Garden Railway Forum

As Columbo would say, "nice place you've got there".

I love the epic scale you're working on there - it should really work for the Welsh slate vibe. I can only imagine the mountains in my bit of "Wales" (a small Bristol back garden), but you're going to be able to do it properly!

Thanks for the updates, much appreciated...

Andrew.

I have made a bit more progress. Lots of other things going on here which get in the way. It is beginning to take shape, with the trackbed following the lie of the ground - which seems quite satisfying:
The vertical difference beeen the two ends of the trackbed is now 12 inches. At a slope of 1 in 60 that means another 60 feet of trackbed needed. I have 2 more gravel boards to lay, so that is 12 feet, leaving 48 to plan for. That could be a circle of just over 15 feet diameter, so we are within striking distance.

Looking wonderful Trevor, but with only two gravel boards left you might have a short intermission during lockdown as deliveries will surely be affected.

Peter

I don't think that the lockdown is going to make much difference really. When I have those last gravel boards down I was going to change tactic anyway. My thoughts were that on the rising part I would start the curve outwards- over the void if you like. After a 1/4 circle I thought I would then reverse the curve (dangerous for good running I know) and start 3/4 of a curve to join up with the other part.

Somewhere in this I want a run round loop, which means doubling the width of the trackbed for that.

So all of the curved bits I was going to cast in situ. Gravel boards and sweeping curves just don't go together!

However I have bags of gravel, sand and piles of rock which are in the way. I think I have to finish the path along the first extension to use that up before I can continue with the trackbed.

So for the first lockdown I dug out the bank. It seems appropriate to use the second to finish off the area I dug out.

Trevor

Wow! Just Wow! The standard of construction is fantastic and the realism of this developing little railway is a joy to see. Following!!

Agreed, terrific little line.

Having found the partly constructed extension peeping through the grass, and used the strimmer to expose it all ( and found the pick axe which I left out all winter) I am thinking about that new track again.

Having volunteered to have a "mini meeting" running session last week I felt a few modifications were needed. Firstly the points I laid last year had lost some of their springiness, the brass over centre springs were not holding the point blades firmly. So I replaced each one with a stainless steel "U" shaped spring made from 1mm diameter wire. The older points on the first section I built had been made before I worked out the benefit of an over centre spring, and I dismantled all those point levers and modified them:
You can see a clean brass plate sticking up to hold the fixed end of the spring , a shiny spring and an extra hole in the lever itself, in the photo above, which is the point leading into the engine shed.

Clearing up the workshop I realised that the terminus station building had been sitting half made for 3 years. Seemed like it would be better on the railway than cluttering up the workshop, So I finished the vertical planking made from coffee stirrers, and have painted it. Having started to build this long before I got involved in 3 D printing, it is made from marine ply, and hardwood strips. I have marine paint, in the garage, so 2 coats of Jotun primer, and 2 coats of red bilge paint. The marine paints hold up well outside ( I suppose they should really) and the red is oil resistant as well.



The design is sort of based on (or should it be inspired by) the original station at Corris. It is heavily modified to fit into a bank. So what would have been a carriage shed is half relief. The side wall is removed and pillars will hold / support it over the centre platform. Everything else is as per the original drawing I bought from the Corris Railway, although it looks quite different.
I am planning to make the pillars and the roof covering on the printer - it will just be lots of separate pieces.

Trevor

That train shed looks interesting, Trevor. I've always been intrigued by the one at Corris. Seems like an extravagance for a narrow gauge railway but I bet the passengers appreciated it.

Rik

Comparing the earlier picture of Oct.2020 and attending the mini-meeting you have made amazing progress. It is not clear from the photograph but it covers a huge area and you have moved a lot of 'Wales' in order to get where you are today.
Looking forward to seeing more as it climbs your mountain!

The Corris (style) Station looks superb Trevor. It fits well with the concept of a 'compact' narrow gauge terminus we discussed at the mini-meet.

If anyone wants to see any more pics of this fine railway, here's another one and there's more in my album from the mini-meet...

I have been working on the station building. The printed slate sections are all glued on, and 2mm thick perspex added to the top section. I have started to add printed ridge tiles over the glazed section and at the very back.

I am not sure that I have got the glazing right. I cant remember what I had intended to do when I started it - but I had intended to glaze it like this. It is the black adhesive I am dissatisfied with. Perhaps when I have added all the glazing bars set at 32mm centres along it it will draw the eye away from the black.
And I have finally got back to extending the railway. The lower side has reached the point where it starts the 5ft radius circle to reverse the direction to link up with the upper section.
While I have used concrete gravel boards for the "straight" sections I am going to cast the curved parts in situ. When I say straight I am not trying to make them dead straight - more ambling along the contour like the real thing. So the shuttering is in place and the spirit level used to check the rise and the level accross the formation. Just rocks to pile into the bottom and concrete to mix. Then I can make a passing place in the other leg before that also starts to curve over the void.

How to deal with the void? The loop is going to be on part of the garden which is sloping down to the road sharply. I think I am going to make a wooden tresel viaduct for that part. Not very north wales slate railway - but I think it will be the swiftest way and involve the least effort. We will see.

Trevor

Trevor,

Station is looking good, and the permanent-way, permanent!

For the station roof-lights:
Perhaps thin horizontal frame-members, before the verticals, to disguise the adhesive?

Just a thought?
Phil.P

A valid thought - I will experiment

Trevor

I agree with Phil, some horizontals would do the trick. It's all coming together well.

Still making slow progress.

The station building is now in place on the line. The black mastic isn't very obvious - at least not unless you are up close to it. I will live with it for now. The vertical glazing bars do tend to draw your attention away from the black edges.
The extension is moving towards the void:
So the first part of the curve is in place and the first half of the passing loop is shuttered and poured.

Trevor

I am also going back to finish the earlier extension. Some form of finish is required on the vertical bank or wall which is between the railway and the footpath. I had intended to use wooden half posts - but I just happen to have mounds of stone from old buildings (and from the ground) and it seems an obvious way to face the surface - if somewhat time consuming. I have to find a way of keeping the weeds down, and covering the soil with something solid will do that. So I have started at the station end - as much because I want a wider shelf for the railway at the station - so that seems like an incentive to get started.

So half of the station area has a wall under it. When the other half is walled I can make a concrete extension to the shelf and re-lay the siding and nearest passing loop. That will make room for the goods shed which is ready fit.
This isn't as a result of my making a mistake but having found more information as to how that unusual track layout was actually used, which changes where I want to fit the goods shed. It should be on the nearest loop, beyond the footbridge, not over the siding - in the foreground of the following photo:
This shows the wall better than the last photo. It looks like the wall makes the steps narrower but actually I have removed soil before building, so it isn't actually narrower - but more vertical. so there is a wider shelf for the station without loosing much width on the steps. You can also see the need to control the growth in the foreground!

Trevor

Trevor Thompson wrote: Sat Aug 14, 2021 9:28 am The station building is now in place on the line. The black mastic isn't very obvious - at least not unless you are up close to it. I will live with it for now. The vertical glazing bars do tend to draw your attention away from the black edges.

Looks fine in the picture, and once your weather has done it's worst, I doubt that even you will notice!

It's all looking really good IMO and it doesn't seem slow progress to me, given how many labour intensive bits you are working on at the same time.

All looking very tidy Trevor. At first I was concerned about narrowing the path, which is already quite tight, but you have addressed that with some excavation work.

Trevor Thompson wrote: Sat Aug 14, 2021 9:40 am This isn't as a result of my making a mistake but having found more information as to how that unusual track layout was actually used, which changes where I want to fit the goods shed. It should be on the nearest loop, beyond the footbridge, not over the siding .......
Trevor

I was very intrigued by the use of that diamond crossing beneath the footbridge. Was there a particular reason the tracks needed to cross over like that? I'd have thought that arrangement shortens the length of the passing loops. As you say it is unusual.

Rik

ge_rik wrote: Sat Aug 14, 2021 5:26 pm
I was very intrigued by the use of that diamond crossing beneath the footbridge. Was there a particular reason the tracks needed to cross over like that?

I'd be interested to know that too, most intriguing... Love the curved three-way point what a beast!

The whole layout's looking very good indeed, like the new Corris-esque station very much. Something like that's on my list if I ever return to freelance modelling...

All the best,

Andrew.