Very little was done in the garden over the winter, though three more open wagons (see How I made the second batch of wagons) and a locomotive kit (see How I made the Peckett Locomotive) were constructed during the Christmas break. They were finished off during the Easter holidays. This brings the complement of goods stock to 4 open wagons, 2 vans (1 LGB, 1 Accucraft), 1 flat wagon (LGB) and a guard's van.
I also purchased another Bachmann bogie coach so I now have a matching pair, together with a Bachman baggage car. The intention is to convert these (one day) into coaches which more closely resemble British counterparts - such the the Pickering coaches of the Welshpool and Llanfair or maybe the balconied stock from the Cavan & Leitrim. But for now, imagination will suffice!
[Update February 2015 - these coaches (plus one more) were eventually bashed into a rake of coaches resembling those which ran on the Leek & Manifold Railway - see How I bashed some Bachmann Jackson Sharp coaches into Leek & Manifold coaches]During the Easter vacation, a couple of days were spent re-taming the garden, cutting back the more vigorous plants and trimming back some of the undergrowth. I also took the opportunity to shape a couple of the lonicera bushes into more realistic tree-like shapes.
The tracks were cleaned and an operating session was held, to check the new stock and to see if anything had become damaged or dislodged over the winter. A couple more heathers, a dwarf conifer and a dwarf peris were planted.
The stream sump was cleaned out and refilled with fresh water. I disturbed a young frog who has taken up residence. No idea where they come from as, to my knowledge, there are no gardens nearby with ponds - but each year I find frogs and toads in the garden.
I've begun to realise that I need more storage. I already have more stock than space so at some point I will have to construct some shelving above the sidings to hold the spare stock.
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2 comments:
Hi,
Your railroad looks great. I have worked with HO for years and am thinking about starting a garden railroad. I will check back often.
Thank you!
PS Your plants look great, what are some of your favorites for trees.
Thanks. Similarly, I have been modelling in 00 for most of my life but always wanted to branch out into the garden.
Regarding trees. I shop around the garden centres for dwarf conifers but I'm not sure what species they are. It's a bit hit and miss - some look very realistic, others have had to be pruned back when they've outgrown their locations. I also shove clippings of lonicera into the ground and, when they grow too large, trim them into tree-like shapes. I've created a blog posting about it if you want to see what they look like (see links on homepage). I've also successfully used dwarf rhododendrons, hebes and heathers - which look quite convincing.
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