Land grab

Shed arrived today so tomorrow will be busy day erecting new shed. The 8' x 4' pent shed parts are all there and look okay. There was a large splinter on one piece but soon fixed with wood glue and clamps. I got it from Tiger sheds (UK) hence the strange colour. I always get shiplap in preference to overlap sheds, much stronger and more waterproof.

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As mentioned this will be a temporary shed, on a makeshift base, so that I can empty my current shed prior to (attempting to) move it. It will then be dismantled and re-erected as a loco shed / tunnel over the 5" gauge track (TBD).

The future's bright, the future's orange... :)
 
Put the new shed up, emptied the old shed contents and moved the old shed tonight with a mate and son-in-law.
It proved too heavy to lift even when empty and stripped down to bare minimum, doors removed, etc. My builder mate then went to his van and came back with a couple of 8 foot steel bars and two steel rods about inch in diameter. We slipped the bars under the shed sides and used the rods as rollers, then dragged the shed into place in about half an hour. First picture gives an idea of how far we had to move the shed, second shows the temporary shed in place.

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My plan had me down to move the shed by the end of April so more or less on schedule. Now that the space is cleared I can begin laying foundations for the 5' track, but first I have to reconnect the power to the old shed in it's new position, which means relaying the armoured cable.
 
PhilP said:
Going broad-gauge, then? :think:;):giggle::giggle:
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Very droll. Single instead of double quote. Just as well I didn't order any 5' track, I might have been a bit surprised when the artic turned up :)

I have now reconnected power to shed in new location. When wiring up the mains supply cable to the distribution unit in the shed I made the schoolboy error of pushing the neutral wire too far into the screw clamp so the insulation got clamped not the copper cable. I couldn't figure out why no power in the shed, it took me ages to trace the problem. :whew:

Lesson learned.
 
idlemarvel said:
Very droll. Single instead of double quote. Just as well I didn't order any 5' track, I might have been a bit surprised when the artic turned up :)

I have now reconnected power to shed in new location. When wiring up the mains supply cable to the distribution unit in the shed I made the schoolboy error of pushing the neutral wire too far into the screw clamp so the insulation got clamped not the copper cable. I couldn't figure out why no power in the shed, it took me ages to trace the problem. :whew:

Lesson learned.
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Easiest problems are the hardest to find
 
I have finally received title deeds for the new plot. DIY conveyancing. It only took HM Land Registry five months to process the forms! I am glad it came through as I would hate to have to move that shed back again. :whew:
 
idlemarvel said:
Put the new shed up, emptied the old shed contents and moved the old shed tonight with a mate and son-in-law.
It proved too heavy to lift even when empty and stripped down to bare minimum, doors removed, etc. My builder mate then went to his van and came back with a couple of 8 foot steel bars and two steel rods about inch in diameter. We slipped the bars under the shed sides and used the rods as rollers, then dragged the shed into place in about half an hour. First picture gives an idea of how far we had to move the shed, second shows the temporary shed in place.

View attachment 251608

View attachment 251609

My plan had me down to move the shed by the end of April so more or less on schedule. Now that the space is cleared I can begin laying foundations for the 5' track, but first I have to reconnect the power to the old shed in it's new position, which means relaying the armoured cable.
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Arthur Two Sheds Jackson :nod: :nod: :nod:
 
The second shed is now dismantled until the track is laid, when it will be used to make an combined loco shed and tunnel.

Talking of track, the "first sod" was cut today. Small start but you have to start somewhere. The trench is 65cm wide and 20 cm deep in the middle and 10 cm deep at the edges, waiting to be covered with weed proof membrane. The deeper part will be filled with sub base, above that will be ballast and paviors acting as the ballast "shoulder" at the shallower sides of the trench. You can see the template at the end of the trench. The marker posts are leveled from one to the next with a 4 ft spirit level, using the surveyor's "that'll do" principle.

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The slab in the bottom left is the start of the station platform. The big mound of earth is not from the trench but the result of levelling the whole plot, and will become some sort of feature, currently thinking fern-based "forest" with hidden dinosaurs.
 
Looks a bit more like track bed now:

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The bricks need to be levelled. The ground on the left will be turfed.

The curve will lead to what will be the loco shed:

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The roller was found buried in the undergrowth of the plot I bought. It has proved to be very useful.! :)
 
Hi Dave hope you are well, just caught up on your new venture very impressive stuff keep up the good work. :clap:
 
Thanks Adam, very well thanks to all the exercise this project is providing! :)
 
Some 1:1 scale kit bashing today, turning a garden shed into a tunnel/train shed. More to do but there will still be bits left over including the floor panels which will become shelves, and two side panels with which I plan to make a tree-house for the grandchildren.

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It's some time since I updated this but for those interested in the building of a 5" gauge garden railway I have been updating a thread on gardenrails.org (Garden Railway Forum):

The Circle Line - Garden Railway Forum

I've got as far as starting to lay some track.
 
idlemarvel said:
It's some time since I updated this but for those interested in the building of a 5" gauge garden railway I have been updating a thread on gardenrails.org (Garden Railway Forum):

The Circle Line - Garden Railway Forum

I've got as far as starting to lay some track.
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Thanks for the link, Dave, much enjoyed reading of your progress and your creativity. This is really good stuff - the very best of luck with the project.
 
Alec K said:
Thanks for the link, Dave, much enjoyed reading of your progress and your creativity. This is really good stuff - the very best of luck with the project.
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I was close to being into 5” recently having been seduced by a lovely Bogie Tram that carried 2 people plus the Driver. I had intended to have removable Jubilee Type Track with my small Summer Shed adapted as a Car Barn. However sadly the Tram would not manoeuvre round my Garden Path to get into the Garden so it was not purchased. Fortunately I was able to work this all out with Cad before making the commitment to buy the Tram. Sad really as it was a super piece of kit. Have wonders in my head to see if I could build something similar, but a 3 Section Tram like a Combino.

Pity the 7 1/4 did not work out as you could have a dual line, if the Rail was the right section the difference between the two makes a great 45mm Track. That is what we have at our line in St.Neots (Riverside Miniatuer Railway). Have run my Battery Operated Wizzy Cranks on it a couple of times now.
 
The track is laid, checked and tested, and I had the first test run yesterday. Great fun. Despite some reservations about ride stability on 5 inch track at ground level, it hasn't been a problem so far, even with 9 foot radius curves.
IMG_20190714_171205.jpg
 
casey jones snr said:
That is a handsome looking locomotive.
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Thanks Casey, I love it even though it is not based on any particular prototype. I would have liked the version with cranks but I was concerned about little fingers getting caught in the mechanism. I'll post some videos when I get a chance.
 
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