The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by Soar Valley Light » Sun Apr 26, 2020 10:05 pm

Greetings all from Charnwood.

I wasn't surprised that it's nine months since my last post. Progress slowed to a complete standstill at the back end of last year. I needed to get a coupe of turnouts built to move forwards. The idea was to crack on with them on a day when the weather was too bad to do anything else. The day never seemed to come though - which is odd, because I was blaming the state of the allotment at the start of spring on the fact that it had been too wet to do anything! :?

Any road up (as we say in my native Mansfield), a wet Sunday a couple of weeks ago saw me make a start on the second turnout I needed. Progress slowed when the weather picked up but over the last two weekends I've had chance to move the construction on and I completed it this morning. I was spurred on by having a steam up on Friday afternoon after work, something I don't think I've done for nearly two years! It was reading some of the topics on here that really gave me the encouragement I think - that and the gorgeous weather!
turnout.JPG
turnout.JPG (38.42 KiB) Viewed 6815 times
This was just before completion. Once I'd got the check rails fitted and a tie bar soldered on I was outside to see how the geometry was going to look.
Track laying commences.JPG
Track laying commences.JPG (60.39 KiB) Viewed 6815 times
This section of the work was to complete the continuous run capability of the railway. Not something I intend to use in normal operations but handy for someone like me who has little experience of live steam and wants to 'get the feel' for running locos. It was blooming hot out there today but I sweated my way up to lunch by getting a suitable alignment for the turnouts. I got it pinned down before sausage rolls intervened. This piece of track runs from the crossing loop at the intermediate station of Woodhouse Eaves and the end of the run round loop at the terminal station of Shepshed. It also includes the loco release turnout turnout at Shepshed. The loop points at the other end have been there for some time but were only run on for the first time last Friday and have served no function so far. Just a short length of plain line in the platform road had been layed with the points but today I was able to close up the gap between the loco release points and this 'head of steel' in the platform line.

I stood back to admire the work and was pleased with what I saw. The back garden blackbird (we have a front garden one as well!) seemed impressed too judging by the time he spent watching me from the fence above my head, next doors apple tree and our copper chimney - maybe he was just bemused. I was going to leave it at that and get off down the allotment but the short gap in the loop at Woodhouse Eaves was just begging to be closed up. Like shepshed, there had been a (longer) length of plain line in the loop here for over two years, serving no purpose up until now. The first turnout layed today turns you off the loop there towards the end of the run-round at Shepshed. Going straight ahead leads along the loop at Woodhouse Eaves to the other loop points, which were the first points I layed. That must be well over three years ago now! I couldn't resist and a frenzy of rail cutting and sleeper sliding commenced. About an hour later - job done. I wasn't convinced I hadn't made a dogs dinner out of the alignment in this last bit but I've walked past it several times since and it's growing on me. The blackbird raised no objections at any rate! See what you think....
tracklaying ended 1.JPG
tracklaying ended 1.JPG (60.57 KiB) Viewed 6815 times
tracklaying ended 2.JPG
tracklaying ended 2.JPG (61 KiB) Viewed 6815 times
On the opposite side of Charnwood is one of my favourite bits of the railway's surroundings and when in flower at this time of year it's at it's best. The alpines are a lovely red and the violets have poked through amongst them this year.
flowers 1.JPG
flowers 1.JPG (61.83 KiB) Viewed 6815 times
A little further along the line I'm still having problems with the Jackdaws, who seem to have the strength of Samson. I mentioned before that I've used some standard gauge ballast as retaining stones for the pea gravel. This gravel cess runs alongside the railway throughout it's length but on the higher and narrower embankments in this location the retention is necessary to prevent the pea gravel running away. These are at the larger end of standard gauge ballast dimensions and are not light. However, the Jackdaws seem to have no problem in hurling them down the embankment. You can just make some of them out at the toe, next to the blue bricks.
jackdaw rocks.JPG
jackdaw rocks.JPG (59.22 KiB) Viewed 6815 times
I'm going to have to resort to some cement I think - although they are clever birds and I expect they will turn up with jigger picks to move them again!

The problems previously described with track alignment haven't gone away, although they have reduced in magnitude, unfortunately there are one or two new sites now though. I've increased the track fixity in places by replacing 1/2" pins with 3/8" screws of thicker diameter, we'll see how that holds through the summer. A lot of the ground on which the railway stands was built up. The Filcriss legs were mainly in solid ground but the track bed was in the air for a lot of the length of the railway and the ground was built up around it. There is no doubt that this fill material has settled over the last twenty four months, by over an inch in places. This probably means that the lateral restraint hasn't been as stiff as I'd expected and may explain some of the movement I've experienced. Friday proved that it's not been detrimental to running though. What did catch me out was the vegetation. Having not run for over 18 months meant that I needed to do a bit of trimming before I started running. I've been trying to keep on top of it and I've had to reclaim the track from under the creeping Thymes about every six months. What I had forgotten was how wide in the beam a 16mm NG loco is! I had three derailments on the first run due to the buffer bean fouling vegetation that hurled the leading wheelset into the ballast! As I said earlier, I am still learning!

Progress is now paused again by the need for turnout construction, this time one leading from the loco release road at Shepshed into the quarry sidings. That's not quite true, because one day last week I loose layed the loop points for the Leicester terminus and dropped a couple of lengths of plain line in off the back, but this is all flapping about loose pending the clearance of wild violets from the track bed, which I don't want to do until they've finished flowering. This will enable me to fasten all this down and drop a couple more lengths on to take me onto the area designated for the steaming bay, but yet more turnouts are required to progress beyond this. However, I've got the bug again at the moment and a new supply of material arrived from Cliff Barker last week so maybe I can move things on a bit this summer. Hopefully it won't be another nine months before my next post - but don't hold you breath! ;)

Andrew
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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by LNR » Sun Apr 26, 2020 11:48 pm

A great story Andrew, and good to see you back into it again. Hope you get the loco back into operation and get to enjoy the railway some. Now that you have somewhere to run I'm sure that will boost the enthusiasm to continue on.
Grant.

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by Soar Valley Light » Mon May 04, 2020 9:26 pm

Thanks for the encouragement Grant. It had good effect as I managed to produce another turnout over the weekend, and not just a straightforward one either, it was similar flexure curve out of curve, so needed a bit of thinking about.

It took until yesterday to find the opportunity to light an engine up to test the new trackwork (making 200% more steamings than last year!). The loco got round OK but I found the check blocks on one of the new crossing noses were a little high causing the flanges to bump over them. I need to get back out there with a needle file to take them down a touch.

I was amazed how much the vegetation had grown in the week since the last run - that did fetch the loco off, on more than one occasion! I also need to get out there and do some really serious cutting back - and then keep on top of it. The loco I'm using is a Ragleth with a body kit that includes a tender. The loco lumps it's way over most things, it's usually the tender that gets 'legged up' and lands on 'Olde England'. However, on the first run yesterday the loco itself came to grief in a spot where I new the vegetation was close but definitely clear. On investigating I discovered two things. First the buffer beam had got warm - to the point of being finger burning hot! secondly, it was a dirty great round pebble, tucked under the vegetation, that the loco buffer beam had rolled round into the motion, with inevitable results. I know exactly who to blame for that, it's those super strength Jackdaws again!!!

Andrew
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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by Andrew » Mon May 04, 2020 10:18 pm

I'm glad you're making progress Andrew, and getting some running in too. Those points sound fiendishly complicated...

Everything's growing crazily quickly at the moment, isn't it? I guess it's the near perfect combination of sun and rain we've been having - I'm hoping to clear my line (again!) this week prior to some weekend running. At the time I wondered if I was pandering to a bit of a whim, but I'm glad I made my gauging van, it makes pruning the lineside much easier - highly recommended!

All the best,

Andrew.

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by Jimmyb » Mon May 04, 2020 10:28 pm

Soar Valley Light wrote: Mon May 04, 2020 9:26 pm it was a dirty great round pebble, tucked under the vegetation, that the loco buffer beam had rolled round into the motion, with inevitable results. I know exactly who to blame for that, it's those super strength Jackdaws again!!!

Andrew
Andrew nice to hear you managed a run, sympathise with the jackdaw problem, I have crows that like to rearrange my landscape.

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by ge_rik » Tue May 05, 2020 9:47 am

Good to see some developments, Andrew, and a bit of sunshine.
I like alpines as well, even though the flowers are out of scale. My current bane is sycamore seedlings. Why do they take root so easily when things I want to grow find every excuse not to!!

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by tom_tom_go » Tue May 05, 2020 11:30 am

It would be good to have an overall photo or even a video of the line sometime when you are free as you have some brilliant sweeping curves.

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by philipy » Tue May 05, 2020 11:33 am

Glad you've managed to find your mojo again, Andrew. I must admit I've been wondering where you had got to.
ge_rik wrote: Tue May 05, 2020 9:47 am My current bane is sycamore seedlings. Why do they take root so easily when things I want to grow find every excuse not to!!
Mine is Ash seedlings. I went to a less frequented corner of the garden yesterday and pulled up 291!!! That's apart from the dozen or so I pull from the flower beds on a daily basis.
Philip

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by GTB » Wed May 06, 2020 9:42 am

Soar Valley Light wrote: Mon May 04, 2020 9:26 pm
The loco got round OK but I found the check blocks on one of the new crossing noses were a little high causing the flanges to bump over them. I need to get back out there with a needle file to take them down a touch.
Andrew,

I had the same problem recently when test running the Sharp Stewart 0-4-2T after it's trip through the works. It took a dislike to a couple of the new turnouts in the steaming up/marshalling yard, but there were no issues with the rolling stock.

This loco was built using Roundhouse parts and the problem was actually the driving wheels. When measured the flanges were 2.2mm deep and 1.8mm thick, instead of the correct 2mm deep and 1.5mm thick. It only took 10 minutes to reprofile the wheels, but as is the way, it took a lot longer to remove and then refit the wheels.

I've no experience with Accucraft UK models, but it might be worth checking the flanges if a loco has problems with a turnout and the rolling stock doesn't.

Regards,
Graeme

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by RylstonLight » Wed May 06, 2020 12:21 pm

ge_rik wrote: Tue May 05, 2020 9:47 am My current bane is sycamore seedlings. Why do they take root so easily when things I want to grow find every excuse not to!!

Rik
I hate sycamores, we had two and there is a constant battle against their offspring. We are in a tree preservation area and one sycamore’s roots were compromising a neighbour’s foundations. The council required DNA sequencing of both the tree and the roots emerging on the other side of their house, to confirm the tree’s guilt before it was felled!

Every cloud has a silver lining. Guess where the footprint of the Rylston Light Mark 2 is going to be? :P . And I have to say, Andrew, that this thread about you getting back on the railway (and the warm weather) has been a stimulus to resuming my survey of the intended alignment. Thank you. And with that neat segue we are back on topic.

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by Soar Valley Light » Wed May 06, 2020 8:12 pm

Hi Andy,

I've taken so much inspiration from others on this forum, if I've been able to return the favour I'm delighted. Enjoy the planning, I think it's one of the most enjoyable aspects of our varied hobby.

Hi Graeme,

Thanks very much for the advice, it's something well worth remembering. However, I'm confident that the problem is the track not the loco. I build my own turnouts from scratch and so quality control is not necessarily all it should be! The loco gets through all my other turnouts fine, it's just the last two I built (in a bit of a rush). I build the crossing nose units up by bending and filing point and splice rails which I solder into the vee. The wing rails are bent up and then I araldite them to the vee, using small plastic check and wing blocks to form the flangeways. I've a feeling these last two may have been assembled upside down, allowing the spacer blocks to sink into the flangeways. I'm hoping a rat tailed file will deal with the problem as it has just happened on the crossing unit for the next turnout but I've spotted it in time and filed the flangeway out. Peco would have been much easier!

All the best,

Andrew
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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by Soar Valley Light » Sun Jan 03, 2021 8:18 pm

Hello all,

I thought I'd better add an update about the CFLR before a whole year goes by since the last one!

Progress has continued at a pedestrian pace. Working for one of 'essential' industries' and being easily able to work from home meant I avoided being furloughed. I'm hugely thankful for that but it did mean there was no enforced free time to crack on with building the CFLR. In fact, I've found that working from home has resulted in me working longer hours as I still get up at the same time and carry on working until the time I would normally arrive home (at least!). A little bit of time management is called for in 2021 I feel!

So, what HAS happened. Well, I managed a little bit more ballasting. Using SBR to fix pulverised ash in place worked fairly well, despite the track being on nothing more solid than geotextile wrapped over the Filcriss foundation. It's not completely solid but the Jackdaws haven't destroyed it (yet) so I'm classing it as a success. The pulverised ash was produced by grinding down fire ash from Swithland Sidings signal box stove using a lump of stone on the slabs at the bottom of the box steps during gaps between trains whilst on duty there. The depot cat was convinced I'd gone mad! The process did produce a very fine and in my book realistic material though. I thought I'd posted some pictures but looking back I can't see any. I'll try and remedy that in the next day or two.

One problem I've noted recently is further movement in the track alignment. There appears to be no loosening of the fixings so I can only assume the Filcriss has moved slightly again. As previously stated, you would think this would be a hot weather issue but it only seems to occur during the colder weather. A couple of turnouts have developed a bit of radius despite originally being layed with straight through legs and some of the plain line straights aren't any more! Some maintenance will be called for but first I need to have an attack on the vegetation. The lavender well and truly took over this year, having self set all over the place. Our local co-op was selling plants for a fiver a go during the summer, they were smaller than my self sets. I thought about setting up a stall on the street!

I did manage to run a couple of loco's this year (until one of them expired with a burnt out RC wiring loom - you may remember the posts in the 'Help' section!). I tried to concentrate on some more building after that which worked to a point, although numerous things (not least nesting blackbirds - twice!) got in the way. One thing I have found about a slow build though is that it allows ideas to develop (rather too many sometimes!). At some point I treated myself to a Brandbright hopper wagon. What a wonderful little kit! It's still not quite finished yet as the great outdoors is not conducive to spray painting just now but it's nearly there. Discovering that it had working doors led me into thoughts of working hopper discharges (and loading points). You may have spotted a brief mention in the other Andrews (Windmill HIll) Welsh Highland Railway thread earlier today about garden railways operating realistically. It's been mentioned several times on here and several people (me included) take a good deal of the pleasure we gain from this hobby by operating our railways in this way. Rik's Peckforton Light must be one of the best examples. Each to his own, of course, it's not for everyone but as I say, it definitely 'floats my boat. Having yet to construct the sidings at both ends of the line means I can still adapt my plans to include facilities to be serviced by my new fleet of hopper wagons. Yes, there is only one at the moment but I was so impressed I treated myself to one of the 'four packs' that Brandbright (What a friendly and helpful chap) offer for this wagon design. (Well it was nearly Christmas!). The other project finally moving forward is a momentum van. Again I'm taking it steadily but progress is being made. I've bought myself a Zeecar mechanism. (Well it was nearly Christmas!). I decided it would be best installed in a brake van that could 'live' next to the loco on the basis that whatever an engine was diagrammed to do it would need a Guard to work the job and so it might as well keep the van with it, so I ordered an IP kit which seemed the most 'roomy'. (Well it was nearly Christmas!). Reading the various comments about friction mechanisms I also decided to try a 'Glendale Rocket' mechanism, probably in another brake van for direct comparison, so I picked up a cheap toy off ebay. (Well it was nearly Christmas!). I'll update further when there is anything to report on these projects.

I think my next step now though needs to be the advancement of the permanent way. Certainly to a state where there is a run round at each end and hopefully a siding or two. That will allow some 'proper' operations to commence and hopefully fire my enthusiasm further. I would have pressed on with the construction of the next turnout over Christmas but I was shorter of materials than I realised and ran out just before Christmas Eve. I need to get in touch with Cliff Barker this week and get an order placed for what's needed. I can barely justify the expense after the little spree before Christmas but I can't progress without it so this is being classed as an 'essential' purchase. Well - I can't justify any more Christmas presents!

So there we are - for now. I've promised more regular updates before but if there is little or nothing to tell you it's not worth posting, it becomes boring for the reader. Let's hope my get up and go remains active so that I have more to tell you about during 2021. In the meantime I'll look out those photo's of the newly ballasted track this week and get them posted.

Cheerio for now from the depths of the Forest.

SVLR Andrew
Last edited by Soar Valley Light on Wed Feb 03, 2021 7:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by pippindoo » Mon Jan 04, 2021 5:40 pm

As the advert says Andrew, Every little helps! Even just mulling over ideas or pre planning is all progress. I'm the same, things seem to stop for a while, then all of a sudden, it's all happening. Battle on, you'll get there!

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by Andrew » Mon Jan 04, 2021 6:16 pm

Nice to hear of your progress Andrew, thanks for the update. Looking forward to seeing how the hoppers project pans out...

I've never visited the GCR (I really must!), but I'd always imagined Swithland 'box to be a bustling hive of activity, with little time for ash-bashing. I guess on a low season day though, with just one or two trains trundling up and down and nothing heading in or out of the sidings, it's much like a 'box in the middle of a branchline?

The cat thinking you'd lost the plot reminded me that I was praying the neighbours weren't watching the other day as I bashed up coal on the front drive. They' really think we'd fallen on hard times if the saw me scrabbling about after lumps of coal just a few mm across...

All the best,

Andrew.

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by ge_rik » Tue Jan 05, 2021 9:15 am

As you would expect, I am in total agreement with you about the pleasure to be gained in operating a railway as realistically as possible, but then I would say that wouldn't I? I suppose it's a bit like listening to music. Sometimes I'll listen to an exquisite piece of classical music, sometimes I immerse myself in traditional folk music and at other times I put on a mix of Sixties and Seventies pop. But I'm not a great fan of opera or jazz despite my wife's love of opera and my brother's enthusiasm for jazz.

To my mind, a good garden railway provides all sorts of opportunities for running trains - stations organised to allow for realistic running from time to time, a circuit for a bit of tail-chasing, a scenic section or two to get some decent photos or video shots and a raised section to make the testing of new stock easy. But I can't get excited about live steam despite the enthusiasm and persuasive pressure of many forumites and fellow modellers.

As you say each to their own

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by ge_rik » Tue Jan 05, 2021 9:18 am

Andrew wrote: Mon Jan 04, 2021 6:16 pm The cat thinking you'd lost the plot reminded me that I was praying the neighbours weren't watching the other day as I bashed up coal on the front drive. They' really think we'd fallen on hard times if the saw me scrabbling about after lumps of coal just a few mm across...
:laughing3: :laughing3: :thumbright:

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by Soar Valley Light » Sun Jan 10, 2021 4:22 pm

Hello Readers,

I mentioned my 'wandering' track alignment in my New Year post, I have an update.

One advantage of having the railway is that the garden is much lower maintenance, thanks to plenty of ground cover plants and a reduction in 'crop' plants. Most of the growing is done on the allotment these days but I still have a few fruit bushes and a row of raspberries. The raspberries are old now and and some of the canes died off last year, however, there are plenty of healthy roots pushing out from the canes, some came up very close to the railway and needed moving to avoid some incongruously giant foliage beside the track. This afternoon seemed like a good opportunity so I set too and removed the strays to the proper run of canes. This job took me into places I don't often get and thus gave views along the railway I don't normally see. To my horror the alignment problems mentioned are, in places, far worse than I thought. In fact, the kinks are so severe that I'm pretty sure they are bad enough to fetch anything I ran at the moment off the road. I can't pin-point the cause but the problems all see to exist where the maximum amount of 'terra forming' took place to create the railway. I thought I'd thoroughly compacted the ground as it went back in, ramming it with a punner in thin layers, but nevertheless it can only be ground movement which has done this. Many of the 'kinks' are outward, so if it was thermal movement of the track it would need hot weather to cause it - this has been noticeably absent in North West Leicestershire of late! No matter what the cause, I can see no option but to unpin the track and ease out the alignment to something trains can run over smoothly. If it happens again I'm going to seriously consider reconstructing the formation. That would be a nightmare but better than having this palaver every year!

This may not look bad but it's far worse than the alignment I originally layed.
2021 track misalignment1.JPG
2021 track misalignment1.JPG (63.51 KiB) Viewed 5388 times
This curve is on an embankment between 6" and 12" high on about 2' of filled ground (I was mining sand and gravel from a natural deposit I found!) It was a really sweet, regular curve when layed and has survived for several years without movement.
2021 track misalignment4.JPG
2021 track misalignment4.JPG (63.47 KiB) Viewed 5388 times
This turnout was built and layed as a straight turnout, it's developed a distinct curve over the last 18 months, the mainline is actually the curved leg and the regular curve that was laid now has 'lumps' in it! There was almost no filling of the ground in this area.
2021 track misalignment5.JPG
2021 track misalignment5.JPG (61.3 KiB) Viewed 5388 times
The next two photo's are on an even higher embankment than the one previously mentioned, just over 12" of fill and right on the edge of the sunken path. The ground is supported on concrete troughing units laid on their sides on top of each other. I expected this might move as compacting soil into the open troughs wasn't easy. There was some movement two years ago but I adjusted the alignment last year. This is also the stretch I ballast up in ash, held with building glue. It's not a soild bond as there is little other than the Terram under the track for it to bond to but it seems to have held last year (I'm hoping these aren't 'famous last words'!).
2021 track misalignment6.JPG
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2021 track misalignment7.JPG
2021 track misalignment7.JPG (58.25 KiB) Viewed 5388 times
The next shot is of the loop point at the end of the first embankment mentioned. They were part of the regular curve when laid. The final shot is of the loop at Woodhouse, immediately behind the points, the loops were laid with regular curves and with a constant interval between them, as you can see, that is no longer the case. The cross level has also gone way off here too. I didn't get the bubble out to check - I didn't need to!

It's all very frustrating but, as the old saying goes, 'if at first you don't succeed try, try again' (but after the second try, do something different!)

SVLR Andrew
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2021 track mislaignment2.JPG
2021 track mislaignment2.JPG (62.1 KiB) Viewed 5388 times
2021 track misalignment3.JPG
2021 track misalignment3.JPG (60.78 KiB) Viewed 5388 times
Last edited by Soar Valley Light on Wed Feb 03, 2021 7:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by philipy » Sun Jan 10, 2021 6:18 pm

Andrew,
That all doesn't look good at all. Forgive me but I can't remember if/how your track is fixed down?
Philip

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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by Soar Valley Light » Sun Jan 10, 2021 7:03 pm

Hi Philip,

It's not good at all.

The foundation is two 2x1 Filcriss strips spaced apart with 2x2 Filcriss blocks alternating with 2x2x18 to 24" Filcriss posts at 18" centres. The space between the Filcriss strips is filled with pea gravel before being covered in Terram (off cuts from the real thing picked up at work), the ground is made up around the filcriss and well rammed to support it. The track is layed on top of this, tacked into the Filcriss around every six sleepers (but up to every other sleeper on curves). The pinning seems to be holding so it's the Filcriss that's moving in the ground. It occurs to me that frost heave may be a factor but there is one short spot (not pictured) between two turnouts where the Filcriss is stiffly braced and well supported by the ground where there is a misalignment normally associated with the worst of the hot weather. I'm really at a loss to explain it. It defies everything I've ever learnt about managing track - and I do that for a living!

SVLR Andrew
Last edited by Soar Valley Light on Wed Feb 03, 2021 7:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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philipy
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Re: The Charnwood Forest Light Railway

Post by philipy » Sun Jan 10, 2021 9:16 pm

It's surprising how much stuff moves around, however well tamped, once water gets involved. I suspect that because your Filcris is a rigid construction ( Without expansion gaps, presumably?), once one section moves, it puts undesigned strains on everything else, and that then continues to "wriggle" as it tries to regain its built-in angles and curves every time it rains, dries or freezes.
Philip

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