Cherry Parkway

[traingeekboy]

That's kind of funny. All we hear over here is how amazing Kadees are. I have kadees on my N scale stock, never had trouble with 30 car trains in N scale.

Wonder why yours are having such a rough time with it. Although, they may be kadee off brand couplers, now that's a different story. I had these couplers that looked like kadees that would literally explode with pieces going everywhere.

Oh my, now you have a neighbor buddy who wants trains. seems like a winning combo. Either he builds his own layout or he comes over with all kinds of new stock to run.

what a chore, now your wife wants another line put in.

[Andrew]

It's great to see the video of your inaugural train, George. Congratulations are definitely in order, particularly for the speed with which you have gone from bare garden to operational layout -- an example to us all. And the viaduct, glimpsed in the video, looks good. Hope you can withstand all the operator's stresses you're being warned about!

[fungus]

Great progress made today. Long story short, all the track is laid, I now can run trains, so here is the inaugural run.

Congratulations George; a job well done!

[george356]

Well, I HAD to bump a hitch sometime, and that time is now

I have the wire for the bus all prepared (stripped out of twin and bare earth mains cable - £17.99 for 25 metres from B&Q)

It is solid core 1.5mm. and my 25watt iron doesn't get hot enough to solder the droppers to it so I have ordered a 150watt soldering gun off the 'bay. Until that comes I cannot progress with the bus.

I have some plans for the viaduct, to make it look a little more realistic, but it has started to rain again, so that will have to wait. On a more optimistic not I now have 2 weeks holiday so I hope that I will get a little more done before work beckons again.

[mick]

Those wires do take some heating up. I have a 50 watt iron and it takes a few seconds longer but it gets there.

Hmmmh. I wonder what's happening with the viaduct.....??

[george356]

Quick update

Warning - no pics

Raining like heck this morning so myself, my Wife, my Son, Daughter in Law and Grandson(2 yrs old) paid a visit to Shildon Railway Museum and had a great few hours wandering around the exhibits

Came home at 2pm just as the Postie was delivering my new Ebay purchased soldering gun (no wonder people buy online - 150w soldering gun, spare tips, flux and solder - ordered 7pm Bank Holiday Monday, delivered early Wednesday afternoon, all for £12.99 postage free!).

Had a mini running session to brag/demonstrate my railway.

After they had eaten and left for home I decided to make a start with the droppers, as the rain had stopped and the sun was shining. Did 12 sets in 45 minutes, that included stapling the bus wires too. Weather permitting I will get the rest done tomorrow.

All in all a good day and progress made.

[mick]

It's coming to something when we have to begin with an apology for the lack of photos! Yep, me too.

Sounds like you had a busy day George. I'm glad the rain didn't prevent you getting out and that it had stopped in time for you to get some of the droppers soldered on. It brightened up here too eventually but far too late to make any difference.

What's the soldering iron like? I was going to get a new one some time ago because I've had the current one a fair while and I've only got the one tip which looked in a bad way. However, it cleaned up very well and now I give it a regular wipe on a damp scourer during use and I forgot all about getting another.

[george356]

Aye - I forgot the working pics, but my son took some pics of HIS son watching the railway

Yes, I was thinking that the rain was going to stop me, but we had a good fine evening, just 45 minutes of workable time though.

This is the gun

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/170879692402?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It is trigger operated, comes up to usable heat in about 5 seconds, and will solder 1.5mm wire perfectly with the trigger held for 10 seconds. All in all a good powerful tool, not for delicate work though, but that's not what a 150w iron should be used for anyway

I have a couple of smaller irons a 15w and a 25w chisel tip for the delicate work. I reckon with the new iron I could solder 1.5mm solid copper as droppers, they would look like point rodding, I reckon.

[george356]

Well, I felt so bad about not being able to provide our members daily photo fix that I went back out there again today to continue soldering droppers to the bus, and my good lady wife did the honours with the camera.

So, here we go, stripping wire, cleaning, fluxing and soldering as we go.

http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7801.jpg' alt='URL>'>

http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7802.jpg' alt='URL>'>

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http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7814.jpg' alt='URL>'>

And finally.....................

George doing his world famous impression of a garden gnome

http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7815.jpg' alt='URL>'>

[mick]

Absolutely love those photos George. The value of the forum has just increased immeasurably. With the weather we've had this year I'm really pleased to see you get to this stage and I hope you feel it's all been worth it. Now we can sit back and enjoy the action.

I've read there's a special place that accepts and cares for garden gnomes...

[george356]

Absolutely love those photos George. The value of the forum has just increased immeasurably. With the weather we've had this year I'm really pleased to see you get to this stage and I hope you feel it's all been worth it. Now we can sit back and enjoy the action.

I've read there's a special place that accepts and cares for garden gnomes...

Thanks for the praise re the photos, Mick, but it's Margaret we have to thank for them. I think she did a top notch job, 'cos none of these pics were posed, she just shot them as I was working.

I never thought I would get to this stage as quickly either, but yes, it HAS been worth it, and I have learned a few things along the way, too. If I were doing it again I would change a few things regarding how I construct the track bed, but that will keep for Stage 2

Garden Gnome Homes? - as long as they brew a nice cuppa and let me run trains I will be happy

[mick]

...Thanks for the praise re the photos, Mick, but it's Margaret we have to thank for them...

Then please pass on our appreciation to Margaret and our compliments for some quite excellent photography skills.

Are you able to divulge any plans for stage 2 yet?

[george356]

Stage 2?

Well, Stage 1 occupies the right hand side of the garden, there is a 2m wide by 10m stretch on the left hand side of the garden path which I intend expanding into (and permission has already been given!).

I will need to put in a spur from the inside track of my basic oval, cross the garden path at absolute ground level (probably under a Japanese style bridge) then down to the bottom of the garden, returning under the same bridge and rejoining the inside track. This will be single track, a branch line.

The track bed will be the usual deck board/roofing felt construction but the supports will be different. I am going to try using 4" square downpipe, cemented into the ground and slotted to accept a square post with a bolt type adjustment. This means that the level can be adjusted to a fine degree, eliminating gradients. It is difficult to describe what I have in mind, I will try to do a rough sketch and upload it into this post.

Edit - Just discovered Google SketchUp - what a brilliant tool!

http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/Postsupport.jpg' alt='URL>'>

This shows my idea for adjustable height trackbed support.

[Dubmatix]

Nice work george, look forward to the phase 2 for the viaduct enhancements too. Don't forget to allow space for the connecting spur into next door's railway when they get theirs done! Now that would take garden railways to a whole new level (no gradient related pun intended!).

[traingeekboy]

Great tutorial on putting in droppers George.

http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7815.jpg' alt='URL>'>

I love this picture. It's good to see who we're talking to on here.

Pssst.... what, no trains running yet?

[george356]

Nice work george, look forward to the phase 2 for the viaduct enhancements too. Don't forget to allow space for the connecting spur into next door's railway when they get theirs done! Now that would take garden railways to a whole new level (no gradient related pun intended!).

Just got 13 more sets of droppers to solder then work can begin on the viaduct enhancements

Would be cool to accept "visiting excursion trains" from my neighbour, I will have to work on him

For Griff, thanks for the encouragement and the impetus I have received on this forum. Without it I would have been alone in the wilderness, still thinking that the dream of a garden railway was just that, a dream.

[traingeekboy]

No problem on the support from me. I had some real brain twisters to deal with when building my layout, but i got it done. But it can be a real bear to get over some parts of a layout build.

At the same time though, there really is nothing to compare with the satisfaction of a couple hours of successful layout building; I find it very therapeutic.

Now about those kadee couplers you have. Are the trip pins hanging too low and picking at trackwork in points? Are they all vertically aligned so they all meet properly? Or, are your wagons bobbing around more on your track than they should? Also, are they actually Kadee's or are they knock offs like accumate. Accumates are also known as crap-u-mates.

[mick]

...Would be cool to accept "visiting excursion trains" from my neighbour, I will have to work on him ...

That's a subject me and my previous neighbour often joked about but what a brilliant idea. Chris, if you're still interested in coming through the fence and you're reading this back in Selby then you're going to want a lot more track!

[george356]

Griff, I think they are Kadee copies/Accumates. I am going to experiment with silicon tubing and neodymium magnets and see if that works - something for the long winter evenings, I fancy.

[george356]

I would think that with the Indian Summer we are having here in the north of England most of us would have been playing trains , and I am no exception.

Some (random) pictures.

http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7816.jpg' alt='URL>'>

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