Garden Railway Forum

Unfortunately I didn’t manage to take any! Hopefully Simon will come through with lots,

Phil

Trevor Thompson wrote: Wed May 06, 2026 8:17 pm

nlc1072 wrote: Fri May 01, 2026 12:23 am

Trevor Thompson wrote: Wed Feb 08, 2023 4:16 pm The station building is now finished and installed on the railway:

IMG_2747.JPG

The goods shed is temporarily in place to mark its footprint in the station area. All three buildings are set in dry mortar and levelled. I am looking for a damp night tonight. and from the other end:

IMG_2740.JPG

I made the tunnel yesterday, and you can see the its mouth in the distance. The tunnel is made from old bricks, with paving slabs for a roof. I am going to hide the bricks by cladding the entrances with stonework , and extending that to edge the cutting each side of the trackbed.

Finally a low level photo which shows some of the detail:

IMG_2738.JPG

The adverts were printed onto self adhesive photographic paper, mounted on a printed backing, and varnished. Just need some customers to occupy the seats under the veranda.

Trevor

I know it's a while back, but do you have any photos or talks on how you designed and built these station buildings? They're quite incredible.

Sorry to take so long to respond to this. I haven't been on the forum for a while.

I don't really know what I can show you to answer your question about the buildings. I think I have put quite a lot onto the forum about them already - and I don't want to bore everyone by going into copious detail.

At least I can say that things have moved on even in the last 12 months. A new computer has enabled me to use Autocad Fusion, instead of Sketchup to design the buildings. It still involves finding a plan for the original building and inputing it into the CAD software so I can trace it. Because it has to be built in pieces (maximum print size is 250 x 250 mm) the design has to be done with that in mind. In the end it still comes down to laboriously drawing stonework onto the surfaces and then "pulling" the stones out 1mm from the surface - to create the appearance of stonework.

Then it is a matter of printing each component and glueing them together as they are printed. That can take weeks for the bigger buildings. It all seems a bit extreme - and I don't suppose any one else is likely to follow my lead in making these large buildings!

Trevor

Thank you Trevor! I am most likely to follow your lead in making buildings this way, I made a whole N gauge (albeit small) layout from 3D printed bits and pieces. I have also just completed a G scale bogie coach. I have a print bed size of 320mm x 340mm so I should be able to print out some nice modular style buildings with that! I am only using tinkercad at the moment, but I may move on to some other more advanced software when the time comes.

Well Tinkered is a good starting point, and buildings are made from solid boxes which are easily drawn in tinkered.

It is a good way to generate buildings and your bed size will lend itself to 16mm scale buildings

Trevor

nlc1072 wrote: Mon May 11, 2026 6:07 pm I am only using tinkercad at the moment, but I may move on to some other more advanced software when the time comes.

Nothing wrong with Tinkercad. I've used it to create all my 3D printed locos, stock and accessories. As you can see, so far I've got nearly 1000 items created with Tinkercad .....

Rik

gilfachphil wrote: Mon May 11, 2026 4:54 pm Unfortunately I didn’t manage to take any! Hopefully Simon will come through with lots,

Simon took 250+ so there will be a short (ish (hopefully)) intermission while I try to whittle that lot down...

There, I knew Simon could probably supply a few pictures!

Phil

Our recent railway meeting threw up a range of issues with stock derailing. (It usually does!)

Just to be clear lots of things run without derailing, but not everything.

Some of the problems can be put down to things to do with the item which derails. However when lots of different items derail in the same place it makes me look more carefully at the track.

Quite a few wagons (particularly light ones) were derailing on the curve leading into the viaduct. Where I have removed a length of track in this photo:
It looked on Saturday as if there was a dip in the right hand rail in the middle of the curve where two lengths of track joined. When I looked at it again with a spirit level I could see that it wasn't a dip - but a bulge half a track length back. It just looked like a dip because that was where the wheel came off the rail. This curve has slight superelevation - purely accidental I hasten to add - but the bulge changed that for a short length to excessive superelevation.

I know that the trackbed moves as the ground dries out and gets soaked again, and this is compounded by moles. There are the remains of three mole hills visible in this photo. I think things have moved in this area because I don't remember having issues here last year.

Anyway - solution.

I chipped out the ballast and removed the length of track. Rather than reuse the part worn sleepers and chairs I printed 24 sleeper units. I carried out a shrinkage test on the black ABS, to ensure that the track gauge was accurate. (More about that later).

Relaying the track:
I have been careful to ensure that the slight superelevation is maintained consistently through the curve by printing wedges, and fitting them under some of the sleeper units before holding them down with my usual bricks while the glue sets. The foaming glue fills the gaps under alternate sleepers, and the bricks stop the foaming action lifting the track.

So that should be the first issue resolved.

Trevor

Ah! the "permanent way" that never is, if your outside in the garden. I do hope you get the problem solved.
I do envy your line, being able to control the background of photos.
Grant.

Thanks Grant - well it is fixed:
I have assembled a train which includes the wagons most likely to derail: It includes heavy wagons alternating with light ones, and the last 3 wagons which really like to come off the track. It went round the bend with out any issues. So to the next problem.

The recently relaid passing loop caused problems. Things were derailing on the bend leading to this point:
When I looked carefully the points were fine- but the track in the loop was out of gauge. 31mm between the rails. Bit of a surprise really - definitely an "Oh s****" moment. The issue was partly the kink, but more the narrowness of the track at the critical point.

So It is going to take some effort to fix it, but I have used a narrow cold chisel to dig down to the sleeper around the chairs on one rail. Then I have split the chairs from the sleepers using a carving tool (a mini chisel effectively) and reglued the chairs into place using track gauges and weights. The kink is undesirable but everything goes through the loop now without derailing. Just have to repeat this on the other side of the loop, and then on to some minor issues with excess ballast at "Dinas".

Of course the viaduct now has a finished railing all the way around it: My visitors seemed pleased with it. Of course this is the one place that I don't have derailments!

Trevor

Trevor,

I’m glad to see the work on the bend before the viaduct going well, it will be interesting to see how my rolling stock and The Earl get on at that point next time I can visit. It looks like you have found the solution to a place that has tripped up both commercial rtr and kit built rolling stock. The fencing round the viaduct adds reassurance, especially for visitors who may be meeting the fearsome drop for the first time, but even to those of us who have driven enough times around the viaduct to know that it is safe!

Phil

Trevor Thompson wrote: Fri May 15, 2026 2:25 pm Thanks Grant - well it is fixed:


Of course the viaduct now has a finished railing all the way around it:
IMG_5058.jpeg
My visitors seemed pleased with it. Of course this is the one place that I don't have derailments!

Trevor

Correction... Sorry Trevor, but I did suffer a derailment on the viaduct and had to clamber down to the lowest, or highest(?) point to re-rail my loco.
The ones you have corrected are where most users had similar issues so they should all be reassured now.

Peter Butler wrote: Fri May 15, 2026 6:27 pm

Trevor Thompson wrote: Fri May 15, 2026 2:25 pm Thanks Grant - well it is fixed:


Of course the viaduct now has a finished railing all the way around it:
IMG_5058.jpeg
My visitors seemed pleased with it. Of course this is the one place that I don't have derailments!

Trevor

Correction... Sorry Trevor, but I did suffer a derailment on the viaduct and had to clamber down to the lowest, or highest(?) point to re-rail my loco.
The ones you have corrected are where most users had similar issues so they should all be reassured now.

Sorry you had a derailment on the viaduct Peter. I still haven't had a derailment on it!

Trevor

Taking this in a completely different direction, I have been printing the models I generated using "ai", from historic photographs.
My latest batch:
These are intended to sit on benches at the various stations. I am aiming for 90mm tall figures when they are standing , and something like 75 when seated, with some variation of course.
Some were resin printed, but most are from my filament printer. I can't tell the difference to be honest - so it looks like I will be getting rid of all of that resin printing equipment.

Trevor

They look really good. I like the way their facial expressions have been preserved.

Rik

Holy hell, this is filament printing now?

What never ceases to amaze me, is the often untapped skills that abound in backyard sheds and home workshops. Yet another example here.
Grant.

Old Man Aaron wrote: Sun May 17, 2026 3:41 pm Holy hell, this is filament printing now?

Yes- and it isn't even the best quality it can achieve.

These were printed with a 0.4mm nozzle and a layer thickness of 0.12mm - I can go down to 0.2mm nozzle and 0.08mm layer height. The result is better but it is a lot slower. 8 figures such as I have been printing take 12 hours to print, with the best quality we are talking 40 odd hours, and I don't think the difference is worth waiting for!

Trevor

LNR wrote: Mon May 18, 2026 12:19 am What never ceases to amaze me, is the often untapped skills that abound in backyard sheds and home workshops. Yet another example here.
Grant.

Working as a domestic cleaner, I've been thinking about that a lot lately. Time for a change, I think..

Trevor Thompson wrote: Sat May 16, 2026 9:29 am Taking this in a completely different direction, I have been printing the models I generated using "ai", from historic photographs.
My latest batch:

IMG_5061.jpeg

These are intended to sit on benches at the various stations. I am aiming for 90mm tall figures when they are standing , and something like 75 when seated, with some variation of course.
Some were resin printed, but most are from my filament printer. I can't tell the difference to be honest - so it looks like I will be getting rid of all of that resin printing equipment.

Trevor

Wow. They are very good.

Phil and I ran some trains over the weekend.

Here is the first video taken on Saturday:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/3vkjmn4q ... eapxx&dl=0

The wagon with the brakesman sitting on it is motorised. The train won't quite descend under gravity and this just allows it to make it to the bottom.
It has no speed control - it is just on or off. Fitting the driver into place closes a switch and sets it off. The train seems to work better if the motorised wagon is at the downhill end of the train. It is driven by an N20 geared motor through spur gears.


Trevor