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- Today
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Hi Thomas, you need to unload to you tube, will need an account,pretty easy, first one i always the hardest and becomes a link. I may have trains running earlier, only one more corner module to build. and spiral sorted out be the next construction, decks all cut, can't wait for the big day. Tony from cloudy down under keeping on moving a head
- Yesterday
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I did a video but this forum didn't like to accept IT.
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My friend has finished the slab track. Pictures from Intermodellbau Convention. www.zeitgeist-models.eu
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Well the above show was a good one, I bought some stuff for my in herited N gauge railway, Tiree, namely second hand kit built loco, a coach and several wagons and a book on the Highland railway. Oh and a bacon butty..... or two... The widow of the previous owner of the N gauge railway is about to down size and move house, hence I have been handed piles of Points and other bits of N gauge railway. She is coming across them clearing the old house and also odd bits of horticultural equipment like A Dydle from the triple garage. A Dydle? it's a Norfolk tool for dredging dykes by hand, in this case its a 10ft long wooden pole on which is a scoup which faces back towards the user so you drag the mud to you, out of the dyke. My plans to go to other shows in May are unlikely now, due to sailing commitments. Work is about to restart in the Garden railway area, However not on the garden railway, I have to build some raised beds for Yacon plants, each will have a bed of 3 ft square, soil to fill them will however be dug from the foundation trenches for the railway Viaduct. A viaduct it will be, during the gale prior to the Beast from the East, 20ft of garden wall was blown down. Therefore, a thin wall is now, not in my plans, but a less wind resisting viaduct is. For strength purposes each pillar will be two or three foundation blocks of 215mm X 300mm X 440mm on end.
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That Helter skelter reminds me of somewhere near here... http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/194375 I like your modellling...
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A quick update on my tramway. I built a fairground on a return loop baseboard. I also scratch built a helter-skelter I'd built the baseboard and track last winter, so back in December I pushed on to complete the scenery. I spray pained cardboard for the tarmac areas and used metcalfe papers from the cobbles. Grassmats and ballast was next Wet and dray paper for the crushed stone/cinder paths. more grass matting to complete There has been some further "dressing" of the scene. But I still need to put the overhead in on this board. Here are some other pics from the other areas of the Tramway. I have done some more dressing work since t here photos were taken. It's now all packed away in the loft so as not to distract me from my summer homies in the garden.
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A new train will run along new track, however badly laid the track is. Two weeks, two, months and two years later, trains will refuse to move. Track needs to be well laid and have a good electrical feed. Both of these are a paint get right, sorry. Painting your baseboards will help, but won't protect them. A covering in roofing felt will give them at least a 10 year lifespan. I alway thought the people on here warning against gradients on garden railways were over the top. You need to ensure that every length of rail has a reliable connection to your power supply. You can't rely on "fish plates" to do this. Each and every rail will need a wire soldered to it! I've written a guide here My more general advice is to get a train up and running as quickly as possible on a short stretch or loop, it's very exciting having trains running around in your garden. Here's my first train in May 2010. Then get on with it and enjoy building a garden railway. The building is less exciting, but more satisfying. One final piece of advice. Learn as you go along. Don't try too hard to get it right first time. Nearly everything I build in my first year of construction (2010) has been ripped out and replaced. That was over 10 metres of baseboards! Nothing I have build since 2011 has needed to be replaced.
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An Aldi bird box has been given a Gothic make over. I visited a different branch of Lidl at the weekend. They still had some of the bird feeders, but at the reduced price of £6.99. I purchased another 3.
- Last week
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Thanks for the tips guys. We’ve got a few old pallets around the place so was thinking about chopping them up and using them as bases after a good dousing in what we treated the fence with. Someone mentioned “friends” moving into the tunnel, that hadn’t occurred to me really. My tortoise is just out of shot during the day in the summer and we know he tucks up with a little mouse. It might be worth some form of cap (or using it as an arguement for some form of cat for my other kid!). In reality I think it’s going to be a bit shorter, that was the only length of scrap I had lying around up. Feels like my little one is just about hitting the right age to appreciate some of the technicalities (Brunel is his current hero), can see how it does hook you in. We’re already thinking about applying for outline planning permission from mum to allow a mainline extension in the future...
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One step closer to running a train the full length of all the station and approach modules hopefully from section of the spiral to the car por end after levelling the back door corner module today, getting excited, the first train be a Bachmann Virgin three car DMU set . All my hard work is paying off, will be so easy to sit the module in the right marked place on the pergola floor, so easy ofcourse facing the right way as well so what I have done is an extra screw on each of side of northern end of the module, the station modules are the same as well right to the car port corner module. It has being pretty tricky to work out the bus and where the block end, the third block will end where the curved point is to the right of the pic and longer feeder wire to the third point to the right of the pic and the second point plastic track joiners , the track to the left of the pic is to the suburban platforms and passing loop. Tomorrow I will pull the track and point up nd Friday paint the module and nail the them back down and the the bus wiring. The first station module the outer track to the right of the pic can straighten it and nail in another piece of track to link up with the track closest to the tape measure to the right of the pic, be an island platform and side platform, on three 7 foot lengths. Tony from down under keeping on moving ahead.
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Yes, even a simple oval is the key to railway happiness! Now, the things to avoid are having your track too close to dirt. With the Garden railways it's really important to think in terms of platforms that the track sits on. Sure some hide them by making them smaller, but you have to have a solid base for that track. I am sure your son is beside himself over all of this new construction. The gradient should not be an issue if you are running more toy train like models with shorter trains. i.e. not an American 150 car coal unit train with mid train helper engines. You can also make all gradients easier by lowering the far side straight section. So between the two you are only having a mild grade all around. i.e one goes down 2 inches, and the other goes up 2 inches. It's really easy to find materials if you want to go cheaper. I built mine with nearly any investment in lumber as it mostly came from skips. I became an adept alley stalker for railway things. Most of us are very partial to the Roofing felt technique. But you can also just use loads of creosote to soak the lumber. There's one guy who just brushes motor oil all over his baseboards, but he's doing O scale. Here is a sample of basic creosote style baseboards. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJid_633Abo&t=296s
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traingeekboy commented on aussietmrail's gallery image in Loco's and Rolling Stock
That's some serious diesel action. Those things look like beasts. -
Indian Pacific, The Ghan and Overlander main source of locomotive power and DL's used as helpers ver the Blue Mountains
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Hi Dave My advice would be avoid any gradients (unless very, very shallow) - disappointment in things not working, can easily kill off motivation to succeed - in both your Son and yourself! Using wood posts in the ground, is a short term solution, unless they are very well soaked in a preservative. I would be concerned by the low level of your tunnel. It could very easily flood and will be welcomed by all sorts of little creatures, looking for a home Anyway, welcome to the forum, learn from our mistakes and have fun!
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Hi Dave, welcome to the forum, you are doing fine so far, the most important thing watch those gradenance , 3 percent be ok for a small train and yes timber base be better for the track and locos , you need to dig more out in front and after the tunnel. West Wales shouldn't be that hot in summer, not like it here in down under, low 40's and humidity the killer to most timbers, remember gaps, important as well when laying the track. That doco you talked about is there any links to it , I couldn't find any, be looking forward to seeing more pics of a new 00 scale garden railway with fresh ideas, great work. Tony from sunny down under, in the mid 30's today, keeping on moving a head .
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Hi all, After a trip to Bekonscot last year (and multiple subsequent visits) my 7 year old has been obsessed with the idea of a railway outside, not helped by watching the entire series of the Biggest Little Railway several times over... He saved up for a OO set and yes OK I agreed I’d match fund it so I could play with him. Realising we’ve got the trains and the controllers and a vegetable patch that never grew any vegetables we figured why not, let’s do this, get some track and go outside! It gets the kids away from the TV and we might learn some engineering skills along the way... I have done quite a lot of reading around the past few weeks and have lurked on the forum learning lots. As it’s our first attempt and experimental I guess our budget and methods so far probably reflect this. We’re going a loop with one junction taking a branch line up and over the distant straight with a view to extending to the other patch if it all works out. We laid the track out this afternoon to check my measurements and mark it out so we could begin to lay some sort of track bed. Id really value some thoughts though as to the layout and whether the gradients from the pic look like they could work? It’s all radius 2. Also track base, initially thought a tube filled with sand/fine gravel but now thinking wood? Any tips on cutting out the bends though? This being West Wales with our incessant rain, is drainage an issue? Any other thoughts and tips gratefully received. Cheers dave
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I am now under way beyond the corner module did a mock-up of the spiral to see how it will sit in the space I have, wow, can't wait to actually get stuck into working on the grade of the with my special level jig to measure and cut the legs for the spiral curves, will be a lot easier when I level the corner module this week. Pic 003 I set up the spiral with the module, wasn't easy, pic 004 I moved the module out the way and moved the spiral down 6 inches, which worked out better with the lower level deck of the spiral onto the module. Tomorrow I will do a mock-up of the points to the track plan, 5 tracks on that module , running of the single track, pic 005 taken through the plants in the garden, of course the curved deck be higher than the balcony bottom railing.. Next job to paint the module after screwing in place the module legs, the spiral will begin after that in between working on the bridge,never ending. Tony from down under keeping on moving a head
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Modelling Tor Corona Ro ,Ro vessel in 87 scale
aussietmrail replied to aussietmrail's topic in Members Workbench
Hi mark, thanks, I haven't being on the ship for a few days, being working on the layout and sadly scraped the cable stay bridge, back to an older design I worked on before, still will look stunning when build with the ship sailing under the bridge.. Heading over to Cabdale to post some pics of todays effort. Tony from down under keeping on moving ahead -
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Modelling Tor Corona Ro ,Ro vessel in 87 scale
markgd replied to aussietmrail's topic in Members Workbench
amazing! love watching this taking shape Tony. -
Have finished the back of the house back door corner module, next step is levelling the module and cut the legs to size then drill the holes for the bolts and screw in hinges and paint ready for the track laying and wiring, then I can set up the spiral. One more module to build car port back of the house corner module completing all the modules, then the big task of levelling all the curve and straight sections for the layout, and back to track laying and the big moment, nearly there still a way to go. I have decided to widen the rail bridge over the road 4 inches to 24 inches so I can out in a tram track, buses will be coming in where the trams would of being if I was modelling Sydney station not to be, a cross between New Orleans and Dallas station building, the modeller that build the New Orleans layout in Model Railroader Great Layouts 2013 mag is on Facebook, I be sorting out an account and join myself so I can contact him which he is on Facebook The spiral will start after the corner module on a 7 foot radius diameter curve, 24 feet in length and feed onto the bridge, based on the Williams loop spiral Feather river route California, single track Next pic of the module upside down , didn't take me long to build, down to a fine art now, using corner clamps to hold the sides in place while I screw the top down, I am glad I made that circular saw cross cutting jig, makes light work when cutting strips of ply or any other timber the fits in, can cut up to 42mm square pine posts with east, saves having to buy a drop saw. Layout is on track, the bridge being a challenge, to speed up the building of the bridge will use the third pier for the middle till the arch is built later, can't wait for the big day,gee being at it for 4 years now,edging closer and closer, to filling the last deck section bi day as well. Tony from down under keeping on moving ahead.
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Modelling a cable stay double deck bridge
aussietmrail replied to aussietmrail's topic in Members Workbench
The new bridge has being redrawn to full scale and construction of the arch is under way, it should work the same way, when I join the two halves together will make up a centre pier so the two halfs can sit on while I bolt them together top and bottom and take out the pier, that e a while off. I have already started work on the arch, looking at the two section I have cut out I think I will cut off where the bottom of the section is sticking out 6 inches , will cut back to an inch , might look better when the bridge is sitting on it's pier.. Off to Cambale post as I finished the back of the house back door corner module. Tony from down under keeping on moving ahead. -
Hi Thomas, nice feeling to see the firs test loco run on some of your layout, pity you didn't do a video of the big event. How far did the loco runaround the inside track, also what class is the loco, I don't think I will ever do DCC, I am heading over to my post to post some more pics of todays effort. Tony from showery down under keeping on moving ahead.
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Modelling a cable stay double deck bridge
aussietmrail replied to aussietmrail's topic in Members Workbench
Hi Deano, thanks, its to do with the kidney blood test, new medication, is upsetting the levels , the specialist not sure, back to the GP next Thursday, just have take day by day , good news is I bought that full sheet of 12 ply , Bunning cut the ply up to size, first piece 2x6 foot for the corner module and enough for the complete bridge decking for the new bridge design. Tomorrow I will build the corner module, got that down to a fine art now, pics to follow, Sunday I will draw the new bridge to full scale so I can work out mark and cut the sections that will make up the arch, far too much wastage if I cut the arch out of sheet of ply, they do that with the real bridges. Here is a couple of pics of the bridge , first pic a cut out section of the road and rail deck , that pic I had for another bridge I was going to build,same thing too long to build and cost, I be basing my bridge on that design and second pic is what my be be like when finished, designing the bridge so I get the trains running first , rest of the bridge later. Tony from down under keeping on moving ahead -
Although only in DC and not yet in DCC, but first test drive.
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Modelling a cable stay double deck bridge
Storm trooper replied to aussietmrail's topic in Members Workbench
Hi Tony, Sorry to hear you didn’t get good news from the specialist hopefully your doctor can help. take care Deano
