What's where.......
Contents contents
Over the years, this blog has grown in size as I keep adding more and more information. The original contents list (below) is now so large that I have made this summary list of the contents list to help you find what you are looking for.- Introduction to the railway
- A Tour of the Layout
- The 'real' location for the railway
- Planning
- A Beginners' Guide to Garden Railways
- Landscaping
- Buildings and Structures
- Detailing
- Plants
- Track Foundations
- Laying Track
- Rolling Stock
- Operation
- Control and Electrics
- Other
An introduction to the railway
A tour of the layout
The trackplan has been modified over time. The original looped 8 with a terminus and a through station now features two termini and three through stations. There's also a reverse loop, a 'branch' line and a hidden connection between one terminus and the copper mine. The design tries to make the most of the available space and give opportunities for end-to-end running when I want to run trains realistically, and also opportunities for tail-chasing when I have visitors who are more interested in seeing trains running round the garden.- A virtual trip along the line (includes track plan)
- A tour of the line (track view) - Progress Report 3
- The garden in winter (2006)
- The garden in late summer (2010)
- Views of the original layout - Progress Report 10
- The extension to Beeston Market - How I built the extension
The 'real' location for the railway (ie where it would have been if it had existed)
The model is my attempt to create a fictitious three foot (well, two-foot nine-ish) narrow gauge railway which might have been built in mid-Cheshire to transport copper ore from the mines in the Peckforton Hills to the mainline station at Beeston Market.
- Finding a 'real' location - The line gains an identity
- Beeston Market to Bickerton - The hypothetical line
- A short history of the railway and its location
- The Copper Mines at Bickerton
Planning
- A Beginner's Guide to Garden Railways
- Planning the railway
- How to plan a garden railway - a more generalised article
- Planning an extra loop - Progress Report 18
- The most recent plan of the line and virtual tour
- A rationale for the PLR
- Getting started
- How to build a garden railway - or 'If I knew then what I know now'
- Adding another terminus - How the line will be developed
- Modelling Motivations - what made me do it?
- Railway Modelling and Me
- Where did I get my ideas from?
- Books on real narrow gauge railways - see Progress Report 31
- How much rolling stock did narrow gauge railways have?
Landscaping
- Landscaping the garden
- Laying a patio with Indian sandstone - Progress Report 7
- How I built the raised beds (and clad them with sandstone)
- How I landscaped the section behind the workshop
- How I widened the raised bed at Bulkeley
- Making a stream with a plastic liner (and cement)
- A sump for the stream - Progress Report 7
- How I revamped part of the stream
- Mixing concrete - How I made the platforms
- Extending Peckforton Station (with stonework)
- A hill for a castle - Progress Report 15
- Timber supports for an elevated section - Building the extension
- Then and Now - 2004/5 to 2009 - Progress Report 23
- The Copper Mine Loop - Progress Report 24
- How I made a road from concrete
- Landscaping the approach to Beeston Market Station - Progress Report 73
Buildings and structures
The majority of structures in the garden are railway buildings and, of course there are the bridges which enable access to various parts of the garden. Some buildings have been made from resin kits, some made from scratch, one modified from a toy, one bought ready-made from a pottery which specialises in buildings for garden railways and another cast in concrete by a garden railway supplier.Buildings
- How I constructed a wooden loading hopper from a kit - (wood)
- How I constructed the sawmill - (wood and coffee stirrers)
- How I constructed a gantry crane for the sawmill (wood)
- How I constructed a boiler house for the sawmill (foamboard)
- How I constructed the water mill (foamboard)
- How I constructed a sluice for the mill (foamboard)
- How I constructed the brewery (foamboard)
- How I constructed the Bone Mill (foamboard)
- How I constructed the buildings for the Copper Mine (wood and plasticard)
- How I constructed Beeston Castle (Carved Thermalite blocks)
- How I constructed the Refreshment Room (Plasticard)
- The engine shed - (ply, coffee stirrers and lolly sticks)
- A station building (converted from a £5.50 plastic toy)
- Station buildings from TM Models resin kits
Structures
- Bridging the gaps - operating swing bridges (wood)
- A swing bridge (uPVC trim) - video version
- A 'sandstone' viaduct (Ply and balsa)
- Skewing an LGB truss bridge (plastic)
- Constructing a small wooden trestle bridge (wood)
- Casting road overbridges (cast concrete) - video version
- How I made a 'stone' embankment (Ply and balsa)
- How I constructed some coal staithes / bins (balsa)
- How I constructed some coal bins (foamboard)
- How I constructed a level crossing from a North Pilton Works kit (Laser cut plywood)
Platforms
-
A curved platform using JigStones edging
- Making a wooden platform
- Casting concrete platforms - straight and curved
- Casting curved concrete platforms and detailing
- Casting cattle/loading docks from concrete
- Casting a loading dock from concrete
- How I made a cattle dock from Jigstones mouldings
- How I made a coaling stage
- Adding walls and 3D printed fencing to a platform
Detailing
The
fine details of lineside items, people and general railway related
clutter are what, to my opinion, brings the railway alive. It's taken me
around six years to get the railway to the stage where I feel I can
concentrate on adding the finer details and so this section is presently
fairly thin. However, this will change as I continue the detailing
process.
- How I constructed semaphore signals
Operating the signals by radio control
- How I made some milk churns
- How I created a crest for my railway
- How I painted my figurines
- How I modified some figures for the 1930s
- How I constructed and painted some Perfect People white metal figures
- How I weather my wagons
- How I detailed the interior of a station building
- Making period adverts and posters
- How I made some noticeboards
- Prototype photo gallery - weathered buildings
- How I constructed some working loco lamps
- How I detailed the interior of my sawmill
- How I constructed a set of coal scales for the coal yard
- How I detailed the coal yard at Beeston Castle
- How I cast sheep loads in plaster for wagons
Plants
- Pruning and over-wintering - Progress Report 34
- Trimming lonicera bushes into 'trees' - Progress Report 11
- Overgrowth - Progress Report 30
- The garden 2010
Track foundations
- Hinged moveable bridges - Bridging the gaps
- Concrete block trackbed - How did I lay the track?
- Compensating for subsided blocks - Progress Report 24
- Timber trackbed- How did I build the extension?
- Adding a new station (Beeston Castle) - Progress Report 15
- Adding another new station (Peckforton) - Progress Report 17
- Adding another siding to Peckforton Station
- Adding another siding to Bickerton Station
- The Copper Mine Loop - Progress Report 24
- Extending the extension - adding sidings to Beeston Market Station
- Extending Beeston Market station again
- Constructing the mill siding
- Renewing the trackbed behind the workshop
- How I extended the sand quarry siding
Laying track
- How I revised the track layout at Bulkeley
- Laying Tenmille flexible track - Progress Report 2
- Wooden track for storage roads
- Ballasting with PVA or with cement (Updated 3/7/10)
- Ballasting 2 - Progress Report 5
- Bonding rail joints with solder
- Laying LGB flexible track - How I built the extension
- Smoothing kinks at rail joints with a jim crow
- Rectifying poorly laid track - Progress Report 15
- Aligning rails at the ends of moveable bridges
- LGB points - Progress report 15 and Progress Report 17
- Repairing LGB points' electrical continuity
- Simple point rodding
- Mixing LGB, Aristo and Tenmille track - Progress Report 17
- How I created a test track in the workshop using Playmobil plastic track
- Ballasting 3 - Cement and PVA
- How I embedded my tracks in concrete
- Ballasting Peckforton Station - Progress Report 73
- Cleaning the track
- A battery-powered track-sweeper
Rolling stock
I decided to use G Scale (45 mm track, 16mm/foot) mainly because I had a time-consuming job which left very little free time for hobbies. Also, coming from a OO scale background, track power was a less severe learning curve for me. I am also a great fan of the Southwold (3 foot) and the Welshpool and Llanfair (2' 6") railways and so 45mm track is a sort of compromise, being around 2' 9" in 16mm scale. The majority of rolling stock is 45mm gauge, but recently I have started constructing 32mm gauge stock for the feeder line from the copper mines to the crusher plant and loading hoppers.- Stock list - complete list of the rolling stock presently available for the line (Updated 18/9/18)
Construction techniques
- How I make my own hook and loop LGB style couplings
- How I embossed rivets in plasticard
- How I formed plasticard into tubes for a boiler etc
- How I add weight to my locomotives
- How I cut my own plasticard microstrip
- Using 'found' objects in scratchbuilding
Locomotives
The locos are a mix of scratchbuilt bodies on LGB, Piko and Playmobil motor blocks and some kitbuilt locos. They are all loosely based on UK prototypes with a fair bit of modellers' licence applied.- How I 3D printed and constructed a Glyn Valley Tramway Beyer Peacock loco
- How I constructed a Hunslet loco from cardboard with a Rail-Road kit
- How I constructed a Black Hawthorn open cab 0-4-0 loco
- Converting a Bachmann Lyn to battery and radio control
- A 3D printed Schull & Skibbereen 0-4-4T using a Bachmann Lyn motor block and bogies
- A 3D printed Metropolitan Water Board Kerr Stuart using a Bachmann Lyn motor block
- Constructing a Davington Light Railway Manning Wardle 0-6-0ST
- Constructing a battery powered ex-Southwold 2-4-2T Sharp Stewart
- Constructing a battery powered Southwold Railway Manning Wardle 0-6-2T loco
- A Barclay 2-4-0 joins the line
- Assembling a Hunslet 0-4-0 from a GRS kit
- Constructing a Peckett 0-4-0 from a GRS kit
- LGB Stainz 0-4-0
- How I chipped a Stainz
- Stainz 0-4-0 - Removing the traction tyre - see Progress Report 31
- How I converted an LGB Stainz loco to battery power and radio control (Version 1)
- How I converted an LGB Stainz to battery power and r/c (Version 2)
- How I Anglicised an LGB Stainz loco
- LGB Zillertalbahn 0-6-2
- How I lined my locos with Trimline tape
- Lining the Peckett with Trimline tape - See Progress Report 31
- Repainting the Peckett and adding nameplates - see Progress Report 32
- A pair of small 3D printed diesels downloaded from Thingiverse
- A small 32mm gauge diesel loco for the copper mine
- Constructing a small diesel from an HGLW kit
- Constructing an IP Engineering plate frame Simplex kit
- Constructing an IP Engineering lollypop railcar kit
- Constructing an IP Engineering Albert diesel loco
- How I made a car railcar from a Sylvanian Families Wedding Car
- A quasi-Ford railmotor battery-powered two-car set
- A Clogher Valley Railway railcar from an etched brass kit
- How I bashed a ToyTrain diesel into an early Fowler
- Constructing a battery-powered diesel from an IP Engineering Jessie kit
Coaches
- Designing and constructing a Southwold Railway 6-wheeled Cleminson coach
- Constructing a railbus from two Ashover coach kits
- Converting Bachmann Jackson Sharp coaches into Leek & Manifold coaches
- Constructing three coaches from Maddison kits
- Coaching stock developments - Progress Report 20
- A 3D printed four-wheeled ex GVT coach
Wagons
- Good stock update (July 2009)
- Improving the compatibility of IP Engineering wheels with LGB pointwork
Modifications
- How I created some flat wagons and their loads
- How I weathered some feldbahn timber wagons and added pit prop loads
- How I converted a ToyTrain balcony van into a closed van
- How I converted an LGB US style box car into a closed van
- How I converted a Newqida box car into a closed van
- How I converted two cheap US style gondolas into open wagons
- Weathering LGB tipplers with Scenic Rust
- Creating loads for weathered tippers
- Anglicising an LGB tank wagon
Kitbuilds
- Constructing a gunpowder van from a Swift Sixteen kit
- Cattle wagon from IP Engineering kits.
- Open topped cattle wagon from an IP Engineering kit
- Constructing an open wagon and a closed van from GRS Combi-kit 1
- How I constructed an IP Engineering open cattle wagon
Scratchbuilds
- A Southwold long wheelbase van from 3D printed parts
- A Southwold two-plank wagon from 3D printed parts
- Drawing a Southwold 4-plank open wagon using TinkerCAD
- A Southwold short wheelbase van from 3D printed parts
- A Southwold 6-wheeled open wagon 3D printed with PETG filament
- Constructing a permanent way wagon
- A rake of Snailbeach-like hopper wagons
- Building a crane wagon
- A gunpowder van using a wooden trinket box
- How I constructed a battery-powered track sweeper.
- Cattle wagons from plasticard
- A scratch-built guards van using lolly sticks
- How I made the second batch of opens from plasticard - Video of the second batch
- Open wagons from homemade resin castings - Video showing the process
- How I made brake gear for some of my wagons
32mm gauge and GN15 stock
- How I constructed a barrel wagon from a £10 kit
- Constructing Gn15 V-skips from Smallbrook Studio kits
Operation
- A day in the life of Peckforton Station
- How I constructed semaphore signals
- Scratchbuilt point levers
- Simple point rodding
- Servo operated points
- Deltang radio control for LGB point motors
- How I created destination boards for my wagons
- Photocall - some typical trains on the railway
- A typical operating session
- Mixed trains and how I manage them
- Stock boxes to store and transport wagons for operating sessions
- Adding an extra loop - Progress Report 18
- Managing freight on the railway
- Computerised freight management - Progress Report 16
- Updated and improved freight management program
- How I programmed my Psion computer for freight management
- Freight categories for the Psion
Control and electrics
Direct Current (DC) control
How I first started with analogue control from a fixed controller and then through a wireless controller- Wiring in sections
- Making a simple control panel
- Wiring switches for electric points
- Wiring a reversing switch for a reverse loop
- Wiring diodes for a reversing loop
- Basic DC control - Digital Developments
- Wireless DC control - Digital Developments
Digital Command Control (DCC)
My foray into DCC using the LGB MTS system- Basic MTS DCC - Digital Developments
- Wireless MTS DCC - Digital Developments
- How I chipped a DCC-ready Stainz 0-4-0
- Chipping a Zillertal 0-6-2
- Chipping a ToyTrain chassis
- Adding a Massoth Power Buffer
- Adding DIY power buffers
Battery power / radio control
My railway is now exclusively controlled by Deltang radio control equipment, after experimenting with other systems and evaluating their potential. Most of the posts here are therefore focused on using Deltang equipment.- How to build battery locos for your garden railway
- Part 1 - Kits
- Part 2 - Modifications and conversions
- Part 3 - Semi-scratchbuilding
- Part 4 - Scratchbuilding
- Part 5 - 3D printing
- A quick introduction to batteries for model trains
- Getting started with battery power and radio control
- A Quick Introduction to the iMax B6 battery charger
- Very low cost key-fob control - video report
- Experimenting with a low cost 2.4gHz transmitter and receiver - video report
Deltang specific information
- Getting started with Deltang radio control in the garden
- Overview of the Deltang radio control system for model trains
- Using pads on Deltang recievers
- How to program Deltang receivers
- How I constructed a Deltang Tx20 transmitter from a kit (also Tx22 construction)
- A simple transistor switch (for increasing the switching load from Deltang outputs)
- Programming a Deltang Rx65b for auto station stop with a Tx20
- Adjusting the servo throws on an Rx102
- Latching on/off outputs from an Rx102 receiver
- Programming an Rx102 for on/off outputs with a Prog3
- Programming an Rx102 for on/off outputs for soundcards using a Prog4
Installing radio control in locos
- Installing an Rx65 in a basic kitbuilt diesel loco
- Converting a Bachmann Lyn to battery and radio control
- A Schull & Skibbereen 0-4-4T loco
- Converting an LGB Stainz loco to battery with a trail car
- Converting an LGB Stainz to battery without a trail car
- Converting a Piko DB BR80 loco to battery power
- How I installed a Deltang Rx65b in my IP Engineering Jessie loco
- How I re-programmed a Deltang Rx65b receiver to operate in auto-shuttle mode with a Prog4
- How I reprogrammed a Deltang Rx102 receiver to control a DigiSounds soundcard with a Prog4
- My first battery powered, radio controlled vehicle (railbus)
- Converting a track-powered loco (No. 1 Peckforton) to radio control
- Converting a track powered locos (No. 7 Tollemache) to radio control
- Converting a small battery powered diesel loco to radio control (and auto shuttle)
- An IP Engineering plate frame Simplex
- A battery powered railcar from an IP Engineering kit
- A battery-powered diesel loco constructed from an IP Engineering kit
- Adding radio control to a PLine Lister diesel loco
- Constructing an 0-6-2T loco based on the Southwold Railway No. 4 Wenhaston
- How I constructed a 2-4-2T battery loco based on Southwold Railway No. 1 Southwold
- How I constructed a battery powered 0-6-0 saddle tank loco
- How I converted a Dapol 0 gauge Terrier tank loco to radio control
Soundcards
- How to interface soundcards with Deltang receivers
- Adding an MTroniks diesel sound module to a battery loco
- Adding a MyLocoSound steam sound card to a battery loco
- Triggering MyLocoSound effects from a Deltang Rx65 receiver
- Triggering MyLocoSound effects from an RC Trains / Deltang Rx65b receiver (v611-11)
- Adding an Acme Engineering soundcard to a Deltang equipped HGLW diesel loco
- Adding an Alan Bond / Technobots programmable soundcard to a diesel loco
- Modifying a cheap greetings card module into a soundcard
- Using a cheap sound module to provide loco sounds - Part 1
- Using a cheap sound module to provide loco sounds - Part 2
- Using an MP3 Player as a soundcard
- Editing sound effects using Audacity
- Programming an Rx102 for on/off outputs for soundcards using a Prog4
Arduino
Other
- Using Arduino and Bluetooth to control trains with a mobile phone app - Getting started
- Bluetooth Control - Part 2 - Tweaking the speed settings
- Bluetooth Control - Part 3 - RoboRemo
- Blueooth Control - Part 4 - Adding MP3 sound
Other
- A Deltang / Picaxe controller for operating LGB point motors by radio control
- How I control my semaphore signals by radio control
- Using keyfob transmitters and Picaxe to operate signals by radio control
- How I motorised and radio controlled a ModelTown steam wagon
- How I used bike brake cable to operate points remotely
- Operating points with simple rodding
- Operating points with servos
3D Printing
- A beginners' guide to 3D printing
- A beginners' guide to resin printing
- How I assembled my (very) budget CTC Anet A8 clone printer
- How I set up my Anet A8 printer
- How I improved my Anet A8 printer
- How I downloaded, printed and constructed a beam engine
- How I drew and printed a County Donegal luggage van
- How I drew and constructed a Southwold Railway 6-wheel open wagon
- How I drew the parts needed for a Southwold short wheelbase van
- How I assembled a 3D printed Southwold long wheelbase van
- How I constructed a 3D printed Southwold open wagon
- How I converted a Bachmann Lyn Loco to a Schull & Skibbereen 0-4-4T
- How I drew and printed a Kerr Stuart 0-4-2T loco
Tinkercad
- How I drew simple window frames with TinkerCAD
- How I drew the parts for a Southwold Railway open wagon with TinkerCAD
- Tinkercad tutorial - as above but takes you step by step learning how to use Tinkercad
- How I drew the parts for a Southwold Railway 6-wheeled coach using TinkerCAD
- How to edit STL and OBJ files with Tinkercad
8 comments:
Good evening Rik.
I have checked your excellent information of your build up of Radio Control Systems on your Railway with Deltang Rx 65 recievers and Tx 22 Transmitters, and your modifying the program by the Deltang Prog4. I am myself in the situation having the same equipment and tryes to program it and it works. But it is difficult when you not can se the actual program in th Rx. When I from a text file send the command " type0 4,1 end" I will have back a big HEX file, that I do not understand. I would have back a file that shows the same type of command rows as you send, eg 2,14,1,7,1, so you more easyli can check what rows has to be changed. Is it possible for you top give me some information of that.
Thanks in advace and best regards
Tore Svensson
Trelleborg
Sweden
mail:tsautomationab@gmail.com
I have a large amount of LGB railway and track. I wish to put this on an elevated platform much like you extension. (Single leg with small platform for the rails) I am doing this for ease of access as I grow older. Have you found any real disadvantage with having the railway on a raised section, from your vast experience, and would you do this again?
Regards,
Bill McGavin
Pauatahanui
New Zealand
Hi Bill
The only disadvantage I have found is that wood rots eventually - no matter how much preservative you use. I've had to replace a couple of legs and I noticed the last time I was crawling underneath that one of the boards was getting a bit mildewy. Might be worth considering plastic composite boards and legs if you can afford them.
Mind you. My raised section has been there for eleven years so far, so I suppose that's not bad. The timbers which rotted were ones I'd recycled from an old fence so they were probably around 30 years old....
Rik
Hi,
Perhaps the "history" of the railway should mention England's only "tornado" railway disaster on the 27th October 1913 (http://chester.shoutwiki.com/wiki/Sandstone_Ridge#The_Peckforton_.22Cyclone.22) - I would imagine that at least some station buildings would have lost parts of their roof in one of many dramatic incidents in the history of the railway. There is probably even a monument somewhere to a signal-box blown away without trace after the occupant refused to quit his post, and a peculiar local railway rule about barometers:
"Rule 1913: In the event of a sudden drop in atmospheric pressure caused by the approach of a cyclone, the driver shall use the increased steam pressure to complete his journey with all due dispatch"
Best Regards
Peter
Thanks for that info, Peter. I wasn't aware of that story. As you say, it would have certainly made an impact on the railway if cows were thrown over hedges and roofs were lifted off buildings. I'll have to write it into the history somewhere and somehow.
Rik
Hi Rik,
Given I'm stuck in the house I added a bit more about the Gowy on my site. It may be of use as background "colour" for all those Edwardian Tourists. I was also thinking about the broader economic effects of an Edwardian coppermine at Gallows Tree Bank. The obvious markets for copper would be the leadworks at Chester and BICC at Helsby, both of which were well established when your railway was "built". I don't know where the smelter would have been, although I suspect Chester would have got it. Copper/lead alloys are used for bearings and some electrical connectors and both industries could have flourished in Chester. The minerals might have included barium. I also noted that John Naylor would have still been living at Beeston Towers: I wonder if he would have built a Spa Hotel? - there was a Spa at Beeston and an excellent site for another at "Horsley Bath Well". If there was an established Spa then I can see a big argument between the railway and the Staffordshire Potteries Water Board as the abstraction of water at Peckforton has dried up most of the local springs. Of course, we have to assume that the local copper deposits are in a rather rare form as otherwise the acidic run-off into the Gowy would make it a dead river and an environmental disaster. Perhaps the figures on the model railway should include an early environmental protestor with a sandwich-board? (obviously I've been stuck in too long!)
Rgds
Peter
That's brilliant background info, Peter. Thanks. I must update the history to incorporate as much of this as possible. Maybe I could make another Newsreel film which includes a bit more about the area..... Now there's a thought.
Since lockdown, I've been buying my ground coffee online from the Lost Barn Coffee Roasters based at Tilston. Apparently, the barn in question was lost during the Big Wind....
Rik
Hello,
Found your blog. I am just finishing off a book on the Eaton Railway. I would like to use a few of your photos of the Eaton Railway in it eg the nos 22 and 27 (all photos acknowledged). If you think you can help, please email me james@maudfoster.co.uk
Many thanks
James Waterfield
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