The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

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LNR
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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by LNR » Mon Aug 28, 2017 12:47 am

I foresee many photos being taken on the long curving embankment in the not too distant future. A very picturesque view. I hope you are wearing an inward grin Andrew, as all your meticulous planning comes together in leaps and bounds. Well deserved.
Grant.

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by bazzer42 » Mon Aug 28, 2017 9:58 am

Agree with Grant, this is going to be a classic when you're finished ( do we ever finish?) . Just noticed the pit, uncanny, as the layout I mentioned earlier with the hand built track was built around a dropped operating area. It does make things a lot easier, I would imagine....

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Peter Butler
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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by Peter Butler » Mon Aug 28, 2017 7:56 pm

Just wonderful work Andrew... detail and perseverance to achieve (near) perfection will pay dividends in the future. Your planting is becoming established too, so when the track laying is completed the whole railway will look good in its landscape.
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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by markoteal » Tue Aug 29, 2017 12:06 pm

Great to see the track going onto those sweeping curves - and the planting is bedding (sorry no pun intended) in nicely!
Where did I put that uncoupler?

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by Soar Valley Light » Thu Aug 31, 2017 8:12 pm

Well my friends, it's finally happened!

After significant progress over the bank holiday the contractors engaged in the construction of the CFLR decided on Tuesday that locomotive power was needed to keep up the rate of progress and to test some of the completed works. Consequently they searched the plant and machinery stores and extricated a simple manual loco, gave it a quick 'once over' and deployed it on the line. Steam was raised and loco used with an open wagon to transport some of the heavier granite blocks required to retain the pea gravel drainage ditches beside the track bed. Once the main work was done the opportunity was taken to give a tour of the works to the directors present on the works that day, using the swept out open wagon as a makeshift conveyance.

https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=qOHl57hJc3c

Although a good deal of the track was still only roughly laid the operation was deemed a success and several areas requiring further attention were identified in the process. This resulted in the contractor taking a second loco from the P&M stores, this time a heavier and radio controlled machine. This again proved it's worth, identifying further locations where additional fettling of the track is required. In particular some twists that need packing out and a gauge fault on a crossing nose. A further tour was offered to the directors. On the return trip a derailment occurred due to the gauge fault on the turnout, noticeable by a pause in the return journey. The crew quite quickly had the tender back on the road and the directors were barely aware anything had happened!

https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=NW9QDFOhlZU

The first loco had been left at the end of the newly laid track to act as a 'dead end'. The final job of the day was for the second loco to collect the first and drag it back to the construction compound.

Contractors loco's heading home for the day.
https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=yMMmJEugI7s

It's safe to safe I'm chuffed! :roll:

When I uploaded the videos I discovered the ones I took about four years ago of the loose-lay Mamod track I had on the old back yard to prove to myself that I really was up for the project. It was a logical step and confirmed I liked the idea..... the rest, as they say, is history!

Andrew
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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by bazzer42 » Thu Aug 31, 2017 8:24 pm

Hi Andrew, don't know if it's me but I can't get the videos to work ....sounds like a job for Tom.. :D

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by invicta280 » Thu Aug 31, 2017 8:31 pm

Since when did we have to sign in to view youtube? :roll: :roll:

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Peter Butler
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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by Peter Butler » Thu Aug 31, 2017 8:37 pm

Andrew, when I clicked on your Youtube links all I got was my own short video clip of my Emett loco..... something strange going on!!!!
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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by tom_tom_go » Thu Aug 31, 2017 8:39 pm

Let's try and be helpful here.

Andrew, have you made the videos public?

PM me if you need assistance.

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by ge_rik » Fri Sep 01, 2017 7:09 am

tom_tom_go wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 8:39 pm Let's try and be helpful here.

Andrew, have you made the videos public?

PM me if you need assistance.
Looks like Andrew has posted the URLs for his edit pages for each video rather than the public share links

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by Soar Valley Light » Fri Sep 01, 2017 8:52 pm

"Smith! Why do you only come to work four days a week?
"'cause I can't manage on three gaffer!"

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by tom_tom_go » Fri Sep 01, 2017 9:37 pm

All good Andrew, steam at last!

Have you considered R/C for your locos?

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by Peter Butler » Fri Sep 01, 2017 10:24 pm

Lovey images Andrew, the garden will look stunning when complete.
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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by Soar Valley Light » Fri Sep 01, 2017 10:33 pm

Phew - that's a greater achievement than building the railway Tom!

Thanks for the comments Peter, I'm certainly hoping so.

The black kit built Ragleth is RC, the Edrig is manual. Manual is 'interesting' but not conducive to operating a railway. I may consider fitting it in time, I loike the engine and I think I'd like to keep it. I'm not sure that the black one is staying, I would much sooner have a couple of larger tank engines, it's more in keeping with the premise I have for the railway. I have a Lawley which I thought was RC but turns out not to be! I'd also like something that can have a slomo fitted, that makes Accucraft a none starter at the moment and Roundhouse is out of my price range I'm afraid. Building the railway has reduced available funds to a number with a minus sign in front of it! I've just placed an order for what I hope will be the last significant track materials order. In the short term a momentum van looks like all I'll be able to contemplate but I'd much rather have it loco fitted. Something to aim for I guess.

I managed a bit more progress today. It was one step back and two forwards but progress nonetheless. I put a length of Filcris in yesterday for the siding at Anstey. Unfortunately it was only much later (whilst I was thinking over the plans in bed) that I realised I'd picked up from the running line in the wrong place. A quick review of the situation this afternoon confirmed I'd 'made a Barney' and that things could not be left as they were. I also realised that by reverting to 'Plan A' I could get a second short siding in. Dismantling quickly followed. A new length of Filcris runner was dragged out and trimmed to length and assembled on the new alignment. The wisdom of this course of action was immediately apparent. The second siding quickly followed and I had to do some shallow quarrying in the area of the yard to produce some sandy fill material to build up the ground to level. Thank goodness I've held back on concreting the yard!

I can't do much now until the pway materials arrive, I've only one prefab'ed section of track left to lay and then I'm out of rail. It's stopped the turnout production line too. There is the last bit of foundation to go in for the sidings at Abbey Lane and Woodhouse Eaves and also some work to do on the foundation for the station and sidings at Shepshed but I'm not rushing into things, thinking time is everything where I am concerned!

Andrew
"Smith! Why do you only come to work four days a week?
"'cause I can't manage on three gaffer!"

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by invicta280 » Fri Sep 01, 2017 11:37 pm

What a lovely line. Well engineered and it will look superb when the plantings take hold. Personally I think the black tender loco looks very much at home there.

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by IrishPeter » Sat Sep 02, 2017 12:04 am

Looking good, Andrew, but then I am a sucker for sweeping curves.

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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LNR
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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by LNR » Sat Sep 02, 2017 1:13 am

As others have said, a wonderful piece of track laying, congratulations Andrew. I'm sure you will now be building a little, running a little, as you are able to reap the rewards of your patience.
Grant.

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by bazzer42 » Sat Sep 02, 2017 9:35 am

Thanks for redoing the videos Andrew. The layout is going to be a cracker, good planning and all that...

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by markoteal » Mon Sep 04, 2017 6:11 pm

Brilliant Andrew - great to see those long sweeping curves in action!
Where did I put that uncoupler?

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by daan » Mon Oct 16, 2017 8:20 pm

The railway looks terrific, Andrew, when the plants will grow later on and you can sit in the middle with a beer watching the trains running by it will be a joy for many evenings.. So if there is a minor sign in front of possible expenses now, it will only be a thing far away then. It is growing into something working now..!
Best regards, Daan.
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