Ox Mountain Railway

Madman said:
Mick, I'd like to make a suggestion. Instead of the rubble, supporting the Astro-turf, why not place something like a sheet of plywood there ? Of course it would have to be treated plywood. Or, some other non-routable material.
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Hi Dan, I thought of various materials when I was doing the job but decided on the rubble/demolition stuff as otherwise it would have cost money to get rid of it!

beavercreek said:
Hi Mick
You could visit a local signwriter/producer and see if they will give you some good sized offcuts of the 10mm stuff..it is hard, rigid and does not rot. you could use down to 6mm but it gets a bit flexible over long lengths.
I vist all of the local sign makers and rummage through their oddment bins quite frequently...in fact I did two days ago (keeping an antisocial distance off course and washing my hands!)
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Hi Mike, I have tried in the past - they'd sell me a whole sheet for lots of money but give? The only thing near it was some election posters and I just happened to be in the right place at the right time! They were too flexible though as you know.


dunnyrail said:
Looks like the cooking fat is scouring the stones for rodents or perhaps small crawling semi aquatic creatures.
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Yes you've got her name right!
 
Well, I ripped up another decking board and cross-cut some 2x3. As all the wood had been previously treated, the saw cuts revealed raw (untreated) faces. I treated it with Enseal - hence the yellow look. If the promised rain skirts around our area then I might be able to start laying the framework.

The garage might look like a junk yard but it doubles up as a workshop AND a recycling centre!
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And sometimes, even as a garage!
 
The dry weather has continued. I spent most of Thursday outside working on the repairs. Hadn't any chance of posting pics until now as I was experiencing internet problems! Anyway here goes a few pics showing progress;-

In need of repair_ _16_.JPG

In need of repair_ _21_.JPG

In need of repair_ _24_.JPG

The above three pics show Thursday's progress. Then we come to Friday;-

In need of repair_ _27_.JPG

In need of repair_ _28_.JPG

The four lengths of track on the floor are now placed on the timberwork. Some adjustments to the level of the bridge will have to be made, as well the return loop connections. Then it will be case of cleaning up the rail joints, attaching the feeder, etc. Although we have sunshine and blue skies, we also have a stiff breeze and low temperature - so nothing done today!
 
Coming on well Mick,wass them yellow fings with the bubbles for?;):rofl:
 
So, I put the grass back over the rubble yesterday teatime;-

Getting there _3_.JPG

This morning, I also had a go at connecting the feeder to the tracks;-

Getting there _2_.JPG

You can see where I cut through the feeder wires when dismantling the old trackbed. I stripped the wire ends and used connectors for now. Then I tried applying power to the two track sections concerned. Dead as a Dodo! So it was a good job I didn't solder and heat shrink! So now I have to find why power was not being delivered!
 
I remembered that my test meter was in the trailer, which was in the barn. So once I'd got the meter I did some testing. It turns out that the connecting pins for the feeder cable had been pushed down and were not connecting when the adaptor was pushed in. So throwing bits away, I made a home for the pins and the connector. Now I can make a proper connection again - power was getting through! If it's dry tomorrow, and not windy, I'll solder things together and protect with heat shrink. I'll also take a couple of pics.
 
A few pics of the feeder.....

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Above: The cable for the feeder plug-in is stored in the cupboard. It is permanently connected to the main track power supply.
Below: Originally, the socket (ex Flymo) was stored in a plastic box with a sealable lid. Don't know what type of plastic it was made from but it eventually went very brittle and blew away. This pic shows the connection off the lawnmower,

Feeder (2).JPG

Feeder _3_.JPG

Below: I have now made up a weatherproof container which houses the now stripped down connection.

Feeder (1).JPG
Feeder (4).JPG
 
trammayo said:
........Originally, the socket (ex Flymo) was stored in a plastic box with a sealable lid. Don't know what type of plastic it was made from but it eventually went very brittle and blew away. This pic shows the connection off the lawnmower,
........I have now made up a weatherproof container which houses the now stripped down connection.
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Yorkshire ingenuity and economy concisely summarised!! ;)
 
dunnyrail said:
Ehh by ek me Grandad alas used to sey thet.
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dunnyrail said:
Ehh by ek me Grandad alas used to sey thet.
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Hello.
Could I just put in a general comment. I have only fairly recently been corresponding on this site, mainly questions which others have patiently answered for me but I would like to say that seeing the evolution of the Ox Mountain railway has been both inspirational to a relative newbie as well as offering so much practical help. If a picture is supposed to paint a thousand words then this railway is an encyclopedia. Well done Mick and thank you.
 
Hello.
Could I just put in a general comment. I have only fairly recently been corresponding on this site, mainly questions which others have patiently answered for me but I would like to say that seeing the evolution of the Ox Mountain railway has been both inspirational to a relative newbie as well as offering so much practical help. If a picture is supposed to paint a thousand words then this railway is an encyclopedia. Well done Mick and thank you.
 
Anglian said:
Hello.
Could I just put in a general comment. I have only fairly recently been corresponding on this site, mainly questions which others have patiently answered for me but I would like to say that seeing the evolution of the Ox Mountain railway has been both inspirational to a relative newbie as well as offering so much practical help. If a picture is supposed to paint a thousand words then this railway is an encyclopedia. Well done Mick and thank you.
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Thank you for the kind comments. As with all garden lines, they are always a work in progress. I learn from my mistakes but cannot always rectify them! I shouldn't have been so tight-fisted reusing materials to hand :D.
 
Well I have finally got all the track fastened down on the new timberwork. All joints have been made conductive and tested for continuity. As it too time consuming trying to clean track and connector (the rail head isn't a problem) and I can't find my box of rail clamps, I drill through the connector and the foot of the rail. I then screw in some stainless self tappers -

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I've also used stainless woodscrews to fasten the track down.

I've reached the bridge now and, unexpectedly, the track on the new timber is about 1/2" longer than it was before! So some more adjustments to be made - a Dremel type machine will make the cuts if I can find the discs.

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Above shows I'm getting there!
 
I really like the idea of 'plastic grass' for the embankment sides.. Hides a multitude of sins (definitely needed here!) and looks good with minimum 'messing'. - Proper built-up embankments, and their maintenance, would be a real time-consuming nightmare, I reckon?
 
PhilP said:
I really like the idea of 'plastic grass' for the embankment sides.. Hides a multitude of sins (definitely needed here!) and looks good with minimum 'messing'. - Proper built-up embankments, and their maintenance, would be a real time-consuming nightmare, I reckon?
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... and it gathers no moss ;)
 
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