Ifield West Light Railway

[Matloughe]

Good Afternoon All!

Welcome to the home of my planned Garden Railway.
Now first and foremost - I only have a limited budget so I doubt this will be of much interest to people as things will appear to stagnate while funds are raised. Secondly I live in rented accommodation so although I can do 'whatever I like' as the landlord has agreed - I have to put things back to the way they were before I leave, although I'm not planning to move for some time occasionally things don't work out how we thing they will.

Now my experience of building things is limited - GCSE Design Tech & Woodwork is about my skill level, I can plan but executing that plan could be another matter - I did design and build my 4mm scale layout baseboards that are still intact and robust so fingers crossed!
So without further ado!

Site of the planned Garden Railway by Gary Smith, on Flickr

This is planned to be the start of my empire - as you can see its probably just about the worst location for a beginner that could be imagined - the ground isn't level there is an impressive slope up from the patio to the shrub at the top end of the garden in the corner. Now phase 1 is planned to be a 'shelf' line initially planned to be cantilevered off of the fence posts for support - the idea is for a station of sorts down near the garage and a balloon loop around the shrub in the corner to return along the fence. With this in mind, Phase 2 actually impacts on Phase 1 (oddly enough) it is planned for a removable bridge section to take the line inside the garage once its clear for an indoor run & to provide a dry workshop area for repairs and maintenance - however as the garage is a complete tip this section will have to come second in theory!

So the line will be more or less level, taking a datum line from the planned indoor garage workshop area running along the fence. With the recent weather however I have been concerned about the amount of weight the fence posts will be able to bear and I am now questioning if the line will need support mid-fence panel. So perhaps I should be thinking more of posts in the ground rather than cantilevered off of the fence.

My line is planned to be a homage to the Southern Railway in narrow gauge form, similar to the Lynton & Barnstaple line (well I do live in North Devon!) I have one locomotive at the moment, a Houston Gate Loco Works LB1 Diesel planned to be finished in Gloss Black with red bufferbeams. Similar to the Diesel "Pilton" at Woody Bay on the L&B currently. I've got a couple of part-built Lineside Hut 4-Ton GVT Granite Wagons which I have misplaced in our most recent house move in Feburary! I've got a HGLW Flat Wagon which I bought in the wrong gauge, and the most advanced piece of rolling stock is the HGLW Brake Van which I have started building.




So far I am very pleased with the build, I've got some Turned Steel Buffers on order from IP Engineering as well as a Brake Standard and a red LED Lamp Kit so my build has stalled somewhat until they arrive - I may well start painting parts of this kit, it is planned to be in Southern Railway Pre-War Goods Brown with Red Ends and large 'SR' logo on the sides.
All in all - not much occurring and probably not much continuing for a little while to come but we're slowly making a start! and I am so-far loving every minute of it - just started saving for my first live steam locomotive for the future just a little bit per month.

Hope all is well!
Kind Regards,
Gary

[Dwayne]

Welcome to the forum. If I were a renter, I'd keep things simple and small. Empires require too much time, energy and money.

[idlemarvel]

Welcome Gary.
I agree with @Dwayne. Keep the groundwork to a minimum and make it as portable as possible. You could spend a lot of time and effort sorting out the garden and shed only to have to abandon it. Don't let this put you off though, you can still get a lot of pleasure from any outdoor model railway. My 2c.

[philipy]

Welcome to the forum, Gary.
Don't worry about speed of progress and don't try to rush things. Think about it and get it right at each stage, but don't be afraid to ask questions on here. However basic you may think they are, somebody will be sure to have had the same question and be glad to give you ideas.

Re your thoughts about using fence posts as track supports, I tried that myself but decided that the chances of sagging were too great so I added an intermediate post at the centre of each panel, giving support at approx 1metre intervals and that seems to have worked out ok.

Do keep us up to date on progress, preferably with plenty of pictures!

[tom_tom_go]

As you have fence posts already in the garden for the fence why not use heavy duty brackets attached to them?

[Matloughe]

That's what I was planning, heavy duty brackets and using gravel boards as a baseboard for the track & scenery.
I was concerned that it might sag in the middle between fence posts without more support. The better half doesn't mind what I do so long as it doesn't look like a building site or cost the earth.
The agreement was for another member of the family for a garden railway - our darling daughter is nearly 2 & half and my railway is still nothing more than a TESCO CAT circle of track we get out for around the Christmas tree.

Kind Regards,
Gary

[tom_tom_go]

The railway is no more but it was a shelf railway mostly:

https://gardenrails.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=4054

[Matloughe]

Your Robin Wood Light Railway was a great inspiration to me.

It still is I read it start to finish yesterday for further inspiration. Its sad it has gone - but bigger & better things ahead.
Your skill as a modeller and making things tenable for others to aspire to is what interested me to plan a line.

Kind Regards,
Gary

[Peter Butler]

Hi Gary and welcome, you have some good ideas about the size and style of your railway build but, and there is always a but!..... stay clear of the fence posts.
They are not new from the look of the pictures you posted and if they are party fence panels they might suddenly be replaced by a neighbour, or landlord, without consideration of their dual purpose... i.e, supporting your railway!
Far better to be self supporting and independent of the fence posts with no future concerns.
It might add a little to the initial build cost but will save both money and material in the future if you have to return your garden to its present condition and transfer the railway, and all of its structure, elsewhere.
Also,the idea of the fence panels flexing in strong winds is a concern which could cause considerable damage to your track-work and affect the ability to operate your lightweight stock.

[invicta280]

I agree with Peter 100%. Stay well clear of the fence for the reasons he gave. If it's the neighbour's fence they could get proprietorial.
As you're tenure there is uncertain you obviously don't want to invest in heavy earthworks but a raised track on PVC drainpipe posts anchored into small blocks of concrete set into the ground (fill a large ice cream tub with concrete stick drainpipe in and shove it into hole in ground). Join the pipes with guttering , metal cable trays or timber trackbed. Should you move its easy to take down and re-erect elsewhere and the holes can be filled.

[DonW]

I would agree with Peter about the fence posts. Also in stong winds the posts may move a little ( a 6ft panel catches a lot of wind).

I usualy suggest using plastic downpipe for the posts set in a bit of postcrete with some inside as well

Garden line 2.JPG (59.24 KiB) Viewed 12200 times

but that might mean more disruption when you remove it. So I would suggest using treated round posts like these
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=round+fenc ... _ss_i_8_12
To minimise the number of posts I would use 2x1 treated roofing battens as bearers with shuttering ply on top. I then use the bitumous adhesive to stick felt down

garden line1.JPG (68.69 KiB) Viewed 12200 times

Although it wastes a little ply a slightly curved line will be much more rigid than a dead staight one.
You can use plants in tubs and pots to soften the appearance somewhat.

Don

ps you say you live in North Devon. The Two Moors group covers that area. This was taken at a group meeting at Paul James line

garden line 3.JPG (88.07 KiB) Viewed 12200 times

[Matloughe]

Afternoon all,

Apologies for the lack of updates - I have just come back to this project with the increasing amount of spare time. I had got around to painting the Brake Van into a pseudo Southern Railway Brown livery - this is the state of play currently - just with some IP Engineering blackened single buffers fitted. The photos are a little cruel close-up it looks far better from a 2' - 3' distance.

I'll need to source some large SR decals and i am debating fitting out the guards compartment - I have a hand brake standard and some vac pipes to fit - but I was considering kitting out the interior and adding a set of LED lights running off of a button cell. In my haste to assemble the van I wish I hadn't fitted the roof formers properly as they restrict access - oh well you live and learn.

Continuing build of the Houston Gate Locomotive Works Brakevan. Currently working on the livery it will wear in service. by Gary Smith, on Flickr
Continuing build of the Houston Gate Locomotive Works Brakevan. Currently working on the livery it will wear in service. by Gary Smith, on Flickr
Continuing build of the Houston Gate Locomotive Works Brakevan. Currently working on the livery it will wear in service. by Gary Smith, on Flickr

All photos are mine - am hoping to do more updates soon - currently building 2x Lineside Hut GVT 4t Granite wagons that will be painted up into a red oxide with SR Decals to represent 'Engineering Department' wagons. Sorry its not much and been so far in between but i am still working on it - still hoping the Fence doesn't survive as a new fence would be far better to hang a line off of :-D

Kind Regards,
Gary

[Old Man Aaron]

So far, so good. Nice guard's van, too.
Looking forward to seeing it all progress..

[Matloughe]

Thanks for the comment!

It has been a nice fruitful diversion after working during the day to settle down once I've put the little one to bed with a nice strong & sweet brew and build kits - although I confess in my haste to assemble one of the GVT wagons that I have made a mistake. The kit comes with plastic corner pieces to hide the joins in the plywood and I stuck them on whilst assembling the buffers only to realise that when it came to attaching the buffers the corner pieces intrude on the buffer space - and the same type of plastic cornering goes on the bottom of the wagon to hid the join between the floor and side and that wont fit either!

So i'll have to cut a small notch in the buffers and trim the bottom side bracing as well to get it to fit. I wasn't happy and has taught me to read the instructions thoroughly even if I think I don't need to!!
I am looking to knock up a Corona Photo plank for my SM32 stock - and I am considering building my own track; does anyone have experience with Cliff Barker track? I mean I could buy Peco track or just use my Tesco CAT train track but i'd like to try and knock up a yard or so of track to show the missus it wont be an eyesore. Although permission was given years ago - she is unconvinced still

Kind Regards,
Gary

[Soar Valley Light]

Your posts on layout progress are more regular than mine Gary! Don't worry about it, they are interesting no matter how frequent or infrequent they might be. I share your love of Southern narrow gauge. That brake clearly shows its Southern heritage, it's a lovely job, well done.

All the best,

Andrew

[Matloughe]

Afternoon All!

Just me again here with a mini-update; having been furloughed and then off of furlough and converting my Garage in to my Home Office hasn't seen much opportunity for working on the Garden Railway - I've also been reassessing my priorities - trying to decide what it is I want in my Railway Modelling "Career" - however some progress was made today whilst on my lunch break I managed to assemble the entirety of my stock currently under construction and it looks like a good little start!!



Please excuse the 'little' railway for it is one that operates small locomotives requiring power from the track and doesn't venture out side very often - but offered a nice table to pose on.
I am the first to admit that I properly made mistakes on the Lineside Hut wagons assembling them - I was annoyed at myself but I've come to look at it as okay - mistakes are good! Besides once on their wheels and painted up in red oxide they will look the part as an engineering train.
No progress on the Guards Van as of yet - its moved out here to the 'works' off of my computer tower and will get a thorough dusting and interior paint as well as fitting Vacuum Pipes and a Brake Standard whilst I ponder on what to do next with regards to lighting etc. And my first locomotive the HGLW LB1 the chassis is drying off being glued together and the body is being dry 'test' fitted together. Not much excitement going on sadly.

I hope everyone else is doing well though!
Kind Regards,
Gary

[Matloughe]

Morning All!

I hope you're all doing well, and looking forwards to the better weather bringing the opporunities to spend time in the outdoors doing the things we love to do.

I am still lurking on here; I had some rather bad luck over the last few months - I lost my job due to COVID-19, then I took several increasingly bad part-time jobs to tide us over until I managed to land a part-time job where I feel like I am actually contributing to society in some small way by helping in the education sector. During this time I had some real lows; worries about money and life in general. Its fair enough to say that my mental health suffered but I feel like I am on the way up again - which brings me back to my Garden Railway proposals.
There is bad news, but also some good news. It would appear that over winter I have had some guests stay in the garage - some of my coal wagons have been used for a nest and the other as a latrine! So they will have to be disposed of as the wood they are made from is barely in a recogniseable shape after the gnawing and other goings on - the same can be said for my HGLW LB1 which isn't in much better condition. I will most likely retain the metal wheelsets after they have had a bath in some sort of bleach or sanitising fluid to remove any potential nasties.
My other half laughed when I said there is something in my coal wagons - rolling her eyes she said it'll be coal, until I pointed out I hadn't actually put any coal into them! Those lumps weren't coal! Needless to say there was much laughter and perhaps I will paint a new coal wagon in a PO livery 'Turdlet & Co, finest coal & coke briquettes' perhaps?

So after the bad it comes to the good news, I'm going to keep going with this hobby my new job looks secure with prospects of furthing myself which is what I want. I have squirrelled away (if you'll pardon the pun) in a different location a Phil Sharples Bow-ended open wagon - I think this will form part of a new project/railway.
I've got some old laminate flooring - I was considering making a short section of track on there to have a 'photo' plank for some practise in the bigger scale and to get a real 'feel' for it as a project.

I just wanted to say to everyone, keep up the good work! It has been really nice on bad days to spend five, ten minutes or an hour or so browsing through at so many people enjoying their hobby in so many varied ways. It has put a smile on my face.

Stay Safe.
Kindest Regards,
~ Gary

[Peter Butler]

Good to hear from you again, Gary. I am so sorry you have had problems due to Covid and hope you can pull yourself up again, you certainly sound positive about life now. Your stock issues have been another set-back too, but at least you can smile about that and start fresh.
We are fortunate in having our hobby to keep us sane, the posts here on the Forum are varied and interesting and inspire us to continue, despite the current situation. Please keep posting your updates, we hope to hear from you more frequently.
I wish you all the best and hope your prospects improve soon.

[ge_rik]

Welcome back, Gary - in many senses......
Sounds like the rodent population has been having fun while your back was turned, but good news that you've got your mojo back.
Looking forward to hearing about the next update.

Rik

[philipy]

Welcome back Gary, glad to hear that you appear to be over the worst of things. Do keep us uptodate going forward, I always find that nothing is better at helping progress than writing about small progresses and plans for the future.