How I made a test track in the workshop

When repairing, maintaining or trialling new stock I've found it is handy to have some track nearby to give it a quick test run. Similarly, when setting-up a radio control receiver or, more particularly, a soundcard, it's really helpful to have somewhere to test-run a loco.

When my workshop was located in our conservatory, the railway was just outside the door and so it was relatively easy to put something on the track and give it a test. However, having spent last summer constructing a new workshop (see How I made my workshop), ......

.... and over the winter, becoming firmly established inside it, .....

.... I sacrificed the convenience of having a length of track just outside the door.

What I felt I needed was a test track inside the workshop. My first thought was to lay a couple of lengths of track behind the power tools on the bench, .....

..... but then I pondered the idea of extending that to run right round the inside of the workshop. This would enable to run-in stock more fully, or even just have something running while I was working on a project on the workbench. Maybe, if I included a couple of sidings, I could even run it as a short railway.

As you can see from the above photo, I have a stack of spare track in the corner of the workshop which I had bought before I abandoned the idea of creating a short branch from Beeston Market to the canal quayside. I worked out I had enough track in store to complete a circuit of the workshop, but figured it would be better to use R1 sectional curves in the corners. These would ensure the curves would be consistent and avoid the need to use a rail-bender - something I have never used or acquired. I investigated  buying sufficient R1 curves to complete a circle and was somewhat surprised at their expense, even secondhand! At this price, it would cost £120 (GBP) to buy what I needed. Far too much!!

I then had a thought! Around ten years ago, I had bought a secondhand Playmobil railcar for my young nephew to use when he came visiting from the USA. Since then, it has been lounging in the loft - together with a box full of plastic track!

Although I knew the Playmobil railcar runs happily on LGB 45mm gauge track, would my stock run on the Playmobil track?

I retrieved the track and set up a few lengths plus a turnout on the floor and, to my surprise, my stock ran through it!

But where should the test track be located? Near the ceiling? This would keep it clear of all-important shelving, but be inconvenient when requiring repeated test-runs of stock. Near the floor? I could then link it to the track outside, but that would require too much effort in moving all the existing furniture. The same height as the power tools bench? That seemed to me to be the least worst option. It would require removable sections across the door and the corner sink, but would be doable - with a bit of effort in re-positioning all the existing shelving!

I decided to start with the most difficult section - across the doorway. This turned out to be simpler than I expected - a few quick sketches in my workbook followed to weigh up the options. A lift-out bridge would need to be stored somewhere, whereas a hinged bridge would be much easier manage. However, it it lifted upwards it would either obscure the light switches or interfere with the hinged tool-board. However, if it dropped downwards ......

A brass hinge and a barrel bolt were acquired, together with a length of 6" x ¾" timber and, once the CD rack had been  raised slightly, the job was done.

It seemed logical that the next wall to be attacked was the one containing the window and the workbench. Firstly, the bookshelves needed to be lowered so the bottom shelf was at the same height as the track .......

....... and a portal needed to be cut in its side.

Then a length of 6"x¾" timber was positioned to span the rest of the void and the tool rack behind the workbench was increased in height to support it.

Next, I tackled the corner containing an ex-caravan sink. My initial idea was to use a hinged flap, but when I tried various configurations of trackwork across the corner, it seemed simpler to just place a shelf across the front of the sink.

There is still plenty of room to access the sink and, if necessary, I can always raise the height of the sink to match the railway.

The workbench for the power tools was the easiest part of the installation. It just required the tools to be moved forward and mains power routed under the bench to each tool.

Finally, putting the track along the back wall was another easy task. I had already installed adjustable shelving racks and, by coincidence, one of the positions for the brackets matched the height of the test track. The pre-existing shelf was lowered to below the railway shelf and some more brackets were acquired from my local DIY store. A couple more 8 foot lengths of 6" x ¾" completed the job.

I had to buy a few more straight sections of Playmobil track to complete the circuit and the two passing loops (why are there never enough straight sections in a train set???), but other than that, there was sufficient in the box to complete the test track.

I was pleased to discover that most of my stock successfully negotiates its way through the Playmobil points, despite them being of a unique design with only one moving blade. They, and the ordinary track, also appear to allow stock with plain unflanged wheels to pass through, so their design is quite ingenious. However, some of my stock, particularly wagons and bogie coaches with finer flanged wheels had difficulty passing through the frogs when taking the curved route through the points and so I have installed thin aluminium shims to widen the check rails which helps to guide them through.

So, my Playmobil test track seems to be quite successful.

The weather for the past few days has been appalling, with almost continuous and heavy rain. It has been quite stimulating to have trains running around me whilst working at the bench and it has provided an inducement for me to finish off the fitting of my own design of couplings to the last remaining unfitted items of rolling stock (See Progress Report 82). The tight R1 curves are probably the ultimate test as to whether I've got the placement of the couplings right!

Already, I have found it extremely handy to have a length of track just above the workbench. I can immediately test what I've been working on. If it's a loco, I can even send it around the track to retrieve the next item of stock requiring attention!! I suppose, my next job is to be able to operate the points remotely so I don't even have to get up out of my chair to select the stock on the track .... or am I getting a bit too lazy!

Progress Report 79

It has actually been quite a mild winter so far in this part of the North West of England and so I have actually had time to get out into the garden and do some civil engineering and tracklaying. I have also spent a fair bit of time in the new workshop painting figures and getting the workshop sorted out.

Permanent Way

 The most significant job has been to add a new siding to Bulkeley Station (see How I remodelled the layout at Bulkeley Station).

Bulkeley Station has been in situ for around fifteen years and, apart from adding a new siding last year (see Progress Report 75), it has remained untouched. After adding a half relief brewery building to one of the sidings at Beeston Castle (see Progress Report 76), I decided I would like to do something similar at Bulkeley. The problem was that both sidings at Bulkeley were to the front of the station and there was insufficient room for a building. If I could move one of the sidings to the rear of the station then there would be space for a half relief building.

The half-relief brewery at Beeston Castle Station

 I have now more or less finished re-landscaping the area, having decided the raised bed was now too narrow for the new arrangement of tracks ( see How I re-landscaped Bulkeley Station).

  I am in the process of cladding the new retaining wall with sandstone ....

 .... and trying to decide how best to make use of the newly acquired strip of real estate. All I need is a spell of decent weather to finish off the job but Storm Ciara seems to have intervened!

Lineside

Having recently detailed and painted 30 figures (see Progress Report 78),

 I realised there were a few more figures in my 'spare people' box awaiting similar treatment. These are now in the process of remodelled and painted (see How I prepared and painted some Perfect People metal figures and Where do I get my figures?).

 I think, once these figures are finished, the population of the area served by the railway will be more or less complete - though, of course, there may be an influx of tourists during the summer!

Workshop

I am slowly reorganising the storage spaces in the workshop which I built in the autumn (see How I constructed the workshop). As I am in the process of painting figures, I decided the drawer in which the acrylic paints were stored was in need of a bit of rationalisation and so added some Correx dividers and now store the paint tubes according to colour - which makes finding them a whole lot less frustrating.

The newest addition has been a sink, which I recycled from our caravan. It was much too large for the toilet cubicle in the caravan and so I took it out and replaced it with a much smaller one. However, waste-not-want-not and so the fixture has now been transferred to the workshop.

The water is pumped up from the 25 litre container below via a 12v pump and the waste drains into a soakaway which also serves the guttering for the workshop. At present, the pump is powered via a small lead acid battery housed under the sink, but eventually, I will find a suitable 12v transformer.

I had intended to store rainwater from the gutters in a butt and use this as a naturally replenishing supply, but then decided I would probably want to make hot drinks from the water and so opted for a more potable supply.

Progress Report 78

I have decided (call it a New Year's Resolution), that this year I am going to try posting Progress Reports more frequently. They tend to be quarterly unless I feel I have a number of developments to report but this means I often end up writing quite lengthy reports which I am sure most of you loyal followers will be reluctant to read. So, I'll try shorter, sweeter and more frequent updates to see if that is easier for you to digest (assuming anyone actually does bother to read them.... 😏 ).

My last Progress Report was in October (ie three months ago) which seems to have reported quite a few developments - mainly because the previous report had been 7 months earlier. This is not the best time of year for garden railway modelling, but there do seem to have been a few developments to report.

• The track behind the workshop has been relaid and partly landscaped
• I have written-up how I constructed the Snailbeach hopper wagons
• I have started painting the figures mentioned in the last progress report
• I am working on a Bluetooth version of the 2.4gHz transmitter
• The workshop has now been completed and used for various projects
• I have had another couple of articles published in Garden Rail

Permanent Way

The trackbed behind the old sheds has never been a high priority and so, over the past fifteen years, has been allowed to slowly deteriorate. Despite that, it was never sufficiently neglected that it caused derailments, presumably if it had I would have attended to it sooner. However, the blocks in the middle of the section had sunk over the years and so what should have been perfectly level had developed a couple of undulations.

 Furthermore, the new workshop which replaced the sheds (see How I constructed the Workshop) was lower than its predecessors and so the track was now mounted on top of an embankment which, over time, would probably have led to further deterioration of the trackbed.

The old track was removed, a new retaining wall was constructed from bricks and the blocks replaced. The track was then reinstated.

The erection of the workshop also resulted in the six foot high hedge of conifers being reduced to around two feet. There was no longer a need for the rickety sheds to be hidden and the hedge prevented me having a view from the workshop of my railway and the rest of the garden. It also reduced the amount of light entering the window. With the removal of the hedge, one section of the railway now became more visible, the area around the junction of the copper mine branch (shown above).

This area was landscaped and will eventually be planted with suitable shade-loving foliage.

This area will no doubt feature in future videos and photos of the line in action. For more information see How I improved the trackbed behind the workshop

Rolling stock

 Snailbeach hoppers

As mentioned in the previous progress report, the Snailbeach hopper wagons have entered service and have now all been fitted out with brake gear and weathered. The process has been written up in detail (see How I constructed a rake of Snailbeach-like hopper wagons).

It was interesting to see how I could integrate the additional traffic movements to and from the sand quarry into my usual operating sessions which aim to represent a typical day's running on the railway. I've not perfected it yet, but have decided that, whereas the copper mine usually has three trains Up and Down the line each day (because the spoil is transported as well as the ore), the sand quarry will only require one train in each direction per day. See from 4m 54s onwards....

Infrastructure

 Figures

The figures purchased at the Llanfair Show mentioned in the previous Progress Report are now in the process of being painted, together with others which I have acquired over the past year.

It takes me quite a while to paint figures. I tend to do this job at intervals. I find it very time consuming, particularly as I have had 30 figures to paint. I tend to mix one blend of colours - for example blue and/or black and then paint all the bits of figures which need colours. On another occasion, I might focus on flesh colour, and so on.

Finally, I will add the fine details to the figures such as hair, facial features and shoes.

Operation

 Operating sessions

Interestingly, I have had very few full operating sessions this year. This is partly because when some of the spells of fine weather occurred I was not available and partly because I have been focusing on sorting out the Arduino control systems which has proven to be very time consuming (see How I control locos with Arduino and a phone app). However, a few part-sessions have been run and various individual trains have been run at intervals.

Manning Wardle loco No. 6 departs Beeston Market with the Down pickup goods

No 6 shunting the pickup goods at Bickerton

No. 6 approaching Peckforton with the Up afternoon mixed

Arduino based control systems

As was mentioned in the previous two Progress Reports, I have been investigating Bluetooth phone app and 2.4gHz based radio control systems (see How I control locos with Arduino and a phone app).   I have gained a great deal of satisfaction in getting to grips with Arduino programming and understanding the basics of interconnecting Arduino modules, I have been disappointed with the level of control which the approaches have given. I suppose I have been spoiled by using the Deltang system which is very reliable, easy to use and provides a very good level of control, especially at slow speeds. However, I am generally quite persistent and so am continuing to explore various options to see if I can overcome some of the limitations of Arduino which I have identified so far.

My next line of enquiry is to explore using a Bluetooth module in place of the phone app as a transmitter. I am hoping that the more positive features of Bluetooth can be combined with the advantages of having a handheld transmitter with a knob and switches. It's early days yet, but I will let you know of progress in my next report.

Other

Workshop

I am now beginning to settle into my new workshop and am in the process of making it more homely and have started reorganising the storage. In the past, I have tended to throw things willynilly into drawers and storage boxes, but have now started partitioning the various containers to make life easier when trying to find things.

I have now installed a couple of security measures, the details of which I will not share here for obvious reasons. Needless to say, it is handy having a knowledge of basic electronics and radio control .....

I am now considering installing a sink, using the rainwater supply from the roof as my primary use of water is for watering-down acrylic paints and cleaning paint brushes.

Magazine articles

I have had another couple of magazine articles published in Garden Rail since my last progress report.

Since starting my blog fifteen years ago, I have not sought monetary reward when sharing my thoughts and experiences, so it is now quite gratifying to receive a modest fee for my scribblings which, of course, I will plough into further developments on the railway.

Future plans

There is always plenty to do on the railway but, as always, I have to prioritise jobs. The most immediate are:

• Finishing painting the figures and allocating the railway personnel to particular station related roles;
• Experimenting with Bluetooth modules to make a more reliable handheld Arduino based transmitter;
• Titivating Bulkeley and Bickerton stations
• Applying weathering to the locos and coaching stock;
• Enhancing the detailing on some of the more basically finished wagons.

There are clearly plenty of jobs which need to be done, but these are probably the most urgent.

As mentioned earlier, this is the quietest time in terms of running sessions. However, it is probably the busiest in terms of construction and maintenance. I am looking forward to an improvement in the weather and am already planning my next video productions. 

As they say, watch this space!

How I constructed my workshop

 I suppose we all wish for a purpose built workshop for our hobby. I developed shed-envy after visiting a fellow modeller and admiring his rather well-appointed and laid-out workshop. I didn't expect I would be able to follow suit until a series of circumstances enabled me to do so. Firstly, the sale of our old trailer tent leading to the demolition of its purpose-built shelter and then the dismantling of the adjacent shed to which the shelter was attached.

Since the first sod of the Peckforton Light Railway was cut in 2004, I have been using our conservatory as my workshop. At first, this was simply a workbench (made from a redundant dressing table), in one corner. Gradually over the years, the workbench was extended and shelves, a filing cabinet a table and a cupboard were added. By this year, there was no space left for anything which wasn't railway related and, to be honest, it was a bit of a mess!

I am very fortunate that my lifetime partner has been extremely tolerant. In fact, she has been very supportive and encouraging. When I sold our old trailer tent and dismantled its purpose built shelter and also the neighbouring shed in the corner of the garden, I mooted the idea of building myself a workshop in the available space.

My partner was initially quite happy for me to continue using the conservatory as a workshop but now she has seen the results of my labours and how much usable space has been created in the conservatory, she agrees it was a wise move.

So, how did I create my new workspace?

I started off by trawling the internet for suitable off the shelf sheds, but none of them, to my mind, made the most of the 11' x 14' available space.  I drew up a list of criteria:

• A large insulated workshop area with a large window and a secure door
• A smaller garden shed area for tools and lawnmower
• Tall enough to stand up inside comfortably but not taller at the rear than my neighbour's fence
• Mains electricity laid on
• Robust and reasonably attractive in design.

My searches came up with a few possibilities, but mostly these were either well outside my budget and/or didn't meet all my design criteria. So I drew up a few sketches, calculated the amount of timber needed and contacted suppliers.

Before long, what seems like vast quantities of timber started arriving and I could start work.

I measured out the foundations and started placing the concrete 'breeze' blocks on which the floor timbers would be placed. I took a fair amount of time tamping down the base beneath each block and ensuring the blocks were level.

Next came a framework of 4" x 2" timbers with 2' 6" spacing between them. These would act as the sub-base for the floor joists.

The 3" x 2" floor joists were then fixed at 16" intervals on top of these. To ensure the structure was square, the diagonals were measured to check they were identical.

The flooring was 18mm thick OSB (Oriented Strand Board). I had considered using tongue and groove planking and plywood, but these were outside my budget. I decided that, provided the shed was weatherproof, OSB would suffice.

For the garden-shed side of the workshop, I re-used the tongue and groove flooring from the original garden shed. Even though it was around 25 years old, it was still in good condition. 

I then started screwing together the 3"x 2" battens for the walls. The verticals were at roughly 2' intervals, though this varied to accommodate the spaces for the windows and doors.

The secondhand double glazed window and door for the workshop were acquired through eBay. Their dimensions dictated the height of the walls. As can be seen, the wall on the right was angled to give just enough clearance for the window. The height of the rear wall was determined by ensuring it was lower the the neighbour's fence. Although, in the UK, planning permission is not required for outbuildings less than 4m in height, I felt it was in the interests of good neighbourliness not to encroach unnecessarily on their right to light as my workshop is to the South of their garden. This seems to have been appreciated as my neighbour loaned me his chop-saw and volunteered to help with construction if needed.

Once the wall frames were complete, they were fixed into position.

The doors were then fixed into place. The double-glazed workshop door came with a frame but the cottage door for the garde shed (£4.99 on eBay) needed to have a frame constructed from 3" x 2" timber.

Keeping the building square and true at this stage was very important. I found that a couple of the concrete blocks in the corners had 'settled' by a centimetre or two and so the timbers they supported needed to be packed with pieces of tile. 

Breathable waterproof membrane was then stapled (with stainless steel staples) to the uprights for the workshop walls, starting from the bottom and working upwards with a generous overlap.

Once the membrane was in place, 38mm X 18mm treated battens were screwed to the vertical frame supports before each exterior wall was clad with feather-edge planking, starting from the bottom and working upwards with a 40mm overlap. An off-cut of feather-edge with 40mm removed from its height was used as a measuring spacer when screwing the planks into place. I decided to use stainless steel screws rather than nails should I ever decide to remodel the building.

Cutting each plank to fit its position on the walls was quite time-consuming. Although there was some regularity to the lengths, these needed to vary to ensure that the vertical joints between planks were staggered up the walls.

Once three of the walls were clad to within a few planks of the roof, the 4" x 2" roofing rafters were screwed into place at around 20" intervals.

The fourth wall was clad and then the 11mm thick OSB roof panels were trimmed and screwed into place. This was when another pair of hands proved to be very useful as manoeuvring 8' x 4' sheets of OSB onto the roof is not an easy one-man job.

One the roof panels were in place, 3" x 2" edging was fixed to them and heavy-duty roofing felt was laid, with felt adhesive being used to join one strip to the next.

The excess felt was then trimmed off and the final few upper planks of the walls were fixed into place.

The interior could now be fitted-out. Firstly, a frame of 1mm square stripwood was tacked inside each section of the framework to ensure there would be an air-gap between the insulation and the membrane.

The 50mm thick Celotex insulation sheeting was trimmed with a cheap bread-knife to fit into each aperture.

 The sheets were fixed in place with self adhesive aluminium foil tape.

 The wiring was next fixed into place - 2.5mm twin and earth for the sockets and 1.5mm twin and earth for the lighting.

9mm OSB was then screwed in place over the insulation, with holes drilled appropriately for the wiring.

Surface-mounted pattresses were then fixed in place for the sockets and light switches and everything wired-up, following the guidance produced by the IEE for outbuildings.

Apart from the furniture and fittings, the main structure of the building was now complete. 

There is still a bit more organising to do, but I have now transferred the shelving and workbench from the conservatory and have also been able to create some additional storage.

I have taken the opportunity to re-organise my storage regime and am beginning to rationalise what goes where. Though this will probably change as I start making more use of the workshop.

One advantage of the workshop over the conservatory is that there is now more wall-space and so I have been able to install a tool rack instead of having a drawer full of miscellaneous tools. This certainly makes life a lot easier.

The main disadvantage of  the workshop in relation to the conservatory is the reduction in natural light. Although I have positioned the workbench in front of the window, I am finding it necessary to use the LED spotlights which I Installed over the bench during some of these dull Autumn days.

The workshop does seem quite snug. I have a 2kw fan heater which warms it up quite quickly and I'm finding I can usually turn it down to 1kw after half and hour or so.

Looks like I now have no excuse not to resume model-making.

A short timelapse video of the main construction process can be viewed here: