General Help

Hi Max,

When I first started all this I thought I might end up being a rivet counter, but I've very quickly come to realise that so long as the railway looks and feels right, then that's enough, an above all it has to be fun and worth it! I won't people to enjoy it as much as I will.

Chris
 
Hi Chris

The best advice I can give is to visit a variety of garden railways and shows, there is nothing better and you'll learn the answer to many questions you've yet to think of to ask. Visiting other railways - the best investment in your garden railway you can make :)
 
Formulas, I absolutely love formulas. That and Microsoft Excel. So, whilst contemplating my future garden railway desires, I came to one clear conclusion, I'd been going about this all wrong. I've been thinking too much about other people using my railway and not enough about what I wanted.

So, I did the only thing I know how to do, opened Microsoft Excel and pondered on the things I like and balancing them with what I wanted to achieve with the railway.

What I want:
a) I adore the W&LLR and undoubtedly my favourite locomotive of all time is the Sierra Leone No. 14 based there
b) Live steam is a little off yet so I think it needs to be battery powered
c) I want it to be durable enough for kids to play with, they are the future after all and these things, at the end of the day, are meant to be played with
d) I want it to look good, authentic and to scale, but also be fun for people to come and play with

So, in Excel, I did some maths and I have decided that I think the logical path for me is to model 2ft 6in gauge at 16mm scale, using 45mm track, as that would giving me a prototype scale of 2ft 9in, which would give me a closer scale size to 32mm, which is as close as you like to 2ft.

This gives me the opportunity to use some of the LGB stuff left over from my time as a small child to "bash" some things together. I'm looking forward to try to convert an old LGB loco chassis to battery RC.

I'm also thinking of using Peco 45mm track rather then anything else, as it is a lower profile and thus more to scale, correct-o? Just worried about wheel flanges on LGB chassis on lower profile Peco track, anyone tried this?

Does that make sense?
 
I think a trip to Garden Railway Specialists, GRS, is in order - Other very reputable garden railway retailers are available - if your loco/wagon kit building skills are up to scratch. They do a cracking range of freelance and prototypical UK NG/Colonial kits that can be mounted onto LGB motorblocks and wagon chassis. Just count your fingers before you leave ;D

If this is going to be your chosen path you really need to make time to get up to the 16mm NGM's Peterborough show on the 12th April if possible. All will be there for you to see and contemplate, you won't be disapointed. If you cannot go, join up with the 16mm NGM anyway (£17 p.a. quartely mag and load of other benefits) and attend some your chosen local area group's open days over the coming months. Down your way there is a very respected retailer, Simon Whenmouth and one of the "doyens" of our hobby Tag Gorton (ed' Garden Rail).

The 16mm NGM has a growing contingent who are into battery power (principally diesel outline but i have a GRS L&B Exe that is battery powered) and very accepting of it as a propulsion method, though their big thing is live steam operation.
Max
 
SpudUk said:
I'm also thinking of using Peco 45mm track rather then anything else, as it is a lower profile and thus more to scale, correct-o? Just worried about wheel flanges on LGB chassis on lower profile Peco track, anyone tried this?
Click to expand...

No problems with almost all G wheels.

My local G Scale Society's group (the East Midlands) has a portable layout that visits a few exhibitions and is laid entirely with Peco G track. Never had a problem with flanges of any brand but I suspect some of the very early (pre mid 1970s) LGB stock with the very deep flanges may bump about a bit. I have a few examples but I re wheeled them years ago with the more modern type.

IMHO there are two features of Peco track that may cause concern if not addressed at the planning stage.
One, it is a lighter section flexible track so curve alignment is more likely to move than the more rigid "set track" alternatives especially if loose laid on ballast.
Two, and of no concern for battery or live steam, is the very small insulating gap on point frogs. Excellent for minimising the risk of short wheelbase twin axle locos stalling but skate fitted locos from LGB, MTH and USA Trains tend to short on them and trip sensitive power supplies.
 
[quote author=SpudUk link=topic=298391.msg309194#msg309194 date=1395045913]
Formulas, I absolutely love formulas. That and Microsoft Excel. So, whilst contemplating my future garden railway desires, I came to one clear conclusion, I`d been going about this all wrong. I`ve been thinking too much about other people using my railway and not enough about what I wanted.

So, I did the only thing I know how to do, opened Microsoft Excel and pondered on the things I like and balancing them with what I wanted to achieve with the railway.

What I want:
a) I adore the W&LLR and undoubtedly my favourite locomotive of all time is the Sierra Leone No. 14 based there
b) Live steam is a little off yet so I think it needs to be battery powered
c) I want it to be durable enough for kids to play with, they are the future after all and these things, at the end of the day, are meant to be played with
d) I want it to look good, authentic and to scale, but also be fun for people to come and play with

So, in Excel, I did some maths and I have decided that I think the logical path for me is to model 2ft 6in gauge at 16mm scale, using 45mm track, as that would giving me a prototype scale of 2ft 9in, which would give me a closer scale size to 32mm, which is as close as you like to 2ft.

This gives me the opportunity to use some of the LGB stuff left over from my time as a small child to "bash" some things together. I`m looking forward to try to convert an old LGB loco chassis to battery RC.

I`m also thinking of using Peco 45mm track rather then anything else, as it is a lower profile and thus more to scale, correct-o? Just worried about wheel flanges on LGB chassis on lower profile Peco track, anyone tried this?

Does that make sense?
[/quote]
Makes perfect sense. It`s the sort of compromise I made when I migrated from an off the shelf LGB starter set to something which represented a more UK based model. I`m no rivet counter but the few non-freelance models I`ve made hover between 15mm and 16mm scale. I scratchbuilt two former Southwold locos and based their dimensions on the chassis blocks I could find which were as close as possible to the originals. In the case of former SR No.4 0-6-2T (Wenhaston), I opted for 15mm scale as this was the closest to the wheel diameters and spacings for the chassis I had (ex LGB) whereas I opted for 16mm scale when I constructed the former SR loco No.1 2-4-2T (Southwold) as this was a better match for the Playmobil motor block.

Although they are slightly different scales they don`t look too odd side by side - the extra few mm on the smaller Sharpie 2-4-2 helped find space for the batteries and other gubbins. Though no doubt the purists would be horrified!

1-IMG_6429.JPG

So, I`d say, be prepared to make a few compromises as they don`t look too out of place.

Rik
PS - If I was starting-out again, I too would opt for Peco track. The LGB style track is bomb-proof but does look a bit chunky. The narrower profile of Peco is a bit more in keeping with UK prototype NG - and it`s cheaper.
 
Chris, if you are set on Peco G45 track Garden Railway Centre in Cheltenham have 30 feet of the stuff going for £75 2nd hand + some curved track too, extra cost. Bit early perhaps but a good retailer in my experience and one to watch for 2nd hand stuff.
Max.
 
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