The Coverdale Light Railway

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Re: The Coverdale Light Railway

Post by Big Jim » Mon Jan 08, 2018 12:01 pm

Looks like I am in for another delay in getting started. The landlord next door has final has finally decided to make up the arrears of maintenance on his building, so they are working along the property boundary between the two houses close to the area where I wanted to put the railway. Hmmm, goes I, but at least I think I can get started on some ground clearance even with the works next door. So far so good - inconvenience rather than delay. Then HERSELF puts the tin hat on it, she has moved 'finishing the fence' up the priority list. Grrrr!
Any chance the navvies next door could be tempted into a little ground work on your side of the fence, possible suitably bribed with tea and bacon sarnies? (or what ever the local custom is)
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Re: The Coverdale Light Railway

Post by IrishPeter » Mon Jan 15, 2018 1:13 am

Actually, I want them to get on with sorting out next door. Our house and the one next door were built by the same family about 5 years apart as they number of kids increased. It has been looking rather sad (apparently for the last few years), so I am glad they are finally doing something with it. I believe, looking at the workforce, the currency would be beer and burritos.

Anyway, it has turned cold again, so I wouldn't be getting much accomplished. So instead I am playing around with carriage drawings, and working on the Newqida conversions. I could also do to clean out the Skebawn and Castleknox RIP track.

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 Coverdale Light Railway

Post by IrishPeter » Thu Oct 11, 2018 12:50 am

I have not forgotten about this project, but I am currently brewing on scale issues. The gauge is set at 32mm, but the argument is whether that is going to represent 2'6" in 1:22.5, which leaves some room for standard gauge - Ga. 3 - wagons on transporters, and on a more practical note I can tap into the G scale stuff; or 1:19 representing 2 foot, which means most equipment will have to be imported from the UK.

The NER when it did think of narrow gauge (North Holderness Lt Rly) thought in terms of 2' gauge both when the original proposal came up in the Edwardian era and when it was discussed again 1919/20. Certainly, 1920-ish you had all that lovely second hand WDLR stuff becoming available, so the job could have been done relatively cheaply... On the other hand, I think 2'6" gauge has a lot more potential as a heavy hauler, and I have a fondness for lines such as the Leek and Manifold, and the Welshpool and Llanfair.

Decisions... decisions...


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 Coverdale Light Railway

Post by IrishPeter » Fri Oct 12, 2018 5:05 am

Hmmm... the old style container (a la Conflat) would have just about fitted on a Calthrop low sided wagon... hmmm, a further solution to the transhipment problem. This would have paralleled by the cunning things the Norwegians did to ease transhipment between their SG system and 3'6" gauge and 750mm gauge. Score another point for 22.5:1.


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 Coverdale Light Railway

Post by IrishPeter » Sat Oct 20, 2018 4:40 am

Existential Crisis may have resolved itself in favour of going ahead as a 1:22.5 scale project. The various odds and ends I have accumulated for the CLR seem to have been mainly 17/32nds rather than 5/8ths, so hey-ho and away we go!

So far, an HGLW LB1 has been constructed and painted black (what else did you expect) to assist with the construction work. I don't know why, but the LB1 always looks a bit like one of the later Barclay designs (think WHHR Taxi 1 & 2), so I am sort of thinking of it as a 1960s loco bought by the preservationists to get things moving again. I am in the process of weighing up the options for the next carriage.

There are also a couple of motor bogies under construction for something a bit bigger in the motive power department - think something along the lines of a knock off of a Crochat locotracteur, and you might be in the ball park. However there is a chance of something that looks a bit more Bagnell-ish depending on when I think it comes in the history of the CLR.

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 CLR

Post by IrishPeter » Tue Nov 13, 2018 5:48 am

I spoke too soon on the existential crisis. It looks like SM32 is going to win after all - you can blame it on the Darj C class. I have started fooling around designing some 10' standard wagons, and some 27'6"/30'/33' carriages. Drawings on here when I get something I really like. I am also increasingly eyeing up the back garden with a view to running some trackage as far up the yard as I can on a 3% grade, and still be able to mow around it. I am contemplating starting with a relatively flat kidney shaped line on the site of the useless patio and seeing what permissions for extension the Domestic Authority will grant after that. ;)

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 Coverdale Light Railway

Post by Big Jim » Tue Nov 13, 2018 7:27 am

I wonder if the old chestnut about planning a holiday being half the fun applies to garden railways?

I take my hat off to you Sir, the amount of thought and critical reasoning that has gone into this project is impressive.
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Re: The Coverdale Light Railway

Post by IrishPeter » Tue Nov 13, 2018 2:32 pm

I frankly enjoy the planning stage - a trait I inherited from my late dad. Scrap paper and biros are cheap enough, and if it prevents an expensive cock-up then I am all for it. I like to work my way through all the options, evaluate them - sometimes critically, and then make some sort of informed decision - even if it is the wrong one! I also wonder if it is a reaction against the imponderables of being a parson, but that is a bit too philosophical for the BC (Before Coffee) stage of the morning.

The basic problem stems from the fact that we fell in love with a decent sized Victorian House close to down town. The nice older properties in town are on the ridge where the local War Between the States (aka 'the War of Northern Aggression', 'The Late Unpleasantness' or if you are a Yankee - 'the Civil War') battle was fought. Unfortunately, in my joy that the place had hardly been modified beyond running water (1891), central heating (1920s) and storm windows (1950s) and had the requisite high ceilings, and nice fireplaces, I failed to observe was that the hill runs along the length not the width of the garden which makes things a bit difficult for the railway modeller of the family. The initial CLR concept still holds, but I think I need to tweek it a bit more - I wonder what radius a GLR 2-8-2 or a Darj 4-6-2 needs? At some point I shall have to broach the idea with the Dom. Auth. but not until I have come up with a reasoned case. She is a very stern judge of such things.

As for getting anything done, it does not help that the weather is rubbish, and I am teaching at the Theological Institute again.

Peter in Va
Last edited by IrishPeter on Tue Nov 13, 2018 3:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Traffic Pattern? What pattern? Spuds out; grain in, but cattle, sheep and passengers are a lot less predictable.

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Re: The Coverdale Light Railway

Post by Big Jim » Tue Nov 13, 2018 3:01 pm

I hope it all goes well for you.

I hope to avoid the pitfalls of an unsuitable garden when we move again. I have found myself at times looking at the parsonage and its garden/out buildings first before even considering the parish profile.
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Re: The Coverdale Light Railway

Post by IrishPeter » Thu Nov 15, 2018 3:28 am

I am now quietly hoping that Mother Nature does not torpedo Friday for railway activities. I am already booked to do something about the parish website with our volunteer webmaster on Saturday afternoon, and that is usually the point at which I say something really spiritual like "oh carp! I haven't finished my sermon." So I will have to do that bit of the weekend routine on Saturday morning instead. At least I still find panic works as well as it did at college for producing my best intellectual efforts.

Anyway, I do really need to get out in the yard and decide where I can run the CLR. The kidney-shaped bit down at the bottom is pretty much graven on tables of stone, but I am wondering about a long branch around the edge of the lower garden, and terminating by the shed instead of what I originally drew. I like trains running through the garden going somewhere, rather than simply chasing their tails. That's the dog's hobby when he cannot get me to play with him. I was going to take a look at it tomorrow after we had finished with the quack in the morning, but the weather is scheduled to misbehave (SNOW!) and the wife has acquired a second doctor's appointment in the afternoon, so that's that idea down the toity.

Oh well, back to wagon building...

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 Coverdale Light Railway

Post by IrishPeter » Sat Nov 17, 2018 7:41 pm

Friday was torpedoed - we got an ice storm on Thursday, so no electricity from 17:00 Thursday to 15:10 Friday, and an ice glazed world I dare not walk about in. Like most ice storms it created a lot of small power outages, so it is taking them an age to get everyone back up and running. We were relatively fortunate in that we were back up Friday afternoon, there are still odd patches in town that are without power. SWMBO bought some LED battery operated lights out of the bargin basket at the Hardware store a while back, and those proved very useful while we were without the mains. They even generated enough light to do a bit of van building. :) Our worst problem was no electricity for the pump on the central heating system, but old houses cool down slowly, and small dogs make good hot water bottles. My worst problem was getting hot water for coffee and I ended up using an old spirit burner to do the trick.

Anyway, the missus looked at the preliminary sketch of what I am proposing outside, The only adverse comment was 'how are you going to cut the grass?' - otherwise the response seemed to be fairly positive. However, as I am not feeling suicidal, I should probably change out the faucet in the spare bathroom before I suggest a trip to the DIY barn for railway supplies, though.

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 Coverdale Light Railway

Post by IrishPeter » Wed Nov 28, 2018 5:26 am

This is what I am contending with outside.
Useless Patio before clearing
Useless Patio before clearing
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The previous owners had a bit of a brick paved patio in the angle between the back of the house and the kitchen. That was probably a good idea that wasn't, as there is no easy access to it except by walking around the back of the house.
...after clearing
...after clearing
IMG_4317.JPG (80.01 KiB) Viewed 4651 times
Dug it out a bit, and what I am thinking is main station and steam up area here with a loop in the useless patio area and over the adjacent planter. There is a yard stick somewhere in that lot to give you an idea of size, but you are looking at about 18' by 22' - I don't really do metric.
The 'lower' backyard
The 'lower' backyard
IMG_4316.JPG (74.94 KiB) Viewed 4651 times
The Dom. Auth. had agreed in principle to a landscaped line in this part of the garden. It is going to have to be fairly steeply graded to deal with the slope towards the camera, but some weaving to-and-fro and we should be able to get a decent end-to-end run in the area without it looking like something from Alton Towers.
Lower Garden B
Lower Garden B
IMG_4315.JPG (71.47 KiB) Viewed 4651 times
Slightly different view of the same area. Detailed surveying needed, but I think two big horse shoe curves should gain enough height for a station by the shed without it being too much of an impediment to the mower. Looks like the PW foreman has seen a cat or a squirrel.

That's it for now.
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 Coverdale Light Railway

Post by Big Jim » Wed Nov 28, 2018 7:57 am

Looks like a good sized area for the railway and should not be too much of a challenge.

Perhaps the pw Forman has seen an incoming group of 16mm scale environmental protesters attempting to stop the development?
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Re: The Coverdale Light Railway

Post by IanC » Wed Nov 28, 2018 12:24 pm

That looks a good site and a reasonable size. My proposed location is a bit smaller. If I manage to get it built it will have to fit around the existing landscape and features. I guess all railway building is a challenge. From standard gauge down to our smaller scales.
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Re: The Coverdale Light Railway

Post by IrishPeter » Wed Nov 28, 2018 1:11 pm

Big Jim wrote: Wed Nov 28, 2018 7:57 am Looks like a good sized area for the railway and should not be too much of a challenge.

Perhaps the pw Forman has seen an incoming group of 16mm scale environmental protesters attempting to stop the development?
Too far from a Starbucks for the envirowhackos from "Hooville." I am a bit conservation orientated myself, but not to the point where it over rides the deployment of common sense. There are times, though, when my form of conservation is along the lines of 'want to keep tourist cars out of a National Park? Build a NG railway.' ;)

The one thing that never comes out in photographs is the slope on the garden, which is about 1 in 10, hence the need for the long loops to gain height to reach the shed.

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 Coverdale Light Railway

Post by philipy » Wed Nov 28, 2018 1:23 pm

Looks like a good opportunity Peter.
I know what you mean about garden slopes not showing in photos, I have the same problem. Most people think our garden is pretty flat but in fact there is about a 3ft height difference from the back left to front right.
Philip

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Re: The Coverdale Light Railway

Post by IrishPeter » Thu Nov 29, 2018 5:08 am

It is going to need some careful surveying as opposed to just going with my eye to find the right route. The railway on stilts bit will be somewhat labour intensive, but I have the gut feeling the climb up to the shed is going to be the challenge. I just have to remember to compensate the bends and all that good stuff.

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 Coverdale Light Railway

Post by IrishPeter » Thu Dec 06, 2018 5:21 am

Not getting very far outside at the moment, as it is cold and snowy, but I did get a start on a carriage for the CLR
Sides of TCO(L)
Sides of TCO(L)
IMG_4326.JPG (39.63 KiB) Viewed 4490 times
More information over at the Stock for the Far End Tramway thread.

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 Coverdale Light Railway

Post by ge_rik » Thu Dec 06, 2018 8:17 am

IrishPeter wrote: Wed Nov 28, 2018 1:11 pm The one thing that never comes out in photographs is the slope on the garden, which is about 1 in 10, hence the need for the long loops to gain height to reach the shed.
Cheers,
Peter in Va
I see what you mean. The slope is more apparent in the final photo than in the one before it.

I had a slope in my garden, though not as severe as yours. My solution was to landscape the garden. The line at the back of the garden is at the original ground level. The lawn is about 18 " below that and then the line near the house is 30" above the path after falling on a 1:40 gradient by around 9". Even though the drop from rear to front is only about 3' 3" I filled two skips, barrowing the soil from back garden to front. I think that's what finally knackered my knees.
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Re: The Coverdale Light Railway

Post by IrishPeter » Thu Dec 06, 2018 3:25 pm

Roughly speaking, the front garden is 4'6" above the road, rises another 18" to the bottom of the front steps, and then the ground floor of the house is another 4' above that, but the back door is only up two shallow steps - total rise about 14". So from front to back - about 50 feet, the ground rises about 10 feet. The back is not as steep, but if you look at the fence in the second last photo, those are not right angles between the rails on the fence and the posts!

I could do to terrace parts of the garden anyway to reduce the flow of water towards the back of the house, but that is not ideal from the railway operating point of view, so like Baldrick, I have a plan, but I am not 100% sure it will get past the Planning Authority. Part of it involves moving some of the muck into landscape features for the railway, and then trying to contrive it so it still looks like one of Calthrop's superbly engineered scrapes in the muck. One thing I discovered this summer, where we had more than twice our usual rainfall, is that there comes a point where the water overwhelms the French drains at the back of the house, and builds up enough to come over the stem walls. I am still keen on using the "failed patio" area, but some gentle terracing of the area between the back of the house and where the gradient really takes off halfway down the garden would help with run-off retention as well as railway building.

Plus - my knees aren't knackered yet, so I have no excuse for avoiding heavy work other than laziness! :thumbup:

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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