Steve Cook
Flying Squad
Following the demise of my previous garden line, I've spent most of this summer and autumn replacing fences and starting on the build of another garden railway. The big difference is that this new one is a continuous circuit to exploit the use of my live steam engines - something my end to end line didn't do very well. Whilst there is often the option of running on other peoples lines close by, funnily enough, as the weather gets worse, the opportunities diminish as the owners would rather be inside The problem for me is the visual effects actually get better as the weather gets colder, and I haven't got to experience that yet.
If I'm honest, I've been kicking about the idea for changing the old line for a couple of years - at one point I had worked out a way of using the existing line, but felt unhappy about how much it dominated the garden. It would also have been a little low - the old line was on average 18" - 20" off the ground which is fine for electric locos and the odd bit of gas powered steam engines - but its way too low for coal fired engines, especially with my back. I did briefly consider digging a hole and sticking a bath in it to create a sunken pit for firing...only very briefly though
I suppose its probably a good time to talk about what I want the new line to achieve as that drives all the decisions from here on in.:
Above all else it needs to be a continuous circuit to support live steam running.
It needs to be of the largest radius I can physically squeeze in the garden to give me the widest available running options.
It must have both 45mm and 32mm circuits (dual gauge trackwork).
It will be really nice if I can squeeze in 63.5mm too (triple gauge trackwork ).
It needs to be ready at the drop of a hat and be comfortable to build and work on.
And thats it. After scribbling down lots of ideas, various dream scenarios etc, I've gone back to basics and boiled it down to the absolute minimum - a single loop with a one siding to act as a firing up area. To start with, given the time of year I'm actually building the thing in, just getting a single line of track in will do - I can go back and add other running rails to create the extra gauges later.
The big question, having decided what I was doing, was what would it allow me to do. The gap between the rear of the garage wall and the fence posts is 13'7' so I'm physically constrained in terms of overhang.
The maximum radius I can get in is a function of clearance (stock to immovable objects), overhang of stock and the track radius itself. One of the reasons for keeping the rear of the shed in the photo above is that it makes a good temporary track test board. I decided that 100mm clearance between the outer rail and the wall would hopefully be enough, so I put down some track at a radius of 1960mm, 10mm smaller than I could get in.
The first engine to be tested was the Great Central D9 - with the bogie pivot where it is, its actually quite a long wheelbase and I was very keen to see I'd be able to get some standard G1 locos round Its definitely a bit 'train set' with the radius that tight, but with the extra given width from Cliff Barkers gauge widened track (45.5mm) I was able to lift one side of the board and have the loco free wheel round the track to the other - there is even a little slack left so the wheels aren't fighting the track the whole time.
Suitably encouraged, the Castle came out for a test. Aster states that the Castle will cope with a 2m radius, so was 1960mm going to prove too tight? Nope, that gauge widening again helping out and she free wheeled round the curve with some slack still available
Looking down from above, there was actually very little overhang so the 100mm clearance I had chosen was looking a bit generous.
Time to try on the narrow gauge stock then which is significantly wider. The worst case engine I have is a TME Vale of Rheidol engine - a short wheelbase 0-6-0 with long front and rear over hangs. The top down view shows that the worst case scenario is nearly 70mm...
That still leaves 30mm though so I figure I'm alright The tests have proved that a track radius of 1970mm is going to be acceptable and in all likelihood, that will allow quite a lot of my friends G1 engines to run. I'm not kidding myself, they aren't exactly going to look great, but they will run and that makes a world of difference to me.
Steve
If I'm honest, I've been kicking about the idea for changing the old line for a couple of years - at one point I had worked out a way of using the existing line, but felt unhappy about how much it dominated the garden. It would also have been a little low - the old line was on average 18" - 20" off the ground which is fine for electric locos and the odd bit of gas powered steam engines - but its way too low for coal fired engines, especially with my back. I did briefly consider digging a hole and sticking a bath in it to create a sunken pit for firing...only very briefly though
I suppose its probably a good time to talk about what I want the new line to achieve as that drives all the decisions from here on in.:
Above all else it needs to be a continuous circuit to support live steam running.
It needs to be of the largest radius I can physically squeeze in the garden to give me the widest available running options.
It must have both 45mm and 32mm circuits (dual gauge trackwork).
It will be really nice if I can squeeze in 63.5mm too (triple gauge trackwork ).
It needs to be ready at the drop of a hat and be comfortable to build and work on.
And thats it. After scribbling down lots of ideas, various dream scenarios etc, I've gone back to basics and boiled it down to the absolute minimum - a single loop with a one siding to act as a firing up area. To start with, given the time of year I'm actually building the thing in, just getting a single line of track in will do - I can go back and add other running rails to create the extra gauges later.
The big question, having decided what I was doing, was what would it allow me to do. The gap between the rear of the garage wall and the fence posts is 13'7' so I'm physically constrained in terms of overhang.
The maximum radius I can get in is a function of clearance (stock to immovable objects), overhang of stock and the track radius itself. One of the reasons for keeping the rear of the shed in the photo above is that it makes a good temporary track test board. I decided that 100mm clearance between the outer rail and the wall would hopefully be enough, so I put down some track at a radius of 1960mm, 10mm smaller than I could get in.
The first engine to be tested was the Great Central D9 - with the bogie pivot where it is, its actually quite a long wheelbase and I was very keen to see I'd be able to get some standard G1 locos round Its definitely a bit 'train set' with the radius that tight, but with the extra given width from Cliff Barkers gauge widened track (45.5mm) I was able to lift one side of the board and have the loco free wheel round the track to the other - there is even a little slack left so the wheels aren't fighting the track the whole time.
Suitably encouraged, the Castle came out for a test. Aster states that the Castle will cope with a 2m radius, so was 1960mm going to prove too tight? Nope, that gauge widening again helping out and she free wheeled round the curve with some slack still available
Looking down from above, there was actually very little overhang so the 100mm clearance I had chosen was looking a bit generous.
Time to try on the narrow gauge stock then which is significantly wider. The worst case engine I have is a TME Vale of Rheidol engine - a short wheelbase 0-6-0 with long front and rear over hangs. The top down view shows that the worst case scenario is nearly 70mm...
That still leaves 30mm though so I figure I'm alright The tests have proved that a track radius of 1970mm is going to be acceptable and in all likelihood, that will allow quite a lot of my friends G1 engines to run. I'm not kidding myself, they aren't exactly going to look great, but they will run and that makes a world of difference to me.
Steve