mick

I think the number of outdoor layouts featured on our forum shows that OO gauge can be very successful outdoors and that it can meet our requirements whatever our particular situation or geographical location might be. I was initially concerned by the number of people who suggested that the weather would restrict the operating possibilities but the adverse effects have been minimal. For anyone with an average sized garden, OO gauge is the ideal scale, offering reliable running and of course realistic train lengths at the most reasonable cost.

Nice video of the King Roy. I'll add it here for others to see....! -VoxVCx_zL4

The viaduct construction sounds interesting and although proposed to a better spec than I eventually adhered to with mine, your ideas are similar to those I envisaged at the time. Plywood construction with an exterior coating to make it waterproof was what I had in mind but I ended up with a simple plastic sheet covering to keep the rain off. The wooden construction should be easy enough, even on a curved section with thin sheets, but I'm not familiar with the use of GRP resin as a covering so I'm not able to comment on that. With the whole structure covered and waterproofed, damp and water ingress would I suspect be from the ground upwards so this may require some thought. If it's going to be a model based on Glenfinnin viaduct then would it require stonework? I've never taken a look at it close up but assumed it was just flat concrete.

I was very disappointed with the results of my first potato harvest. I've sensed that things were different from last year due to the limited amount of water I've had to pour on them compared to 12 months ago but not having any records to check against I can't say what the problem might have been. Although there was a nice selection of potatoes around the lower half of the barrel, there were none in the top half whatsoever. I'm sure it's all down to the weather. Perhaps the early mild/warm spell didn't go down very well. Whatever it was, there seems to be some set conditions that determines whether they also produce potatoes higher up the stems in the top half of the barrel or whether they produce them just near the base. It will be interesting to see how the later barrels compare as the staggered plantings will mean they haven't endured exactly the same weather conditions. Few as they were, they certainly tasted very nice and there are enough for several servings.

The turnips were very nice. Compared to a swede they were of a much softer texture and with extra sweetness. The outer skin simply peeled away. I've just sown some more!

I'm told that they're at their sweetest when about the size of a golf ball so as there's some thinning out required here's a couple of little turnips that we'll be tasting later today. I can't remember the last time we purchased turnips as we've always chosen swede in the past. In fact I don't ever remember purchasing a turnip before unless I've somehow got one by mistake and not noticed. They look tasty enough so we'll see... I will be harvesting my first barrel of potato's this week as I need the barrel for another batch. I'm not sure how successful they've been but I can see potatos peeking out when the slide up panel is pulled upwards. The panel itself doesn't feel quite so tight as it did last year - it becomes more difficult to open as the tubers swell - but there is some resistance. It might be a bit early but we'll have to make a start sometime.

You want to think yourself lucky Roy - take a look at the current price of a single 4-wheeled Hornby MGR wagon - now £18 each or £70 for 4, or even £136 for 8 (discounted price at a major UK retailer - God knows what the Hornby RRP is) You'll be needing 30-36 or more for a prototypical rake. I'm glad I purchased my 2 sets worth (yes, 72 wagons) off eBay over a period of time where I managed to get most of them for around £8 a time.

Hello Chas Firstly, I hope that you don't mind me posting your e-mail here and responding to your questions in this manner. It gives others a chance to add their own opinions and advice too rather than just accepting what I have to say. You've clearly got some previous experience with model railways so much of what I have to say you'll probably already be aware of. I still consider myself as something of a beginner and I still make silly mistakes Sounds like you've got a nice space available and the shed will make things a lot easier for you. It's good to have an indoor storage area as it makes operating sessions so much more straightforward. It certainly doesn't sound overly ambitious and if you're determined enough then you should go for it. We all get only one chance in life so do what you want to do while you're still fit enough to do it. Anyway, to answer some of your questions: The roofing felt does give the impression of ballast to a point but ballast looks far more realistic. I've not experienced any problems with expansion of the felt in the sun, certainly nothing I have noticed. As for Gelcoat, I have to admit that I've never heard of it before - will have to take a look. I'm also not aware of anyone else who uses it but perhaps someone here has some previous experience...? I believe that the same track spacing will suffice for 6 feet curves and wouldn't think you'll have any probems. Check it with two of your longest vehicles on adjacent tracks to make sure. My inside curves are rather tight at 36 inch minimum but I've not had to space the tracks much further apart - in fact I think I over compensated in places. I have found that a slave cable isn't really required but maybe you'll find differently. So long as all the rail joins are bonded there doesn't seem to be any voltage drop of note. I guess that bonding every join or instead, soldering each section of rail to a cable or busbar is much the same, so if you're happy with running the cable then go with that. I wouldn't think you could over engineer - getting power to every section of track is what it's all about. I've fixed my track with small pins - not pretty in some places but perfectly secure. I started off just whacking them in to the centre sleepers but later started pre-drilling pilot holes and tapping them in to the sleeper ends. Brass pins would be better than the standard track pins. Hope that's answered some of your questions - I'm sure other members will be along to offer their tips and advice. Looking forward to seeing how things develop. Mick

'Sounds' like that's what I'll have to do with that one of mine. Can you get a video of it Roy?

Did I hear someone mention another photo... Good to hear of your progress Dave - sounds like it's coming along nicely (but we'll have to wait for the photo to see ) It's not something that happens overnight; there's a lot of work involved and the more time you spend getting it right now, the better rewards you'll get when it's finished.

Just something I've never got round to doing (one of many things.... ) but it's one that I really do need to get sorted because I don't like the factory fitted sound at all. It's a shame but this is one loco that rarely makes it out of the box - it drives me nuts listening to it. What I like about Howes sounds, at least those that I have heard, is that you can drive them. Open the throttle and you hear the power being applied, close it and the loco appears to coast. I like my loco's with plenty of power on.

The sugar snap peas are now progressing nicely with a healthy number of flowers and there are still a lot of additional flowers being produced. The flowers themselves are very 'orchid' like in appearance: And today, now that the flowers are starting to fade, there's the first signs of some developing pods.

I've been keeping an eye on the 'Minffordd Observatory' so I had an idea that progress may have been halted. There's no wonder you've had so much lush vegetation to clear before getting to work on the railway! A new thread for camcorders sounds like a good idea to me. It's always best to keep specific subjects separate and avoids clogging up other threads. It also makes information easier to find. There are a couple of categories in the 'General Forum' section that could be used - take your pick. Good to hear that you've managed to get hold of a camcorder as you'll be needing it soon when the trains start running.

I went out into the garden this morning to find a blackbird digging in the soil and trying its very best to uproot one of my brussel sprout plants. I decided it was time to get the plants under cover and so using 3 lengths of plastic waste pipe I formed a quick framework and fashioned a few anchors to hold a length of fleece material in place. Not pretty but it should hopefully keep the birds out. Yesterday I purchased some more garden canes to prop up the sugar snap peas. The peas have continually outgrown the canes I've been providing up to now and so this time I've used full 2 metre lengths rather than cutting them off short. I'm hoping they don't need the full length but it's there if they do.... and they should hold when (and if) we ever get any additional weight bearing down on them in the form of peas. Notice my initial attempt to provide growing support using those short lengths of cane and attached string at the base What was I thinking?

No need for my weather station to report on the weather this morning - it's been a lovely start to the day. Firstly, despite my initial concerns over their early growth and development, the first batch of dwarf beans that I planted are now coming on well and have even started producing flowers. In fact there are lots and lots of flower buds on view so I'm hopeful that we'll be having some beans very soon. The flowers are quite dainty looking - that's them above... Meanwhile my sugar snap peas (below) have almost taken over the garden but are producing flowers, albeit not in great abundance And to complete this early morning report, here's a photo of one of my Brussel Sprout plants now happily settled into its final position. In order to deter the cabbage root fly I have, as recommended, cut a small circular piece of underlay (this is the type used under laminate flooring) to fit around the base of each plant stem. Not sure how successful it will be but it can't do any harm and it helps hold the plant upright in those early stages.

I've got this one too Roy as you've probably seen from my videos. It's had quite a bit of use over the past couple of months. I've also had mine reblown as I just couldn't get used to the standard Bachmann sound which, like the class 45, has an annoying over recurring sound on full throttle (in my opinion).

Certainly don't mind Roy - it's good to have a record of past models. I'll upload some more of mine as I get the chance.

The Maris Piper potato's have now shown their flowers so this afternoon, after taking the following photo, it was 'off with their heads!' The flowers aren't too dissimilar from those of the Charlotte variety pictured earlier. Elsewhere in the garden, despite the weather keeping me inside for much of the morning, most of the plants have come on leaps and bounds over the past few days. My first sowing of sugar-snap peas are well in bloom and the second and third sowings are coming along nicely. I've planted out a number of the Brussel Sprout plants that I started from seed and they look very healthy. Harvesting of my first batch of potatos is drawing closer. I'm tempted to have a delve within just to see if there's anything there but I think another 7-10 days would be better. By that time I will be needing the barrel for the potato seeds that I planted in pots as these have now emerged. Over the next day or two I'll grab some more photos to show the progress

I've found the Bachmann decoders to be reliable too. They don't perhaps offer as much in the way of specifications as some of the more expensive makes but they work well, which is the main consideration for me. That's a nice selection of loco's and coaches you've put together. Now all you need are the baseboards completing and some track laying underway and then you can start adding some videos

I started off using a Canon MD205 mini DV camera which I was happy with at first but I soon realised that there were some much better quality videos out there and I wanted something a bit sharper but without a high cost. I found a seller on eBay offering refurbished Panasonic HDC-TM10 at almost half the cost of what I had paid for the MD205 but was at first a little cautious. I waited, and I watched the price come down a bit, then a bit more. I should perhaps have been even more wary by that time, but when it came down again I took the plunge and purchased one. It arrived looking almost like a new camera, everything present but packaged within a standard brown box. I purchased at exactly the right time, days after the price was increased again and again until it was £100 more than I had just paid. In use, despite those initial concerns, it has proved excellent. It's very small, no bigger than the palm of my hand, but records nice sharp images in High Definition onto its internal memory, which is far better than those little tapes used by the MD205. The railway is all I use it for so I've not had chance or the need to test all it's functions.

Must be a real bonus having a brother like that though - just think of all those extra engines you'd be caring for! Lovely engine and the coal sector livery is/was one of my favourites. Hatton's were selling this one at a discount price recently - a real bargain - but I've already got a few in this livery so gave it a miss. Surprised to hear you say that the sound's a bit quiet.... The standard Bachmann sound is definitely on the quiet side but I was of the opinion (though haven't yet experienced it) that the Howes sound had much more volume?

With all the talk about gardening and weather stations it's good to see one of us is hard at it on the railway front. I'm a bit reluctant to mention the weather for fear of getting sidetracked again but I agree it doesn't look very promising for the next few days - more so for the west of the country (and I know of a decent weather station over that way!) The photos really give a sense of the slope you're having to contend with. I'd suggest making the curves as large as possible as it's great watching trains go round them. The one near my viaduct was the first one I constructed at a 6ft radius but it seems rather tight now. The one at the top end of the garden was over 7 feet and looks much better. Here's hoping the rain doesn't hold you up for too long.

I never thought about removing the flowers from the potato's. It seems like opinions vary as to the benefits or otherwise of cutting the flowers but there's sufficient agreement to make me want to give it a try. Might be a bit too late but I've got them all now - well, apart from one set on my Maris Piper that is, as I want to see what the flowers are like when they're properly opened.

Thought I'd finished my update for today but just had to share this one with you.... Yes, that's flowers on my peas....

There's a photo of the flower buds on my potato plants a few posts ago but today the first flower actually opened: This is a flower from the 'Charlotte' variety which is classed as a salad potato. I've so far not planted any cabbage's or the like because my partner was concerned that they would attract slugs and caterpillars, so in order to allay any fears I've decided to keep the butterflies at bay by erecting a mesh cover so that I can try my hand at a few cabbages and cauliflowers. To keep costs to a minimum I'm using 22mm plastic drainage pipe as a former for the protective mesh. I've seen these plastic pipes used before and it seems like an economic way of holding the mesh clear of the plants. Here's an glimpse of how they should look once it's all fitted together: - I started some brussel sprout seeds a few weeks ago and potted on a number of seedlings which are now looking almost ready to be planted into their final positions. It finally looks like the beans may be starting to take off. They've been very slow growing up to now but they've now produced a lot of shoots and are getting bigger. There's hope yet....