Greetings From Darkest Norfolk

[Huw Jones]

Good morning Paul,

I have to admit that the plan for the garden railway was passed through management reasonably quickly due to a certain little boy being obsessed by trains! It helps that we also had space in our garden for a reasonably unobtrusive garden railway that isn't immediately noticeable when you come into the garden which certainly keeps my wife happy (I get the feeling that if I tried bridging it from one side to another with a nice architectural bridge or similar that she might have a touch more to say about things).

Is your new house more suited to garden railway building?

 

[voodoopenguin]

The answer to the question would be "What new house?". The kids have flown so we are looking for another property which will hopefully suit us for the next 20-30 years so various boxes have to be ticked. Easy access to facilities and transport, enough room for our hobbies and a garden suitable to have a railway and all the other usual gardeny things. Last year we missed out on two that could have worked but we couldn't move fast enough so we made the decision to sell up so the money was in the bank ready to pounce when the next one appears. Our criteria limit the market we are looking at so we have to be ready.

I will watch this space to see how you progress and I am sure that you will have things running soon.

Nice architectural bridge you say. Here is one I have had in storage for some time waiting for my future project. That's a Playmobil loco on it to give an idea of size.



Paul

Good morning Paul,
Is your new house more suited to garden railway building?

 

[Huw Jones]

Now THAT is a bridge! What a fabulous build.

Sorry for the misunderstanding, but I just naturally assumed that with your comment about moving everything out of the house you had already located somewhere new to move into.

 

[Trainman 864]

I will watch this space to see how you progress and I am sure that you will have things running soon.

Paul

I believe threads in this 'New Members forum' self-delete after 90 days - hopefully the relevant content can be moved to a more permenant location.

 

[voodoopenguin]

Forgotten about that so I will hopefully watch another space to see how you progress and I am sure that you will have things running soon.

Paul

Norfolk Broads

I believe threads in this 'New Members forum' self-delete after 90 days - hopefully the relevant content can be moved to a more permenant location.

 

[voodoopenguin]

No need for apologies at all. Our lives will be housed in four 20' containers somewhere on an industrial site for the immediate future. I filled the first container just with the contents of my loft and that was mostly model railway! Not only that but it doesn't contain any of my G scale which is stored elsewhere.

Paul

Now THAT is a bridge! What a fabulous build.

Sorry for the misunderstanding, but I just naturally assumed that with your comment about moving everything out of the house you had already located somewhere new to move into.

 

[trammayo]

The answer to the question would be "What new house?". The kids have flown so we are looking for another property which will hopefully suit us for the next 20-30 years so various boxes have to be ticked. Easy access to facilities and transport, enough room for our hobbies and a garden suitable to have a railway and all the other usual gardeny things. Last year we missed out on two that could have worked but we couldn't move fast enough so we made the decision to sell up so the money was in the bank ready to pounce when the next one appears. Our criteria limit the market we are looking at so we have to be ready.

I will watch this space to see how you progress and I am sure that you will have things running soon.

Nice architectural bridge you say. Here is one I have had in storage for some time waiting for my future project. That's a Playmobil loco on it to give an idea of size.



Paul

That bridge is a corker! Can I ask if you built it or where it came from?

When I wanted curved steel angle (the normal rolled mild steel stuff), I used to use the services of a ring rolling company (White Cross Ring Rolling) but metal (i'm making an assumption there) as light gauge as your bridge isn't easy to form. Just curious (and impressed) really!

 

[voodoopenguin]

Sorry to say that I did not build it myself. I have always loved auctions and that was in one several years ago. It was before I had really thought that I might want to go up in scales but I was impressed so when no-one else seemed interested I put my hand up and probably got it for about the scrap metal value! I then totally forgot I had it as I had popped the thing under the eaves in the loft and only came across it again when I started to clear things last year. There is no maker's mark but it does appear to be very well made however I guess it would need regular attention to stop it rusting away in an outside layout. It measures 149 cm (58.5") in length, stands 35 cm (13.75") high and is 13 cm (5") across the track platform.

Sorry Huw, I appear to have slightly hijacked your welcome thread.

Paul

That bridge is a corker! Can I ask if you built it or where it came from?

 

[trammayo]

Sorry to say that I did not build it myself. I have always loved auctions and that was in one several years ago. It was before I had really thought that I might want to go up in scales but I was impressed so when no-one else seemed interested I put my hand up and probably got it for about the scrap metal value! I then totally forgot I had it as I had popped the thing under the eaves in the loft and only came across it again when I started to clear things last year. There is no maker's mark but it does appear to be very well made however I guess it would need regular attention to stop it rusting away in an outside layout. It measures 149 cm (58.5") in length, stands 35 cm (13.75") high and is 13 cm (5") across the track platform.

Sorry Huw, I appear to have slightly hijacked your welcome thread.

Paul

No its me that should say sorry to Huw. Thanks for your reply Paul and to Huw for his forbearance!

And a belated hello and welcome from me also!

 

[Huw Jones]

Hey I'm more than happy for conversations to go off on a tangent as it's all about a learning experience!

I've set up a gallery post to follow the building of the railway, so that should stay up for a while I hope.
Just follow the pics for the Llareggub Light Railway (spot the Welshman who likes Dylan Thomas!)

 

[martin.retired]

Fair enough.

BTW - I recently got the Playmobil No.5258 R/C Freight Train set myself and what a great little loco it is - I can thoroughly recomend it.

I've just bought one of these (for my grandchildren of course) . It's fantastic value compared to 'grown ups' stuff. I saw it running along with Thomas on a G Scale/16mm layout at the Ally Pally annual model railway festival. Very popular with the kiddies, their dads and granddads - and the guys operating the layout. The diesel loco is a bit YELLOW but I'm sure lends itself well to modification.

 

[dunnyrail]

Thanks ever so much Philp and Stockers.

Damn.......hadn't thought about the points, just assumed they would be insulated when the points were thrown. Hadn't considered them to be live frogs. Going to need a touch more thinking then as I was just hoping to keep everything as analogue as possible to make running trains very easy for small children!

Welcome to the Mad House.

So long as you do not try a crossing on your Double Track part you will have no problems. If you are going analogue and you need isolations, my patented system in this link is pretty simple to do.

https://www.gscalecentral.net/threads/lgb-track-isolating-section-a-simple-way-to-create-one.300471/

Do not worry too much about expansion I have ballasted all my track with no problems at all. Postcrete is perhaps the simplest, cheepest and easiest. When putting postcrete down as Ballast, spray with Water and a bit of washing up liquid. Leave to go off for 15 minutes or so then water big time with a Watering Can, this will get the complete thing solid. It appears that the initial spray just gets the surface crust to go off keeping all in place for the Watering Can torrent after.
JonD

 

[Trainman 864]

I've just bought one of these (for my grandchildren of course) . It's fantastic value compared to 'grown ups' stuff. I saw it running along with Thomas on a G Scale/16mm layout at the Ally Pally annual model railway festival. Very popular with the kiddies, their dads and granddads - and the guys operating the layout. The diesel loco is a bit YELLOW but I'm sure lends itself well to modification.

Yes- I know what you mean about the yellow - I'm thinking maybe some sidewalls like the Voith Gravita has might tone it down a bit if they were painted some kind of grey. However, my priority is to paint the inside black to reduce the light bleed through from the lamps. The problem is getting it apart - I'm told it's been designed to be kiddie proof, so what chance of I got, as a mere adult, to dismantle it? ....

 

[PhilP]

Yes- I know what you mean about the yellow - I'm thinking maybe some sidewalls like the Voith Gravita has might tone it down a bit if they were painted some kind of grey. However, my priority is to paint the inside black to reduce the light bleed through from the lamps. The problem is getting it apart - I'm told it's been designed to be kiddie proof, so what chance of I got, as a mere adult, to dismantle it? ....

I am sure it is on the Forum somewhere..
Someone had one apart, and gave an illustrated 'tab by tab' report of how to do it..

 

[Rhinochugger]

Aha, welcome to the forum - the Norfolk chapter

I'm the opposite side of the county from ebay Mike, but having moved two years ago.................haven't yet got the new line down, but have a temporary arrangement around da shed.

 

[Huw Jones]

I've just been updating my photos thread with some pics of the work that's been progressing on the Llaregub Light Railway!

https://www.gscalecentral.net/threads/llareggub-light-railway.306936/

Got a video now too of the first run using the battery Playmobil loco but I can't get the infernal thing to run from my Photobucket album!

And big thanks to eBay Mike for the latest addition to the railway

 

[stockers]

I am sure it is on the Forum somewhere..
Someone had one apart, and gave an illustrated 'tab by tab' report of how to do it..

I think Mike had a special tool for that!

 

[Rhinochugger]

I think Mike had a special tool for that!

Just a word of explanation - Mike's favourite instrument of instruction is Mr Lumphammer

 

[Huw Jones]

The learning curve continues...........

First firing of 'Ruby' resulted in a very satisfactory running, even if it did shoot off like a steam powered rocket!

Second firing was a bit more problematic! 'Ruby' shot off again at a silly speed, but this time hit the reverse curve at the top of my railway with such speed she derailed and fell to the ground (NOT a good moment!). Two circuits later she again bailed off the tracks, but this time into a pile of leaves at the opposite end of the track on the outside of the curve.

Changes needed to be made!
The back end of the railway is going to have a tunnel at some point anyway, so it was simple enough to use some left over board to act as a crash barrier, but the top end - by the summerhouse - needed something more elegant..........
Cue the carpentry!

So that should hopefully catch any runaway live steam locomotives, at least until I can find a way to RC control 'Ruby'. After talking to Simon at Anything Narrow Gauge it does transpire that they do tend to be a bit rapid, and a touch unpredictable due to the small cylinders hence why most folks tend to RC control them to keep them reined in.

Finally spent the last vestiges of daylight working on my bridge for the railway...........

Rather pleased with that as it completely came from my own mind and came together rather nicely in the end.

 

[Huw Jones]

Well progress is being made!

Carpentry finished off last week, and this weekend I've finally got round to ballasting my track work so it's starting to look meant now.

The black square up by the summerhouse will eventually have a loco shed built over it so we can store a loco or two in there when they're not running. I've got all my isolated sections sorted now so any electric locos can be stored in the sidings whilst another is on the tracks, and the switch box is kind of awesome!