Garden Railway Forum

Love that triangular junction and the cow shots!

Thank you to all for your kind comments. Philip, the advantage of playing 'catch up' is that the line has had 12 months to mature, and I am really pleased with this stretch of embanked track. Much of the planting isn't 'to scale', but that was part of the accommodation I reached with the planning authority (aka 'SWMBO', 'Beloved' or 'Scumbagpelicanrabbit', dependent upon circumstances ) but the Heucheras (sp?) and other plants help to mask that section from the rest of what is otherwise a fairly open layout to our garden.
Going slightly out of timeline sequence, but these are recent pictures of the embankment taken from the triangle at Housedown pottery, with the remains of the building and kiln to the right
And from the Lune Crossing end.
The biggest issue has been birds (and possibly hedgehogs) who go grubbing under the Berberis, and keep pulling down the scale fencing I erected alongside the track. It needs to be much more securely affixed! You can just see it leaning precariously near the plate layers hut.

The first train to run the entire length of the GWLR metals was Dorothy, in late August 2016; taking the engineers inspection train carrying out ride comfort and track quality inspections.
Waiting for the off from the site of the future Dublo Station (for Hornby and district)

First train over the newly raised and strengthened Bogg Causeway

Passing Housedown Pottery ruins


In September, the first paying services ran, in the form of freight, hauled by the newly acquired Decauville 0-4-0 locomotive, Eric Arthur. The event was recorded for the GWLR Archive by local rail enthusiast and photographer, Earl Lychgate (he's not an Earl - that's his name, Earl )
Over the river crossing

And over Bogg Causeway.


Passenger services were needed to ensure the success of the line, but for that, passenger stock was needed!

Love those pictures of the cows. You have a really lovely setting for your railway which looks like it's coming along nicely. Love to see some video when it's fully up and running.

Rik

Just been reading your thread and wow, what a brilliant layout. I know Morecambe and surrounding area’s fairly well, Nether Kellett and all, and the landscape is truly breathtaking, i particularly love the winter months around there and just a stones throw from the Lakes has well, you really do have it all. Oh to have a garden like yours, but i live in hope.

The bridge is an inspired piece of work has other members have said, it is true about “ Might come in handy one day”, it is just what garages are for aren’t they. The Filcris is something i am toying with to start my layout, but i am just not sure about the radius for mine, i have about 4’ to 5’ width at both ends of the garden by permission of the CEO, and i don’t know what radius or deg of curve i would be able to use. But i will take inspiration from you and if it doesn’t look right, move it.

Happy Modelling

I can't believe it's been 4 years since I contributed to this thread about my line, but I'm going to try to make amends, and by necessity that means much of this is catch up. The initial spur for the railway was the alleged Housedown Pottery, outside Black Burton. Keen enthusiasts set to building a railway to serve the Western Dales initially utilising much of the engineering done for the light railway that served the pottery.
Of course, for the story to hold up, I needed the remains of a pottery. As the photo in the first post in this thread shows, that initially consisted of a basic 'shell', half collapsed/demolished, constructed from 5mm foamboard scored and cut to resemble the remains of a pottery building, with small vestiges of the roof and supporting timbers remaining.
However a pottery requires a kiln, so I decided to attempt a bottle kiln. The ideal former for such a kiln would of course be a large bottle - say, a champagne Jeroboam? Unfortunately I didn't have one, and couldn't find anyone who did so I opted instead for a standard sparkling wine bottle. I cut many blocks from 5mm foamboard, and used superglue to adhere them to the outside of the bottle

This gave me the basic shape. The corners were sanded off the 'blocks' and then the whole was covered in exterior grout to fill the gaps and tie the blocks together, and a chimney was formed at the top, completely enclosing the bottle.

As the pottery was now derelict, a rough redbrick wall was constructed to block the kiln firing entrance, and a suitable sign was handpainted to deter adventurous souls form risking life and limb. The finished result was quite effective, and so took its place on the railway, adjacent to the derelict pottery building.

Since that time (2014) both the building and kiln have been permanent fixtures on the railway (see photo below) - the kiln is now starting to show signs of deterioration which will require cosmetic work if it is to survive much longer.

Indeed so great is the concern regarding the state of the building and kiln, that we were graced with a visit by archaeologists from the well known TV programme, Time Team, who have expressed an interest in many features in the vicinity of the railway. Who knows, maybe one day Housedown Pottery will be on TV .

Brilliant Phil!

Presumably Messrs Harding, Robinson and Aston are modelled in Das or similar? That is some amazing scuplting technique.

I really do need to come and see plus run something on your line Phil. I love the kiln.
You do have a brilliant imagination and brilliantly built and painted also.

Brilliant. That is a delightful scenic feature.

Don

philipy wrote: ↑Tue May 11, 2021 6:23 am Brilliant Phil!

Presumably Messrs Harding, Robinson and Aston are modelled in Das or similar? That is some amazing scuplting technique.

Philip,
I can claim no credit for the moulding of the figures, they are from Pendle Valley, who I believe have taken over Rob Bennett's moulds. I did however, paint them. Raksha is there as well, as usual on her knees in a small trench!

FWLR wrote: ↑Tue May 11, 2021 8:11 am I really do need to come and see plus run something on your line Phil. I love the kiln.
You do have a brilliant imagination and brilliantly built and painted also.

Thank you Rod,
I sometimes think people who see the railway often need to have some imagination too
You will be welcome to come up as soon as I have a date in mind.

Just to finish about the pottery, this is the bottle kiln today. Looking decidedly ragged, and some of the lower blocks have parted company - I think thanks to birds foraging for insects etc. The pale edges are a result of friction from nearby bushes and plants. Considering it's been exposed to the elements for 7 years now, I don't think it's fairing too badly.

Lonsdaler wrote: ↑Tue May 11, 2021 1:19 pm Just to finish about the pottery, this is the bottle kiln today. Looking decidedly ragged, and some of the lower blocks have parted company - I think thanks to birds foraging for insects etc. The pale edges are a result of friction from nearby bushes and plants. Considering it's been exposed to the elements for 7 years now, I don't think it's fairing too badly.

I think it now looks properly aged, nothing beats nature to make things look old (I just checked by looking in the mirror )

Jimmyb wrote: ↑Tue May 11, 2021 1:35 pm
I think it now looks properly aged, nothing beats nature to make things look old (I just checked by looking in the mirror )

I take my glasses off when looking in the mirror. Not a wrinkle to be seen

We would love to come when we are able Phil.

The last photo of your kiln looks even better I feel. The moss and the rest of the encroaching greenery do make it look more like an abandoned building...

Love the kiln, weathered or otherwise. And that triangular junction too...

Andrew.

Andrew wrote: ↑Wed May 12, 2021 8:52 am Love the kiln, weathered or otherwise. And that triangular junction too...

Andrew.

Thanks Andrew. The triangular junction allows many combinations of route to be followed, and also makes changing direction very easy too.

Some lovely work there fellah. I'm also loving your quadrupedal admirers.

Sylvian Tennant wrote: ↑Fri Jun 04, 2021 9:56 am Some lovely work there fellah. I'm also loving your quadrupedal admirers.

Thank you. And, indeed! We've had to resort to a short electrified fence to discourage each years herd from eating the ballast, line, scenery, etc etc