A new Gauge 3 garden railway

Mike W

Mike W

Western Thunderer
Maybe Brian. It is 15ft radius on the inner track - double track - and I really don't want to reduce that. If all else fails I can put it the other side of the tree but that reduces the length of the oval from 65ft to about 59ft and with 15ft radius that reduced the length of 'straight' on one side significantly.

Mike
 
geoff_nicholls

geoff_nicholls

Western Thunderer
The photos make the radius of the curve look quite reasonable, I suppose it won't be too ludicrously large, when you're running a train of bogie coaches behind a Claughton.
Good progress though, and you've got four days before any possiblity of rain. Fingers crossed it will be sorted by then.
 
Mike W

Mike W

Western Thunderer
Geoff, compared to your railways an oval 10ft x 8ft would be ludicrously large! But I admit it might take several minutes for your Bury 0-4-0 or Sentinel to do a circuit.

Mike
 
Mike W

Mike W

Western Thunderer
I had some help today (thanks Shaun, and yes we are self isolating as a family). Three 6ft bases now assembled on posts which have been leveled and it fits! I do need to cut down a rather large Laurel bush but they grow back quickly so with luck the Domestic department may not notice its gone. I've now bashed wooden stakes in to show the centre of the alignment and can go ahead with the proper and final supporting posts. Then I can move the three sections as a unit around the arc so that the end is lined up to go straight across the garden, and fix them at that. Sounds easy enough ... !
Track 6.JPG Track 5.JPG

That's a Horse Chestnut in the centre of the picture, Yew on the right and the Laurel to the left. I was, and still am, keen for the railway to be in the garden, so going behind the odd tree and the creation of different viewing cameos is all part of the plan.

Mike
 
Mike W

Mike W

Western Thunderer
You clearly went to a better school than me Geoff - I had to Google that. Or maybe you did Latin when I did French!
 
Mike W

Mike W

Western Thunderer
Thanks John. Meanwhile a little more progress yesterday. That's a bout 30ft of steelwork erected and the proper supports all in the right places. I made the steel frames in two types: 15ftR and 30ftR. Can now see that I need three more 15ft which will have to be after lockdown. Don't know whyTrack 8.JPG he end post looks wonky - looks vertical on site. Must check with the spirit level again!
 
Mike W

Mike W

Western Thunderer
Probably Geoff, though I'm not waiting yet. Two or three types of board have been recommended - will get prices when I'm ready to use it. I have more 15ft sections but they are laid out at the other end of the oval, so I'll need to move them over to this end first. They've served their purpose th the other end and show it does fit there too.

Mike
 
Mike W

Mike W

Western Thunderer
By the way, the circuit will be about 190ft, so I guess 30ft isn't much of the total really!

Mike
 
Mike W

Mike W

Western Thunderer
Yet another project which has delayed the trackwork! LNWR 2500 gallon tender. This is the test assembly. Looks a bit rough at this stage and its riding too high, but all that can be fixed. Now working on the brakes whilst the wooden bufferbeam is made.

Mike
 

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Jon Nazareth

Jon Nazareth

Western Thunderer
Mike
About time that we saw some of your work :). That's a nice looking coach and it looks as if it's carrying some side lamps. I think that I should have used some of the styrene braces on my coach. It would have helped the bowed sides no end.

Jon
 
Mike W

Mike W

Western Thunderer
Thank you Jon. The styrene crossmembers are actually channel section brass with captive nuts in the centre. The map tops screw into them and allow the roof to be removed in case of accident.

I don't like posting much of my own work because, as a manufacturer, that's using the forum to advertise my own kits which doesn't seem right.

Mike
 
Mike W

Mike W

Western Thunderer
Jon, I should have mentioned the lamps. I was able to salvage a real lamp from a grounded body about 30 years ago so that and a sketch enabled Geoff Nicholls of this parish to draw them in CAD and solid print. I then had them cast in whitemetal. Unlike your lamps, I have not attempted any lenses ... yet. The lookout itself is resin from a brass and steel pattern made by me and turned out to be one of the most difficult things to get right.

Mike
 
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