Garden Railway Forum

Hello, Hello, Hello, Matt Nunn here.
This will be the on running post about my railway which is being built this year including works photos of jobs that are going on. To start, some background info.
The PCR is the Thyme, Thorpe & Hawthorn LR (me) and the Coldoch and Meirioneth Estates Railway (step dad) amalgamated under one name which happened last year.
We have many a loco, at least three of which on the locoworks website as Tom is a good family friend. I run Perrow Productions, my filming work where I will take requests from people if wanted.
We have also started building boilers for new projects and I have started building stock and heavily modifying locomotives. I will make another post on the Dingley Dell Railway which is like the Northumbria area groups Paddock Railway. We help out a lot there and is always good fun!!!

Sounds like a good project for you matt. I will soon be join the Northumberland area group (hopefully)

Coldoch & Menteith Estates Railway if you please, Matt

Mike

Haha, forget your on here too cheeky

Progress on the line at last, starting at the bottom end or Thorpe, we have had some of the posts in for a while but now, with the weather getting nice we are getting serious.
Here, the bottom posts are hammered into the ground. The posts are in fact the old fencing from Lakeshore Railroad cut to size and making good use.

A look along between Thorpe Posts, this should be at least a 3 road station with 1 siding AT LEAST.

The apple tree showing the posts round the tree. The track will divide off the viaduct, one going round the front on a Brittania Bridge style track (embedded in road like a tramway) past some low relief houses and the back one running straight into Thorpe Platform 1.

The two posts over my mums flower bed which she has negotiated to allow a viaduct over (Cain Howley) mark the rough start and finish of the viaduct.

Now to my most anticipated part of the line, Thyme Quarry Co. Limestone Cutters. The railway is modeled as if in the 1990's where the railway has not fallen to preservation and is still making its own living but does have tourist traffic as well as much lime traffic and also scrap. The top veranda is perfect for a HUGE quarry face, diggers, a pulley system to lift wagons to the upper level and lots and lots of stub points. HEAVEN

Meanwhile, Spike the Guinea pig looks on, hes not please his run will be soon in the way of Verdi Bard Marsh !!!!

Sir Isaac Newton wrote a very interesting article about garden railways and apple trees, I dunno if you've read it?

Nope but would be interested haha, btw, this is Matt of facebook Kevin haha to pull names to profile

I recognised the avatar Matt and couldn't resist just a little leg-pull
Great use of the metal posts, they really look to speed up the building of a raised trackbed

Indeed, they were probs just gonna sit in No 3,4,5 road middle shed doing nothing

Good to see you've made a start matt. Just make it mamod friendly please.

More progress on the line, hopefully a bit every night or so. To clear the side of the garden where the first sod is to be cut, we had to move the planter up to a new height. Let me just say, it is heavier than it looks and took both me and Michael to lift it. You could easily "split your difference" lifting it for a phrase

The one downside about moving all the planters ect onto the hard stand is that it will all have to be cleared when the quarry (now renamed Verd Clogwyn Quarry) is laid.

The result of a quick half and hours work. The whole left hand stretch has been un weeded and turned. This will be widened for the footings and also for the fact that what is currently the width, wont be enough to fit in the scenic work.

An overlook of the main part of the garden as it stands

Meanwhile, in the works, I still have to finish my swift sixteen coach......

and repair SSLR No 2 River Tyne.

Me and Michael also really need to make a start on fixing 534!!! (Michael is my step dad (lakeshoremike))

How long has river Tyne been out of action?

I think it may have been around February, come early march

Report later today. Thorpe Baseboards are nearing completion with track very close to being put down.

Hurrah - look forward to seeing the photos. Everything in the garden was late bursting forth with new growth this year, but look how fast it's all growing now! That seems to include the railways, too.

Indeed, even if I cant run much, my ragleth (which you saw at the agm) will be blowing his whistle till the neighbors complain!!!!

Not the whistle!!!!

Heres today's report. For a start, remember those fence poles, well the remaining brackets were welded on and the beams screwed to them. Started at 11am

Coach Bolted On

The work site around 1pm. Note me behind the tree fitting the last coach bolt.

Getting ready to start screwing the planks on

Michael fixing on the first few.

Putting on more planks

At 3pm, we needed more wood we had made such good progress. Here is a view under the mass of planks.

The fixings

Ensele-ing the planks

4pm, Thorpe looking more like a baseboard but still not done

I could not have a steam up as planned so I brought a not often seen diesel out to have a shuttle. Ecchlefechan sits ticking over at the work site.

You have heard of the golden spike. Here is the golden drill bit used for spacing the planks.

The view from Ecchlefechan's cab

10pm and work has only just stopped with the Thorpe base done

The way round the fence posts

The cut away around the tree

Looking past the tree. One track goes in front, one behind

Last view down the deck

The entire structure at 10:30pm

Tomorrow should see some staining done and MAYBE a little bit of track laying. For note, we are avoiding roofing felt like the black plague!!!

Hi.
Thank you for sharing the ongoing project Very inspiring.
Regards Michael

Looking good!