Jump to content

Craigs Garden Railway


doublecee
 Share

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 498
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

Looks like they're running the right way to me. ;)

Sorry about the short comments lately, been working a lot. I came back tonight to look at your photos again. I have to say even though it's not "fully sceniced" I just love the colors in the first picture with the blurry train. is that one of the virgin trains with all that red? Pardon my ignorance about British paint schemes/liveries.

I think those lights are quite pretty too. What kind of lights are they? (Maybe you said what they were and I did a little ADD while reading. :P )

I expect we'll be seeing a lot of trains running soon with your fast progress. I look forward to more shots of the layout.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey. The train is the ill fated apt. Advanced passenger train. It was a prototype from the late 70's. It was meant to be the next generation of HST. Sadly, the plug was pulled and it never happened. However hornby saw its potential and released a groovy 5 car set that actually leaned into bends like the real thing. It's centrally located power car had a nicely geared ring field that gave it higher speeds. Nice.

There are some cool APT clips on YouTube as well as an interesting old bbc documentary.

Lights are from hombase and solar powered. The aaa rechargeable batts inside are a bit naff so I'm swapping those all out today

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I can lay me hands on my friends Lima HST will get some pictures taken. All that i know is that the centre car is the power unit and when it was running on the GGR we had some serious issuies concerning the putting down of the power to the track and after stripping down found that there was no weights in the power unit. Sorted that out and it ran like a goodun. Rumour around is that he might be selling it and I know that I have first refusal on it.

Ian

Link to comment
Share on other sites

NiteLightsLevelled_sm.jpgimag ... led_sm.jpghttp://craigcrane.co.uk/GardenRail/images/march_16/NiteLightsLevelled_sm.jpg' alt='URL>'>

So, I bought more of the LED solar lamps from home base. I replaced all the cheap nasty rechargeable AAA batteries in the pods with some high capacity ones from Maplins. So far, a marked improvement in the amount of time they stay alight for.

But I do need to address a key light, that gives a wider wash of light, potentially from the middle. Expect a few changes by the weekend ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rain!

Among the things that I read about in my research, rain and cold was the biggest kill joy. And today, all joy has been well and truly killed.

Did a clean yesterday. The peco rubber is quite a work out! I'm a fit lad but even I started to feel the burn! So, opted for dipoles motorised cleaner and a 5 litre bottle of isoprol alcohol.

One thing that is an annoyance though is seagul crap. Why?.?.?.?.?. Leave my track alone. I know I want it all to weather but C'mon! It's just so not nice. Hoping the new leylandi conifers will provided more cover when they establish!

Also thinking of parking a large solar panel to the shed roof to power and recharge the lights as they won't get much sun when the conifers do start to grow. I ijst need to look into the cost and power output. I currently have 24 of the lights, each one powered by a 1.2 volt rechargeable battery that takes its charge from the in built panel.

The panel also triggers the on off light activation, so need to ensure that that still works, after I Gerry rig something.

Trees on order, 20mm Cotswold stone starting to fill the centre, willow screen to cover the breeze block found, and wife has found awesome Buddha for the central raised bed.

Here's hoping the Buddha has no objection to his raised bed also being spanned by a customised hornby suspension bridge made from 6 sets. Two bridges, each made of three units, for the up and down circuits. Heck.... If your gonna do it, it has to be fun, right?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rain!

Among the things that I read about in my research, rain and cold was the biggest kill joy. And today, all joy has been well and truly killed.

And here am I with yesterdays concrete covered up in anticipation of the forecasted downpour, and we have sunshine!

Heck.... If your gonna do it, it has to be fun, right?

Well it certainly sounds like you've got the fun bit off to a tee.

I like the solar powered lights and with my knowledge of anything electrical at the very basic minimum, I'd be interested to know if and how you manage to couple them all up to a large solar panel. Seems like the solar powered lights could be very useful, if only they had more power.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yup. I haven't done it, but some have. i believe someone on here has motorized points.

Anything is possible. i suppose what we do is real model railroading as it's all subject the the same problems the big trains deal with.

But what I really wanted to comment on is this buddha. sounds like a nice center piece.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Points and point motors + outdoors = possible???

I have got at least 12 points outside but none are powered, all done by the 'Hand of God' method. Since over half of them have been out since 2006 the only major problems I have encountered are the springs rusting and then going. I have tried to replace them but to no avail so have instead put in a small panel pin to tighten again the drawbar so that whichever way the point is set its not going to wander or through out. The one thing that I would say is don't go for the 'insulated frog points' like I did first time around, the plastic wears away too quickly if running a lot. I am slowly but surely replacing all my points with 'eletro frog points'. Also replacing my crossovers as well.

[album]659[/album]

Ian

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So, it looks like i could house the motor in one of these...

R8015.jpgR8015.jpghttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt1979320/''>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1979320/'>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1979320/ so getting to see a lot of very sexy and historic cars... But I fiund doing it in homebase equally as thrilling at the moment. What a weird and perverted path I have chosen. If you had told me this time last year that I would soon be going gaga over OO in the yard, I would have thought you mad. Anyway, this is the fella that will be a part of the central raised bed. He will have two very impressive suspension bridges as company too... and im hoping, they will be lit accordingly....

Anyway, Im also looking at how to weatherproof some hornby R406 color signals.

Today, in a moment of weakness I picked a few up of those, some on-on switches to be glued to the controller and the Hornby Blue VEP slam door. Im such a sucker for BR.

lets see... what else is on the list

15 x http://www.gardenhedgingonline.co.uk/products/Cupressocyparis-Leylandii-%28variety-2001%29-120%252d150cm.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

1 x http://www.greenfingers.com/superstore/product.asp?dept_id=200746&pf_id=LT1110D" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

1 x http://www.greenfingers.com/superstore/product.asp?dept_id=6547&pf_id=LK7137D" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

1 x http://www.greenfingers.com/superstore/product_image_viewer.asp?pf_id=LS6235D&default_image=05_Lutyens_Bench.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; for the rear of the garden, between some Leylandii

a smattering of these... http://www.greenfingers.com/superstore/product.asp?dept_id=228&pf_id=LS6927D" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

8 x http://www.greenfingers.com/superstore/product.asp?dept_id=228&pf_id=LS8954D" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

24 meters of this, stained... to cover the breeze blocks http://www.greenfingers.com/superstore/product.asp?dept_id=180&pf_id=LS7510D&co=fr&gclid=CL2t-tCN664CFQINfAod1G3VKQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and finally, one of these. Maybe two....

LemonyCricket2.jpg... icket2.jpghttp://beerlens.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/LemonyCricket2.jpg' alt='URL>'>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

oh nice! my sis ran an import store over here for a while so i got to see a lot of buddhas. i assume you mean the seated one. I can hear him now..."Meditate upon the sound of one point snapping and you will feel the calmness of enlightenment"

The Film sounds cool. Are you the camera man for this? oops just re-read the time period, I guess you'll be using loads of vintage footage so no camera man except interviews and such huh?

Leave a link when you get a trailer cut for it. :) Would love to see what you are making.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

These Hornby R8243 surface mounted point motors have been mentioned on the forum before but I'm not sure anyone's actually tested them outdoors.

R8243.jpgR8243.jpghttp://www.hornby.com/_assets/images/cache/shops/productdetailsmain/R8243.jpg' alt='URL>'>

"Designed to be positioned either side of any Hornby point, this surface mounted point motor allows for the convenient electrical operation of points. Can be be used with the Hornby R8216 Digital Point / Accessory decoder or for DC analogue operation, the R044 Lever Switch."

I'm sure I have read somewhere that they're more weatherproof than they appear in the photo. Perhaps if anyone has one of these they can give further info?

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...