Garden Railway Forum

What a superb video, I really had to concentrate hard to realise it is a garden railway and not a full size one.
One point, are the loads sand glued to inserts or some other miracle from the Rik workshop ?

pandsrowe wrote: Tue Apr 02, 2019 7:46 am What a superb video, I really had to concentrate hard to realise it is a garden railway and not a full size one.
One point, are the loads sand glued to inserts or some other miracle from the Rik workshop ?

Piece of ply with either a sculpted balsa block or a piece of foam packaging suitably crumpled and covered in sand. Nothing fancy. Removable so I can run the wagons empty Down the line and loaded back up. . . .
Rik

Been using up some scraps of foamboard left over from the brewery to make a loading hopper at the quarry. Decided that, rather than conveyors, the quarry will have a Gn15 railway system. Now ordered more materials to make another two of these to sit side by side.
No idea if there is a prototypical precedent for this type of hopper. Searched the net and came up with nothing useful, so tried working out what might have worked.

Rik
PS - The diagonal bit at the top will eventually be covered in corrugated iron (well corrugated aluminium in reality)

That looks good Rik.
Much as I like foamboard, I'm not sure I'd have used for something spindly and structural as this is. So I will be interested to see how it goes, longer term.

Just had a quick look around to see what I could see regarding sand loading and came across this little gem from Leighton Buzzard. Now you could build a dredger and divert your stream to fill a quarry....! (I'll get my coat)
Actually, many years ago I was commissioned by a dredging company to build a working 4mm suction dredger almost exactly like this, for their trade stand at industry exhibitions. They specialised in dredging rivers and ornamental lakes, etc.

Are you sure this isn't the secret stream-related project you're working on?
Actually, the site for the quarry siding is just below the upper source for the stream........ No, I must stay grounded...

Rik

Oh, go on, treat yourselves!

Soar Valley Light wrote: Fri Apr 12, 2019 8:23 pm Oh, go on, treat yourselves!

That does look interesting. I wonder what sort of pump mechanism would be able to cope with all the abrasion?

Rik

That's something that has always intrigued me, the abrasive nature of sand must play havoc with any kind of pump yet obviously it's done regularly. Perhaps the mechanisms are just frequently replaced, anyone here have any ideas?

ge_rik wrote: Sat Apr 13, 2019 7:42 am That does look interesting. I wonder what sort of pump mechanism would be able to cope with all the abrasion?

Rik

Well for this little model, I used a standard car windscreen washer pump, and for the sand I used N gauge brown "magnesium ballast". It did grind a wee bit but worked well, I've got no idea how long it lasted but they never complained or asked for their money back! The pump was hidden below board level under the clump of vegetetation and discharged onto the flat 'bank' area and the water simply ran back into the pool - spoil fan can be seen towards the back LH corner at the end of the pipe. If you look carefully the lighter coloured dredged trail is just about visible under the water. The dredger itself was rope hauled from side to side.

pandsrowe wrote: Sat Apr 13, 2019 8:06 am That's something that has always intrigued me, the abrasive nature of sand must play havoc with any kind of pump yet obviously it's done regularly. Perhaps the mechanisms are just frequently replaced, anyone here have any ideas?

Can't be specific, but I have interest in some oilfields in Trinidad, and sand clogging up the wells is a continual problem, requiring specialist pumps that can cope with the sand. What that actually involves in pump technology I don't know.

Now managed to weather four of the wagons. Slow process, but quite satisfying. Also adding brake gear as I go. . .
Rik

I felt a gasp in my breathing when I saw the finished articles Rik.... they are just amazing! You have mastered the weathering process with 'Honours', we need a 'how to' from you now.
Top marks... again!

Peter Butler wrote: Tue Apr 16, 2019 11:08 am I felt a gasp in my breathing when I saw the finished articles Rik.... they are just amazing! You have mastered the weathering process with 'Honours', we need a 'how to' from you now.
Top marks... again!

Very kind of you Peter. I'm still experimenting with weathering, not sure I've mastered it yet, but it's very encouraging to have this sort of feedback.

Rik

Lovely job, all round.

That's the first plastic wagon I have seen with wood painted that achieves that elusive silver colour, well done.

The wood looks like wood and the wagons present a most realistic appearance. Well done Rik.

Wow! Those are absolutely fantastic, well worth the effort...

All the best,
Andrew