garethep

Mick, Yes ideally the garage does feature in the plans, I have taken all heights relative to ground level at this point. The top corner is 1.4m above this and the patio is approx 0.5m below. (Although I don't intend track below the datum level. ideally i would have an out and back run from the garage via points a and b.....I then need to figure out how to complete the loop....at its simplest I can just have a return loop at the garage but it would be great if I could fit in another out and back across the patio (this would be where the viaduct comes in!) Problems inherant in this are the crossing of the path at ground level and negotiations with management about the amount of remodelling of the rockery that will be permitted! Don't know about the lima motors yet....I'll almost certainly change at least one as a comparison to see what difference they make. I love the look of the bachmann locos but as railways are just one of a number of hobbies I can't justify the difference in cost just yet and would rather keep the budget for civil engineering.....I also would be very loathed to let my 2 year old play with them while the lima stuff is more resilient. That said once the railway is in situ and the boy is a year or so older then i fully expect to splash out on some nicer stock.. (I would love a sound equipped deltic thrashing round the patio with 10 coaches on the hook) Sinice the last post the loco count has In creased by 1......ive acquired a modified 2 motor lima deltic that needs some tlc....This is an ideal test bed for the radio control system as it's already been hacked about.....might even take the prototype theme further and build a dapol dp1 body for it!

Rossi, Today was a good day to be in the canary islands (are there bad ones?) Definately take the point about simplicity........This isn't going to be a complicated railway. I'm glad of the records of ideas good and bad on here but I have no doubt there will be many challenges involved in doing this.....aAll part of the fun!

Mick, Thanks for the welcome and the help with registering......yyou are not wrong about the prices! As I said I've been out of model railways for a long time but, having seen the prices of other hobby electronics such as rc aircraft etc cocome.down markedly in price, I had assumed that a similar thing would have happened to trains......what a shock I got! I love the idea of dcc sound but the prices are obscene. Currently I'm relying on second hand ebay lima stuff which, while not as good as the new products, will still look good on the line. (They also have the advantage of lots of Internal space to fill with electronics! Total cost of 2 locomotives and an 8 coach rake is less than £100 so I really can't complain. I really wish I had the house at the high end of the garden.....it would make life a lot easier.....I've drawn a (very!) Rough sketch and hopefully uploaded it.....we will see!

Hi guys, I'm in the process of trying to formulate a plan for a garden layout and I've fallen for the idea of doing it in oo gauge. I've spent a while browsing this forum and picked up a lot of great tips. I was really into railway modelling as a kid but have been away from the scene for many years. The advantage this gives me is that I'm not stuck with any legacy equipment and can start from.a clean slate. That said I've used the planning as an excuse to build a small trainset circle layout for my 2 year old wit a couple of second hand locos. So far I've come up with the following wish list: Ability to run long trains A continuous run as close to ground level.level.as possible notwithstanding the above at least one viaduct! I'll mainly be running diesel locomotives but there is going to be no pretence of a prototype so it will be a case of running what I like and anything goes. I'm a bit of an electronics geek and the idea of spending hours chasing wiring faults does not appeal so I'm planning on using some kind of battery radio control. I've spent a few hours pacing the garden and using a couple of simple surveying apps to get an idea of the lay of the land. Unfortunately I do have an appreciable slope and not only that but it's in the "wrong" direction with the house patio and garage at the low end of the slope. I know that ideally any gradient should be kept to a minimum but what sort of inclines are you.guys using successfully? Curves can afford to.be sweeping which should help.......a very non scientific test using a block of wood under one end of the trainset board showed that a 5 degree slope was achievable as long as the loco has traction tyres fitted......that said there is a lot of difference between an inside quick test and reliable outdoor operation. I reckon I can get to a 3 degree gradient max without too much trouble but will this be ok? The other potential problem is maintaining access to the top of the garden for the lawnmower and a desire not to have a high level viaduct or similar all the way across the back of the house. worst case is that I have to abandon the idea of using the back garden and use the front which is nice and level.....iI'm not keen on this though for a number of reasons not least that we don't tend to spend much time in the front garden and the idea is to have a moving backdrop to bbqs etc in the summer. I've taken loads of photos but I need to resize them to upload so ill get round to it later (I'm posting using my phone which is my excuse for the multiple typos!) as well as trying to draw a sketch map so you can under stand what I'm waffling about!. Any advice or pointers greatfuly received Cheers Gareth

Hi Guys, Having recently moved from a flat to a house I am keen to fulfil an ambition to build a railway in the garden......having spent a good chunk of last weekend reading this forum I am beginning to think a crazy idea of running nice long mainline trains is realistic without the crippling expense of o gauge or gauge 1. As most of the naysayers I have spoken to suggest wiring as the most significant issue and because I'm a bit of an electronics geek, the plan will be to utilise radio control in some way. Planning so far has involved pacing the garden and scratching my head but I'm slowly coming up with an idea and will post in the planning section with some photos etc later looking forward to getting involved and if I can build something even half as good as some of the stuff on here I'll be very pleased! Cheers Gareth