Garden Railway Forum

FWLR wrote: ↑Thu Jun 06, 2019 5:53 am Why have you been allowed to come on here......

You have now started me of haven't you with those fantastic models. However I must resist, to even think about getting a larger scale model will be the end of me....

I do like those Sentinel tipper wagons though...........

Resistance is futile...

I like the tipper wagons as well (I assume you mean these):



It's on my wish list. I can picture it sitting in a disused siding.

I meant these Dave,


I think they are beauties....

But yes, those tipper wagons you have posted do look good also...

Brief spell of summer-like weather over the weekend so I managed to complete the platform section of the trackbed.
First picture is work in progress:
Second is complete. The turning to the right on the right hand platform will have crossing gates when finished. The bricks sticking up at the bottom of the left hand platform are temporary markers.

I completed the platform section today. I managed to cut some curved platform sections from 40mm slabs, picture below. I've never used a large angle grinder before. I have to say it was a terrifying experience! But not quite as terrifying as some of the YouTube videos I watched. You know if you have not done something before you can usually find some good instructional videos on YouTube? One of the ones showed a guy purportedly showing you how to cut slabs with an angle grinder. He was wearing flip-flops, no gloves, no eye protection, holding the slab in place with his foot. Idiot.

Looks like another great job to me.... the dust carries everywhere though.

YouTube is great for instructional videos and you have made a good job of the platform.

When do you get the loco again?

You're right about the dust, it does get everywhere. Luckily it rained shortly after I had finished cutting which washed a lot of it away. I'm hoping the loco will be ready July but more likely August.

Great job on the platform. You should really get someone to hold a hose pipe near to were you are cutting Dave for two reasons.

It helps to keep the blade cool. Believe it or not they do get very hot and can shatter Dave. I have seen my brother when he did some cutting of slabs to go around his pond and wow, did they fly..

It also keeps the dust down. When the guys did our patio in the last house, they were cutting with all the dust getting everywhere, the next door neighbour was not best pleased. Luckily she is a good friend and didn't fallout with us.
Anyway, I got my hose pipe and with it set at just over a trickle, not to much to get throw all over us, it kept the dust way down. No more upset neighbour......

idlemarvel wrote: ↑Sat Jun 15, 2019 7:15 pm ........One of the ones showed a guy purportedly showing you how to cut slabs with an angle grinder. He was wearing flip-flops, no gloves, no eye protection, holding the slab in place with his foot. Idiot.

The builder who did our garage, recently sliced through the tendons in his ankle while cutting a paving slab, and he was wearing work boots! He was off work for two months and still walks with a limp. Viscous bit of kit.

Rik

Thanks for the advice Rod. I foolishly left the shed door open while doing the first cut so I have to clean that out when the dust has settled. I'm hoping I don't have to use that beast too often, it frightens the bejezus out of me. How people wield chain saws while hanging in a tree I will never know. I suppose I am glad there are people willing to do it! :-)

Same happened to us when our patio was done, dust everywhere!

I have a diamond disc for my chopsaw which for me is a more controlled way of cutting stone.

Another way to cut slabs is by using the diamond disc to score a line on the cut point on both sides of the slab, then supporting the slab on blocks a smart blow on the cutting line with a rubber mallet usually results in a clean break of the slab. Obviously this doesn't completely remove the dust problem but it certainly reduces it to a more acceptable level.

Good idea for straight cuts Phil, and I use that technique for bricks/pavers, but I needed curved cuts for the most part.

Bang on schedule, I have finished laying the track bed so I now have a complete circuit. I planned to finish this phase in June so just made it. First picture shows the last bend to be laid. In the background you can perhaps see a small pond in the corner.
Second picture shows the completed station platform. In the background on the right is a crossing gate.
Next step is to assemble and lay the track. I have allowed the whole of July for that but as my grandparenting duties end mid-month I hope to finish this before the end of July.

Other news is that my loco has been completed so I am going to pick it up this week.

Exciting times, the track work should make it all feel like it's coming together.

I have started building track panels and laying some track. Just two panels so far but the layout is so small there are only 10 panels in total so 20% of the way there! Well not quite as I have to add the ballast and do some fettling but should be done by end of July if not sooner.
The spirit level is just for show but it is level! For those interested the track is 5/8" aluminium with recycled plastic sleepers and chairs from PNP. I have set the sleepers to approx 150mm spacing which if you scale it up is the same as on PECO SM-32 track. This is to give a narrow gauge feel to the railway. (PNP do more prototypical mainline type sleepers as well.)
The track panels are assembled from the rails, chairs and sleepers. The rail comes in 2.5m lengths. The chairs slide onto the rail and then plug into the sleepers. There's a nice touch if you want to ease the curves a bit, if you turn one chair through 180 degrees that widens the gauge by 1/32", and if you turn both chairs 1/16". The rails are connected with fishplates and 4 bolts. The process of building the panels is a bit laborious but somehow satisfying!

Proper big boys railway in progress!

tom_tom_go wrote: ↑Fri Jul 05, 2019 8:49 pm Proper big boys railway in progress!

Yes it does feel like I'm building a proper railway. The "navvying" bit is over thank goodness and it's more "engineering" now.

At least I should finish before Crossrail.

Looks great.

In the deepest, darkest, recesses of my mind there is an ember that glows of building a ride on railway on my hallf acre lot...

You certainly have the space Dwayne...