ThomasI

Yes, I like to buy weathered locos and cars, I like it also if someone else has assembled all the small parts...😎

I'm curious how and if that will work at some point. But the control is something that is partly independent of the construction of the infrastructure. At least I have so far built so that I can divide the layout into blocks and drive to the distress quite classic with track occupancy detector and block release. My goal is still to control it with this model GPS "Games-on-track". But that is still a dream of the future, at the moment track construction is still the priority.

Hello Tony I bought the bridge piers via eBay from Italy. I'm already driving my trains with DCC. But without a controller that controls block sections, signals and switches as well as the trains, I can only drive one train on each circuit. On a circuit perhaps two if I take good care ... And yes, I have provided signals. However, not on the high-speed lines, there is no longer even with the real railway. It's still a lot to do and since the August is relatively cold and rainy, I'm afraid that the first trains will not run before next year. I'm behind my timetable now. Regards Thomas

Hello Mick! The number of trains also depends on the expansion of digital control. Without anything, 5 trains can run at the same time in the first stage. But even if I set up only a few blocks on each circuit, it is 10 to 12. An automatic control of the parking station allows then from 25 trains upwards. Regards Thomas

A little further towards the Italian train station.

In my experience track tarnishing also varies depending on the manufacturer. Very bad is the burnished profile of Tillig. The non-burnished profile of Tillig, however, is great, even on waterproof glue that I use as a gravel adhesive, it does not respond. Roco, on the other hand, reacts more strongly, especially to leaves on the rails and the like. At Peco, I have the impression that the Code 75 profile beats better than the Code 100. Although that's actually illogical. All in all, however, I have the impression that the mass of dirt can be controlled with the rail grinding and rail polishing trains from LUX, so I only have to clean it by hand on the exposed areas. As far as the birds are concerned, I live in a part of the Rhine valley in which the collar parrots have settled down and they do not tolerate other birds beside them, but they also do not come into the gardens and shit on the tracks. Voles are more of a problem with me, the dog has almost caught one today, which has then saved in the hollow stringer of the bridge, see the pictures.

Hello Mick. Outdoor I've laid about 200 metres of track, indoor about 160 metres. If I follow my plans and make use of the whole garden and the conservatory it could become more than 700 metres in the end. But when I finish the circuit through the Italian train station, there are about 320m track outdoor and then I will first make a break and watch what works. So that end with +700m will not be before 2027 or so... 🤔😎 As I use only catenary poles and no wire it works. Many of the catenary poles are from Viessmann and they have a connector, so it's easy to peel off. Also, the distance from the front to the rearmost elevated track on the mentioned photo is less than 50cm. Otherwise, the tracks do not pollute so much. Have even (with a few dropouts) get a test drive on a unclean section that has not been used since last year. My plan also provides, as soon as it is possible in the driving season then regularly to send at least the cleaning trains over the track. Since I work almost exclusively from home, a few trips a day should be possible. The Italian train station will have removable elements of 60 cm in two places so that I can easily go through it to the tracks behind it. Regards Thomas

And it goes on. Since on the Old Line no place for a fly over was to change from the German left hand traffic to the Italian left hand traffic, the distance over the ramp is single-tracked. Furthermore, I worked on the branch of the high-speed line to the Italian railway station and already the substructure of the Italian station.

Hey, I run my High Speed Line in German style with right hand traffic, than I change to left hand traffic first with Japanese catenary and track, than French catenary and track and than it will run through an Italian station. After that it will have an Swiss section before I will switch back to right hand traffic. Maybe than I will make a section with Chinese Catenary.... 😂 I'm sure I can find a justification for that. 😂😂

I totally agree with roddy!

Hi Mick The pictures of the station in the dark with the lights are great. I have rarely seen such a realistic-looking illumination on a model railway. Regards Thomas

I just install the catenary poles but not the wire. And without wire, you can also use cheap poles made from plastic or buy used ones. Real wire in 1:76 or 1:87 would be so fine that you can't see it from one metre or three feet distance. And without wire on straight track you can use the correct distances for poles, which are three feet (900mm) for German railways or 750mm for German HSL. No way to make that with functional wire. And the background in our garden railways is mostly dark (as is it with railways in 1:1 normally) and not so bright as indoor what makes wires more invisible... Also only poles make no problems with track cleaning.

It is as hot as ever since the beginning of the weather record in Germany in 1881. I set up four catenary poles and then fled from the heat.

Hello Mick First of all, I use the commercially available material for landscape design as I do it indoors, except that I use waterproof and UV light resistant adhesive. When everything is dry, I spray it extensively with spray glue or clear coat. Which is better, I have not found out yet. The rock consists of a mixture of a filler which consists of marble powder, synthetic resin and glass fibers and the marble gravel which forms the bottom of my garden. Regards Thomas

As you can see, the rain is also a problem here...