Progress Report 97

This is an interesting time of year for Peckforton Light Railway. As the days grew longer, things started gearing up in preparation for the first full running session of the season. However, this was very much dependent on the weather. To set up the first full running session I really need to have a guarantee of three consecutive rain free days: half a day to clear the track and set up the buildings and other lineside accoutrements, half a day to deploy and check the rolling stock, half a day to prepare the running schedule and then a day and a half to run a full operating session. In actuality, I sometimes need four full days as a fair bit of time is taken up with caring for my 102 year old mother in the meantime, so I can't rely on having interrupted days for running trains.

However, running stock has been constructed, running sessions have been completed, visitors have been catered for, videos uploaded and some outdoor jobs completed.

Rolling stock

Hunslet - Hughie

Ever since I started with my garden railway, I have been intrigued by the 16mm scale card models produced by LocoLines - now produced by Rail-Road. After seeing an article in Garden Rail detailing how a modeller makes all his 16mm stock from card, I decided to give one of the Rail-Road card kits a try. In my previous Progress Report, I outlined construction of the basic kit - but since then I have enhanced the kit with a decent motor block, a new chimney, backhead detail, new springs and sandboxes and handrails and pipework.

The additional 3D printed detailing parts are available as free downloads on the Thingiverse.com website (registration required) and the GardenRails.org forum (registration required)

For more information see How I assembled a Rail-Road card kit

I am now in the process of producing a 3D printed version of a similar loco and am trying to decide whether to replace the card version or complement it.

GVT Glyn motor block

In my previous progress report I described how I had constructed a 3D printed model of a Glyn Valley Tramway Beyer Peacock tram loco. I was disappointed with the performance of the Bachmann motor block I had used to power it .....

..... and so designed and 3D printed a replacement using an MFA Como gearbox motor.

However, I was also disappointed with this motor block's performance and so have now designed and 3D printed a second replacement using a larger and more powerful gearbox motor.

This has much better performance.

For more information, see How I created my own motor blocks (pending)

Directors' Saloon

This has been on my To-do list for many years but, having now completed the gatehouse for Peckforton Castle (see below), I felt it was time to make this plan a reality. The saloon is based on one of the various designs of Glyn Valley Tramway four-wheeled coaches (see How I constructed a GVT coach).

For more information see How I designed, printed and constructed a Directors' Saloon

Permanent Way and Infrastructure

Sand Quarry Extension

The siding for the sand quarry installed in 2018 (see Progress Report 75), was always slightly short - primarily because the space for it was quite tight.

I toyed with a few ideas for extending it, but eventually opted to turn the siding through 90 degrees and turn it into a link back to the mainline just outside Peckforton station. This provided an opportunity for me to designate this new junction as a siding to serve Peckforton Castle (bottom left on this plan).

The extension has now been constructed and its track tested and ballasted.

For more information see How I built the sand quarry extension

Lineside

Peckforton Castle Gatehouse

With the completion of the sand quarry extension and its incorporated junction for Peckforton Castle, I decided the entrance to this new siding needed to be recognised with a new structure. The resultant gatehouse was based on the gatehouse for real vehicular entrance to the castle.

My model was carved from four Thermalite blocks.

For more information see How I constructed Peckforton Castle Gatehouse

Operation

Operating sessions

As indicated above, my first operating session of the year has been delayed slightly by a range of conflicting factors. However, one full session has been run plus a couple of smaller scale partial operating sessions

Visitors

In addition, the railway has hosted a visitation by Zach Bond and his mate Theo who spent an afternoon (and evening) running live steam and a range of other scheduled and unscheduled train services.

Freight management Mk V

Over the years, I have produced four versions of my computerised freight management system:

• Mk I - based on the 4D relational database
• Mk II - based on LiveCode ( a derivative of Apple's HyperCard)
• Mk III - based on Psion's OPL 
• Mk IV - based on Google Sheets

They have each had their strengths and weaknesses. My favoured version (Mk III) was that which ran on my Psion 3a pocket computer but it's limitation was the 1Mb of RAM provided by the Psion - it would sometimes run out of memory half way through a running session.

So, I acquired a Psion Series 5 with a staggering (for 1997) 8Mb of RAM. However, because it's difficult to interlink Psions with modern computers, I had to hand type the code, copying it line by line from my old 3a to the Series 5. Some amendments needed to be made to the coding to take account of differences in the two machines' LCD displays and also some variations in the way the coding is handled but, after some cerebral effort and hard graft I now have a working version of the software on the Series 5

More figure scanning

Following Dean's (from DesignScanPrint3d) previous visit to 3D scan members of our local dramatic society in 1930s and 1940s costume - see Progress Report 95  

he paid us another visit to scan more figures, this time with more specific poses. I have now received the first batch of figures from him.

As you can see, these figures are more engaged in activities, rather than static poses. There will also be some seated figures to become passengers in my rake of recently finished GVT coaches (see Progress Report 95)

Other developments

Year long video

I am steadily working my way through my schedule to record the next monthly instalment of the Year Long Journey videos - depicting a mixed train travelling Down and back up the line in twelve monthly stages. 

June's Down sequence sees the train arriving at Peckforton and having some wagons shunted off and on by Doris, the timber yard's shunter.

While the Up shot is of the train passing the water mill on the approach to Peckforton.

By September the train will have completed its two journeys and I will be able to compile the two videos.

3D printer repairs

3D printers require a certain amount of nurturing to keep functioning successfully. My budget (£70) Anet A8 printer developed a fault which required the replacement of the heated bed.

Sometimes, it takes longer to track down the source of the fault than it does to repair it.

So, all in all, it has been quite a productive period since my last progress report. Despite not having had time to engage in more than one operating session, there have been plenty of other jobs to keep me actively involved. As the summer progresses, I aim to run quite a few more trains.

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