The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

[Soar Valley Light]

Thanks for the tips Philipy. Out of principle (long story) I refuse to trade with Tesco but I'll try and identify the species, they sound like an ideal candidate. I've been looking at on line nurseries and some of the small leaved Hebes look really useful so your advice in that direction is very helpful.

Your patience with all this groundwork Andrew is amazing, I would want to be running trains by now!

Do you think we will see anything steaming by Christmas?

Definitely not this Christmas Tom but I'll be distraught if I don't have something running by next summer.

I don't want to rush into laying neat and tidy track until all the major (and some of the minor) earthworks are complete. I'm very keen to try and keep any soil contamination of the ballast to a minimum, not to mention the potential knocks from dancing around the track whilst landscaping with some fairly hefty rocks. The day is fast approaching but so are the darker nights which will inevitably slow progress!

Andrew

[Soar Valley Light]

Well, I had one last big hurrah before the clocks changed. The major civil engineering task still outstanding was to finalise what I was going to do where the railway squeezes between the path and the honesuckle arch and then to execute the work. After much puzzling, measuring and agonising I finally decided that there was only one way I was going to resolve this, out came the shovel and bar!

DANGER ROAD UP!


The previously installed retaining walls were broken out and fresh foundations of broken concrete (from the old yard) mortared in. A good deal of levelling and measuring ensued and not a little trial positioning of the tunnel lining sections. I'd also realised that I needed to provide a means of conducting water that will run off from the new yard away from the slope down into the new garden. This requires the water to be channelled beneath the path and so a length of pipe was installed in readiness.

CUT AND COVER


Having satisfied myself about the suitability of the structure and that it will fit into the general scheme of things I continued to secure the lining sections in place and rebuild the path alongside them. I also wanted to make sure that I could disguise the raw concrete to look at least something like a hole dug from natural rock. It's only a start but I hope my efforts are promising.

THE FIRST ATTEMPT AT A NATURAL ROCK TUNNEL MOUTH


The day was getting down by now though and there was the need to get a path relaid.

ROAD RE-OPENED!


To get the tunnel section in I had had to loosen the roots of a japenese honeysuckle and move it across by nine inches or so. I want to avoid any serious damaged to the plant if possible and so I need to rebuild the bed around it. This meant knocking down the original retaining wall that was where the plant needed to be and rebuilding a new one nine inches out into the old path. I finished the day off by laying the first two or three bricks for this, not so straightforward when the foundation for it is on a 1 in 4 slope!

When I went out to get a scuttle of coal this morning I was astonished to see that I'd set off with this new wall at an angle of about 10 degrees to where it ought to be! Standing and pondering the situation I also realised that I would need to establish a step at the bottom of the old ramp to make a suitable crossing for the path over the main circuit of the railway as it turns across the end of the lower garden. The two walls ought to be built as one. I'd used up the last of the cement last night so it was off to Wickes. When I got back the misaligned wall was demolished and I cast a concrete foundation for the wall aacross the bottom of the ramp. The bricking began again in earnest then and I made some significant progress with the rebuilding and can now clearly see where I'm going at last. It's amazing how useful a string line can be! By the time I was finished it was too late for photos - the curse of GMT. I'll try and post some during the week if I can get home before the light fails.


Andrew

[LNR]

Andrew, your civil engineering thought processes, and work are so thorough. Roll on track laying. Have you given any thought to the type of track you'll be using, or is that something to mull over by the fire this Winter?
Grant.

[Soar Valley Light]

Hi Grant,

I've done more than that, I have about 30% of my requirements in stock! I've gone for Cliff Barkers track, it may not be the cheapest but it is very much in scale. Bullhead may be a little unusual for narrow gauge railways but without a decent profile FB rail out there it was the most accurate representation of a true rail section avaivailable.

Progress - or lack thereof!

The darker evenings have checked progress well and truly, although I have pressed on as best I can. I was all set for a big push forwards today - until I picked up a bag of coal this morning and strained my back. I suffer with a prolapsed disc so I'm used to taking care, this just caught me slightly off balance today. It seems to be a muscle strain though so a bit of care should see me back up to fighting fitness soon enough. I did manage a little bit more work on the walling, confining my activities to 'finishing off' work like setting cappings.

During the week I've managed to position some stonework to the tunnel mouths which I hope works. It needs mortaring into place but I'm not lugging rocks about just now! To be honest I need more stone to continue the work so I'll probably wait until I've aquired that. Tomorrow is written off by the need to go and inspect the fast lines out of St. Pancras for the 'big railway'. I'd hoped to rescue some of the day by collecting some stone for the ongoing work on the way back but after driving to and from London I know that the back won't be up to it. Hey ho.

The worksite at the end of today


The tunnel from the terminous end


And looking back through it towards the terminous


Andrew

[tom_tom_go]

Looking good Andrew. Trains will look great on those curves once the track is down.

Have you gone for Cliff's stainless steel rail?

[Peter Butler]

Well done again Andrew, the detail edging blue diamond bricks are so typically 'railway' in appearance and must have adorned so many railway structures, yards and paving at one time.
Do be careful with the lifting, I have recently had an MRI scan on my damaged back which has been painful since March. It has shown up three prolapses in the lower spine and, although easier now, will always be there. I certainly could not have worked through the pain and send a reminder to you to plan carefully and lift only when there is no alternative.
I did a two week long 'Kinetic Lifting' course at ROSPA and still got it wrong!
We don't want to see all your wonderful work being held up by such an issue.

[Soar Valley Light]

Hi Tom,

Yes, I've gone for the stainless rail. I'm looking forward to the introduction of his narrow gauge turnout components, he's still working towards their introduction. In the meantime I have enough Gauge 1 components to have a bash at S&C construction. I've already drawn up a templates for a standard turnout and for a couple of curved examples that I'm going to need.

Hi Peter,

The blue brick is very much in keeping with railways in general and locally in particular. All the better for it being free material dug up from beneath the old yard! In other parts of the garden I have used red brick or stone for those parts of the railway where it would be more in keeping with the real locations which my imaginary line would have passed through. The line would almost certainly have had close association with the GCR if not actually falling into their ownership, blue brick is synonimous with the GC and so very appropriate for the Leicester end of the line in particular.

Thanks for the concern and advice regarding my back. I have had the problem now for about thirty years, during most of which time I've been visiting an osteopath every three months. She may only be small but I know I will be in trouble if I've done anything daft between visits! These treatments put everything back in place and over the years she has explained to me the mechanics of my problem and how the skeletal system in general works, this makes if much easier to continue to undertake hard physical work without causing damage. I can still safely put a sleeper on my shoulder provided it's not a soggy old one and has no cast screwed to it. I do recognise Anno Domini though and the increasing limitations that puts on what I can do and how often I can do it. Knowing and acknowledging ones own limitations is key to not causing further damage. A very important consideration as the wisdom which comes with age confirms that we only have one body to see us through our lives!

Andrew

[jim@NAL]

looking better and better each time I see your line well done

[Soar Valley Light]

Greetings readers and a Happy New Year from the Charnwood corner of Leicestershire.

The lack of recent posts from the Forest is down to an almost complete lack of recent progress. This time of year with it's ever shortening days is not conducive to big steps forward. The weather has hardly been good for civil engineering either. When it has been dry enough and light enough to get outdoors I've had to get my boots down to the allotment to try and restore order after last summers neglect (or risk getting evicted for gross neglect and cruelty to currant bushes!)

The last days of work in the house garden were spent progressing wall construction in the tunnel area and progressing brickwork around the adjacent crossing area. There is still more to do but a good deal of the remaining civil engineering work came much closer to completion. Anyway, the evenings gradually began to fade into darkness so early that the contractors were stood down from outside work. Work transferred indoors onto jobs such as tinsel distribution, turkey basting and shunting the fridge and freezer to squeeze every last item of Christmas fare into storage for the big day. The only garden railway work for about six weeks was the assembly of about ten yards of Cliff Barkers excellent track during Boxing Day afternoon (until interrupted by the onset of trifle!)

So, now the sound of reindeer hooves on rooftops is fading and there is a subtle but perceptible increase in the daylight hours, thoughts have turned to restarting the railway construction. Today was dry and mild and so out I ventured to dust off the tools. I didn't fancy anything that involved mortar today so I thought I'd get on with a bit of railway foundation construction, rather than general civil engineering. I've been putting off building the station throat turnout area where the branch will split off into the runround loop. The 'mainline' foundation has been there for ages, it was the first section to be constructed. With hindsight it was a poor place to start to learn the best way of working with Filcris materials. The curve is one of the sharpest AND it's on the steepest of the gradients. I've been tempted to rip it out and rebuild it but, good as Filcris is, it's expensive so I need to be economical with it. I spent some time today looking at possibilities and decided that what's there is good enough and that I could leave it in place. I've spent a good deal of the day trimming levels and moving ground about (in much, MUCH smaller quantities than last year). This allowed me to trial fit the foundation for the second line and eventually screw it into place.

There is much still to do but things are once more moving in the right direction and I'm hoping that we aren't too far away from some permanent way work and those Christmas track panels are finally fixed into position.

The new station throat area looking towards the terminus from the crossing area.


And looking the other way from the station towards the crossing.



Finally a general view over the crossing area looking towards the tunnel under the new wall (seen in the middle distance).



The last bit of the day was devoted to taming the three holly trees alongside the course of the line. More updates to follow, probably at quite lengthy intervals until Spring gets cracking!

Andrew

[jim@NAL]

looking good again this is some major railway .keeps getting better and better

[LNR]

Good to see you back at it Andrew, Cliff Barker track eh! (no trifling matter, sorry!!)
I have a certain feeling that 2017 is the year we'll see track laid, and possibly a train running on the SVLR. Always look forward to updates whenever they come,
Grant.

[Soar Valley Light]

Well folks, at last there has been some progress in recent days. It's only relatively minor progress but things are moving forwards! The weather has been the biggest obstacle in recent weeks. I still need to get some civil engineering out of the way before any serious railway work (track laying for instance) can get underway. I really need to get the garden side of things fit for planting, there need to be some flowers on display no later than this summer, otherwise the Charnwood Forest Light Railway will need a new Chief Engineer and I'll be looking for cheap lodgings!

Last weekends mild weather meant that it was fit to mix up some mortar and so the last bit of brickwork alongside the path went in. This also involved making a start on the footpath crossing over the line. This involved a new experience - laying a few cobbles!There is still a bit of work to do here but this will now have to wait until I extend the sides of the big troughing units up by about 3 inches. This is to enable me to use the space to store my two section ladders. I need the the lids to be at their final height before I make a permanent stopping to the 'blind' end of the construction. This is right up against the railway at the point where the path crosses and so everything is tied together at that point.

Other work this week involved mixing and pouring concrete to fill the centre of the new stone wall on top of the tunnel. I also got the two clothes line posts positioned and concreted in. Small jobs on their own but that's two more off the outstanding jobs list. Speaking of which, having reviewed said list I find there is relatively little left on it now. It came as quite a surprise after all this time!

This afternoon I was home at a sensible time, the weather was good and I thought it was a good opportunity to crack on, particularly in light of tomorrows wet forecast. I'm out of cement until I can get back to Wickes so I decided to press on with the railway foundation construction. There is precious little of that left to do either! The passing loop for the intermediate station of Woodhouse Eaves and the run-round loop of the adjacent station that will form the other terminus (but with the ability to run straight through as part of a continuous loop) are the major jobs left. There is also the question of a couple of intermediate sidings to sort but they are very minor jobs. The terminus station also needs a bit more foundation work but it's not the huge task it once was. Anyway, this afternoon I made a start on the passing loop at the intermediate station. I made good progress until both the batteries on the electric drill went flat!

It's good to be moving forwards again. Thoughts are really turning towards trackwork now! Pictures of the latest civil engineering efforts follow below.



Click to download file
This is the site of Anstey station and siding with the footpath crossing immediately beyond.



This is the footpath crossing itself. The side nearest the camera is the main area still needing to be finished.



This is the intermediate station site. Today's work is the left hand track, still very unfinished but you can see where I'm going with it!



And here is the station site looking the other way. Today's work is now on the right. To the left is the site of the terminus station that has a connection through onto the crossing loop of the intermediate station to allow continuous running.

[James from Devon]

This looking great. The radius of the curves looks just right and the grade separation will make for a nice photogenic location.

I really can't wait to see track and trains here.

Keep it up....fantastic job

Jim

[jim@NAL]

all looking great I wish my garden was as big as yours

[LNR]

Yes 2017 is looking good for running on the Charnwood Forest line. (which I mistakenly referred to as the SVLR, sorry Andrew ) Glad to hear the to-do list is getting shorter.
Grant.

[Soar Valley Light]

Thanks guys. I'm hopeful for some real railway work this year. I managed half an hour between showers today. I didn't achieve much but the loop at the intermediate station is now almost complete and I've got a much better idea about what I'm going to do with the terminus. Seeing your lines on here continues to be a great inspiration so keep the posts coming please.

Jim, the garden is surprisingly small, I've just managed to spread things out so that the space looks bigger than it is. The main part of the line sits in a apace about eight yards by four yards.

Frustratingly tomorrow looks a better day, but I'm helping to train Signalmen for the GCR all day so progress will have to wait until evening next week now. Fingers crossed for it staying dry for a day or two!

Andrew

[Joe]

Its looking great. You will certainly have some nice smooth track- almost like a mainline or the modern ffestiniog.
looking forward to your progress.

[Soar Valley Light]

Progress continues to be slow but progress it continues to be - despite three days on the south coast and a tiny nick on the end of a finger with the drill that resulted in so much bleeding it looked like I'd been slaughtering a beast in the garden!

I have now finished the loop for the terminus station on the main circuit. As you will see it's capable of being a through station, despite it's primary purpose. There are sidings to add yet as part of that station and also at the intermediate loop (beyond it in the picture). There is also one (and possibly two) intermediate siding to construct and the main terminus to complete and sidings to add there too.

I really need to concentrate on the garden again now. The sidings will largely be determined by the arrangement of the flower beds and the turnout construction. Which brings me to the next stage of the process I need to get on with - turnout construction. This is going to be the first bit of practical modelling on the project and the first I will have tackled in about thirty years! The first problem is going to be gathering the tools and equipment I need. The second is going to be finding a suitable location to work - negotiations are about to be entered into!

Any way, here is a picture of the loop completed today.



Andrew

[LNR]

Nice long flowing curves Andrew, as it should be. Great work, you should be really able to see the railway in your mind now, which always helps with progress.
Grant.

[Dwayne]

Andrew, you've made a substantial amount of progress during my absence. Layout is shaping up to be a great looking railway.  :thumbright: