traingeekboy Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 before comitting anything to concrete. LOL Oh ouch! *Groan* he he he Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george356 Posted September 11, 2012 Author Share Posted September 11, 2012 OK Margaret is at work... so I am on my own... and I think... That triple compound statement is the sort of comment that women fear to their core. If you had said that in her presence she would have called work and said she couldn't make it. It's sort of like leaving a toddler alone for 15 minutes' date=' just about anything can happen. Houses get burned down after statements like this.[/color'] Now about those blocks. I'm curious to see what this is going to end up as. Right now it looks like a castle to me. Griff, you owe me a keyboard I laughed out loud, really LOUD!! A castle you say? Funnily enough, it does to me, too Actually, that was kinda the look I was going for. I have set the bits up in roughly the position I want them, but not fixed down. I am going to look at it for a while until I decide just exactly where I want it. My neighbour poked his head over the fence, admired it, and said "What are you going to do on THIS side of the railway"? He has a point. All of my fancy stuff has been done on the easy side near the path. I have 6 metres of elevated track on the fence side to go at yet It is going to be a bridge farm, as I have so many bridges I would like to model Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 Nice work with the cutting out George - very neat. They are easy to work with aren't they? Just a bit dusty at times. I'm sure the possibilities for constructing bridges with these blocks are endless. Will be interesting to see how this one turns out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george356 Posted September 12, 2012 Author Share Posted September 12, 2012 They are remarkably easy to cut, Mick. I used a coping saw to cut the curve part of the arches, with a little touch of the rasp to smooth them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traingeekboy Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 So hows the train castle coming along? My layout is the same way when it comes to what gets work done on it. I'm fixated on my station area. The far side only serves as through track for now. I owe you a keyboard huh? Spit a whole drink on the keyboard over that one? ha ha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george356 Posted September 13, 2012 Author Share Posted September 13, 2012 Train Castle Bridge (what a good name, "Castlebridge" - I shall pinch that) has been dowelled together (arch and 2 supports) but work, and rain, has stopped play BTW - one of my hobbies is fly-fishing, and in your area you have living one of the greatest fishing writers who has ever lived, John Geirach. He lives, and fishes, on the St Vrain River, is that anywhere near you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traingeekboy Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 The St. Vrain river is just north of me maybe an hour and a half drive or less. And yes, Colorado is fly fishing country. I'm lazy, i just buy trout in the store it's so cheap. MMMm... trout... may have to get some for dinner. he he he There are places here were you can cast your line into a creek and wait for trains to roll by; the ultimate hobby moment for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george356 Posted October 15, 2012 Author Share Posted October 15, 2012 I(t has been quiet on Cherry Parkway recently, work and arthritis stopped me in my tracks. However, after a visit to Shildon Model Railway exhibition at Locomotion I took the plunge and bought a Heljan Class 35 Hymek. I have chipped it with a Gaugemaster Opti DCC24 decoder, ran it in and then gave it a twirl around the garden. Photos below http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7849.jpg' alt='URL>'> http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7850-1.jpg' alt='URL>'> http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7844.jpg' alt='URL>'> http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7845.jpg' alt='URL>'> The pulling power is incredible, it make the gradient disappear, 6 blood and custard coaches up a 1 in 60 incline, no problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sykarost Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Hi George, I decided that tonight was the turn of 'Cherry Parkway' to receive some attention!! What an interesting time I've had & could not stop 'turning the pages' & it's now almost 1 am...... so this will be brief. I was quite taken by your viaduct & that was very much how I planned to construct mine in situ, having seen it done my confidence of success knows no bounds. I had also considered using those Decking Boards as they look made for the job (even built in drainage channels) but was concerned about warping & twisting but I guess if they are well screwed down they should be OK. You have achieved such a lot in a short time & it's really looking good however you completely lost me when you mentioned how it's controlled....... am I the only 'Dinosaur' still in the 'analogue dark ages'? Just the thought of bonding the joints with a soldering iron is worrying me Cheers for now, Brian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyR Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 A big wow on the bridge George, makes an impressive location for photos. As ever on here, a lull in activity is always worth the wait!I am heading to the National Festival of Railway Modelling at Peterborough this weekend, so like you may return from a show with a few purchases . Brian, Griff questioned me in my Hazlenut Railway thread on whether I had any plans to go digital so you are not the only Dinosaur . I guess I am still winging it a bit as I still have not got around to bonding my track, 18 months in. Still ok at the moment though (he says jinxing it). I have over 20 old locos, mostly Lima, so the thought of chipping all of them is rather a deterrent. If however I ever get my indoor layout off the ground I'd go for DCC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traingeekboy Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Don't feel bad I'm also still analog, the DCC will be a slow process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george356 Posted February 16, 2013 Author Share Posted February 16, 2013 It has been a fine day at Lake Wobegone, sorry Cherry Parkway. I cleaned 98 feet of track and ran a couple of locos just to be sure It's great to feel that we will be running trains again soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roddy Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 George, I have just read this lot from the beginning. I didn't realise that it was such a new project. When Tom and I came over (when was it) I assumed hat the track had been there a while. I know we spoke a little about bridges earlier in the year, but I wasn't even sure how determined you were. May I make a couple of points, with respect. 1 -- For the viaduct I would have used more of a concrete mix than a mortar one. The aggregate content gives strength. The danger now is that you have a fairly soft material that is prone to being kickedd or toe poked and the corners will crumble. 2 -- When making good your surface, try to catch it as green as possible. Rub a mortar mix into the holes with a wooden float. Easy to make a small one. When dry you will not see the joins. 3 -- When pouring the concrete, tamp it in as you did, but when the former is full tap the former all over both sides with a hammer. This will bring air to the surface, make the finished material more dense, and get rid of many of the surface flaws that you had to repair. 4 -- Thermalite blocks are easily and gently cut with a long blade in a jig saw. No faffing about with coping saws and rasps. 5 -- Join the thermalite blcks together with something like "No more nails" from a mastic gun. Give it 24 hours to set and do away with the dangers of drilling for dowels. Well that's all I can remember for now George. You know that this is all constructive critisism and not pulling apart your good work. Expect a visit in the next few weeks. I'm about stir crazy now and need to get out and about again (if I can remember how to drive after all this time) Why not attempt the proposed Sunderland road bride as a suspension job? I have always said that it looks like two arthritic fingers giving the V sign. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roddy Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 When I posted the tips the ther day, I knew that I had missed one, but couldn't remember what it was. When levelling in a long distance, keep turning the level end over end. This will get rid rid of any discrepancy that may be apparent in the bubble. If you use a string line, make sure to support the line at one or more intervals along it's length to lose any sag in th eline. Easy enough by squinting along the level of the line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george356 Posted February 18, 2013 Author Share Posted February 18, 2013 All good tips, Rod. I had/have a problem with the incline bottom to top - I think it's around 1:70 - my Heljan Hymek pulls a full load up it easily, but the real old stuff from the '70s struggles with more than 4 coaches. When I did the leveling it would have meant that the track at the patio end would have been chest high. That was higher than I wanted it to be so I compromised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traingeekboy Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 George, You seem to be AWOl for some time now. Well, Merry Christmas even if you don't see it till april. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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