bazzanoid Posted April 1, 2012 Author Share Posted April 1, 2012 Wow nice big sweeping curves on some of that. I can't wait till your start posting scenes of long passenger trains snaking around them. Great progress shots. I also seem to notice a loco shed waiting for track to lead to it. That should be interesting. Thanks for the comments! Oh yes that back section is going to make for some epic viewing - up the line round the curve behind the bushes then sweeping round the corner into the station, then out of that across the goods yard points into the tunnel... and vice versa That loco shed took some tracking down, it's a discontinued Skaledale piece, and lots of searching on eBay saw it being too expensive... until completely by chance we were in LocoLines in Bowers Gifford near Basildon, and lo and behold they had two of them on the shelf new in box at just below the original retail!! Yoink! Hopefully my work rota will match the weather conditions as spring and summer progress and we'll start getting trains running all the way round the loop. The steam loco is going in for repair, we suspect an issue with the wiring on the DCC chip, so in the meantime it's good ol' fashioned clockwork! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazzanoid Posted May 5, 2012 Author Share Posted May 5, 2012 Despite the gloomy outlook today brought another opportunity to get together and do some more construction. We cleaned up the tracks, soldered some bridging wire across the plastic joiners (it'll be a while till DCC makes a proper appearance), and spent the morning 'testing' the trains on the track. Filmed another short video of the 4-6-6 hauling carriages for the first time along the current full length. As long as it doesn't rain this afternoon will bring more track laying on the other line, hopefully matching what's been laid on this line so far. l_IY_fU9_3I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazzanoid Posted May 5, 2012 Author Share Posted May 5, 2012 After lunch we started to think about platform positioning for the island station at the top of the garden, since the other track would need to be laid in the right place to accommodate it. http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i213/bazzanoid/P1040756.jpg' alt='URL>'> With the weather coming down, we secured some platform into place and ran the trackwork up from the points to meet it. Say hello to Brickhenge http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i213/bazzanoid/P1040757.jpg' alt='URL>'> While that was setting in place we ran the track through the tunnel, so the tunnel track is now complete and ready for tunnel mouth on either end! http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i213/bazzanoid/P1040758.jpg' alt='URL>'> Leaving everything to set, we've called it a day (a productive one at that!) We also had a thought about a possible branch line to run separate from the main loop to add interest... but that's for another time!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traingeekboy Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 It looks like you may have just one more leg and you are done based on the pictures I see. Can we expect some test running shots soon? How many cross over points are there on the mainline to get between loops? Had to look through the entire discussion again. Seeing the pics just reminds of how much space a garden railway has for long lines. It's definitely bigger than anything you'd see in a shed or a loft layout for distance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybee Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 There is still lot's to do. The next day will see the construction of the double engine shed (well, actually its a Skaledale model), add the remaining platforms, and lay the rest of the track in that area. We will then need to construct the remaining bridges, using decking board, as it will be high level from then on. We can lay the track without concentrating on the bridges themselves, and over time the decking boards will turn into a viaduct, girder and suspension bridge. There is also another station to complete. So, my shopping list now includes more platforms and I will also need a bit more track. Not forgetting of course another station building (already have Dent Station). Will also need some more external ply, which will be used on the bends, between decking boards. There will be 4 cross over points in all, from the engine shed to just before the tunnel mouth (as pictured). Hopefully we will have more test running shots next time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traingeekboy Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 I was in a hurry the other day and some how jumped over the video you posted. Guess I was in a hurry as I was skimming whilst getting ready to go to work. Nice little video you got there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazzanoid Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 Our next day of construction is planned for this sunday, weather permitting. In the meantime, jaybee is holidaying up in norfolk and getting lots of inspiration from the model village in Yarmouth, and is visiting a couple of railway shops tomorrow including one specialising in garden railway landscaping, so who knows what he will come back with!! I've got hold of some good quality ply so am going to start carefully cutting sections for casting a modular concrete viaduct - the idea is to invest a great deal of time and effort in carving the bricks etc into the mould so the finished article will just need painting, and if it comes out good enough then you may well see OO gauge concrete viaducts pop up on ebay, cast to order Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazzanoid Posted May 26, 2012 Author Share Posted May 26, 2012 So, ahead of tomorrow's construction, jaybee sent me a message earlier telling me he's thinking about removing the hedge that runs along the garage wall and 'open up a whole new area for railway'. Until this point, the plan was to cut the hedge back on one corner to accommodate the curve of the track as it comes away from the wall. Now however there is a whole new idea....... since i'm not seeing jaybee till tomorrow, i've knocked up a quick n dirty artist's impression for everyone, including jaybee (apologies for the scrappiness, my drawings are normally a lot better, but this was ten minutes' "get it down on paper before you forget it" work!) We had planned a suspension bridge somewhere anyway, so where better than over water so it has a genuine purpose? Waterfall in the background, serves two purposes - first, and most importantly, a great scenic backdrop for the trains passing over the bridge, and secondly, to filter and refresh the water in the pond. Maybe even keep a few fish Those black-brown blocks on the left are random-height cut real sleepers positioned in the ground upright between the two lines, providing scenic interest with the outer loop going behind the sleepers, exposed for a short distance then into the tunnel under the waterfall's header pool. Thoughts welcome as always http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i213/bazzanoid/P1050195.jpg' alt='URL>'> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybee Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 Now back from holiday in Norfolk. I went to the Merrivale Model Village in Great Yarmouth and what an amazing model village it is, complete with large scale garden railway. Also visited a few model shops along the way. Certainly got a few ideas... By removing the hedges alongside the garage, it will open up space of around 3m x 50cm, plenty of room for more railway. I even have planning permission to do so Bazzanoid has drawn a good sketch of how it could look, and I very much like the idea of a water feature... The majority of it will have to be raised above ground leveI on an external ply baseboard. Thinking I could have a number of sidings and another small village station. Also thinking of planting a couple of plants to replace the hedge, perhaps a few miniature conifers, or a forest of them.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazzanoid Posted May 26, 2012 Author Share Posted May 26, 2012 Brick wall, hardcore and concrete - none of this ply baseboard stuff mr Seriously though, if water is going to be there, it will have to be done properly, even external grade ply would get moist and warp sooner or later, especially once its buried under scenery. My thinking is getting hold of bricks that match the existing low level walls around the edges, then building properly from there with some hardcore, concrete 'shelfs' on top for the trackbed, dirt, weedmat, gravel, pondliner... most are available free from my various sources, very handy having family in the outdoor and construction trades Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybee Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 I have to admit I was actually thinking of a brick wall border a while back, similar to the other side of the garden...or railway sleepers. A friend recently built a rather large fish pond last year so will see if he has any spare building material... I haven't yet got planning permission for that yet though...! Roll on 10AM tomorrow. I think the engine shed, Dent Station, Windmill, cottage and a couple of signal boxes will make an appearance tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazzanoid Posted May 27, 2012 Author Share Posted May 27, 2012 Wow! Talk about a scorcher here! It's made way for some steaming progress this morning..... a few rough patches have been smoothed over with concrete, the outer loop has been finished off at the top, the sidings have been laid, and the garage side of the tunnel has had a block 'n' concrete trackbed laid! Busy morning... and jaybee also laid the country station in place so we can get a feel for where things will be. The glue won't take long to set in this weather, so this afternoon will hopefully provide for an opportunity to get the Engine Shed fixed in place, the tunnel mouths on, and who knows what else! Sadly the photos are a little thin on the ground today - Wifey took the camera out on thursday to the harry potter studio tour and didn't charge the camera on return...... http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i213/bazzanoid/P1050196.jpg' alt='URL>'> http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i213/bazzanoid/P1050197.jpg' alt='URL>'> http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i213/bazzanoid/P1050198.jpg' alt='URL>'> http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i213/bazzanoid/P1050199.jpg' alt='URL>'> http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i213/bazzanoid/P1050200.jpg' alt='URL>'> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazzanoid Posted May 27, 2012 Author Share Posted May 27, 2012 This afternoon, the ridiculous hot weather continued, as did our construction.... we finished the track off to the edge of the garage ready for the next overpass section, fixed the tunnel mouths in place, glued some more platform down..... and two other things..... http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i213/bazzanoid/P1050204.jpg' alt='URL>'> Taking the engine shed, we lined the interior of the roof with tin foil to provide a nice reflective surface, and proceeded to dismantle a solar garden light... having lengthened the wires between the circuitry and the panel itself, we glued the wiring into place and left it out in it's place in the sun to gather light ahead of tonight.... hopefully it will be bright enough to shine nicely, jaybee will be checking late tonight! http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i213/bazzanoid/P1050202.jpg' alt='URL>'> http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i213/bazzanoid/P1050203.jpg' alt='URL>'> Having little else to do that could be done in the short time we had remaining, we broke out the ballast and started ballasting a small section of track, being careful to fill in the gaps where the ground dipped but the track didn't, providing an impressively level section of trackwork!! This is one of those "spare 5 minute" jobs where it can be done little and often to avoid the risk of it getting tedious, although i'm sure it still will but be worth it for the end result. http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i213/bazzanoid/P1050207.jpg' alt='URL>'> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazzanoid Posted May 27, 2012 Author Share Posted May 27, 2012 Jaybee reports that the light works very well..... http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i213/bazzanoid/DSC02081.jpg' alt='URL>'> http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i213/bazzanoid/DSC02091.jpg' alt='URL>'> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazzanoid Posted May 28, 2012 Author Share Posted May 28, 2012 http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i213/bazzanoid/P1050202.jpg' alt='URL>'> Thought I would go into this in a little more detail, should anyone wish to have a crack themselves. Solar lights operate on a simple principle: When the battery is receiving a charge (i.e. daylight), the light circuit is off. As soon as the battery stops receiving that charge, the light circuit turns on. You can see on the little circuit board the terminals are marked B+, S+ and S- B-. Completely logically, this is Solar and Battery, they share a common ground. Simply removing the existing short wire from the solar panel and replacing with a longer one (remembering which way round the wires go on the panel as it is not marked) is all that's needed. No More Nails Sticky pads to hold the circuit and battery in place where it's wanted, and pva to fix the wires out of sight. In our case the engine shed is Skaledale so polyresin, so I filed a small channel out of the bottom edge where the wires 'go outside' so the shed will still sit dead level and the wires can be buried out of view once the solar panel is re-painted (maybe a small storage tank of some sort?) and permanently housed. Do bear in mind that the terminals are now exposed on the solar panel, albeit under cover - for peace of mind it would be best to put a blob of non-conductive sealant on the terminals to protect them, and similarly with the circuit board - but do not cover the board or battery entirely as it will cause small heat problems and potentially blow the LED's diode. As an aside, if you need a daytime only light rather than night for whatever reason, simply disconnecting the battery and attaching the solar panel to B+ and B- will provide permanent power while their is available daylight, although this would be best on the larger more expensive solars with higher Wattage as the light produced by these small LEDs is a pinpoint of white, and short of seeing it on during the day, there's no noticeable glow or ebb from the bulb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grockle Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 Interesting use of solar power. That would make my station look good at night. Will be back to this article once I have decided which solar lights I purchase for the GGR through station. Might even do something similair on the Branchline as well. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazzanoid Posted May 28, 2012 Author Share Posted May 28, 2012 As it was largely an experiment, a handful of solar garden lights from the local pound shop were picked up for the purpose, and it would seem they do the job very well! The engine shed is lit by just the one bulb, so we will be able to do the same for the other buildings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubmatix Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Just picked up this thread today, interesting stuff. A note on your HST squealing...if the HST is DC running on DCC it is most likely the coils of the motor oscillating as the waveform of the DCC signal is audible and your motor coils are acting a bit like speaker coils. My last DC loco (an 04 shunter) does this when using it on channel 10 on an EZ Command unit. I don't leave it on long as i think it would heat the motor up after a while. A tip for solar lights. If you want to make them look warmer and more like tungsten lamps, coat the LED in amber translucent paint (Humbrol do this) and it takes the edge off their harsher bluer light. If you look at "warm white" LEDs, these have a similar coloured coating applied to do the same thing. Keep up the good work guys, have been contemplating replacing my sigle track CLS board with some inlaid brick...and it's good to see it in practice. One thing i think i would do though is put them on a bed of dry mix cement to stop them moving around. Especially after seeing you had problems with that. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazzanoid Posted May 30, 2012 Author Share Posted May 30, 2012 A tip for solar lights. If you want to make them look warmer and more like tungsten lamps, coat the LED in amber translucent paint (Humbrol do this) and it takes the edge off their harsher bluer light. If you look at "warm white" LEDs, these have a similar coloured coating applied to do the same thing. Keep up the good work guys, have been contemplating replacing my sigle track CLS board with some inlaid brick...and it's good to see it in practice. One thing i think i would do though is put them on a bed of dry mix cement to stop them moving around. Especially after seeing you had problems with that. John The way we've discussed is light filters cut to fit over the windows on sealed buildings but that's an excellent suggestion - i have a healthy supply of humbrol translucents from painting up various clear parts on my model starships, sure i'll have something suitable May well get some more solar lights to use as platform lights, this would likely involve creating an array of charging panels and batteries in serial or parallel so one unit conveniently disguised as something like a gas storage cylinder could be put nearby and one set of cabling run to the platforms. Our bricks were laid on a thick bed of sharp sand, but of course it still moved a bit - concrete would definitely be a good way to go especially on longer sections, our only real trouble is up the back of the bushes on the gradient curve as one brick had dropped on one edge, and we used the excess mortar from correcting that to smooth over slight imperfections elsewhere. That said, the ballasting is taking care of any gaps under the tracks to provide an excellent, and realistic running surface Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ba14eagle Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 I have had a go at the solar lights today. I am trying 2 varieties - £1.98 from Wilkinsons & £1 from Poundland. The Wilko variety seem to be bigger, brighter bulbs and have the benefit of slighty longer wires. The Poundland variety have smaller bulbs and batteries - in fact everything is smaller, but I think will be just as effective. The first one I tried to do was a Wilko light, put into my "Skaledale" control tower. Unfortunately, I damage the pcb where the wire from the solar panel / sensor is attached. All is not lost though, as I have still fitted it to the structure and it now simply turns on & off using the original switch. The second attempt is also a Wilko light, fitted inside the roof at one end of my loco shed. All looks good - I will find out for sure when I get home from work later tonight.... The Poundland light is possibly going to be fitted under the canopy of my Bachmann fuelling point. If not, then I might try it in my station waiting room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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