This Blog describes the ongoing development of a 16mm scale 45mm gauge garden railway situated in the North West of England, UK from 2004 to the present day.
Although it has been six months since my last progress report, there have been only a few developments. The early part of the year is a slack period for garden railways in general as the weather isn't always conducive to getting outside. Once spring comes, there is the annual battle with cutting back the undergrowth and keeping the tracks clear. This year, plant growth has been even more vigorous than usual, with what seems like just the right combination of rain and sunshine.
However, there have been a few developments. In terms of motive power, another loco has joined the fleet - a 3D printed Manning Wardle 0-4-0T loco. I have converted a few locos from track power to battery powered radio control. Beeston Market station has undergone a makeover and various other cosmetic enhancements have appeared on the railway.
Rolling Stock
Manning Wardle 0-4-0T
After seeing an illustration of a charming little three-foot gauge Manning Wardle loco in "Stone and
Steam in the Black Mountains" by David Tipper .....
..... I tracked down (with help) a couple of photos of the original loco and set to work designing and 3D printing out the parts needed to construct it.
The gearing on the Bachmann chassis block I hoped to use for it proved unreliable and so I had to resort to my now favoured approach to motorising my locos, using a GA25-370 geared motor and bevel gears.
It has now entered service as loco #29, ENZO.....
..... and seems to be working reliably.
More information on the design process and construction can be found here:
There seems to be some scepticism among fellow modellers as to the efficacy of using such a simple tool as Tinkercad for 3D model construction but, to be honest, I find it does what I need to do reliably and easily. If it ain't broke .....
Battery / RC conversions
I have also carried out a few battery/RC conversions for other people.
Most recently, I have converted an 0 gauge Bachmann / EFE Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0T loco using three lipo cells and a Micron MR601 receiver controller.
In addition, I converted three G Scale Bachmann Big Hauler 4-6-0 "ten wheelers" to battery/RC, using Micron MR603c receiver/controllers with Micron MSND01 soundcards and 18650 li-ion 3S battery packs.
There haven't been any further developments in terms of rolling stock, though over the summer, I might continue to slowly replace some of my older early bashed freelance goods rolling stock with more recent 3D printed models based on actual prototypes from, for example, the Southwold Railway.
Lineside and infrastructure
Detailing the approach to Beeston Market station
When I rebuilt Beeston Market station and the Copper Mine last year, (see How I replaced the baseboards at Beeston Market Station), I reorganised the track layout to gain a bit more space in the sidings. Unfortunately, this sacrificed the forecourt of the station where the café stood.
After some quick measurements, I realised I could just squeeze in an extra foot or so of baseboard at the end of the station without interfering with wheelbarrow access to the rear of the garage. And so work commenced.
I found sufficient offcuts of fence rails and heavy-duty roofing felt to complete the job (I have whole heaps of stuff which might one day come in handy). The café has now been re-instated and faces forward, so its facade is much more evident.
In addition, 3D printed fencing and gates have been added, together with the goods office.
I feel the changes have now much improved the look of this end of the station.
Relocating the signal cabin at Beeston Market
At the same time, I rehoused the signal cabin at the other end of the station which too had lost its original location owing to the changes in track formation.
Repainting the station buildings
I had noticed in various videos of the line I made last year that most of the station buildings around the line were looking decidedly tired and unloved.
As they were cast in resin, I leave most of my station buildings out all year. The only one I do take in is Beeston Market Station building. It took a good two or three days of painstaking cleaning, rubbing down and repainting before the buildings took on a much fresher and cared-for appearance.
I have now decided to only deploy almost all my station buildings only during running sessions. The exception being Beeston Castle where the station building is bedded in concrete and so is not removable (without the risk of cracking the resin).
Operation
I have been experimenting with making my own sound cards - but with mixed success. I did manage to create a very basic steam sound card using a ESP32 microprocessor and code created by ChatGPT, however it was extremely rudimentary with an intermittent white noise generated hiss.
Experiments to program a more sophisticated sound system using digitised chuffs from real locomotives has proven to be very elusive. The ChatGPT code simply did not work, despite several tweaks and iterations.
However, I have gone back to very simple sound systems designed for use in greetings cards for some of my smaller diesel locos and have found they are quite satisfactory.
Operating sessions
The majority of videos I've made and posted on YouTube since my last Progress Report have been to test locos and conversions. However, in March, I did manage to find sufficient dry weather to have a running session which included a special sawmill train.
In addition, I took the opportunity to give my most recent loco a role in a full operating session (as seen above) and create a retrospective of how freight traffic has been handled over the years on the PLR
The only development with rolling stock since the last progress report has been the introduction of containerisation to the PLR - in the form of a couple of LMS A-Type containers to ease the transshipment of fruit from the PLR to the mainline. With regard to permanent way, a fair amount of effort has been expended in finishing off and ballasting the trackwork at Beeston Market and the Copper Mine. I also took the opportunity to sort out a couple of issues with the trackwork at Bickerton and relay the ballast across the whole station. In addition, I have been exploring the feasibility of producing 3D printed trackwork and points levers. And, at last, the signals which I constructed originally over ten years ago now have sockets to allow them to be deployed across the whole system.
An indirect influence on rolling stock was inspired by another visit from Zach Bond who, in response to a video I produced on battery power, was determined to show that I could operate some aspects of my railway using live steam.
Finally, I have managed to squeeze in a couple of operating sessions.
In addition, although it is not directly related to the PLR, I took the opportunity to visit my fellow garden railway modelling mate, Greg, in Australia and was able to take one of my PLR locos to run on his and his friends' garden railways. Whilst in that part of the world, I was also able to travel on a few Australian and later New Zealand and Vietnamese railways.
Permanent Way
Ballasting at Beeston Market
In the previous Progress Report, I described how the baseboards at Beeston Market and the Copper Mine had been replaced owing to rot being found in the original timbers. After ensuring that the revised track layouts were workable, I got around to ballasting all the newly relaid track.
I tried a slightly different approach to ballasting the station and yard areas, based on the methods I have developed over the years.
Firstly, a strong mix of horticultural potting grit, sharp sand and cement (1:1:1) was applied dry - an old 1.5" paintbrush being used to push the dry mix into place.
This was then fixed in place with a fine spray of water from a misting hose attachment. After a couple of days, the surfaces in the yard areas were top-dressed with a mix of soil and sharp sand, fixed into place with diluted SBR (1:1).
Finally, the yard areas were toned down with a watery mix of cement dyes (brown and black)
As previously, the base of the platform was made from a pressure treated fence rail. The sides were covered in scribed and painted PVC foamboard and the surface covered with roofing felt (tar paper) - See How I constructed the platform at Beeston Market
Ballasting at Bickerton
Regular viewers of my videos may have noticed some unevenness in the trackwork on the throat of Bickerton station. Over the years, the track leading to the station has "settled" by a few mm whereas the track in the station itself has remained fairly stable, mainly due to it being mounted on concrete slabs resting on brick pillars.
After lifting the track, I realised it was going to be easier to shave those few mm off the concrete slabs rather than trying to raise the trackwork leading up to the platforms. The slabs were somewhat resistant to being shaved, but half a day's work with an angle grinder (and three grinding wheels) plus considerable effort with a lump hammer and cold chisel.
Once the slabs had been contoured, it was a case of relating the track and then ballasting, using the same methods outlined above.
[Awaiting photo]
Signal bases
Over the past couple of progress reports, you will have seen that I finally found a way of remotely controlling my 20 semaphore signals, so each was self-contained with its own li-ion cell, Arduino microprocessor and linear servo.
All that was needed to allow them to be deployed around the railway was a series of sockets into which the signal bases could be slotted. They were made simply by gluing together four pieces of 5mm PVC foamboard. The bases were left open to allow water to freely drain away.
Once painted black (with an aerosol rattle can), some were screwed into place on the wooden raised sections ....
... while the others were concreted in.
Once more, the cold chisel was needed where sockets needed to be installed in the breeze block concrete track foundations.
When not in use, each socket is covered with a 3D printed removable lid, to prevent debris from filling the socket (though it doesn't discourage slugs and woodlice).
I'm pleased to say, that it now only takes about ten minutes for all the signals to be set out and another ten minutes to retrieve them.
When I relaid the track at Beeston Market, I decided to try a third method - wire-in-tube point rodding.
Time will tell how effective this approach will be in the long-term, but for now I have found to it be a lot more reliable than some of my previous attempts.
3D printed track
I am toying with the idea of creating a portable indoor layout which I can use during the winter and maybe even take to exhibitions. After experimenting with various track layouts .....
..... I also wondered about the efficacy of using 3D printed track. The files for pointwork, and straight and curved track sections were downloaded from Thingiverse.com. These have been printed out, and I will carry out further experiments to decide whether (or not) the track would be viable.
Points levers
in the past, I have made my own metal and plastic points levers (see How I made some points levers). These have been deployed in a limited way to areas where I am unlikely to walk when, for example, cleaning the track or cutting the hedges as they are vulnerable. To operate the plastic pointwork, I adapted the design to produce a couple of versions of 3D printed points levers as I was not happy with the versions provided on Thingiverse.
Rolling stock
Live steam
As mentioned above, my long-term friend and fellow modeller, Zach Bond, made a second visit to the PLR, this time to explore the feasibility of managing the daily pickup goods train with live steam.
Zach is undoubtedly the most well-informed and experienced person I know with all matters relating to live steam - in both model and full-scale forms.
I must say, that I was impressed with the capabilities of the live steam loco he used - particularly as it was not equipped with a Slomo device and yet it performed all the required shunting operations and inter-station duties with ease (except when I took over the controls).
Containerisation
I have probably reached the stage in the development of the PLR where I no longer need any more rolling stock - in fact, I probably need to thin out some of my accumulated passenger and goods stock to both rationalise what is needed and also to make better use of my storage facilities.
However, when planning one of my videos, I decided that transportation of the soft fruit harvest from Bulkeley could benefit from some form of containerisation. After a quick bit of online research, I discovered that the LMS actually introduced A and B Type containers in the early 1930s - which fits in very well with my imagined history of the PLR.
And so, using Tinkercad, I produced two versions of the early LMS A Type containers.......
....... and used them in the video.
Ongoing maintenance
Of course, no railway, whether model or full size, can operate without a regime of ongoing maintenance. I have a shelf in the workshop which I refer to as "The Casualty Bay", where poorly locos and other stock sit awaiting their turn for remedial attention. At the time of writing, two locos are receiving intensive care; ex GVT loco #24, Cholmondeley is having additional weight added after struggling with adhesion when on a modest train up Gallantry Bank.
[Awaiting photo]
And loco #2, Beeston, is having its wiring checked after throwing a repeated continuity error when being charged.
[Awaiting photo]
Since the previous update, various wagons and coaches have passed through the workshop having minor adjustments to their running gear or having buffers or couplings replaced or tweaked.
Running sessions
In addition to the two videos shown above, since my last Progress Report I have made six videos:
Decisions, Decisions! Outlining how many decisions I make during a typical running session
Freight Handling with a free phone-app - showing how I make use of a free phone-app to help generate weighted randomised freight movements during a running session
All in a Day - An overview of all the trains which run during a running session which depicts a typical day on the PLR - also includes a couple of unexpected / special trains.
The Midday Passenger - follows the midday passenger train as it proceeds Down and then back up the line as the 1:00pm Up passenger
Battery Power and Radio Control - my views based on twelve years of running my railway with battery power
Breakdown - What happens when the morning mixed loco breaks down
James on Tour
Eleven years ago, my Australian friend, Greg, and his wife, Pauline, visited Peckforton Light Railway. I vowed that one day I would visit Greg but, for various reasons, I was unable to fulfil this ambition.
This year, that has changed. I spent three weeks in Sydney and Melbourne, taking the opportunity to run one of my locos, #25 James, on Greg's, and two of his friends', railways.
James on a short goods train on Lilyvale viaduct
James on the trestle between Termite and Melaluca
James with a Down passenger train on Greg's indoor pottery line
Greg and his friend Keith at Keith's indoor line
James on a mixed goods train on Keith's outdoor line
James on Geof's indoor line
Me and Geof with his indoor line
Magazine Articles
Finally, since my last progress report, I have had a couple of articles published in the Garden Rail magazine.
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