Progress Report 31

Here comes Summer!

My leave started on Friday, giving me most of the Summer to catch up with unfinished jobs and to make a start on a lengthening to-do list.

Out with the Old and in with the New

Firstly, I've had a clear-out of a few items of rolling stock which are now no longer appropriate for the line's assumed origins. Out went two 2-plank wagons and a flat truck (the wheelbases were too long); the Shortie loco which I'd bought with a view to using the 2-4-0 chassis (the driving wheels were too large); a 32mm gauge closed van which I'd hoped to re-gauge (I've now sufficient closed vans converted from LGB Toy Train wagons); a US baggage car which I'd intended to anglicise; three scratchbuilt open wagons which I'd intended to tidy-up; and four redundant point motors. This netted me about £100 more than I was expecting and so I've been able to buy the decoders needed for the remaining unchipped locos and, with some cash which my colleagues raised for my retirement (which starts in September), I have been able to buy the latest version of the 0-4-0 Hunslet kit from GRS (Garden Railway Specialists ).

 At present, all I have done is remove it from the box and read the instructions. It has joined the list of unfinished projects but, as with all developments on the railway, I will keep you posted once construction starts.

A trip to the Narrow Gauge Railway Show in Telford this weekend also provided me with a small herd of cows from Schleich:

which will spend their remaining days travelling up and down the line in cattle wagons (see How I made two cattle wagons). I also bought a few more metal wheels. I am gradually (as funds allow) replacing all the plastic wheels on rolling stock with metal wheels. Not only does this provide more low-slung weight, it is supposed to keep the track cleaner for longer. At present I am buying solid disk wheels from Bachmann which are reasonably priced at £12.00 for four axles,

I am soon going to have to start buying spoked wheels and will have to find another source as Bachmann do not seem to make them. I have considered using LGB spoked metal wheels but at £15.50 for a pair of axles, these seem over-priced. The options seem therefore to be Tenmille wheels (AG193A) @ £10.00 for two axles or GRS wheels (SLG630) @ £8.35 a pair of axles (or £10.45 for stainless steel).

Inspiration
At Telford, I was also taken by some books on Narrow Gauge Railways on one of the book stalls. A couple of general books on the narrow gauge railways of Britain 

 plus one on the Leek and Manifold 

 found their way into my carrier bag. I was tempted by at least another half a dozen titles but funds did not permit further extravagance.

I cannot resist railway books, particularly those with plenty of pictures of the original prototypes. I find these inspirational when it comes to detailing the railway. For example, how many coaches should a narrow gauge railway have? The Welshpool and Llanfair had only three for its entire lifespan, while the Southwold Railway had six. It seems the Corris boasted eight passenger carriages while the Lynton and Barnstaple had 17 and the Leek and Manifold had four. I've decided that eventually, as with the Southwold, the Peckforton Railway will eventually accumulate six coaches - which will enable me to run two three-coach passenger trains for the extra traffic anticipated on market day (see below).

Creating atmosphere

Ultimately, when the bigger jobs are completed I will create a few tableaux scenes around the railway with figures and general railway-related clutter. My plan is to model some figures myself in Sculpey oven-hardening clay. My first efforts suggest this is a lot more difficult than it looks.

 I'd like the figures to be wearing clothes appropriate for the period (early 1930s) but am really struggling to find a source of images which show what ordinary country people would have worn. Eventually, the timetable will represent a day's operating on a summer's market day - to provide an excuse for running extra trains and also a reason for a few more passengers being in evidence than would normally be expected on a rural light railway at a time when all were feeling the financial bite of the depression.

Operating sessions
I've run a few tail-chasing trains around the system to entertain various visitors but the weather and time has not really provided an opportunity for a proper timetabled running session. Also, I'd like to finish constructing the coach kits - which is taking a little longer than I expected (see How I constructed three Maddison coach kits).

Stainz - minor modification

I had been finding the slow-running of the Stainz loco (from the original starter set) to be disappointing - often stalling when passing over the plastic frogs of pointwork. I realised that the traction tyre on one of the driving wheels was adversely affecting the current pick-up from the rails. After trying in vain to find non traction-tyred replacements I read on the G Scale Mad discussion-board (now replaced by G Scale Central) that others had solved the problem simply by removing the traction tyre. I was concerned that the groove in the formerly tyred driving wheel would actually exacerbate the problem but the removal of the rubber tyre seems to have actually improved it considerably. Although the Stainz does stall occasionally, it is by no means as regularly as previously.

Lining the Peckett kit

I have also had a go at adding some lining to the Peckett loco which I constructed from a GRS kit (see How I made the Peckett loco). Following advice from others on the G Scale Central forum, I opted for Trimline self adhesive tape.

 At only £2.99 for more than sufficient tape for a G scale loco and the ability to re-fix the tape it's just right for someone lacking skill and patience. I was sceptical at first that it would be able to follow the curves of the cab doorway, but with trial and a considerable amount of error I have managed something which is passable. The photo has revealed more errors that I had noticed so I don't yet feel sufficiently confident to share my experiences in more detail - but once I feel more satisfied with my efforts I will post a blog entry providing more detail on what I've learned.

I've since finished the lining, added a little more detail and painted the chassis - see Progress Report 32

Progress Report 30

Overgrowth

No real progress since the last report. Owing to pressure of work, I've been unable to do much out in the garden and so, for about three weeks, the railway has luxuriated in neglect. I thought you might be interested in seeing how the undergrowth very quickly encroaches on the railway if left unchecked.

Despite the dry spell, the moss has been stubbornly clinging to the track. The 'Snow-in-Summer' has been trimmed a couple of times as it completely buried the track.

A little further up the line and Mind Your Own Business and gonw wild, completely smothering the track and its surroundings.

Further along the line, beside the hedge and violets have taken over, while some of the hedge clippings have died down and are waiting to be hoovered up.

Just round the corner, the hedge has filled the cutting leading to the road overbridge.

On the raised section, some of the hedging has grown across the tracks.

Further along the line, the Mind Your Own Business is invading and one of the hebes needs cutting back.

How I cast cattle/loading docks from concrete

Given that my railway is inspired by the Welshpool and Llanfair and similarly based in a rural location (in the heart of Cheshire) and, like the W&L, the line terminates beside a Smithfield Market, it's inevitable that livestock will become a mainstay of the goods traffic on the line. Having already constructed two cattle vans (based loosely on W&L prototypes - see How I constructed two cattle wagons), with more planned, I realised I would have to construct the means by which the wagons could be loaded at each station on the line. Having gained some experience of casting overbridges in situ (see How I cast two concrete overbridges), I decided to use the same approach.

Firstly, a mould was constructed out of off-cuts of timber:

Having unsuccessfully tried scribing the stonework by removing the mould when the concrete was still in its partially dried (green) state, I decided to use an approach I'd used successfully on one of the bridges - I used a hot glue gun to create mortar courses inside the mould:

A site was selected alongside a siding and some hardcore (rubble) was put into a trench beneath where the dock would sit:

The mould was then put in place and filled with a stiff mix of concrete (2 parts sand, 1 part gravel, 1 part cement) to which had been added some red dye to simulate the local red sandstone.

While the concrete was wet. I added some square posts (mahogany) to eventually support the railings to guide the livestock up the ramp:

Lolly sticks were trimmed to fit in between the posts to mask the surface when sprinkling coarse sand on the surface. 

When the concrete was nearly dry (12-24 hours), the lolly sticks were removed so the tops of the stonework could be scribed on.

When the concrete was completely dry (3 days) the mould was carefully dismantled by unscrewing the screws which hold it together.

Railings made from coffee stirrers were then glued on to the posts with exterior PVA and treated with Cuprinol.

A mix of concrete (4 parts builders' sand + 1 part cement + brown dye) was smeared on the trackwork and then stippled with an old paintbrush. As you can see, I have a bit of tidying-up to do - remodelling the corner nearest the camera and colouring the mortar-courses - but the overall effect seems OK.

Progress Report 29

A visitation from my three year old nephew plus parents encouraged me to get the layout working sufficiently well for an audience. I had thought of buying a Bachmann Thomas the Tank Engine set but the cost put me off somewhat - so a £30 Playmobil remote control railcar from eBay enabled him to control his own train.

This session enabled me to check out the clearances under the two new overbridges (see How I cast two concrete overbridges) and check that there had not been significant subsidence or encroachment of the undergrowth. So far this year I've not had sufficient time for a proper timetabled running session but at least all the stock has had an airing.

Cattle / Loading Docks

I am in the process of casting in-situ, concrete loading/cattle docks (See How I cast cattle/loading docks from concrete). These are to complement the cattle wagons (See How I made two cattle wagons) and flat wagons which will ultimately be used to transport agricultural equipment up the line.

More coaches
The rather fine Accucraft W&L Pickering coaches which I purchased a year ago (See Progress Report 20) have so far never been used because their brake gear and steps foul the platforms at Beeston Market and Bulkeley (See How I cast platforms in concrete). I did try narrowing the width of the platforms with an angle grinder but it collapsed under the strain amidst much blue smoke. Maybe the platforms were cast a little too well! So, I am considering three alternatives:

• I will have to recast the platforms so they are lower and/or narrower, 
• I will have to remove the brake gear and lower steps from the coaches,
• I will have to replace the coaches with alternatives which something with better clearances

A while back I bought three coach kits from Maddison Coaches and so I am in the process of constructing these. I have completed one (minus the paint job) and it seems to pass through each of the two stations without catching on the platform and so it looks as if the third option is what I will be going for (See How I constructed three Maddison Coach kits - pending).

I am loath to butcher the Pickering Coaches and I have always been reluctant to repaint them; I'd never achieve the same quality of finish. So it looks like I will be offering them for sale on eBay

Stock boxes
All the stock boxes have now been constructed (see How I made some stock boxes) - one for each siding on the line - thirteen in total.

Ultimately, when I start operating the line as intended, with a timetable and the computer generated goods traffic (See Progress Report 16 - Freight Operation), at the end of each operating session I will be able to load the goods stock in each siding into the stock boxes, store them and then restore them in their original locations ready for the next session.

Future plans
I'm considering adding a water mill beside the stream near Peckforton Station. This will be on the opposite bank of the stream to the railway and be served by a short siding. In reality, there is a water mill at Bulkeley which I have long though could, in my imagined history, become a timber mill. The intended location would put the mill nearer to Peckforton than Bulkeley, but operationally it would still serve the same function. Just by chance, I have already made a stock box on the off-chance this comes to fruition.

How do I clean the track?

At the start of each season I have a major track cleaning session to remove the accumulated gunk from the rails. The first job is to clear the rails of overgrowth.
For this, I use a simple scraper made from an offcut of ply:

Next comes the actual scrubbing of the rail surfaces. I use the track cleaning blocks which I bought from Garden Railway Specialists (GRS).

Rather than buying the aluminium handle from GRS, I made my own by drilling a hole into the end of a broomstick, cutting a slot, inserting the knob into the hole and tightening up with a jubilee clip.


To make the abrasive blocks last longer I place a thin piece of plywood beneath them when they get worn down.

In this way I can make a pair of blocks last a whole season.

As I'm mkaing my way round the line, polishing the track, I prune the plants which are encroaching on to the railway:

I also spend a while hoiking out stones, grit and debris from each point (switch) with, variously:

• a piece of copper wire;
• a small electrical screwdriver;
• a plastic plant label:

all of which I keep in my back pocket.

Finally, I go round the track with a garden vac to remove the chunks of moss, clippings and dislodged ballast.

It takes me around an hour and a half to clean the entire line in this way, but once I've done this at the start of the season the upkeep for the rest of the season is a lot less (around 20 mins before each running session).

I do have a track cleaning loco which I use from time to time during a running session, but I'm not convinced it's actually worth the £350 (now over £400) investment. Maybe if I was running trains every day it might be worth a quick whizz round at the start of each session - but with my intermittent running sessions (owing to the pressure of the day-job), I find the GRS abrasive pads to be far more cost effective in terms of time and outlay.

I have found since going over to DCC, that locos are more tolerant of tarnished or slightly mucky track, but as my locos are mostly based on short wheelbase 0-4-0 chassis they often struggle to run through pointwork without stumbling.

Progress Report 28

A couple of new developments since the last report. Firstly I've widened the boards supporting Beeston Market Station and added four new sidings; two for goods and two for a loco shed (see - How I extended the extension).

While I was at it, I bought a plastic tarpaulin to cover the station when not in use. Because this area is overhung with trees it tends to remain damp and also accumulates a lot of muck from fallen leaves. I am hoping the tarp will alleviate this particularly when I come to add some of the finer details and embellishments.

I've also fixed the signal box (made from a T&M Models* kit) in place at Beeston Market to indicate its status as the main station on the line.

The station building at Peckforton (also from T&M Models - see How I assembled the station buildings) has been fixed in place

and picket fencing (from Garden Railway Services - GRS) has been added to the platform.

Next on the list is to build a timber yard alongside the siding in the foreground of this shot and add name-boards, people, a cattle dock and all sorts of general clutter (porters' trolley, packing cases etc.).

*Note: T&M Models are in the process of setting up a web shop (http://www.tmmodels.net/) but Mike does sell via eBay.