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Minffordd Garden Railway


drmalesis
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Well it's been a reasonably profitable weeks holiday so far given the indifferent weather. I've managed to paint the down platform and install the platform lighting. I still need to wire up the station building lights but they're 12v as opposed to the platform lights which are only 6v and will require a separate power supply.

I've also managed to connect the remaining dropper wires to the main bus wire, so the whole circuit is completely connected and no longer relying on the fish plates for electrical conductivity.

Here's a few images of the completed platform...

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Well it's been a reasonably profitable weeks holiday so far given the indifferent weather. I've managed to paint the down platform and install the platform lighting. I still need to wire up the station building lights but they're 12v as opposed to the platform lights which are only 6v and will require a separate power supply.

It's all looking great Duncan. You could wire your 6v lights in series and then you could use the 12v power supply.

Are you using batteries on the layout or did you get a mains supply to your shed?

Ian.

PS Is the snail racing the train? :)

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IanR said:

It's all looking great Duncan. You could wire your 6v lights in series and then you could use the 12v power supply.

Are you using batteries on the layout or did you get a mains supply to your shed?

PS Is the snail racing the train? :)


Hi Ian,

I'm not that hot on electronics so I took what I thought was the the easiest route and wired them in parallel. It does mean a higher current draw but to my simple mind it seemed the "right" way to do it. It does mean however that my 6v 500mA power supply will struggle when I add the lights on the next platform as the total current draw will be just under 1A - each of the lights draws 70mA. I'm not too bothered though as I had the power supply lying around anyway, but I will need to get one that can push out 2A to be on the safe side.

I supply the power to the line using a Ring 12v Powerpack I purchased from Halfords. The model is the RPP210, It contains a 40AH battery and supplies enough mains voltage to run the existing circuit for about 4 days of typical running. When both circuits are up and running I expect this to be less, but still more than enough for a day or twos running. It also has the added advantage of supplying enough power keep a light and the TV running for a few hours during the many powercuts we experience out here in the sticks.

Sadly, the snail won't be racing trains any time soon. The site is inhabited by hundreds of them and I have to pick 3 or four of the tracks most days. The shell on the platform is my concession to a bit of modern sculpture for the passengers benefit... ;)

In reality though it's one of the many "empties" that the resident Thrushes have left behind...

Duncan

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Hi Duncan, will have to agree with Ian your layout is looking great and especially with the added snail shell could open that up to a science fiction scene.

Again Ian beat me to the same question, I was wondering how you were going to supply power to your layout, interesting what you can up with generator be too noisy.

WE call them inverters over here, hook up to a 12volt battery or generator, you can get bigger ones as well.

Tony from down under

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aussietmrail said:

Hi Duncan, will have to agree with Ian your layout is looking great and especially with the added snail shell could open that up to a science fiction scene.

Again Ian beat me to the same question, I was wondering how you were going to supply power to your layout, interesting what you can up with generator be too noisy.

WE call them inverters over here, hook up to a 12volt battery or generator, you can get bigger ones as well.

Hi Tony,

The PowerPack is basically an inverter and battery all neatly wrapped up in one package. I may get another though to keep as backup while the other is charging...

Duncan

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A thoroughly enjoyable video Duncan. Again, the running qualities of the loco's on display clearly reflect the care that you taken with track laying. A nice varied selection of stock on show too. I have the same NMR Scotsman with smoke deflectors but like a lot of my loco's it's been out of the box only for a photograph, so I hope mine proves as capable as the one you have.

As I was watching your video I heard a 'whistle' from the 'Fellsman' in Hellifield Station which ties in nicely with the theme of your layout. Apparently it should be 46115 Scots Guardsman in charge today. Something for you to look forward to next year!

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Hi Ian / Mick,

Thanks for the kind comments. I do seem to getting on quite well at the moment but the weather looks like curtailing any further work this week.

mick said:

As I was watching your video I heard a 'whistle' from the 'Fellsman' in Hellifield Station which ties in nicely with the theme of your layout. Apparently it should be 46115 Scots Guardsman in charge today. Something for you to look forward to next year!

When I was in Soulby 18 months ago I took my video camera just down the road from our accommodation to a beautiful spot to catch A4 Sir Nigel Gresley on the Cumbrian Mountain Express. Sadly I stood there quite happily thinking I'd got a great video to look forward to later, when I noticed almost as the last coach past me that it wasn't recording. It made me look a complete divot in front of the other "spotters" out at the same location... :roll:

I'll do better next year...

Duncan

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drmalesis said:

.....Sadly I stood there quite happily thinking I'd got a great video to look forward to later, when I noticed almost as the last coach past me that it wasn't recording.....

You're not alone Duncan. I once took a batch of sunset photos only to discover that I didn't have the memory card in the camera.

Looking forward to seeing the next video with the lights installed.

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You've really shown the potential of reconstituted plastic board (Stokbord?) as a base for garden railways. The platforms are much enhanced after painting black. I would not rush to paint the footbridge as I have seen many in that grey, rustproofed colour. I presume that it is the Hornby R076 product, lowered and repainted. You've made a good job of lowering it and getting the pillars to stay vertical. The track would look even better if you were to glue some cosmetic sleepers (chairless) in the gaps at the joins between lengths.

The videos are very professional.

Dave

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Riddles said:

You've really shown the potential of reconstituted plastic board (Stokbord?) as a base for garden railways. The platforms are much enhanced after painting black. I would not rush to paint the footbridge as I have seen many in that grey, rustproofed colour. I presume that it is the Hornby R076 product, lowered and repainted. You've made a good job of lowering it and getting the pillars to stay vertical. The track would look even better if you were to glue some cosmetic sleepers (chairless) in the gaps at the joins between lengths.

The videos are very professional.

Hi Dave,

Thank you for your kind words. Yes, with a little care the re-cycled plastic can be used to good effect. A few precautions have to be adhered to but it's worth that little bit of extra effort. You're also correct is saying that the footbridge is the Hornby one. I found a link somewhere when looking for a footbridge modelled after the original Midland pattern and found an article describing how to alter the Hornby product. The conversion was very easy and really just entails removing a certain number of steps from the original. The supporting stanchions have a mark or groove on them that is just in the right place to cut them with a razor saw and keep the bridge at the correct hight for the numbers of steps removed. I used Tamiya Extra Thin Cement to glue them back onto the base of the footbridge.

I've kept all of the sleepers I removed when laying the track and intend to start gluing them into place as soon as I can. Given the rubbish weather, forthcoming holidays and other commitments, I suspect any further major work for the year is now at an end. Time to spend a bit of time concentrating on the little odds and ends that require attention and running trains - which was the whole purpose of this years effort.

I'm glad you think the videos are very professional. I'm very pleased with them considering I've not done any like them before. I have a reasonably good camera and a couple of tripods and that certainly helps. The rest is really just a matter of trial and error with positioning and time spent editing out the duff stuff. In the last video I used less than half of the 71 clips I actually shot. Getting the camera down to track level helps to give a more realistic viewpoint, but I've yet to master the art of panning. I've only included one clip that uses panning because the rest that I've shot have been abysmal failures... :lol:

Duncan

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  • 1 month later...

Duncan, Your latest video (update 5) featuring Cock o' the North is great, and shows off the wonderful scenic backdrops your layout has as well as the excellent performance of the P2 loco. What a mover she is. I'll add the link again to encourage more people to watch it:

Looking forward to seeing more of those high quality videos (although still photos can be very effective and involve much less time and effort!). Have fun with the railway, and do keep us posted.

Andrew

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And the same from me Duncan. I watched the video shortly after you'd uploaded it to YouTube and meant to leave you a comment on the forum but got distracted by something else. The TTS loco's look a real bargain.

My favourite shots are the ones around the curves on the elevated boards and it's pleasing to see trains running at realistic speeds. Very enjoyable.

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Sorry for the delay in replying guys, but I've just got back from a weeks holiday in Devon / Dorset. I was hoping to put the link up here before I went but time and other preparations got in the way. I'm glad you liked the video, it was another where more than half of the shots turned out to be duff. The shots featuring the lights are the hardest to master as the camera struggles to focus in low light, and if I use the built in night mode then all motion is blurred due to the slow shutter speed.

The P2 locomotive is superb value for money and I have to say I'm very pleased with it although it is at the limit of what I'm prepared to pay for a locomotive these days.

The weather looks good for this weekend so I may be out with the camera again. I stooped of at "Buffers Model Railways" on the way home as it was on the A358 Axminster road on the way home. I was hoping to pick up a Bachmann Class 70, but they were out of stock. Instead I picked up a few detailing bits and pieces for the station area - see if you can spot them in the next video.

I also popped into the PECO shop earlier in the week on a very brief visit to Beer in Devon and picked up another Bachmann Castle Cement JPA Bogie Hopper. This will bring the total rake to 12, and unless some real bargains come my way I'll call it a day as far as they're concerned.

Catch you all soon...

Duncan

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As mentioned earlier, I've uploaded a few photos to show the extra detailing I've added to the station area. I've still got plenty more detailing parts to add - including station name boards, passenger information boards and people etc. There's also the small mater of the station building lights and the painting of the footbridge. I've had the paints a while now and really must get around to it.

I've also been toying with the idea of the possibility of having real smoke come out of the chimneys using Seuthe smoke generators. But let's not get ahead of ourselves... :)

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Duncan wrote

The P2 locomotive is superb value for money and I have to say I'm very pleased with it although it is at the limit of what I'm prepared to pay for a locomotive these days.

Hi Duncan, Like your stating building can those double brown doors open .

A siding and with shed adds more detail to a layout, I saw that video as well , pretty awesome.

I add to my loco wish list a P2 steamy, nice looking loco, 4-8-2 I think, a friend on mine has one

Look forward to seeing more pics and video.

Tony from down under.

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Hi Tony,

The P2 is a very popular model over here in the UK and Hornby's stock allocation had already run out when mine was delivered. The station by the way is made from resin and the doors don't open. I could cut them with a razor saw and leave one propped open - it would certainly make a point of interest when the station lights are on and the light streams out of the open doorway. Well worth considering perhaps...?

Duncan

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  • 1 year later...

Hi, jimbob

Just starting out on OO Garden Railways and trying to get to grips with the most suitable track base.What have you been using on the Minfford Railway for the track base, the platforms etc - it looks good from your videos and I like the grey colouration.

I was in contact with ba14eagle about using recycled plastic component supplied by Filcris Company:

https://www.filcris.co.uk/category/garden/garden-railway-products

and he mentioned he'd used it successfully, and that you were using a similar product. He also referred to possible problems with expansion/contraction due to temperature changes. Can you confirm what you are using and the supplier and also advice for me of any pitfalls or problems.

I think your videos are great and fill me with enthusiasm to get out in the garden and start the project!

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