Garden Railway Forum

the weight is no too bad. the bare 'baseboards' and the track base are all lightweight plastic. The only soil is between the tracks and is 2in deep or less so the weight is not really a problem. Just need to keep the boards level whilst transporting hence the need for two people. I have dismantled and set it up several times with no problems. At the moment, it is set up on staging in the garden and been left to over-winter. The plants have spread well and are now covering up the joins. I will need to cut along the joins with scissors before attempting to move it again.

You're right, the scene changes with the seasons, In the summer it is a riot of colour, but right now its all green and mosses so depending which month the exhibition is, will determine the look of the layout. It will probably never look the same at any two exhibitions.

https://gardenrails.org/forum/download/ ... w&id=13935

An incredible feat with great "out of the box" thinking, loving it, can't wait to see it in bloom

Wow! That is somewhat brilliant - in concept, design and implementation.
Let's hope we can soon get back to those days when going to exhibitions and shows was the norm

Rik

Wow!

That's quite something, it looks fantastic already. Love the Billy and slate wagons too...

How are you planning to operate? I'm guessing you're not thinking of taking the "run round and round until you're out off gas" approach??? Trains passing, a little shunting?

I've obly seen Hambledon Valley once, at the last Exeter show, and found it fascinaing to watch, and more convincing than the equivilant electric layout, however accuaretely modelled. Actually, I think it impacted on how I operate my own (end-to-end) line - I've tried to relax, slow things down, and not over-react to a lifting safety valve!

I look forward to future updates...

All the best,

Andrew.

They are very welcome photos. Thank you so much for them. I and others I suspect are very envious of your build Very well done and one day we can all see it in all it's glory.

Of course, you do realise you are quite mad? - in a gloriously eccentric British way!

I love it!
Two questions:
1. I assume you have to keep it damp? - Guessing it will dry out very quickly..
2. So what happens to a previous layout?
Loco's may re-gauge, but not stock..

Phil Partridge.

A brilliant concept for bringing the garden layout with all its botanical assets to the exhibition hall.
Modular rail modelling at its best. Well done and good luck with it.

Thanks Guys
This project is still very much work in progress. I have yet to finalise how I will operate it, but I guess it will not be quite as interesting as shinting on Hambleden. I am going to run a mix of live steam and battery powered locos. They will be able to pass in the station and potentially drop off wagons in one of the sidings, but it essence it is a round and round albeit the Slomos will permit scale speed slow running. The fiddle yard will consist of cassettes preloaded with set formations so that trains can very quickly be swapped over, but more on this in a later post.

Watering is a challenge. The soil is only 2in deep at best. The soil is a mixture of John Innes No3 mixed with additional grit and horticultural sand to make it very free draining. The layout is kept on a very slight incline to allow water to drain towards the lower end where there is a drain hole in each section. The soil is completely covered in vegetation so I use a water moisture meter to check its state. I usually water every few days with a fine mist in dry weather and the moss is usually a good guide as to when to water. The layout was started in 2019 so has been through a couple of years of summers and winters and has survived well. A couple of alpines did die off but these were easily replaced with others of a different type. I will go through the types used in a later post.

I can easily re-gauge all my Roundhouse live steam locos and I am building some new battery powered stock, the first being the Slaters Quarry Hunslet see picture. All the goods and passenger stock will be newly built for this layout (benefits of lockdown) as I can't re-gauge all the Hambleden stock (which I want to keep anyway as I still have that layout - currently booked for Elsecar later this year, all being well)

https://gardenrails.org/forum/download/ ... w&id=13945

A very interesting 'dual purpose' layout - I look forward to seeing it in the flesh at a garden rail show somewhere soon.
You can get gel crystals that retain moisture and help alleviate any tendency to dry out during dry spells or when your layout is set up indoors. Maybe worth considering if you haven't already used them.

Yes, regular spray mist watering would be the way to go I think, but not excessive.

I have very much enjoyed seeing Hambleden. I hope you will continue with the slow running and shunting that were a feature of Hambleden. I remember seeing Paul Towers layout at shows but the plants there were in pots just added for the show whereas yours will grow into the situation. I look forward to seeing this in future, Hopefully at the ALSRM show in Reading.

Don

Just..absolutely stunning.

Here are a couple more photos of the vegetation

Impressive....

some more rusty wagons. Hard to believe these are plastic or shiny brass kits. I just love rust powder.

That is really going to stand out from the crowd when it starts appearing on the exhibition circuit. Brilliant.

They are fantastically weathered. You just wouldn't believe they are plastic like you say, in fact I thought they were metal....

Just superb, incredibly realistic detail and a masterpiece in model making.

I have no words to express my admiration for both the concept and the execution of this layout. Thanks for sharing.

steveh99 wrote: ↑Tue May 11, 2021 8:23 am Hard to believe these are plastic or shiny brass kits. I just love rust powder.

They really do look fantastic... I've got a trio of wagons rusting at the moment, but I've always stuggled to get that beautiful orange, ending up with a rather darker shade of rust.

Love the plants too, especially those fern-like ones...

Andrew.