Re: First steps into the garden

ant31117

Western Thunderer
First steps into the garden

Hi all

On the 'new members' forum I was encouraged to post a few pics of my embryonic garden railway layout, so here it is.  As you can see its early stages yet, and I've temporarily run out of track to lay, but I'm finding it very engaging to build.  I've also enjoyed dusting off basic woodworking skills that I've not used since school days!

Several years ago when we had a new garage built, I asked the brickie to leave a strategically placed loose brick, with the intention of running into the garage with a garden railway.  Back then I assumed I would be going for '00', so with my decision to swap to '0', the 'tunnel portal' needed enlarging a little!  In the garage itself, I intend there to be a station and platform between the far track and the brick wall.  The first timber section over the patio will be a girder bridge of some kind (does anyone produce bridge girders in 7mm scale?) with the second timber section perhaps on a retaining wall.  The line will then strike out along the edge of the lawn, but in what form I haven't quite decided - maybe on top of a rockery (expensive I guess), raised timber sections on metposts, or some sort of embankment.

This brings me to my first question for the forum.  Having soldered up all my feed wires for DCC on the track layout you see here, I am finding that it all works perfectly, apart from the two points outside.  When the loco moves over them it shorts out, which the Peco leaflet said might happen, but strangely, all the points inside work fine.  I have left the wires under all the points unsnipped as the chap I spoke to at Digitrains said this shouldn't be necessary.  As yet all the points do not have the supplementary switches that I have read are a good idea, would the addition of these solve the issue?  Apologies for what I'm sure is a basic question.

Looking at these pics reminds me my next little job must be to add some buffer stops before I have an accident!

Cheers
Ant
 

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marsa69

Western Thunderer
First steps into the garden

Looks like we're going to have another epic garden railway to follow  :)) Do you think you'll get much more done before summer finishes?

regards,

Mark
 

Phill Dyson

Western Thunderer
First steps into the garden

You have made a good start  :thumbs:. Your points will need wiring so that they are not reliant on blade contact to improve running, you will also require bonding wires at all rail joints & or a bus wire connecting all your rail joints.

Phill  :wave:
 

iploffy

OC Blue Brigade
First steps into the garden

Excellent my friend it looks like th have laid the track directly on to the base boards take a little advice try not to drill into the wood as this will cause the wood to soak in water and then it will swell and then you get uneven running . Looks good but could we see the track plan please

Ian
 

lancer1027

Western Thunderer
First steps into the garden

Yes indeed , another exellent garden railway to drool over :bowdown: Nice one Ant. Dont forget to keep posting the up-date pics :thumbs:

Rob :wave:
 

Ressaldar

Western Thunderer
First steps into the garden

Hi Ant,

looking good - I bet you had fun stitch drilling the brickwork to leave the 'lintel'  :thumbs:

cheers

Mike
 

Jordan

Mid-Western Thunderer
First steps into the garden

Someone has been busy!! :thumbs: I spy Heljan and Lionheart boxes... ;)

Look at wiring hints other than Peco's for 4mm scale points for DCC; the same should apply to their 7mm ones; there's a possibility of shorting across the rails at the 'V' that may occur on DC  as well, but DCC systems are far more sensitive to it.

Re bridges, Skytrex do a small range - at a price, of course... :headbang:
 

Phill Dyson

Western Thunderer
First steps into the garden

I have just come into possession of some steel girder bridge sides ,  which might not look quite as nice as the ally Skytrex ones...........but they will be a lot cheaper  :scratch:

PM me for more info if you are interested :thumbs:

Phill
 

ant31117

Western Thunderer
First steps into the garden

Thank you all for your suggestions and encouragement! :thumbs:

I've attached a track plan below.  As you can see I've gone for a layout that isn't too ambitious, as the area I have to work with in the garage is only small.  My original target was to be up and running along one side of the garden by the end of this year, with a full oval circuit completed by the end of next summer, time will tell if I succeed in that!  The garden is of modest size and is an odd trapezoid shape, which means that one end of the oval will need a tighter curve than the other - I can just about fit in a 6 foot radius curve which I have read should be the minimum radius to go for?  Because of the tight-ish curves, I think I will make the oval single track rather than trying to create a double track main line.  Maybe I'll have a passing loop and station in the far corner instead.

I am broadly following the type of construction successfully used by my dad on his '00' garden layout, i.e. timber sections with a box or 'T' shape cross section, treated (or in my case, drenched) in Creocote, with the track laid directly on top.  I take on board Ian's point about warping, some sections of my dad's layout have indeed warped and needed replacing recently, although to be fair his has been in place for 40 years!  The drilling of the brickwork wasn't too bad, I only broke one drill bit  ::)  The main thing is that I've had such great enjoyment building it so far.

I'm still a bit puzzled by the shorting on the pair of outside points, as I'm having no problems at all with the four points inside the garage.  I think I'll be buying some point switches/motors at Telford.

Phill - thanks very much for the offer of the bridge sides, I'll PM you shortly  :thumbs:

Ant

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lancer1027

Western Thunderer
First steps into the garden

Hi Ant, looks a great project :thumbs:. What sort of area had you in mind to base it on or is it purely fictitional ?. And could you tell us a bit more of the locos and rolling stock your going to have running ( including the stock that is to be bought in the future)  :thumbs:
Great to see the Hymek in the right colour. But you need some WESTERNS  :drool: :drool::)) :))

Rob :wave:
 

ant31117

Western Thunderer
First steps into the garden

Interesting question Rob.  Its a fictional location, but I know the vague geographical area I'm going for, as I would like to run class 31/33 hauled secondary passenger trains of the type I photographed/travelled on in my youth(!) on workings like Exeter-Paignton/Barnstaple and Portsmouth-Bristol/Cardiff.  This pretty much dictates that I will be looking at GW/LSW buildings and signals.  Last year I bought the 33 and the Hymek which fit in to the plan well, and of course the anticipated Heljan 31 will be perfect.

However, I've already wandered 'off route' as I've just succumbed to one of the Heljan 20s that are on offer at Tower, which won't quite fit in, although I've seen 20s at Bristol so maybe I can get away with it! ;D

As for stock, I have a few Skytrex and Lionheart bits, some Parkside Grampus wagons to build when the evenings draw in, and I've almost completed a Slaters 20T brake van.  Of course, I will soon need to invest in some mark 1s, which seems a big decision in its own right....  any advice on the pros and cons of each make of kit would be appreciated!

I would love a Western at some point, I even know which one I would model - either D1046 (memories of a run to Oxford in Nov 75) or D1013 (I always thought it looked striking with red nameplates!).  Hopefully when I'm a bit more practised at kit building I'll feel brave enough to have a go at a JLTRT one.

Ant, wondering where he'll find all the time and money!!  :))
 

iploffy

OC Blue Brigade
First steps into the garden

Time and money I always find the time is whats left after I close my eyes and money there's always too much month left at the end of pay days to worry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)) :)) :)) :))

Ian
 

iploffy

OC Blue Brigade
First steps into the garden

To enhance my life I will be going into the back garden this weekend after the show hopefully to have a little play and then the layout should spring back into life
 
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