MarkE

Thanks Mick for your comments. I've tried many different ways in fixing the track. To date I haven't had any issues with a "no more nails" type adhesives, but I always ballast my track as soon as possible after the track was glued down, making sure the concrete base is completely clear of any dust or dirt. In short these are the steps I do:- 1) Clean the concrete base well with a wire brush. 2) Glue track down. 3) Test track alignment. 4) Hard wire all rail joints and feeds. 5) Ballast track with SBR. This latest section using DCC Concepts track has only been down 10 months, but I'm very happy with the results, I plan to use this track in future especially on ground level sections on the layout to reduce track cleaning. The only down side is that I may need to paint the sides of the rails to give them that weathered look.

I don't pin my track! The track base is made of concrete, so I glue the track down with a "no more nails" type adhesive, and then a "stone type" ballast is applied with SBR glue with a 2 to 1 mix with water.

I think they only sell codes 75 & 100 flat bottom rail (I only use code 100 in the garden). They also do bullhead rail, but that's the old rail type used in the UK. Sorry I don't know any more than that!

In the limited time I've had over the passed few months, I've been working on my new station canopies. These are some shots of the work in progress.

DDC Concept's track products have a higher amount of nickel content, so less cleaning is required. In the view below, the track was layed in August 2022 and left out all winter, this photo was taken in April 23. The track has never be cleaned but the rail sides still look untarnished .

My main projects for this summer include, up grading the top section of the railway with new rock cutting, new track using the DCC Concepts new legacy track instead of peco and motorising some points.

The next two photos are of an another part of the mid-section that I completely re-built and also adding a new stream, three arch bridge and canal tunnel.

The viaducts also get some new ballast.

I haven't had time to start any major projects this year, but last summer I upgraded the middle section of the railway. This photo shows the newly ballasted tracks and the new rock cutting and overbridge in the distance.

Yes Mick, you've found the link to that very same guy I bought the viaduct from! The pictures are the same ones I described in his front garden. I remember him telling me at the time that he had weathered his, but I can't call how he did it!

Well, when I said I had cheated, it was partially in jest! No, l understand we all have to buy commercial items, cost considerations alone for the building materials and equipment required would have been too great for me to build a one off structure like this! This guy who was producing them had it set up as a small ebay business, he had started by making models of Cornish mining buildings and chimmies etc. as garden ornaments (all in concrete) and had then expanded his range. I would have loved to have bought several viaducts to put together, he had three or four in his front garden, it looked spectacular! All I want to add now are parapet walls, but l'm unsure the best way to go about it? The full size version has metal railings, if I did that, I would be worried about damaging them when climbing over, if I go for parapet stone walling, I wouldn't have the confidence that I could match the high quality of the rest of the structure.

Hi Thomas, I've cheated I'm afraid, the stone viaduct is the only bridge on the railway that I didn't build myself. I found a guy who was selling them on eBay in 2016. It's a 00 scale model of the Moorswater Viaduct in Liskeard, Cornwall. The original model was made from individual crushed stones glued together and a rubber mould taken and then casting made in R.C. concrete. He was selling them as containers for alpine plants. I filled-in the groove down the centre with concrete where the pants once were to form a flat crackbed.

Oh yes, I remember Dave and his good lady. They were staying in their motor home so they could visit the railway over the whole weekend. I was there on Sunday and at lunch ba14eagle, Dave and his wife and a young guy (who's name I can't recall) all eat with Trevor in the garden, I was in the the conservatory (with all those amazing orchids over the wall) eating with Trevor's wife Janet,Trevor's cousin Alan and Angela (my Mum). It was an amazing day, Trevor and Janet were the perfect host's. I will remember that day for many years to come!

Yes, ba14eagle was there the day I went, but I didn't realise who he was until he posted a video of his visit on YouTube.

Yes, there are some amazing 00 garden railways on YouTube, but they are so hard to find! These are two of my favourites that I've come across that are in complete obscurity on YouTube.