adhesive' hopefully reduces that.
Philip

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Post by Peter Butler » Sat Oct 24, 2015 7:34 pm

Something new....
At a recent Toy and Train Fair I found a boxed, oil storage tank in 3.5mm scale, made by, and for, the American market.

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In order to make it suitable for 16mm scale I put a 1/19th scale ladder on one side leading to a metal mesh walkway with handrail on the top.
Also, a Plasticard base with scribed slabs as a support.

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Pipework will be next before painting..
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Post by Big Al » Sun Oct 25, 2015 1:47 pm

Peter your railway gets better and better as you add to it, I must thank you for your excellent post on laying ballast I laid the track on my line and then it all came to a halt not really knowing what to do ballast wise, I will have a go with the SBR method you use and see if I can get as nice a result as you have.

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Post by jim@NAL » Sun Oct 25, 2015 4:34 pm

looking good peter I like where you have the bench great place too sit and have a beer watching the trains go by

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Post by Joe » Sun Oct 25, 2015 7:46 pm

well that railway above could be classed as a what if ffestiniog according to the recent 16mm mag, says the idea of double track went quite far :)
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Post by Peter Butler » Sun Oct 25, 2015 8:33 pm

Thank you for the kind words Al, your line will look even better with ballast, especially the double track section through the planting. I hope I made the point of protecting against rain to allow plenty of time for the SBR to set. I use a tarpaulin spread across the track which seems to work. There might be an issue with ground frost too at this time of year?
Jim, the bench is in just the right place to see most of the line from a comfortable position, especially with a bottle in one hand and a glass in the other.... I wonder who will be driving the trains?????
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Post by Peter Butler » Mon Nov 02, 2015 10:12 pm

Progressing my oil storage tank build I read with interest the post by Ge-Rik about plastic drinking straw bends (which he found on ebay and used on his water tower) to make pipework. I wondered if I could purchase some locally so tried my luck in various shops and stores. Not finding them on the shelves I asked assistants for help..... now at my age, the reaction from them to my request for young children's novelties was not met with much approval, so I decided to leave it alone!
Instead I opted for the usual DIY approach and found out some plastic tube from stock. The bore was just right to allow some galvanised fencing wire to push through and with a little heat from a heat-gun (so the plastic would soften), I gently bent it into shape. To show where pipe joins should be I cut narrow collars of a slightly larger diameter tube and stuck them in position with superglue...

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After building a cabinet which would contain a meter and supply hose, the whole thing was spray painted with grey primer and placed in position on the railway.

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Since these pictures I have now added weathering and flammable warning transfer. When it is located in its final position I will post another view.
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Post by Andrew » Tue Nov 03, 2015 9:14 am

That looks great - and I'll be trying out your pipe-bending technique too!

Andrew.

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Post by ge_rik » Tue Nov 03, 2015 9:24 am

Brilliant, Peter! Your bent pipework looks a lot more realistic than the drinking straws would have done and is probably more robust as well.

Great attention to detail, as ever.

Rik
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