Garden Railway Forum

GAP wrote: ↑Tue Dec 13, 2022 4:45 am Pardon my ignorance but what is SBR and Lanka571?

As Peter Butler mentioned

Styrene-butadiene or styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) describe families of synthetic rubbers derived from styrene and butadiene

Davco Lanka 571 is the down under SBR version that I could track down. Sold at the Big Green Box we have here . (Bunnings)
However some one down my way has discovered 20 l drum of Lanko 571 at 1/3 the cost per liter , "DOH !"

Cloudy days here, warm, humid, no blazing sun for a few days and some storms and showers about, so I cover up the track at night and open it up next morning.
Some white patches appeared in the shadier areas, not soft at all, the ballast is still very firm. Perhaps I was over zealous with the SBR ?
I am now going to leave the covers off from tonight and let the track fend for it's self.

So sorry to hear MAM has Covid, I hope she gets over it quickly. Please pass on my best wishes.

Best wishes to MAM. Get well soon, we need your skills at planting the greenery.

Thanks every one, MAM has mild symptoms. Late yesterday arvo, like a a good chairperson of the board she came down to peruse the rock wall work.



Before location


After
The segmented rock comes from the Stewart tce road bridge area at the north end of the Mary Valley Rattler's station yard at Gympie.
Liquid nails and rock on top of a mortar base Two drain holes can be seen that drain water from the upward rock side of the track. The greenery shall propagate down the rock, stony slopes over time.

Plod finished off the lower access steps to the Pottery and Railway while listening to 15 wickets at the Gabba.



However before the warmth of the day set in some scenery fill ins was commenced at the Orchid House Station location.

Can't believe how much you've done in 6 months! Amazing progress and amazing quality.

Ahhh, summertime, I remember that, we had one here, once!

Looks great. It has to be worth all the effort you have put into so far. I would love something like this.

I really admire the way you've made the most out of the available space. I can already tell the landscaping is going to look very convincing once the greenery takes over

A few spare hours of distraction and Plod knocks up a small wall. The stone is a bag full of rock pieces from the Gympie station yard, then some mortar and dye powder. There is a gap so if the signal cable cable casing or electrical wires have t be lifted then this can be done. The intention in ground covers here only.



Pull some scraps up from other locations and shove into the soil/potting mixture and water with seaweed emulsion and some worm juice, dust with sugar cane mulch. It should take over nicely given 4-6 weeks.


Then this morning 1/2 metre of 20mm sun set stone, shovel it into the dunnydoor.



Then fill in the last two days of step making that takes one down to the Pottery and the POR.

Done. MAM will plant out the small area just below the rain water tank. The rain tanks are for garden and pottery use. Gravity fed down to the lower levels. Very handy.



10kgs of ballast chips has just arrived, time to check the weather. Plod ponders "3 days to ballast the track?" Plod says, starting tomorrow, he will "Give it a real proper nudge!"

Looking great!

I particularly like the last picture, where the railway genuinely cuts through the terrain - looks just right, even with the overscale steps and water butt!

It all fits together so well, picturesque and practical. I like to see road vehicles used for such purposes, proper workhorse there, just like mine.

Mr Specture is lurking, he has some final reports to do soon. It seems that Head Office is getting a bit toey for him to resume his inspections of other railways.

Captain Plod was collecting an unidentified species on his back. MAM who is the head entomologist of the POR is yet to identify this little fella. Meanwhile the track ballasting continued at the Potters Orchid Railway.

I wouldn't feel comfortable with that thing on my back, or even in the next garden! How you manage to achieve so much with such potential hazards around is just astonishing. I feel very comfortable digging around here in Wales, but that's due to fact that there is nothing here eyeing me up for lunch!

Ballasting looks exceptional mate I think im going to have to try something similar down here. Its amazing what a difference the little details make.

Top marks on the ballasting. Looks great - both in terms of colour and size.

Rik

Popped another flower out last night, by lunch time it will have withered away.