IanR Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 Went to Warley a couple of years ago. It was an excellent show and I think this year will be no exception, after all it is THE show of the year. If you don't mind the crowds and various odours, some of which can make your eyes water, you'll be fine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted November 18, 2010 Author Share Posted November 18, 2010 Thanks Ian. I'm really looking forward to it: I hope to gather together some ideas for the DGR whilst I'm there. My Dad's brother is coming along too, now too, so there'll be a small group of us! I promise I won't describe the odours fromthe show, though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted November 22, 2010 Author Share Posted November 22, 2010 Well, I really enjoyed going to the Warley show on Saturday. Its the first time I've seen a lot of other layouts up close so it was interesting seeing construction techniques used and looking at the layouts up close. It has given me plenty of ideas to dwell on and given me a real sense that I want parts of DGR to have a "purpose", or a made-up reason as to why the railway as gone there as opposed to somewhere else. To that end, I've decided that there will be a "countryside" end around the left-hand side of the dog-bone layout and a "town" end at the other. I picked up three ratio plastic kits whilst there - a cattle dock, for the countyside end - I'll put in a siding somewhere for this to exist on - a engine shed for the town end, and a signal box to go somewhere yet-to-be determined. Probably near the larger station at the town end. Also picked up some books which I hope to get more ideas from. There were more N gauge layouts at the show than I expected, but they were all very nice to see, apart from the almost ubiquitous sight of the man or woman running the layout looking at their controller in confusion or proding their locos and saying things like "Well, it should be working!". All in all, a really good day out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Good to hear you had an enjoyable day at Warley. Did you manage to take any photos? From photos I have seen elsewhere, the Bachmann display stand had some examples of the 'LMS twins' which are going to be another exciting release some time next year (hopefully). Apparently they were just 'rough' mouldings on display but even so, they look very nice indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted November 24, 2010 Author Share Posted November 24, 2010 I took a few photos of layouts that I've not done anything with yet, but I didn't take any photos of new products - sorry, didn't think to do so. I think I saw the LMS Twins on the Bachmann stand, but I don't really know very much about diesel locos Dapol were showing new and upcoming products, but I was slightly disappointed to see they were all N gauge. Can't really remember much else in detail. I was looking at layouts for ideas, browsing tools and looking at second hand stuff, even though I didn't end up buying anything second hand. I do remember a lovely looking Big Boy, the American 4-8-8-4 loco. It had been hand weathered and was only £200. Both me and Dad were tempted. We had to look at it twice to be sure it was OO, though, because it was so long! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanerg6e Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Hi Dave have you stared the process of construction yet?, and if you decide to have a high level railway I suggest you have a free standing structure rather than having one supported from the garden fence. If you have a fence collapse the fence will be rebuilt but would you rebuild the railway? I myself initially thought of a railway supported by the fence, but if my shared 1.8m high steel panel fence blew down the weight of the railway may be blamed for weakening the fence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted March 31, 2011 Author Share Posted March 31, 2011 Hi Roy, Just about to. I've marked out the ground and started construction of the free-standing supports I'm going to be using. I'm building it next to the fence and will be making a light coupling between it and the fenceposts, but not for structural reasons, more to prevent movement. Fence collapse isn't really a concern as the house shelters the fence from the prevailing winds and there is a rise beyond the fence from the other direction - but yes, in the unlikely event of a fence collapse I would rebuild - and probably rebuild better from lessons learned the first time! Once I've got a few pathetic-looking posts in the ground, I'll update this thread with photos Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanR Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Hi Dave have you stared the process of construction yet?, and if you decide to have a high level railway I suggest you have a free standing structure rather than having one supported from the garden fence. If you have a fence collapse the fence will be rebuilt but would you rebuild the railway? I myself initially thought of a railway supported by the fence, but if my shared 1.8m high steel panel fence blew down the weight of the railway may be blamed for weakening the fence. All depends on how the fence is constructed Roy. Here in the UK a lot of fences, mine included, use concrete posts which are concreted into the ground. Although the wooden panels may eventually fail it would have to be a very strong wind to move the posts. I was wondering if there had been any progress on your railway too Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 ....Once I've got a few pathetic-looking posts in the ground, I'll update this thread with photos Dave. That's great news Dave! Looking forward to seeing another layout develop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted May 6, 2011 Author Share Posted May 6, 2011 OK, as promised, I did get some time to do some carpentry and planting amonst the other jobs that needed attention over the long bank holiday period and that meant some progress on the indoor railway for the kids and a couple of pathetic looking posts in the ground, as promised! http://www.azaleanempire.co.uk/images/railway/first_posts.jpg' alt='URL>'> There will be a dozen of these in total, supporting a dog-bone layout along the back fence. This is not the full height - there will be another 16 inches on top of this, but the extra length of fenceposts are more expensive than amount of 2x1 that I'll be using to build some boxing to support the layout and to help it all stay square. Feels good to have these in the ground, now. I've got four more ready to go, and another six that need finishing off before they can be 'planted'. Wife is rather bemused by it all, but I'm not getting any objections, yet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Good to see a start has been made Dave. Despite all the fine weather over the past month it seemed like garden railway's had gone out of fashion when you'd have expected the forum to be heaving with regular updates. I'm guilty of that too - not having done anything with mine for a few weeks now but things are moving slowly behind the scenes. The posts look nice and sturdy. Are they set in concrete? Have you decided on a plan of action? Will we be seeing trains running in an end-to-end fashion during construction or will we have to wait until all the posts have been set in place and baseboards added before there's any movements? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanR Posted May 7, 2011 Share Posted May 7, 2011 Wife is rather bemused by it all, but I'm not getting any objections, yet! Building my railway seemed to have the same effect on my wife. She still has a puzzled look on her face even now when trains are circling the garden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted May 8, 2011 Author Share Posted May 8, 2011 Good to see a start has been made Dave. Despite all the fine weather over the past month it seemed like garden railway's had gone out of fashion when you'd have expected the forum to be heaving with regular updates. I'm guilty of that too - not having done anything with mine for a few weeks now but things are moving slowly behind the scenes. It might be all of that 'garden' part of the 'garden railway' that has been needing attention at this time of year! I've been a bit distracted by the indoor layout for the kids as well as my wargaming hobby too, to be honest. The posts look nice and sturdy. Are they set in concrete? We have really very sandy soil with lots of small stones in our garden, so I've been mixing the sand with concrete, putting the mix back in the hole (ensuring the posts are aligned and levelled correctly) and then the damp patches you can see on the photo are where I've watered the posts after planted them - just like you're supposed to do with anything in the garden! Of course, there is some excess soil and that is going to level up the place where my shed will eventually be! And after today I'm up to four posts in the ground and this will be one of the turning ends of the dogbone. Have you decided on a plan of action? Will we be seeing trains running in an end-to-end fashion during construction or will we have to wait until all the posts have been set in place and baseboards added before there's any movements? The plan at the moment is that I've still got a few more of these posts to fabricate which I'm doing in parrallel to 'planting' them. Then I'll create the boxwork out of 2x1 that will hold everything square and supply for the extra height as well as the base for the top surface, which will be made from exterior ply. I've got the 2x1 already, but not the sheet ply - but that is my next purchase. Roofing felt will go over the top of that, then it will the track and the scenic items I'm sure I'm going to be starting with some loose track on top, but I think I'm going to be likely to have the structure up and close to complete before I get the point of running anything. But knowning myself I'm sure I'll have some end-to-end running at that point before I complete the oval - I'm sure I'll not be able to hold out that long unless I get all of the track down quickly and mostly in one go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted June 24, 2011 Author Share Posted June 24, 2011 Well, all twelve posts are in the ground now, and I've got lots of pieces of 2x1 cut up into sections ready for the next stage of assembly - its a shame we're away most of this weekend I thought I was going to have to delay buying they ply and roofing felt I need for the top surface, due to car troubles. But I have been very fortunate to get a small bonus from work - especially in these economic times! That well help sort out the car and means I can buy some more bits for the railway I hope to get another photo taken, as soon as I can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drmalesis Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Hi Dave, Good to see you're making some progress. The weather forecast is predicting a decent weekend, so I'll be making a start also. Can't wait to see photos of the progress you've made... Duncan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted June 24, 2011 Author Share Posted June 24, 2011 Thanks Duncan. I'm just itching now to get to the point where I've got track laid outside, but its one of those things that has to be taken one step at a time. Probably will be turning autumn again before I'm really ready-to-run! Glad to see you're making progress on your build too, even if thew weather has been frustrating for a short while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Did I hear someone mention another photo... Good to hear of your progress Dave - sounds like it's coming along nicely (but we'll have to wait for the photo to see ) It's not something that happens overnight; there's a lot of work involved and the more time you spend getting it right now, the better rewards you'll get when it's finished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted September 2, 2011 Author Share Posted September 2, 2011 As I mentioned in traingeekboy's thread, I've made sufficient progress with the framework of my railway to lay out an 8x4 ply board and set up an oval of unsecured track last night. I took some photos and a small amount of video that I'll try and upload over the weekend. I can see that taking video of my trains running could get rather more additive than I had feared! I even saw a Spitfire fly over whilst I was playing outside, which I take to be a good omen Of course, I had to pack it all away again at the end of the session (which was when it had gone dark), but it should be too much longer now before it will be more permanent - then, of course, I'll have to pause for the winter! Anyway, today I'm still full of buzz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traingeekboy Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 One thing N scalers do for ballast is they put electrical tape underneath points facing up. Then they can put ballast inside the points but the ballast is only sticking to tape. It prevents glueing points. You might try this with something more suitable outdoors. I considered radius issues as well. I decided for 22" as a minimum. I figured most steamers can do 22". I have to gloat and say I am lucky, my GF thinks my whole train obsession is hilarious and likes how the layout is changing our "Bistro" area. It feels like one is entering a room when they have to lift the bridge to gain access. As to your comments being dull. I do the same thing on my layout thread. I post all kinds of stupid stuff, but it's why I joined this forum, so I could have a place to ponder and plot out loud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted September 3, 2011 Author Share Posted September 3, 2011 Thanks traingeekboy. Your posts haven't been dull so far either, but given I think mine are, I'm not sure this is the compliment it should be! My dad was here again last night, dropping the kids back at home after a week away, so he's helped me cut all my ply to size as well as cutting up some of the extra sheets for use as shelves in the garage - which should help keep me a little bit tider, or encourage me to have more stuff - one of these two! Hoping to process some of the photos tonight, nad I might take a couple more with the plywood tops in place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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