Jump to content

Worsley Dale Garden Railway


mick
 Share

Recommended Posts

9 hours ago, Noisynoel said:

Nice to see a wide variety of trains running Mick. I must admit, when I'm on my own I tend only to run 1 or 2 trains, but when I have people round it gets a tad more populated.

I'm much the same Noel. Yesterday was a one-off and 11 trains won't become the norm anytime soon.

If I use the two stations as storage yards (which I tend to do most of the time) it's possible for me to have 8 trains made up and ready to go so I have the opportunity to run several trains per session without too much messing about.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, kenbrunt said:

It’s wonderful to watch the variety of locos running over Worsley Dale. I much admire all your efforts and time you must spend in keeping your garden looking so pristine

Thanks Ken but the garden is actually far from pristine and is in need of a good deal of repair and renovation. It's been neglected for the past couple of years and now most of the timber edging to the borders has rotted away leaving them looking a bit of a mess. You can make anything look much better on video and in photographs if you're careful!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've had a break from running trains today as I've been doing a bit of renovation to some areas at the side of the track. The photo below shows one such area just beyond the spring points closest to the shed. The log roll that was previously butted up to the track base had rotted away and so I removed it and replaced it with some pallet timer, coated in preservative and set into a bed of mortar. I've installed it slightly further from the track and infilled with stone chippings.

20220508_115513.thumb.jpg.30be3d39441ac4ab3c44560697c15ec3.jpg

I've also done a further section of parapet walling on Stack Gill viaduct using the same mortar mix as before. I am quite pleased with how the first section turned out and it feels nice and solid so hopefully it will stand up to the attention it receives from the pigeons.

Moving on to this evening and I've been up in the attic with the airbrush finishing off the batch of locos I started weathering the other day as well as some coaches.

First of all is 37026 LOCH AWE in BR Blue

20220508_222037.thumb.jpg.4c8ffd6c080754a0a3be934da289c564.jpg

followed by 37415 in Inter-City livery

20220508_221837.thumb.jpg.088a9249c4031a359c2aed2af019de4b.jpg

37427 HIGHLAND ENTERPRISE in Regional Railways SCOTRAIL livery

20220508_221242.thumb.jpg.f0cd3cd4d9f847b11f1b7676d6dd41a5.jpg

and the superb sounding 37248 LOCH ARKAIG in West Coast Railways livery

20220508_221619.thumb.jpg.6a6ff93a5d3b144b6e95fc13b1aa8f25.jpg

I've also done the 6 coach West Highland Railways rake, a BR Parcels van and ETHEL 2 seen below behind 37026.

20220508_222207.thumb.jpg.a5a26cc43c7df6cc014be44e7d28319f.jpg

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great work. What is the score with the Ethel. I have seen them advertised at the same price as the powered locomotives, although I presume they are unpowered, like the original. I appreciate that they still have DCC capability, but that still seems a bit much... Do they have a simple sound file so they can be just left to idle to provide ETH for the Mk3 sleepers?

Is 37415 going to be operated on the garden railway or indoors? I notice she is carrying the wonderful Thornaby Kingfisher so she is depicted after her days in Scotland were over, although I guess she would still have at least got to Scotland on 6S41 Haverton Hill - Leith South Yard Ammonia train. Having said that back then they still would have floated around and of course rule 1 always applies! (lol)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Loco Hauled said:

Great work. What is the score with the Ethel....

It's an unpowered Bachmann model with all the innards removed so there's just the two bogies and a bit of my own additional weight. I'm not concerned about adding any sound as it would hopefully just be drowned out by the 37 anyway.

3 hours ago, Loco Hauled said:

....Is 37415 going to be operated on the garden railway or indoors?.....

37415 is destined for the garden railway yes, despite the Kingfisher emblem, and will be used primarily on the Inter-City liveried sleeper. I'm also an advocate of the 'rule 1' because life is too short to be concerned about an incorrect number or depot logo/emblem. I've seen some wonderful YouTube vids of the Inter-City sleeper with Inter-City class 37 loco's and without reading the video description I cannot tell what numbers they are so why should I worry. I can video it myself without disclosing the number so I should be able to get away with it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I actually feel like I'm getting somewhere having spent a good deal of the day weathering more stock.

37254 is a older BR Blue loco that I've rarely used in the past because it was initially fitted with a defective v3.5 Loksound sound decoder where the sound played but there was no loco movement. So I swapped the decoder for another v3.5 decoder which I had removed from 37248 Loch Arkaig when it was upgraded in 2020. 37254 was one of my first attempts at fitting speakers in the fuel tanks so being a v3.5 decoder it has a 100ohm speaker. I assumed because of this that it wouldn't sound all that good but it is pretty decent so today I started the weathering by airbrushing first rather than using the brushes because the airbrush was out for weathering coaches. 37254 isn't a Scottish loco but it makes a change from large logo 37/4's. It really isn't worth the time and effort in renumbering.

The rake of six Mk2's have now been weathered, or at least approx 90% of the weathering has been completed because for some reason I completely missed doing the chassis on one of them and didn't notice until some time after I'd put the airbrush away.

In addition I have weathered the BR Blue sleeper train as well as a couple of NEA full brakes in Inter-City livery. The 2 NEA's are to add to the Inter-City sleeper train. I've also done my two Regional Railways Mk2 coaches which I can mix and match with other Mk2's.

The six MK2s had been fitted with those 'brake pipe' couplings meaning they were a fixed rake so extremely difficult to couple and uncouple as you have to almost lay the entire rake on its side. I took the opportunity to remove them and glue NEM mounts to the underneath of the chassis to accept Kadee couplings. This left a larger gap between coaches and so I've added paper corridor connectors. They look much better and are now a doddle to couple/uncouple.

So I feel like everything is falling into place, coach rakes are being assembled and there's enough wagons to marshall a variety of trains. There's still a few large logo 37/4's to weather and I need to sort out some more speakers to replace some of the inferior ones.

I'll grab some photos later but I'm in need of a break right now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sounds like you've had a busy day, look forward to seeing the pictures.

Thanks for the answers to my questions above. Fair point about the sound on the ETHEL.

I hope I don't come across as too anal about liveries, allocations, etc. It's just that it is that side that interests me in this hobby. When I eventually get the layout built it will be the operation of the right locos on the right trains and trying to figure out what locomotives I can use on which service after a simulated locomotive failure that will keep me going. Believe it or not I already have a full timetable with the locomotive diagrams and staffing duties worked out, with each depot's staff only 'signing' the correct selection of motive power etc. This also leads on to the correct formation of stock and locomotives in regard to braking etc. The big thing being when I'm forced to use a 'no-heat' locomotive on a service train.

One day I might be as brave as you and pick up an airbrush once more. I did this back in my youth with very dyer results! I plan to operate the period from 1978-1993 so a two-tone green Bachmann class 25 that I picked up on ebay for £30 one Saturday morning will probably be the first candidate, although I will probably try with some old spare Lima bodyshells first.

Edited by Loco Hauled
Part of sentence missed
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, Loco Hauled said:

One day I might be as brave as you and pick up an airbrush once more. I did this back in my youth with very dyer results! I plan to operate the period from 1978-1993 so a two-tone green Bachmann class 25 that I picked up on ebay for £30 one Saturday morning will probably be the first candidate, although I will probably try with some old spare Lima bodyshells first.

Use acrylic paints and its easily removed if you don't like what you've done.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, Loco Hauled said:

...I hope I don't come across as too anal about liveries, allocations, etc. It's just that it is that side that interests me in this hobby....

No not at all. I'm probably in the minority when it comes to not being all that concerned about liveries and allocations and to be perfectly honest I'm modelling something in the garden that I know very little (aka nothing) about. I've never been on a train in Scotland in my life but I just try to recreate a sense of the single line through remote surroundings with the reverberations of class 37s!!

The attic layout is a slightly different story but even up there ANY class 56, 58, 60 is fair game for the MGR workings, though I don't allow 60s on HTA's as that was after my time.

21 hours ago, Loco Hauled said:

...One day I might be as brave as you and pick up an airbrush once more...

The first steps always the hardest as they say but Iain's right, start with acrylics and you can remove it quite easily if it doesn't please you. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

It's something I've been meaning to do for quite some time and I've finally made a start but I'm beginning to wish I hadn't.

20220522_150610.thumb.jpg.063ad26a02179a6e5f579ef7be1d146d.jpg

I've always liked the idea of having a bit of water beneath the girder bridges, nothing too grand and certainly not a small pond of any kind, just some standing water. The trouble is my creative flair diminished a long time ago and I'm having difficulty working out what to do with it now. I daren't start chopping away at the central support footings to open it all out so it will just have to be very shallow directly beneath the bridges. I thought about using the angle grinder to cut a channel either side but then decided against so it will have to stay like that.

I've got some rubber pond liner that came from a pond we made some years ago which was later filled in so I'll be using that in an attempt to contain some water to the rear of the bridges and to a lesser extent in front once I work ouut how to do it so that it looks okay. I've spent most of the time pondering the situation (procrastinating I think is how Chris refers to it) while doing nothing so don't expect this to be completed anytime soon.

I'll add this photo of 26024 with a few oil tanks crossing Low Shott viaduct because it's one I haven't yet added.

1555011502_2022-05-2121-09-28.thumb.jpg.cc9119f003344004c54436e21e889758.jpg

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lovely picture of the 'Tip Top' (class 26). It's pictures like that one that inspire people.

The water feature looks to be of to a good start, but my immediate thought is, if it's that shallow will it not just evaporate really quickly? Perhaps it is deeper than it looks? I'm just thinking of my bird baths and how quickly the water disappears on hot days, and it's not just the birds. It's something I've been pondering (pun intended) myself for a while as I'm thinking of putting some guttering down one side of the track in one section and claiming it as a canal. Maybe I will have to experiment myself...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Loco Hauled said:

Lovely picture of the 'Tip Top' (class 26). It's pictures like that one that inspire people.....

I enjoy taking the photos just as much as I enjoy running the trains so it's nice to have a subject that's close to home! I keep trying different techniques to get sharp, in focus images and that particular one, staged as it is, comprises 12 individual photos blended together, with the focus point being increased with each shot. Fortunately the camera can do that automatically and it just leaves me needing to put the images together using software on the PC. I'm not really sure why I go to so much trouble because my phone camera does a pretty good job without all that messing around.

3 hours ago, Loco Hauled said:

The water feature looks to be of to a good start, but my immediate thought is, if it's that shallow will it not just evaporate really quickly? Perhaps it is deeper than it looks?....

It's pretty shallow yes, but that's not a problem even if it dries out. My pond is a matter of feet away so there's a handy source of water if and when it's needed. It's only going to need water in when it's being filmed/photographed and that's really the main reason for doing it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Clay Mills Junction said:

I thought that bridge was removeable so you could get through to a gate?

No, there's just the boundary fence beyond so the bridges are permanently fixed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've done very little additional work on the 'river' beneath the girder bridges as the weather hasn't really been that suitable (and I'm not keen on strong breezes)  but I have been busy with some other jobs.

Believe it or not I had completely forgotten that my 37114 had already been fitted with a sound decoder until I 'tested it' a few days ago. I hadn't even recorded the fact in my loco database. It's got a Jamie Goodman 37/0 soundfile but with a small square speaker beneath the fan grill which does it very little justice at all. So I'm currently part way through adding a Rail Exclusive 'Chunky Boom Box' speaker in the fuel tanks as I've found that's what works best for me. It does mean I have to remove the ability to manually switch the tail lamps but that's not a problem with how I operate.

I have also purchased some additional speakers to upgrade some of my other loco's and have been going through them to determine which are suitable and would benefit the most. It'll be something I do over the coming weeks because I would like to get some of the cleaner ones weathered as I go along, especially while they are already dismantled.

If all goes well then I'll have 37114 back in action soon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm extremely relieved to be able to say that 37114 'Dunrobin Castle' is now almost completed with just some minor detailing still to attend to. It now has the Jamie Goodman class 37/0 soundfile playing through a Rail Exclusive Chunky Boom Box speaker in the fuel tanks which is a massive improvement.

To accompany it I have 37012 'Loch Rannoch', also fitted with the same soundfile and speaker combination and again requiring some minor detailing parts fitting before it is fully completed. Both loco's have been weathered and I've also managed to get them running nicely together.

I've taken the opportunity to get some photos of the pair on Skew Bridge while hauling a trio of Cavalex BBA wagons to which I will eventually add some 'aluminium ingot' loads. I have 6 of these wagons so may decide to leave the other 3 empty.

1259456944_2022-05-2917-21-50(CS6)copy.thumb.jpg.1c36474043746a9581ca462e4377c39e.jpg

219586971_2022-05-2917-24-43(CS6)copy.thumb.jpg.c29b5560cc1219562358f3b147793a7f.jpg

I've used one of my older class 37 chassis' to produce another dummy 'sound-fitted' loco that can be used for simple double heading with the possibility of alternating the loco body depending on whether or not there are any problems doing so. It's been fitted with a Locoman class 37 sound decoder and the same Rail Exclusive chunky boom box speaker as above.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's a 'double act' that will probably see action on both the indoor and outdoor layouts although I can't see me ever purchasing matching WCR coaches. I'll just have to make do with what I have.

West Coast Railways 37248 'Loch Arkaig' heads 37669 past Skew Bridge. 37248 has a Jamie Goodman class 37/0 soundfile while 37669 has a Locoman class 37 soundfile, both loco's having Rail Exclusive Chunky Boom Box speakers in their fuel tanks. I have yet to attempt any speed matching with these two, though I was hoping to be able to top and tail with them but I'll see how that goes.

set07photos.thumb.jpg.aebf6662e3f2019b75b36916f0da9a5c.jpg

 

Edited by mick
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 29/05/2022 at 21:28, mick said:

Here's a 'double act' that will probably see action on both the indoor and outdoor layouts although I can't see me ever purchasing matching WCR coaches. I'll just have to make do with what I have.

I have a charter rake. It's an approximation of a WCRC. Does the job when I want a random loco puling something.2EB2E546-4936-40F8-BEEF-C72AEE7712A4_1_201_a.thumb.jpeg.6ab664c797f074f2b4d3ab0e9554076e.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 31/05/2022 at 08:08, chris said:

I have a charter rake. It's an approximation of a WCRC. Does the job when I want a random loco puling something.

Yes something like that will suit me Chris. I've got plenty of coaches to choose from.

Edited by mick
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...