mick

Oh my word....I want one of those! Now what on earth do I do about a viaduct for something like that...???? Absolutely stunning Tom. How is it powered? Proper sleepers too on that track....Oh my....!

I'm still undecided about bonding the rail joins as and where required or going the whole hog and feeding each individual section of track directly from the bus rail. As I've just laid the plywood base and fixed it permanently on top of the concrete/aerated block base, it's not really possible to drill and run wires through it. I'm okay with the idea of running the bus wire alongside the plywood base it's the droppers that I wanted to disguise if, as it seems likely, they're going to need to be larger than I had first envisaged.

The rain has unfortunately called a halt to proceedings once again but while I was outside I've been giving a bit of thought to some history for Worsley Dale. I could go out there (once it stops raining that is) lay 2 parallel tracks around the garden, solder a few wires on and start playing trains but I'd like to be able to have a reason for things being as they are. For instance, I want the viaduct to be single track. There is just about sufficient space for two running lines but for operational interest it's going to be just one. After undergoing a recent inspection it has been deemed that the viaduct, whilst basically structurally sound (I'm pleased to hear that!) would require significant investment for it to be brought up to the standard necessary for carrying heavy loadings. It has, therefore, been decided that one of the 'existing tracks' will be lifted and the 'remaining track' slewed over to run centrally along the viaduct with a crossing immediately after the viaduct to return to double track running. I've also started laying the inner circuit using Peco streamline concrete sleeper track but again, for some added interest I'm going to do the outer line using some of the track salvaged from my previous layout. I've spent the morning cutting out damaged wooden sleepers but rather than closing up the gaps I'm going to add some spare concrete sleepers in their place to make it appear that repairs have been carried out. We will assume that Worsley Dale had only sufficient capital to completely relay part of the inner line and that temporary repairs (likely to last for several years in my experience) have been carried out on the opposite running line. It has also been agreed that the initial objective is to begin running trains from the (as yet un-named station in the shed) only as far as the main outdoor station (also un-named at this time) and that during this initial period trains will operate on an out and return basis between the 2 stations. No additional expansion of the line will occur from those stations until this work is fully completed. The most pressing work required at the moment is to the viaduct parapet as until this is completed work on the line running along the viaduct is on hold. The weather isn't helping matters (it's cold, wet and quite breezy up there - but you do get a magnificent view across the dale!). There is a lot of stonework required in order to complete the sidewalls at the top of the viaduct and almost all of it requires cutting manually by hand(saw). Once this rain stops we can hopefully get back to work.

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply Tom. I have a supply of 2.5mm ring-main cable that I had intended to use for the bus wire and I thought that would be suitable but the way I read your post are you suggesting that I need something of that size simply for the droppers from the track and that a heavier gauge is required for the bus wire? On my old layout I had 2 'standard' bits of layout wire connecting the controller to one point on the track with no additional power feeds anywhere. This 'standard' gauge layout wire was then also used to bond across all the rail joins and I experienced no notable problems - nothing that gave me any concerns. This time I thought I'd try to make a better job of it to ensure reliability but I'd like to be able to do it as discreetly as possible and some of the heavier gauge wires connecting to the track are going to be difficult to conceal when you can't go directly down through the baseboards. In your opinion is using 16x0.2mm as droppers connecting to a 2.5mm ring-main bus likely to give rise to any problems considering that I'll be operating no more than 3-4 trains at any one time?

Those bridges are impressive Tom and at first I didn't realise they were Gauge One until I read the accompanying text. I can see the OO gauge track now - doesn't it look small in comparison? Are the bridges hand-built and if so, from what materials? You've certainly got a lovely backdrop for a model railway - it always looks so pleasant.

It took me ages to muster up some motivation to get started today. I'd almost given up hope of doing anything but in the end I got out a few lengths of track in order to determine the best way of adding power feeds and ended up putting several of them together. I hadn't intended running anything or even getting the track to a point where I could do so, but with track down what else could I do? A sound-fitted Bachmann class 37 37417 'Highland Region' is the only loco currently out of its box and in a convenient place and so it was given the honour of being the first operational train on Worsley Dale. 'Highland Region' almost came to grief straight away when I discovered that the temporary bridge over the tracks wasn't in fact high enough for an engine to pass beneath but luckily it was only travelling very slowly at the time and there was no damage caused. Here's a few photos of 37417. Power to the tracks was via the 2 bulldog clips seen in the first photos - all very temporary but we're getting there.

Perhaps I've asked/mentioned this previously but I'm virtually clueless when it comes to understanding the electrical requirements for a model railway and after reading a number of online articles I'm still unsure as to what size/gauge wire we should be using to wire our layouts. It doesn't help that several of the articles refer to the wires in completely differing units/sizes. It seems the consensus is on using 0.2mm stranded wire of sometimes 7 and sometimes 16 strands as 'droppers' when connecting to a power bus. Ideally I guess it should be the larger 16 strand. Yes, I know there'll be a 'formula' to use to gauge the exact size of wire required for a particular application but isn't there just a simple yardstick that we can work to? What size wire are each of you using to connect power your track? 7 strand 0.2mm would be much easier to conceal at the side of the sleepers on an outdoor layout if it was capable of supplying the required power. It's a pity that we can't go directly through the baseboards close to ground level without a lot of additional work.

Very nice video. It's good to see a line under construction and then get to take a ride along. It feels like you already know it as you're trundling down the track. Good quality video too. Well done also on the quality of your track laying - it looks very smooth on film. I reckon I have more outtakes than actual footage from my old Selby layout. It was amazing the number of times I'd forgotten to couple up, place vehicles on track correctly, stop them in time etc..

Great video. I remember running with 40+ wagons on my old layout and they never seemed to pose a problem. The modern diesels certainly have few problems with such a load. A mix of goods wagons always looks nice with the high side vans and then the low sided minerals. It makes for an attractive and interesting formation. Some of the modern day rolling stock models are absolutely stunning in their detail but in block train formation they're all much the same whereas you can have a mixed collection of vans, tanks and minerals intermixed with loaded bogie wagons that looks so much more interesting.

Wow, it's good to see some photos! I didn't realise just how much smaller the HO gauge models were but that's a very nice little coach. The crimson & cream coach to the left does ride high on its bogies so if there are spacer washers inserted as you say, I would see if they can be removed. I'm not sure if they were manufactured that way or not. It looks quite a bit higher than the buffet car. It's a shame about the gap in the shingles. Perhaps you could just insert a filler piece and then add a bit of bitumen to seal the join. If you cut them all then you're going to have a longer join to seal. About a week ago we had a WWII Lancaster bomber fly really low over the rooftops. It was doing a flypast to mark the anniversary at the spot where another bomber had crashed during the war. I was just sitting watching tv when it rose from the above the roof of the house directly opposite me and gave me a bit of a start but it was heading away by the time we could get hold of a camera for a decent photo.

What do you mean? - I think your layout looks excellent and anyway, you don't necessarily have to move home to get another layout! Plane spotting....it's not really something that's ever caused a stir in me until recently. I'm still not a spotter but I do have one of those radarbox thingies that allows you to pick up the tracking signals from nearby aircraft. For some strange reason I find that interesting but I don't actually keep any form of log of the aircraft I've recorded. I know you can get similar tracking information from various websites but there's usually a 5 minute delay in their data by which time the plane's already passed by. Your own box shows the planes in real time so that you can easily identify planes flying overhead, providing they're transmitting such info. You'll probably know much more about that than I do.

Oh it's just a hobby Roy but I do upload the data to a couple of websites where it's used to provide current details of local weather. Local weather is the key I guess. Normal forecasts are more general for the country or region rather than your immediate locality which is why you often get a good soaking shortly after you've listened to the weather forecast and lathered yourself in sun lotion.

I've never considered using a blowtorch Roy. I'm not even sure that the roofing felt I use is suitable for heat application. I'm fine with the adhesive as it can also be used as a filler/sealant if applied carefully and it smells great! Since posting those last 2 photos I've now cut a section of plywood to go around the weather station and given it a couple of coats of thinned bitumen adhesive. Between heavy showers (yep, the rains back again) I've managed to secure the plywood in position from the curve up to the viaduct and added the felt covering to a section on the curve that I hadn't done yesterday. And now a thunderstorm and heavy downpour has just forced me to retire to the house so that's the reason for this quick update. At least my water barrels are filling up again.

Well it certainly doesn't have a problem traversing the junction now! Had good old BR persisted with the APT then I'm sure we'd have seen an updated model from one of the major RTR manufacturers before now. Somehow I don't envisage that happening in the future but stranger things have happened. Perhaps at the rate they're going they'll fast run out of new models to produce and have to resort to some of those that never quite made it. You wouldn't want to find yourself sitting on a train next to him would you?

I'm pleased to hear that your Dad's returned home Roy although my sincere apologies for not reading about him being admitted. Your post regarding that must have come during my term of absence from the forum and I never noticed it flagged up as a new post. Your grandparents certainly went through the mill, as did so many other families during that time. We have a lot to be thankful for although the younger ones of today perhaps don't understand that yet. When we were kids we used to urge my mum to tell us stories of her experiences as a teenager during the war years. We loved it!

I've been out there doing a bit more whilst the weather's fine but as is normally the case there isn't a lot of additional progress that can be seen on photos - but I've added two anyway. The first photo shows that the sections of plywood I fixed in place a few days ago have now been covered with a layer of roofing felt. I had intended this to be one complete layer but by the time I'd got three-quarters of the way along I'd somehow managed to go off line slightly and ended up having to cut and join so that I could realign the final bit. The bridge isn't permanent by the way although there will be a bridge constructed in that spot, creating a tunnel for the railway, when everything is completed. The second photo again doesn't show much other than the fact that I've cut and treated the plywood around the curve and up to the beginning of the viaduct. It will be fixed into place as soon as possible but requires another coat of bitumen first. Although I've got a large amount of track that I salvaged from the Selby layout these sections at least are to be laid with new concrete sleepered track (Peco Streamline code 100) and the old wooden sleeper sections will be sorted and used elsewhere. There will be a set of points on the plywood immediately before the viaduct turning the double track into single track for the short journey across and into the shed. I see no reason why there can't be something running up and down here within the next week even if only in a makeshift capacity but there's still the curve behind the weather station to complete as well as the viaduct. Then, of course, there's the inside of the shed to sort out.

That's some journey Roy. Good job with the camera - the footage looks excellent. From the camera angle, when the video starts it's not immediately obvious that the railway is elevated on boards but you're going to have one heck of a job completing all the scenics Was it your intention from the very beginning to construct such an expansive layout or was it something that simply grew as you progressed? There's clearly still more construction to come, hence the 'end of the line' in the video, do you see the ongoing operations as something you'll be able to manage yourself because it must take a lot of upkeep? They say a model railway is never finished but I bet 'they' never even envisaged anything on this scale when coming up with that phrase.

Is that right? I've just planted 2 specimens at the bottom of the garden alongside the pond, although with the wet weather they've been very slow to take hold. Mine are the black stemmed variety and the details suggest they're not quite so invasive. Never thought to put them in large tubs although I did do that with the Christmas tree to keep that in check. I'll have to get back to you on this one.

When it comes to garden railways, certainly in OO gauge, I'm not sure there's a recommended practice for anything. The majority of garden railways I've seen, in OO and in larger scales, have used wire bonds across the rail joins for electrical continuity and having used that system on my previous layout without experiencing any problems I admit that it does work. However, even with wire bonds across every rail join I would feel better with additional power feeds at certain points around the track. Now the problem with me is that I find soldering wires to the sides of the rails fiddly, especially outdoors where you're usually working at ground level. Indoors I'm okay because I can work at a more convenient height. I really don't fancy the idea of soldering bonds across every rail join this time. If I can solder a dropper indoors before taking the track outside and soldering the dropper to a bus wire then that's a whole lot easier - at least it is for me. George, it sounds like you've thought this through pretty well and you've put forward some good ideas that will make me think carefully before I start soldering anything. I'm going to give the bus wire idea a try on Worsley Dale and I've got a previously unused hot melt glue gun that might just come in handy. I'm not saying any method is better than the other - like everything else in this absorbing hobby it comes down to personal choice and (certainly in my case) ability.

I'm not sure what to make of that.... You okay Griff?

Exactly right George. That's one of the benefits of belonging to a forum where the majority of members have a similar interest. We're all trying to do much the same thing and we can each share our experiences, good or otherwise as the case may be. There are a number of ways to achieve our aims, as we have shown over recent days, and one or other method will suit each of us depending on our particular circumstances, desires, and abilities. The good thing is there isn't a right or wrong way - they're all fun ways As for your last comment, yeah, it would be good to see one of the 'high level' guys adding a concrete or building block viaduct to their layout!

I've lost count of the number of times I've had to pack everything away today because of a rain shower and then just a few moments later the sun's shining again. If it's going to rain why doesn't it just rain and get it over with! While the cement hardens around the viaduct I've been trying to get on with other things and, between showers, I've got the plywood cut to size for the curve that leads on to the viaduct. Again between the showers, I've managed to give it a first coat of thinned down bitumen. It's currently propped up on bricks while it dries. Leaving that to one side I've got most of the already installed plywood base covered in a layer of roofing felt. I've used plenty of neat bitumen adhesive, with the felt left oversize for trimming back later and now there's a whole host of bricks, blocks and so on, sitting on top of the felt in an attempt to ensure it sticks down nice and flat. It's a bit of a haphazard way of working but each little task brings us closer to getting something running. I've now received the complete set of station buildings I ordered for the proposed outdoor station area. These are the Bachmann 'Sheffield Park' buildings depicting those on the Bluebell Railway. When they were first released they were rather expensive and although I liked the look of them the whole set was going to put me back over £200. That was until I noticed one major retailer selling off a selection of the buildings at very tempting prices and while I've had to pay full price for one of the set I've got the remainder at a good saving. Photos later.

I think that's a good way of connecting the wiring George. I'm considering doing the same myself as I find the bonding bit quite fiddly. Wires soldered to the centre of each rail before the track is taken outside would be so much easier for me. Perhaps the only drawback is that the wires may be more prominent but we'll have to see.

No major progress today but I have now completed adding all the blocks right up to the shed. I've just cemented the final two in position and added some bracing to give the end block a bit of additional support. There's a couple of arches still to round off when the cement dries but I'm fast losing the teeth on my rasp! Hopefully it will last long enough to complete the shaping of the final arches. Didn't someone warn that cutting these blocks ruined your saw? I'm really pleased I decided to use this method of aerated block construction because I've found it easy to create a curved viaduct. I'm not sure that my abilities would have got me through trying to create the same effect with poured concrete and it may have caused a strain on my relationship! This way everyone's happy The photo below shows the degree of curve in the viaduct itself - it's going to be great watching trains coming along there and it's almost the view I have from my kitchen window! I've added a few more images to my Worsley Dale gallery so I won't repeat them all here but I like these low level shots looking up at the viaduct - just needs some trains now!

Very thoughtful Griff you old softie! I hope she's thrilled. Perhaps we'll be hearing of some major plans for extending the railway soon....?