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I've been trying to make the most of the glorious weather but at times it's been unbearably hot. I really wanted a BR Blue day today so got out a mixed lot of MK1 coaches along with a selection of Mk2's. In the morning I had 26024 hauling a rake of 6 Mk2's, capturing a few clips on video but forgetting to take any photos so I had to return to that later in the afternoon. Here (below) 26024 has just exited the shed onto Low Shott viaduct. (below) I've been trying for some different angles for photos and this next one is a bit awkward to access but seems to work well, though I maybe should have moved the bird bath and stand in the background. Later I had large logo BR Blue 37401 'Mary Queen of Scots' hauling a mixed rake of 9 BR Mk1 coaches in BR Blue/Grey livery. (below) A rare shot from inside the shed as 37401 departs Shieling Bridge. 37403 'Isle of Mull' is a ViTrains model and although it looks the part it's not a very good runner, in fact it takes ages to move off from a standing start. The MK1's are in need of some weathering although I had actually thought of selling them in order to thin my collection down a bit. There's no rush to do anything just yet. It did take me some time to get the MK1's running reliably. I fitted them with Hornby R8220 bar couplings and had to do a fair bit of swapping coaches round before I was able to keep them all coupled together.

Afternoon, Well I thought it high time I shared my garden railway with you all. It's approx 70' x 30' double track main line, and features several challenging gradients which requires some trains to actually be driven as opposed to being left to run themselves. All controlled by Lenz DCC, with a wifi connection. This allows me to utilize a couple of old iphones with touchcab software giving me total fdredom to control trains from anywhere in the garden (and the top garden when SWMBO calls!) Era is mainly BR Blue but with the occasional foray into the modern day. Loco's are the usual mix of current manufacturer with some older Lima stuff being slowly restored to service. 90% of the rolling stock is Lima which I find runs fantastically outside. So just to give you all a taste I uploaded my first video to Youtube today with a pair of sound fitted 37's on a heavy enterprise working.

I've gradually been getting some more stock out onto the layout though it's all ones that have been seen previously. I don't expect there being anything new anytime soon although I do have two RevolutioN Cargowaggons that haven't yet been seen either on Skew Bridge or Worsley Dale. They arrived along with my IWA log wagons a few weeks/months ago now so I might give them a run in the coming days and see if they perform any better in the garden than the log carriers did. I attempted to do a bit of filming today but I find it gets in the way of actually enjoying running trains. I'm not sure it's worth it to be honest as you can't sit back and relax when you've got a controller in one hand, gopro camera in another and nowhere left to hold your phone. I never was any good at juggling. 24009 was never intended to be a 'Scottish' loco for Worsley Dale. It was one of many impulse purchases I made and I only recently discovered that it actually spent time in Scotland between 1971-75 so that's good enough for me to add it to the roster. Being a Sutton Loco Works model fitted with sound and stay-alive it performs brilliantly and sounds as good as any loco I've heard. Saying that...I'd had it running for probably 30-60 minutes before I just happened to notice something by the side of the track near Low Shott viaduct and it turned out to be a sandbox & pipe. I hadn't had any mishaps so it had obviously just fallen off. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have seen it. 37401 'Mary Queen of Scots' is one of my 'go to' loco's along with 37025. I tend to grab the weathered ones before the pristine ones although I haven't yet dared tackle the SLW 24's. 37401 is seen here at one of my favourite locations for photographs as it exits Stack Gill viaduct and runs along Stackgarth Gill. Another of my favourite photograph spots is by the side of Low Shott viaduct and 37401 is seen crossing the viaduct immediately before entering the shed and Shieling Bridge station hauling one of my favourite wagon rakes - the OTA log wagons. And although the weather today has been extremely pleasant, during the early part of the day it was almost impossible to get photos or videos that were not affected by sun shining directly in the camera lens or that didn't have the shadow of the camera itself (or worse..me) in the foreground. 45010 had direct sunlight to contend with as it hauls the West Highland excursion rake across Stack Gill viaduct.

Hi All, Well, I'm back again, can't believe it's been over a year since my last post! This time I've got a video, it's not great camera work, but it will do! As I realised the good weather was coming to an end, I was determined to get some filming done. I hope you enjoy it? Many thanks Mark.

It's heart-breaking news. Someone who contributed so much to the forum but who has sadly been taken before he could realise his layout dreams. We've shared Tony's ups and downs for over 7 years, and the poor man has endured his fair share of downs during that time, but he somehow managed to keep smiling and 'moving ahead'! I will miss his presence greatly here as I am sure the majority of our members will. My heartfelt condolences go to his wife and to all his family. Rest in peace Tony.

Just some pictures...

Dear Thomas, since a lot of Years I thought I'm very alone with the idea to bring HO scale trains outside. I searched Youtube and the www to all this topics, with some small results. Yesterday Evening I found your link and got here and I'm totally impressed by your work. This is absolutely amazing... Since 2 Years I got back to my childhood hobby (where I gone also outside with Roco Line/ but just for 1 day) and since that date I'm testing with DCC and Roco Line all over my house (but so far just inside). Some rails of RocoLine are stationed since over a year in my garden for testing for the weather influences. First of all I want to build some parts inside to get more in detail with all the electronic and computer stuff to know what is the goal when I wanna go outside. Your explanations and experiences here are helping me... (I cannot put in words how much) Keep it up and I'm looking forward to see more. Kind regards Bjoern

Been a while, hope you are all well. The Z21 arrived today so we can finally run a few trains around at the same time. Impressed with the system so far and I've managed to set up the supplied router as an extender for our home WiFi which means I don't have to manually connect to the Z21 network and now have home WiFi coverage in the garden.

My first turnout completely built by myself.

Ballast! Probably a bit overkill in the garden, but I did say I wanted to take my indoor railway outside!

Found this video of a really great H0 garden layout based on US motifs. Probably from the Czech Republic, but it really gave me new ideas. Have a look, it's worth it.

So with the ‘Brio’ blocks assembled and checked, the next stage was to put some tops one them. These arrived in the form of some 9mm ply....which was reclaimed and free! ...and then some upvc cladding to the sides, and some roofing felt on top.... ...and finally, some nice GWR Green (current livery) to tidy everything up... I’ve started painting the posts a stone colour so that they bland better with the garden. It’s surprising just how sturdy the structure is! This brings my work up to date, with all of the main sections done bar the felt, and once I’ve done that, I’ll make the frames up for the station area. Watch this space....

Despite getting the sprung points working I just knew there had to be a better, perhaps much easier way. I kept going back to what @ThomasIsaid about fastening a spring to the points and to a screw alongside the track - it's most simplest form. I'm just making things far too difficult for myself! So overnight I'd come up with a couple of methods that I thought I'd try this morning using materials I have to hand - well materials is hardly the word because what I've now done requires just one thing - a short length of springy wire (and a soldering iron!) It really can't get any simpler than this. This is the other point that I've tested this out on and the reason I've soldered the springy wire to the rail ahead of the point is because it's a left hand point and the stock rail curves round. I just couldn't get it to work the same as on a straight length of track. You can fiddle with the wire itself to adjust the tension and it requires little effort to move the points over. This is an old point and there's a bit of resistance between the point blades and sleepers that I need to ease before I'll be satisfied it's good to go. Just occasionally the points don't move fully back across but I can see which sleeper is causing the problem. I think I need to do this with the first point now as it's a much more reliable way to spring the points.

The first set of blocks are laid so I stuck some track on top and sent a train down as a test. The roofing felt isn't glued, the track isn't glued or pinned yet and I had to use a temporary board to run off. It was really just to get something working - anything. By the time I did that, it had gone dark. So all I've got to prove it is a grainy video. I'll stick it up anyway and try to get some better footage in the light.

It's that time of the year again (or thereabouts) where I finally get round to reporting on how the railway has fared over the winter months and come up with plans for the coming year that I'll doubtless not adhere to. At first glance there doesn't appear to be any major damage or deterioration to the track but I'll know more once I get the chance to power up and run something round. There's the usual overgrown vegetation to cut back around the circuit, such as here on Stack Gill viaduct where this Peony has sprung into life. However, as in previous years it's not the plants that are giving me problems but the bloody pigeons who have again chosen to nest in the tall shrub at the bottom of the garden, accessing it by leaping up from the top of Stack Gill viaduct. In the process they have dislodged a fair section of parapet wall that I only repaired last year after they had done exactly the same. I couldn't say for certain how many different adhesives I have used on the parapet walls over the years but even though most of them set rock hard initially, it isn't long before the adhesive becomes pliable and the structure weakens until it's eventually dislodged. As soon as I can get round to it I'll be using the same sand and cement mixture I resorted to last year to replace all the parapet wall that is still held in place by adhesive. Plans for the coming year? Well I don't really have anything in mind other than the aforementioned repairs to the viaduct. I'd like to get certain areas ballasted, especially the ones where I tend to take most of my photos but that's something that may or may not happen this year, we'll just have to see.

A small update - Some pictures of how the outside section is looking, the plants are growing nicely and really help bring it all together. Inside work continues on the station area with a Metcalfe kit almost finished. I decided to add lighting to give some extra interest. Chris

Hi Guys, not to bad a weekend. Have been out laying track for two days . My finger nails are a mess, with working on top of roofing felt. I have still got about half of the wires to join between rails yet. Unfortunately promised the C E O we would go away for a couple of days. Of cause its going to be dry and when we are away and come back rain. Still she deserved a treat for allowing me to proceed in our limited garden we have. Here's a picture of a Dapol Virgin Pendolino EMU. got for a cheap price. Runs nice to say the track a mess, but oh those fiddley copulins. Not made for my saw fingers and poor sight. (men in white coats here for me tomorrow) I not finish and thinking of stage 2. Thankyou all for your very useful articles about your railways its a enjoyable way to spend a odd wet hour looking at all the ideas

Hello together! I wanted to give you a sign of life from me again. At the moment I'm finishing the wiring of the layout with the 10 boosters. I've also reached the last level indoors. With kind regards Thomas

Well at last I have started on the baseboards. I have completed the two straight boards, just have to cover with roofing felt. I am fortunate that a neighbour is going to give me a hand as far as raising them off the ground, about 2 feet high. I just got the two loops at each end to sort out. So still a lot to do before anything runs.

Throughout 2021 I was working on the electronics side of our hobby. Although I have a background in electronics I was out of date, and the Arduino revolution had completely passed me by. I've been playing catch up. But this has mainly been on my indoor projects. My first project on Amblethorpe is a passenger information display for Colwick Station. It shows "live" train information, but it's of fake trains. I've not connected it up to sensors on the track so it is not triggered by the coming and goings. This is possible, but I don't run Amblethorpe to a timetable so there is no point trying to do it. There are 3 screens each 22mm by 11mm with 128*64 pixels to play with. The type is tiny, either 6px or 5px high. They cost £6.50 per screen. They are dynamic, with some trains randomly delayed or cancelled. The clock ticks off the seconds minutes and hours. The destination stops scroll across the screen when required. These 3 are driven by a single Arduino micro controller, which cost £3.50. it all runs on 5 volts, and this can be pulled off the DCC track bus using a two quid voltage regulator. So the whole thing cost £25. I used my plotter cutter to make a hosing out of black styrene. It's a bit bulky, but I hid most of it by placing a Welcome to Colwick sign on the top. This year I'll get round to motoring the points on the Paltyville Ridge & Peak Railroad using and Arduino to provide the control and frog juicing.

Spotted this on my bike ride today. Not sure what class it is, but definitely a 3-car EMU.

Stabling yard # 2 is finished so far, only the last points still have to be connected to the (still missing) decoder. And then next to # 2 there will also be the stabling yard # 3, which will have 9 tracks with a usable length of about 1500mm for push-pull trains and railcars. But two points are still missing for the beginning with #3.

Worsley Dale is officially open for 2021! Tracks were cleaned and cleared early today and power was applied shortly afterwards. I was immediately greeted with a short circuit! There's nothing really complicated on Worsley Dale, it's little more than a circle of track so what could possibly be the problem? I checked from one end to the other and found nothing amiss so it wasn't something just across the rails so that leaves just the two sprung points which each have frog juicers fitted. I should really have removed them before winter set in but they are housed within plastic boxes, cushioned with foam, and then placed within another structure but the one near Low Shott viaduct, a Tam Valley frog juicer, had failed. That's the third one I've bu**ered up! The Gaugemaster ones are fine. This may be partly to blame as I mentioned yesterday. The frost and ice has obviously got to this though the interior where the frog juicer is located within its plastic box was completely dry. While the damp conditions may have cost me a juicer they've created a wonderful garden of colour on some of my stonework which appears to be thriving... And it's even spreading along the lineside on Stack Gill viaduct. Who needs static grass! So here's a short video of 37425 hauling a short rake of coaches around today. It's the only train running just now - the sun may be shining but it's still a bit cool out there.

Thomas and the snow Annie and Clarabel were delighted to see the snow, but Thomas wasn't so sure. "I don't think we'll be able to get out of the carriage sidings" he said. Even when they turned round to face the other way, the enormous depth of snow defeated them: "If we try to move from here, we'll just get stuck!" said Thomas. Annie and Clarabel were very sad. "Isn't there anything you can do, Thomas?" they said. So Thomas jumped everyone across to another track, but still the snow was too deep to risk. "It's no good" said Thomas. "There's too much snow today. We'll just have to stay at home." So he blew hot steam into Annie and Clarabel's pipes to keep them warm and cheer them up. The Fat Controller told Thomas that the whole line was completely snowed-in, and even the girder bridge was impassable. But as he said, things like that don't happen very often in Dorking, so we hope the trains will be running again soon.

I use "Typhus corrosion" from the Warhammer paint range, which has a sand type substance in the paint.

nearing completion ok my skills not not great but it will do with just a bit of 60git to sand it flat just need to cut some keys stones now to complete a 50 mm gap in span 7 of the viaduct

Here's a very brief video made up of clips taken during yesterday's running session, the final clip showing the train passing over the sprung points before crossing onto Low Shott viaduct.

Here's a few more updated pics, I've been trying to work away over lockdown on the landscaping, 30 bags of soil went in to the main section to bring it up to a higher level, I had a garden gazebo that had been wrecked by high winds so I cut the patterned curves from it and painted them with hammerite to make the bridges. They probably aren't perfect scale wise but I think they look quite good. Been plodding away all summer when I get a moment, planted a few plants in the rockery so it's getting there..

Selection of clips with the few mineral wagons I have running on the Garden Railway. Must invest in some more freight wagons! I have also started making some false floors for the wagons with coal loads on top. I'll show these in a future video. No progress yet with the platforms. Link to my You Tube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYmxyrVYHbKF0NODKlqzh6A?view_as=subscriber

Some running today

A little later than planned but here finally is a video with action over the past 2 days mainly featuring the SLW class 24 quartet in yesterday's bright sunshine.

Yes Mick, the two viaducts are still there! Both are in need of repair, I should rebuild them, but that's too big of an undertaking to stomach, just the thought of replacing 8 metres of viaduct in-total......! I will have to put a speed restriction on the trains crossing! WEAK BRIDGE! Only half of the line is at ground level, after the pond the ground drops away so the track is about 500mm above ground, running over elevated rockeries before entering the garage. Here are some photos of the extension to the garage, which includes two tunnels (one has an oversized ventilation shaft, but it's fun to look down and see the trains pass through), and yet another viaduct.

Yesterday I began the process of filling the gaps with earth and stone. Months ago I rescued the stones form a friends driveway before she had it tarmaced. I didn't know if I had enough, which meant it was guess work as to how much earth I'd need to fill with first. We did about 72% of the filling. Getting the point where the final position of the trackbed blocks has yet be decided. This morning I placed some track down and, for fun, popped some coaches on. This turned out to be helpful, it shows me how long my passing loop will have to be, allowing for a loco on the front. Up shot is that I can'y make it any shorter. I'm still uncertain which point to use where. I have two right hand and two Y. I've started thinking through how I can create a connecting line to the Snicketway baseboards. I'm going to use some 18mm ply which should be ridged enough for the 70cm length it will span. For the radius I'm following the track that came with train set, which ensures that it won't be too tight. This afternoon I'm going to have to lower a couple of the ridge blocks by 18mm to allow for the linking track to be able to pass over them while the track stays on the level. Feels like real progress now. Should be sticking down roofing felt and laying track soon.

First trains of the year About time too, I hear some say. Well, up till now the weather hasn't been great this year, and there's always real life which conspires to get in the way of running trains. But with this recent spell of fine weather - and no social obligations intervening(!) - I was able to make the most of today. It was a Southern day in honour of the sunshine, and the first train past was a coal train hauled by an N Class 2-6-0: Then a West Country appeared with a passenger train, seen here running past the goods train at Northdown Sidings: Running across the Northern Viaduct and past Foxdale Carr Hall: Heading past the new footbridge on towards Foxdale Bank: And past the commemorative platelayers hut: Just caught a threequarter rear view as she passed: Then the N Class reappeared on a local passenger train: Rumbling past empty coaching stock in the sidings:

Joined this forum what I thought was a couple of years ago, and when I checked my email yesterday I couldn't believe it was actually 5 years ago. Have been having a look for ideas etc and have managed to convert a hidden corner of the garden into an outdoor layout. There were various challenges along the way, the land ran at a gradient so some deep digging was required at one section and then elevated supports at the other, so all in all its taken about 2 years to build. It's still a work in progress, I have work to do to try and raise the ground to make it look less high, all garden cuttings etc have been put in last few years, and it's still ongoing. I'm planning to build a rockery and plant flowers to bring it just below track level, and had a first attempt at soldering the track yesterday but a bit to learn on that front still. My father in law helped with the cement work, and he also blowtorched the roof felt on to give it a great finish. First trains ran July 2019, after a good track clean it's running again no problem so far. It's still a work in progress with a few imperfections so I'll try upload some pics below.

So, the last gap of the old main line closed. If the bridge from Italy would come now, I could finish the track construction outdoor. If.... Replaced one of the three box bridges in a row with a concrete bridge open on top. Reason: much better accessibility for cleaning the rails.

Bone on an MGR. First time I've got to run this loco! Aside a faulty point switch, having to adjust one corner of track, and having to clean the contacts for one of the dublo light signals, winter had been kind

The sound of Class 66 music Josh, who is a regular visitor to the DGR, has very kindly fitted my Class 66 with top quality sound. Here's a video of it running on his layout - which is well worth a listen. Looking forward to letting her out on the DGR again...

Hi Marcus, Andrew and Clay Mills junction, many thanks for the kind words am improving every day soon be coming home , longest time in hospital ever.. No idea when I will get back to my layout wife wont let me go down to the shed, plenty of projects to work on, ship will be rebuilt in one full section with a complete hull and got a spitfire I am working on . You get a mag with parts every fortnight going cost $2000 when finished Mark1A 1/18 scale fully working model Tony from down under keeping on moving ahead

There's nothing really to add to yesterday's progress. I've done very little today other than run the log train round onto the elevated boards to check clearances for the possibility of converting to a double track section. There's ample room should I decide that's the way I'm going to proceed. The trouble is that as nice as double track would be, looking at the above photo with the additional line it doesn't seem to offer the same sense of remoteness or solitude that a single line within a deep sided cutting would give. It's probably because the single line route is how I'd always envisaged it being so maybe I just need time to adjust.

One just sat on the track and happily watched as it ran in to him, daft as a brush

Has anyone else noticed that lockdown + good weather has seen the popularity of garden railway expand and actual layout grow. Besides the new active member on here there are a load of new 00 gauge garden railway videos on youtube as well. Long may it continue.

It may seem a little strange to have what would normally be a permanent structure, bolted together, so let me explain. We currently live in a rental property as my father is terminally ill, and we may need to up sticks at shortish notice - hopefully not too short notice as I like having my Dad around. I’ve not seen any ‘portable’ garden layouts before, but those of you that already know my modelling style know that I don’t do things by the book, and if I start off with a plan, it’s normally 6 times removed when it gets to its final incarnation! The triangle originally had three double junctions but I wasn’t happy with it, so I decided I’d take one of the return lines underneath the straight lines to / from the shed, but this didn’t quite work out how I thought, due to the rather large Minorcan Palm, so Plan C arrived whereby one set of lines now go under the other and converge by the shed. These pictures will explain.... The gradient works out at 1 in 48, and this is achieved by lowering the right hand chord slightly as it passes under the other lines and then it rises to meet them just before the shed. ....more pictures to follow...

In for a penny, in for a pound, as they say. Excuse the crudeness of the set-up but I've removed the over-centre spring from the point just off Low Shott viaduct so the blades are now loose and free. Using the operating linkage, which I previously installed with the car central locking motor, to connect to the point tie-bar, a rubber band looped around the trailing end and a rounded file passed through the opposite end of the band, there is now sufficient tension to keep the points in the normal position of travel from the viaduct. The plastic box houses the auto frog module for powering the live frog. While holding the file in position so that it doesn't move and using one of my lightest wagons, an empty HEA, I can run through the points without the wagon riding up onto the rails and once through, the point blades return to the normal position. It works, but there is a fine limit to reliable operation with the lightest wagons. I will have to do some testing with wagon weights in order find the optimum weight per axle for my needs. I haven't yet sourced a suitable spring but there's no reason why the rubber band or a piece of elastic wouldn't suffice for the time being providing there's a means to adjust the tension. Obviously the points will need to be kept clear of dust and debris but that applies equally to points that are motorised.

Over the weekend I managed to get to the local garden centre and nursery, parting with much cash, to fill up some of the blank canvas of the garden. Just a couple of little creepers are required to finish off and a few bags of chippings to uplift the path. With a good weather day in the offing and some of the noisy kids back in school, a few larger steam locos came out to play, in what turned out to be a bit of a big loco gala!

Not the weather for being out in the garden today. Fitted sound to my Grand Central 125.

Had trains looping today, so I shot a video.

Thank you for that Andrew. It gives me a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction to see some of our 'pioneering' layouts continuing after all this time and it's good to see how our layouts have developed together. Long may we all continue. I'd just keep that vegetation in the 4 foot under control rather than clearing it completely. Sorry to hear that some of your timber decking is nearing it's end. Seven years or thereabouts appears to be par for the course with timber as that's what I managed with mine. Still, now you get all the fun of starting over again! EDIT! You just made me realise that 2019 is actually the 10th anniversary of the forum! Starting out as the forum on my Selby Garden Railway website in July 2009, we transferred to OO Garden Railway in October 2011 so yes, we're 10 years old!

Well you're certainly proving all the doubters wrong and showing that OO/HO in the garden can be very successful and worthwhile. Just wait until you can show them a fully operational layout next year! I think the forum provides the required inspiration and motivation to make a start in OO/HO outdoors. It shows what is possible and provides advice on things that are best avoided. Each individual member introduces their own ideas and you've added some novel methods yourself which should aid others who dare to follow in our footsteps! I think you win the prize for the most expansive OO/HO garden railway featured here so far and it's been very interesting following along. Looking forward to the recommencement of construction in 2019.