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Worsley Dale Garden Railway


mick
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1 hour ago, chris said:

I'm glad you've found an effective way to get materials. I ordered more aerated blocks from Wickes yesterday. Got a text at 7am saying that there was a delay of up to 8 hours sorting my clicked collect order and to wait for another text before heading to the store. That text hasn't arrived.

Getting materials seems to be not so easy as we were used to before 'Corona'.

I made a 400 miles roadtrip today to get my special Tricoya MDF Plate. And I got it!

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As mentioned yesterday I've used two methods to hide the blue power bus cable, the first being to simply remove the outer sleeve leaving just the copper core. Don't worry about the apparent kinks in the copper wire as it's just where I've formed it to fit into the outline at the base of the rocks. I plan to cement some stones on top to hold it down and within a few days it will have tarnished and be much less visible. This has worked well without any problems on the other side of the layout so hopefully there won't be any problems here either.

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The second method was to simply bury the cable along the edge of the track base and where there have been connections to it I've left it covered with just a small pile of stones as in the photo below.

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I want to try open up this small section and remove anything blocking the view from within the circuit itself so that it becomes a good position for filming around the curve and onto the small viaduct. The point motor housing, just visible to the right in the first photo, is one such obstacle that needs reducing in height as it is quite substantial!

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Due to a very stiff back (probably as a result of collecting the sand and cement) I've been unable to do a great deal more on the layout over the past day or two. Just typical isn't it? You spend time doing little because of a lack of materials and then when you get some you end up temporarily incapacitated through humping it around!

What I have managed to do, albeit with a struggle, is cement another two rocks on end on the inside of the curve to create an 'entrance' or cutting onto this scenic 'Low Shott Flatt' section.

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Hopefully I should now be able to follow a train through the new cutting, right across Low Shott viaduct, and into the shed.

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Here's a view showing the entire curve up to the start of the viaduct, obscured only by the white flowers which will shortly be cleared as they die away.

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I've had to renew the wiring from the point, just out of shot in the lower photo, and resolder them to the bus wire as they had become loose through previously being lifted and replaced.

I was hoping to be filming today but there's no way I can get down low with the camera just yet - maybe tomorrow?

 

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On 19/05/2020 at 19:55, mick said:

Due to a very stiff back (probably as a result of collecting the sand and cement) I've been unable to do a great deal more on the layout over the past day or two. Just typical isn't it? You spend time doing little because of a lack of materials and then when you get some you end up temporarily incapacitated through humping it around!

....

 

It is typical.

Instead of being able to go to my patio station at a fast pace today (after all the material is now available), the hay fever has hit me so badly today that I only feel short of breath despite using all the medication and sprays I have.

I'm sure tomorrow I will be fine and I can't do anything because of the holiday tomorrow ... 🤪

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29 minutes ago, ThomasI said:

It is typical......the hay fever has hit me so badly today that I only feel short of breath despite using all the medication and sprays I have.

I can sympathise with you Thomas because I suffer with hay fever too and I know full well how it can affect you. Fortunately I'm not as badly affected these days as I used to be and I was once told that you tend to grow out of it - whether that's true or not is debatable as I certainly haven't grown out of it yet.

I've had another enforced day off today as my back hasn't improved as much as I had hoped it would.

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By eck, it's a bit draughty out there again. The old back is a little better but I don't really fancy braving that wind just yet, however, the forecast is for better weather over the coming days so I'll leave things for now.

One of the areas I have yet to get round to is Trundles Bridge, seen below.

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Previously there was a kind of bridge here that I'd created from some bits of aerated block, the remnants of which can be seen in the above photo. It's been replaced by a bridge similar to the one I've used on the attic layout but in this case it's been cast from resin so should hopefully endure the outdoor conditions. It just needs fixing in place and then the embankments building up alongside it. I don't intend doing much on the far side of the bridge where it disappears into the box hedging but I'll continue the track/roadway on this side. I might even hide or disguise that blue power cable although it doesn't look so prominent here.

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Mick,

could you run the blue cable under the track and pin it to the inside of that curve rather than round the outside? There should be enough slack in it due to the larger distance around the outside radius. Could be a quick fix to hiding it on that particular section.

 

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It would mean some faffing about to get it under the track Mark. Perhaps running it round the inside of the layout is something I should have considered at the outset but never mind, I'll just disguise it or cement it in where I can.

I've made a start fixing in the bridge and have cemented some bits of aerated blocks at the end to extend the roadway so tomorrow I'll see if I can finish off the embankment part. I've not decided how to do that yet so it could be rocks or it could be something fashioned out of a mortar mix. I'll see what the day brings.

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By yesterday evening Trundles Bridge had been fixed in position and I'd cemented some pieces of aerated block ahead of it to extend the roadway outwards towards the inside of the layout. I really wasn't sure what I was going to do from that point and looking at the photograph I'd taken I wasn't even sure I would be leaving it like that. It didn't quite look like I was intending it to look.....

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Anyway this morning, with the sun shining brightly, I decided to continue by adding some large rocks on either side of the aerated block pieces and what was to be a small overbridge just appears to have grown into one big rock outcrop! Doesn't look too bad from this angle....

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...nor from the other side...

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...but it doesn't half take up some room when viewed from above! There are some pretty large rocks in there.

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I'm not entirely sure about the longer view from this side because the rocks hide part of the bridge so I might need to lean over the tracks a little bit more.

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Now I need to renew the plants in the border as it looks a bit bare in places at the moment.

Once I'd finished I had a brief running session in order to get some video of the places that have had rocks added over the past week or two but the sun has been a bit too bright for filming so it depends how the footage turns out. I'll have a look later and if there's anything worthwhile I'll upload a video later this evening.

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1 hour ago, ThomasI said:

For my eyes it looks like an upgrade of the scenery!

👍

Thanks for that Thomas. It's by no means as impressive as Maximilianshafen but of course they are two completely different settings.

I hadn't realised just how many video clips I had taken today and while a few of them were unsuitable I've put the remainder together in a video of just over 10 minutes duration.

 

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The bridge and approach road look amazing. I watch your latest YouTube on my TV before I read this post about construction. I spotted all the work you had done and even commented to my wife how impressed I was.

Great work.

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1 hour ago, chris said:

The bridge and approach road look amazing. I watch your latest YouTube on my TV before I read this post about construction. I spotted all the work you had done and even commented to my wife how impressed I was....

Thanks Chris. I think perhaps it looks better on video where you get the opportunity to omit areas of the layout you'd rather weren't openly on view! It also looks better when you can concentrate the viewing on a small scenic section which is what I've been trying to create with the rocks and so on. What's it been now...eight years? and I'm still adding things to my to do list that could improve the layout. In fact I'm still working on areas that were originally built that long ago so it's a lesson to all newcomers to oo gauge outdoors, you need to be in it for the long haul.

1 hour ago, ba14eagle said:

Need a bus for the bridge :lol:. Great video - the RR liveried 37 sounds very good in the high above shot. 

Ah yes, a bus! but I think on this occasion I'll give the bus a miss. I doubt the bridge would have seen much traffic - certainly not in its present state at least as there's no run off on the far side!

The Regional Railways 37427 has a Biffo West Highland soundfile while BR Blue 37026 has the Jamie Goodman class 37/0 soundfile which in my opinion is really good. I have one of his earlier versions which I was slightly less than impressed with but I'd certainly like some more of this latest one and you can get them cheaper than the usual Biffo ones. I'll see if I can demonstrate it better on a future video when I get the tripod out for the camera and have my hands free.

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8 hours ago, Andrew said:

Terrific video, Mick.  Looks superb.  And I liked the way the puttering of the diesel dropped off as it disappeared into the tunnel/shed.

I'm glad you enjoyed it Andrew. I'm still trying to find the best viewpoints for filming and unfortunately some of the ones I'd hoped would be suitable are proving very difficult to access. And I know it's conducive to running trains outdoors but that blooming sun doesn't half hinder efforts to capture the action when it's shining straight into the camera or onto the LCD viewing screen.

I've done a bit more filming today, testing out new angles but without a great deal of success. Finding a suitable spot to settle the camera is the hardest task and although I used my tripod on occasions, it's just too tall even when at it lowest setting for anything this side of the viaduct. I've ordered a cheap tripod that has a lowest setting of 16 inches so I'll let you know how I get on with that. I've actually been using plastic buckets of varying heights with an old folded sheet on top this afternoon.

I still find myself going back to the same spots for taking videos and while I'd hoped that the new bridge would be a great new location, getting the camera down low enough is barely possible because of the box hedging that faces towards it. I can hand-hold the camera above the track but as yet I haven't found a way to get a camera support in there and I'm getting fed up of holding my arms steady whilst trying not to breathe, until the train has passed by.

I need to have a look at 26024 later as it has started stuttering which isn't all that surprising after the number of miles it must have done. I've had it out again today, first with the track cleaner and later with a mixed freight but towards the end I had to remove it as it just didn't want to go any further, even after a good old wheel clean.

There's still a few wagon types that I would like for the layout - bogie bolsters for ingots being one of them - but I really don't want to get too much more stock because it's already proving difficult to juggle them all around. I don't like having to take things off the layout in order to put something else on but with a limited number of storage roads that's now a necessity. The OTA loaded log train is perhaps my favourite freight train, seen below with 37401, so I try to keep that one out but the remaining freight just have to take a rest sometimes. Likewise with coaching stock, the steam hauled West Highland excursion stock is currently off the layout as is the similarly coloured 'far north' Hebridean stock, not to mention a number of various types of Caledonian Sleeper coaches. I think I've yet to run the blue/grey versions along with the ETHEL so I need to get myself sorted, grab some blue/grey coaches to go with them and give it an outing soon.

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Sounds like you could do with a pocket tripod, Mick.  Mine starts at about 10cm or even less if you splay the legs.  Plenty on Amazon.  But your photos and videos are already superb.

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revision.
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There's a much shorter video today you'll be pleased to know featuring some of the trains that found their way onto the layout.

37401 'Mary Queen of Scots' is seen firstly with loaded OTA's and returning with the van train. 37026 is seen on a local passenger working, 26024, after its earlier outing with the track cleaner, was tasked with taking charge of the empty OTA's and PRA's, something it almost managed to accomplish, while 67024 can be seen with the sleeper train.

 

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4 minutes ago, Andrew said:

Sounds like you could do with a pocket tripod, Mick.  Mine starts at about 10cm or even less if you splay the legs.  Plenty on Amazon.  But your photos and videos are already superb.

I've got one somewhere Andrew but can I heckers find it. A workmate gave me it a number of years ago and I've barely had need for it up to now. It would certainly be useful in some situations but not all. My large tripod can be set as low as 3.5 inches but it means splaying the legs and removing the central column and by the time you've done that you need a space at least 4 feet wide to accommodate it.

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On 26/05/2020 at 10:27, ba14eagle said:

Need a bus for the bridge :lol:. Great video - the RR liveried 37 sounds very good in the high above shot. 

A nice Alexander bodied Leyland Leopard in Scotish bus group livery

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