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Glen Dollar Garden Railway


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  • 1 month later...

Since I've borrowed most of my ideas from others, that is completely fine. :)

There are some changes I'm making to the boards which I will update soon. I've not done much since the last update due to giving myself awful tendonitis in my right knee so I couldn't get down to the level to do anything, I did manage the soldering before that though and the test run was successful.

I've decided the two boards would be best semi-permanently fixed to each other to keep them level to each other and make them easier to lift while I'm cutting the grass. I'll do that, refix the track and hopefully I can start moving onward again.

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  • 1 month later...

Quick update for the bank holiday. A lot of jobs had to be done around the house before I got to the railway.

I had wanted to get some trains running this weekend but maybe next weekend.

The two boards are now bolted firmly together and I've re-wired so there is now only one plug for the two boards to the main bus.

The only other thing I've got done is to cut some more blocks along the back of the garden where the passing loop station will be. I'll have to procure some more building sand then lift them all so I can set them in and bond the blocks together. This is actually the hardest bit to do I think as there are two rows of aerated blocks that need to be level. I'm keen to get the flattest track that I can for good running.
I think once the station is done then the run down the side of the garage will be much easier since it is just matching up one block after another.

Usefully, the paving slabs I removed from the garden previously have gone as I put them out the front with a note saying Free to collect. So they have now gone. This leaves me free to put down a membrane and then there will be small white stones underneath the viaduct.

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I spent a good few hours on the railway today. First up was realigning the front row of blocks along the back of the garden, that involved taking about 5 or 6cm (2 inches) of grass away. The track alignment works out close to the track plan I settled on and has enough width for a decent centre platform. It also looks like it will take a decent train, 7 Mk1/2s behind a 37 or 47 or a 6+2 HST set.

Second task, I replaced the layed flat block that the end of the tunnel slots into with one that wasn't cut down. With the full width block that will give a more reliable point to locate the tunnel into when it is removed and replaced and also enough width to hold the Peco tunnel portal I have for the end. I only got that and the next block layed flat.

Other than that, just some cutting back of the greenery went on. A small nettle hiding in another weed caused annoyance as I wrapped my hand around it to pull both weeds out.

One thing I will need to consider is some kind of bird dropping deflector anong the back. I might try sheets of 3mm flexible perspex bent over in a canopy.

Edited by Clay Mills Junction
Adding pics
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  • 4 weeks later...

How's it all going Barry? Have you got any photos of where you're at?

I had to smile regarding the comment about tendonitis in your right knee because it's just something we all seem to experience at some point especially when working on a near ground level layout! I've had my fair share of that, not just with getting down low to access the layout but more generally with age I suppose. I started wearing a stretchy knee support on my right knee and began taking a daily dose of turmeric which has definitely helped with the swelling I used to endure.

I noted your comments regarding levelling the blocks, I found that they could easily be sanded level using an old file in places where it was required. Obviously if it needs a lot of adjustment there may be more appropriate methods but for small adjustments the files the way to go.

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Hi, well I expected to get bit more progress today but unfortunately the promised good weather didn't come about. I did get some more sand under a couple of blocks but nowhere near the progress I had hoped. I'll see if I can get an odd hour here and there in during the evenings. The garden is quite well lit and I'm going to get some more work lights for other things as well.

One of my plans is to have the railway working as well at night as during the day. So the station will have to have lights - I'm getting on quite well with installing lights on my Dad's station and that is very impressive with the room lights out. One thing with lights on my garden railway will be that I don't want to push the limits of my Sprog3 so the lights I'm thinking will have to be on a separate loom or more likely where they are to be battery powered. Also the lights I've installed on my Dad's indoor layout I don't think will be remotely shower proof so if I don't find something more resilient then the whole station would have to be removeable, unless I can get a clear plastic sheet to make an invisible canopy over the whole thing.

Mick, the tendonitis was me pushing things too hard on the bike. My own stupid fault really. Today was my first ride of over an hour since I did it in June, I'm just building back slowly. Thanks for the tip about the file, I just bought a new file before discovering an old one so I'll use the old one for any adjustments. I'll try to get it as good as I can to start with though as the adjusting seems to create a lot of dust.

I would like to get the blocks and track along the back in position before winter really sets in. That would allow me to use winter to create the station platform and buildings and to light it ready for spring. I have a really big job to do on the garage before the railway can run down that side, to replace a big window and repair of replace the rendering but also reduce the size of the window (that's why you don't get any pictures of the garage side of the garden. :oops:)

 

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  • 5 months later...

So between last night and tonight I cleaned up the track hoping to get the APT a little run along the track and a little video. I did manage that but not everything has gone exactly to plan. An approximate 5mm height difference has developed between the board going over the decking and the aerated blocks going up the side of the garden.

I need to investigate why this has occured, the blocks are still dead level along their length up to the tunnel so I'm not understanding where this has come from unless the whole decking has risen 5mm over the winter which I'd doubt. I'll get a proper look at the weekend.

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Neither the decking nor the main blocks along the side with track on have moved, but the two blocks nearest the decking which support the end of the board have risen. Knocking them out, everything sits perfectly again.

Last year my Mum and Dad had to resettle an area of decorative stones in their garden. Toads had buried underneath and undermined the whole lot. I'm not sure what I'll find, hoping it's not animals.

It doesn't look a big job to re-spread the sand and sort it out thankfully.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Progress on Glen Dollar will be glacial now I'm back to travelling to work, if it wasn't slow enough already.

I have been already cutting the blocks for the top corner by the garage even though I'm not that far round.

Today I went backwards.  Resettling the blocks along the back of the passing loop station and gluing them together. I only got three done, but that is still 3 more than were done yesterday. What it has shown is that I'll need to skim about 2cm off the remaining blocks to get them at the right level. If I can get that done by the weekend then after my next worktrip I'll re-settle and glue the rest of the back blocks.

I also noticed a couple of lumps in the track that should have disappeared when I embedded the feed wires. I think this was down to the fishplates retaining their old shape so I replaced some.

 

DSC_0800.JPG

Edited by Clay Mills Junction
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I've only just seen your APT video Barry which shows how much notice I've been taking lately. It's great to see it in action and it looks really nice though I did gasp a bit when I saw it hurtling down towards the camera and over that point!

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I was a bit slow diving back to the controller after setting the camera on that shot Mick, got there before the train hit the buffer at full speed though. I'll save up and make it a 7-car at some point. I wasn't going to DCC it, just because of the need for 3 decoders. But then I thought, I can just remove the blanking plugs in the driving cars so the lights won't go on but at least it will run.

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The next three blocks along the back now re-settled in sand at the correct level and, most importantly, dead flat. The tip of using an old file has come in extremely handy for smoothing imperfections in the block surfaces. I've now only got one block to cut down and settle in along the back before I can join it up with the blocks for the next curve.

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Once I have the level and alignment correct, I'll glue them together, cut out the arches and re-settle them before I put the stones down in that area.

From there I have three straight boards I will be able to put down the side for running to give a decent length of track until I get the garage wall and window and can put something permanent down. And while the garage wall is being done I can go back and do the inner line of the passing loop station.

I've just noticed on the photos that the fence panels could do with a lick of paint.

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23 hours ago, Clay Mills Junction said:

I was a bit slow diving back to the controller after setting the camera on that shot Mick, got there before the train hit the buffer at full speed though.....

Yikes!...I'm glad you got back in time too!

I've been getting very flustered trying to capture video too. It's nice to do but certainly not enjoyable at the time. I was trying to film one piece along the bottom of the garden with the GoPro on the tripod. I was intending panning round so one hand on the tripod, streaming the view to my phone (other hand) so I could see what was happening, trying to use the hand-held to control the train and then the batteries went flat in the controller.  I think I just need a simple day running trains without the added pressure of capturing video.

It's nice to see the blockwork coming together, they make a great solid base for the track.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Today, another block settled in which isn't a lot but it allows me to get the level for the viaduct in the corner. This block was actually a little more problematic as under the ground there is the remnants of a reinforced concrete washing line pole that slightly sticks up but is too solid to get rid of. Once that was settled, I had found a foot long section of track with one rail quite a bit longer than the other so I used that to counter the offset caused by the curve of the track so I could get another 4' of track to run on.

One thing I am noticing is that the replacement Toplite aerated block that I bought recently is much lower quality than the ones I bought previously. There are large holes in them when cut through and some holes appear in the sides. Thankfully it hasn't negatively affected the building. Glad I have enough better blocks for the viaduct that I bought last year though.

One thing on the APT video, there seemed to be a dip leaving and entering the sidings and I was going to sort this today. It didn't need sorting, the problem was only that I'd forgotten that I designed the boards to be held in place by a weight over the frame and I'd forgotten to put the weight on for that video.

Edited by Clay Mills Junction
Add explanation of APT video.
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I had a thought. Why don't I just turn the blocks for the viaduct over onto their top sides onto a flat surface and glue them together like that. Then I can core cut the arches and settle them all in at the right height and level together. Filing any high spots after.

That would seem easier than settling in every block to the right height as I glue.

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1 hour ago, Clay Mills Junction said:

I had a thought. Why don't I just turn the blocks for the viaduct over onto their top sides onto a flat surface and glue them together like that....

I suppose it depends on how many blocks and whether you can handle them once they're glued together. It sounds like a good solution if it's workable.

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