Garden Railway Forum

tom_tom_go wrote: ↑Sun Aug 26, 2018 12:44 pm I do enjoy your posts, very interesting reading.

Hydrostatic Dazza wrote: ↑Sun Aug 26, 2018 9:19 pm

tom_tom_go wrote: ↑Sun Aug 26, 2018 12:44 pm I do enjoy your posts, very interesting reading.

Super, it is nice to know. I am trying to make a wee story of a journey of learning, doing stuff and having fun.

Peter Butler wrote: ↑Wed Aug 29, 2018 10:40 am I do agree with your outlook, far too many youngsters these days leave school/college/university with pieces of paper, no skills and worse, no imagination. Creativity is for us more senior persons.

daan wrote: ↑Mon Sep 03, 2018 9:15 am Your copperwork looks great, Dazza. It will make a good firebox.
It's also great you can share your hobby with your partner, my misses thinks trains are stupid
And it's splendid that she's able to make her own locomotives! By the way: the manual she uses is also great. Is that book coming with the kit?

It's fun watching you two at work, you make good use of your workshop!
Cheers, Daan.

Thanks daan.
I landed on my feet with Mary Ann. (MAM) MAM turns her hand to stuff. She does not watch soapies and read magazines of fluff and gossip. We went walking in the rainforest on Sunday and she has the camera out, chasing birds and she ticked off a new one. That evening we were at the kitchen counter and I was doing some chores about the kitchen. MAM's voice rings out. "Exciting news, we got an "Australian Log Runner".
She gardens, Bonsai trees (which will look cool in the landscape of the POR), grows orchids, can weave and spin and does painting and pottery. She likes projects and doing stuff, she gets the books and reads and gets stuck in. Did I mention she can cook, my belly is evidence. What is very nice is that MAM prodded me to sate my model engineering, she encouraged me to get my back side involved with Heritage Railways as she understood it was suppressed inside me. MAM likes to garden and so the garden railway is part of this and we share the vision of the social occasions with friends and their families, food, wine and beer down the back with steam trains in the garden.
For some one to think trains is stupid, to think any hobby or deep interest in a subject is stupid is unfortunate , perhaps not understanding the intrinsic rewards it gives one. Watching commercial TV and the adverts is stupid in my mind. Listening to commercials has me wanting to slash my throat to end the pain. To me it is like sitting at traffic lights. Every minute whittled away is a minute of your life that will never be realised.

So what is not stupid ?

MAM and I get much enjoyment and excitement seeing each others projects and art etc. That is nice.

The book is the Haynes "Garden Railway Manual" It is a book I picked up some years ago as I had a small itch growing inside me with this vision of a garden railway. It has some pages following the build of a Lady Ann. I let MAM make this kit, it is not me on her shoulder unless I she asks or needs a tool location.

tom_tom_go wrote: ↑Sun Sep 16, 2018 10:02 pm Great photo, it must feel satisfying being able to fire such a large loco!

tom_tom_go wrote: ↑Mon Sep 17, 2018 7:33 am If you let the safety valve blow off in the shed is that a school boy error? I think I read that somewhere?

IanC wrote: ↑Mon Sep 17, 2018 10:59 am

tom_tom_go wrote: ↑Mon Sep 17, 2018 7:33 am If you let the safety valve blow off in the shed is that a school boy error? I think I read that somewhere?

It is on the railway where I volunteer. The safety valve is tested as part of the FTR (fit to run) exam. For a light engine move loco's don't need full pressure. on a preserved railway in the UK running at 25mph full boiler pressure is rarely required, Any discrepency when blowing off in service by +/- 10 psi is booked by the driver at the end of the day. We are taught blowing off is a waste of coal water and effort.