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Worsley Dale Garden Railway


mick
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12 hours ago, Clay Mills Junction said:

...Is it possible to know what materials (Kadee No. plasticard thickness etc) and process you used please?

Here's the photo of my rather crude attempt at fitting the Kadee coupling. Actually it isn't too bad and more importantly it works really well. My filing down could do with cleaning up by the look of it but it's not that noticeable until you start enlarging photos. The only thing I did was to remove the cam coupling entirely and I did that with the coach dismantled. Not sure if you can get the coupling out without dismantling it but mine had come adrift when I pulled out the old tension lock and I was attempting to put it back in position before deciding it was probably better to replace the whole thing.

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Apart from the plastic bit to stick over the exposed hole I used the following:

The mounting block I had to remove the two leg protrusions leaving me with a flat base that was then glued onto that plastic. I also had to shave a small amount from the bufferbeam itself for the coupling to clear it - barely noticeable.

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Hope that helps?

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Well here goes with my initial effort at creating a rock backdrop along 'Buttlebank' which is the straight elevated section that runs along the bottom of my garden. 

I've decided to create a lightweight former out of chicken wire and then cover it initially with a layer of cotton, or some other thin material, soaked in a cement mixture. It should be a similar method to the way I created the embankment up in the attic using plaster bandage which I quite enjoyed. Once the 'cement bandage' has dried I'll then use a light cement mix just to add additional shape and definition. At least that's my thinking at the moment.

I've started off by securing a quadruple layer of of chicken wire between the timber uprights that are secured to the concrete fence posts.

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And then I've begun fastening crumpled chicken wire to that to suggest the rock face itself.

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I've done all I'm going to do for today but the top needs more shaping to reduce the flatness along it. I also need to create tunnels at either end where the track curves towards the shed, as in the above photo....

....and where it leads onto Stack Gill viaduct as in the photo below.

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I would like the tunnels to resemble the one at Loch nan Uamh Viaduct where it's cut into the rock face. I'll have to see how I get on as with me plans can change very quickly

There'll be a low rock formation along the front of the boards, low enough to enable me to film trains passing along without the view being obscured. I had also thought about adding a passing loop here but I'm still undecided on that one.

 

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2 hours ago, ThomasI said:

Your way to make rocks is also very interesting because I haven't made a decision yet if I will use real rock or make it your way....

There's some really inspirational videos available online where people create rocks and rock type formations using cement based products but don't confuse any of those with what I'm about to produce on my layout!! 

I'm just looking for a backdrop and at this moment in time I'm not planning on any intricate carving, but we'll just have to see where the mood takes me. I never quite know what I'm doing until I happen to be doing it.

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I realize you may want a long straight track, yet the possibility for a snaking curvy bendy track would be very photogenic IMHO.

As I showed in my thread, it's possible to use sedimentary stone. If you collect larger pieces you can pry them apart to make a thin layer of stone with a very rocky look. you just need a rock hammer, or a cold chisel. The debris can be used on the bottom of your slope as natural talus. I would be tempted to have a sloped surface at the bottom to attach talus rocks to. 

Maybe create shapes with cut wood and then just use Liquid Nails to glue the stone surface onto it? Is there a specific locale you are trying to make it look like? Of course with an outdoor layout, you could also make troughs for soil that you can grow moss in for grass if it's shady in that area.

Rocks have natural cleavage based on their kind. The shale like mud rocks break up nicely to form jagged edges.

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5 hours ago, traingeekboy said:

I realize you may want a long straight track, yet the possibility for a snaking curvy bendy track would be very photogenic IMHO....

A valid argument there Griff and ordinarily I would have introduced a gentle curve along those boards but there's always been the possibility of adding a second track in the form of a passing loop in that location which was the reason I initially left it straight. I want to keep space at the front end of the board for a low rocky area and with the board being rather narrow I don't have too much room to play with. I intend breaking up the straightness by having a footbridge or some other type of bridge but my plans evolve as work progresses.

Talking of work progressing, a start has been made on adding cement soaked material over the chicken wire framework. It's a messy job!

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My plan was to add the material and then go over with a light mix of cement to add form and texture but looking at the application of the material, that itself has created a lot of texture which would be nice to retain. It all depends on how it dries but with care and a bit of thought maybe I can use the material to add form rather than trying to do it myself afterwards.

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I can now visualise how it might look with a low rocky area to the front of the board creating a cutting for the trains to pass through but still undecided whether to add the passing loop or not. Would I ever make use of it? 

There is sufficient space between the rock backdrop and the fencing panel to add a low 'sky' backscene so that's part also part of my current thinking.

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2 hours ago, mick said:

A valid argument there Griff and ordinarily I would have introduced a gentle curve along those boards but there's always been the possibility of adding a second track in the form of a passing loop in that location which was the reason I initially left it straight. I want to keep space at the front end of the board for a low rocky area and with the board being rather narrow I don't have too much room to play with. I intend breaking up the straightness by having a footbridge or some other type of bridge but my plans evolve as work progresses.

Talking of work progressing, a start has been made on adding cement soaked material over the chicken wire framework. It's a messy job!

20200928_121306.thumb.jpg.6207b72fc9dc0f8d1b2b03f46d0b59a3.jpg

My plan was to add the material and then go over with a light mix of cement to add form and texture but looking at the application of the material, that itself has created a lot of texture which would be nice to retain. It all depends on how it dries but with care and a bit of thought maybe I can use the material to add form rather than trying to do it myself afterwards.

20200928_121315.thumb.jpg.ad259ba17d97046f70999995590c636c.jpg

I can now visualise how it might look with a low rocky area to the front of the board creating a cutting for the trains to pass through but still undecided whether to add the passing loop or not. Would I ever make use of it? 

There is sufficient space between the rock backdrop and the fencing panel to add a low 'sky' backscene so that's part also part of my current thinking.

The rocks look quite acceptable.
The weather will also ensure further weathering.

As far as the passing loop is concerned, how likely is it that you will eventually double-track the route in the forseeable future? It would of course be smart, the space for the second track would be kept free.

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2 hours ago, mick said:

I can now visualise how it might look with a low rocky area to the front of the board creating a cutting for the trains to pass through but still undecided whether to add the passing loop or not. Would I ever make use of it?

I don't think anyone else can answer that for you. I've not been following your build for long, but in the short time I have, it has always seemed like just an approach to the main scenic area you film on.
What would it allow you to do that you can't do now?
Would it make operation any more (too) complicated? I don't know how much of a general view you have of it when operating from other areas.
Could it end up a bit like rounders or baseball where you end up with trains following each other from base to base?

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2 hours ago, mick said:

I can now visualise how it might look with a low rocky area to the front of the board creating a cutting for the trains to pass through but still undecided whether to add the passing loop or not. Would I ever make use of it? 

You may not use it as a passing loop, but would you ever have need of another rake available during a running session, in which case it is a storage siding. 

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Thank you for those responses. 

4 hours ago, ThomasI said:

...As far as the passing loop is concerned, how likely is it that you will eventually double-track the route in the forseeable future?...

I suppose in a way I should look upon a passing loop as being more of a double track section because I would want the convenience of using spring points again. It could only be as long as the straight section of elevated boards in the photos because after that the track splits to enter the two stations inside the shed.

4 hours ago, Clay Mills Junction said:

...I've not been following your build for long, but in the short time I have, it has always seemed like just an approach to the main scenic area you film on.
What would it allow you to do that you can't do now?
Would it make operation any more (too) complicated? I don't know how much of a general view you have of it when operating from other areas...

That bottom section has always been just an approach to the large viaduct and I've rarely captured it on video but that's why I've decided to change it. I'd like to be able to film trains passing along it but it's also an area that isn't immediately visible unless I make the effort to go down there as it runs alongside and round another garden building before entering the railway shed. If I used spring points as on my other 'passing loop' then operation would be entirely automatic. So really it's going to be just a spot for filming.

4 hours ago, roddy said:

You may not use it as a passing loop, but would you ever have need of another rake available during a running session, in which case it is a storage siding. 

If I were to use it purely as a storage siding I would need to have points that I could operate remotely whereas if I do decide to have the two tracks I would use spring points again so I don't have to worry about installing point motors and associated wires and switches.

Maybe I should just opt for the additional track and install spring points - that way it doesn't really make a great deal of difference operationally other than the cost of a couple of sets of points. It might even add interest to any photos and videos.

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I've made a start on one of the tunnels which will form a scenic break at that end of the elevated section. It all looks a bit messy in the photo but it's actually not that bad. I just need the ground at the top of the tunnel to slope upwards to the same level as the rock backdrop but I've left that for now until the first bits have dried sufficiently. I've used the chicken wire as a former for the tunnel itself and the wet cement bandage is pretty heavy.

If I add a second track then the points will be located in that area just before the tunnel so there's enough room for two tracks and a narrow area with rocks in the foreground.

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Someone suggested earlier using fibreglass to create the backdrop - well the sections I've done that have dried feel just like fibreglass.

 

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2 hours ago, mick said:

I've made a start on one of the tunnels which will form a scenic break at that end of the elevated section. It all looks a bit messy in the photo but it's actually not that bad. I just need the ground at the top of the tunnel to slope upwards to the same level as the rock backdrop but I've left that for now until the first bits have dried sufficiently. I've used the chicken wire as a former for the tunnel itself and the wet cement bandage is pretty heavy.

If I add a second track then the points will be located in that area just before the tunnel so there's enough room for two tracks and a narrow area with rocks in the foreground.

20200928_175122.thumb.jpg.94e260a0811d5d5596f0412261fb0922.jpg

Someone suggested earlier using fibreglass to create the backdrop - well the sections I've done that have dried feel just like fibreglass.

 

If you also design the foreground with lower rocks, you should think about how the rainwater can drain off without the tracks being flooded after each rain.

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10 hours ago, ThomasI said:

If you also design the foreground with lower rocks, you should think about how the rainwater can drain off without the tracks being flooded after each rain.

Yes I'll be making provision to allow rainwater to drain away Thomas.

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There's nothing really to add to yesterday's progress. I've done very little today other than run the log train round onto the elevated boards to check clearances for the possibility of converting to a double track section. There's ample room should I decide that's the way I'm going to proceed.

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The trouble is that as nice as double track would be, looking at the above photo with the additional line it doesn't seem to offer the same sense of remoteness or solitude that a single line within a deep sided cutting would give. It's probably because the single line route is how I'd always envisaged it being so maybe I just need time to adjust. 

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Looks good. Maybe all it needs is a bit of stain with some browns and black, you could even use something like a kitchen spice for color. Maybe some dry brushing with a lighter grey, or even white to bring out highlights.

hmmm...

Tempting to add a siding with two tracks and some kind of mine or quarry on the front side of the tracks, perhaps at one end of it. 

Yes - Single track it! 

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5 hours ago, traingeekboy said:

Looks good. Maybe all it needs is a bit of stain with some browns and black, you could even use something like a kitchen spice for color. Maybe some dry brushing with a lighter grey, or even white to bring out highlights.....

Yes it needs more work yet Griff but it's something I can continue to do at my leisure or at least when the weather allows.

As for single or double track, I had a quick look online yesterday for some Peco points and discovered to my dismay that they're currently unavailable in the stores I normally use. Peco must still be playing catch up.

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1 minute ago, mick said:

As for single or double track, I had a quick look online yesterday for some Peco points and discovered to my dismay that they're currently unavailable in the stores I normally use. Peco must still be playing catch up.

It's the same with Peco flex track.

I'm afraid I will run out of material if Peco doesn't catch up.

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11 hours ago, Clay Mills Junction said:

Maybe its a sign. ;-)

Well it was a sign I'd have to look elsewhere and without too much trouble I've located some so hopefully by the time I've posted this they should be picking them off the shelf and sending them my way.

I'd actually just been out into the garden to take a look at the track to the rear of the shed and I just felt that perhaps double track wouldn't be so bad. It is sometimes handy to have that additional space to put a train in order to clear the station for some purpose or other and I've always used the double track section on the other side of the layout - but that's not as easily accessible from the terminus station as you have to go round the entire layout to reach it. Anyway, the choice has been made and I won't be troubling you all again with my indecisions - or there again maybe I will.

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