This week I finally found a big, juicy Round Tuit..... so after five or more years of planning and preparation, I've actually got a working line down in two days! A very good friend and fellow GSS member came over to help me to lay track yesterday and today, and by 5:30 this afternoon we joined up the "Golden Railclamp", temporarily connected some simple analogue power (just a little LGB 1-amp powerpack), put an 0-8-0 "Rugen" Tank on the line with four basic 4-wheel coaches, and the inaugural train ran - perfectly! 
Obviously I still have a LOT left to do, I haven't started on the line up the gradient up to the two raised bed areas (which will hopefully eventually have a couple of concentric loops joined to the main ground-level line by a roughly 3.5% gradient up the blocks that you can see in some of the pics) - but as of tonight the complete ground level loop is up and running!
So far I've run the Harz 2-6-2 (6001), the Rugen 0-8-0 and the big 0-6-0 - 0-6-0 DR Mallet on the line (individually of course), and they all run just fine even on the little temporary power supply.
The ground-level part of the line consists of a largish and very irregular loop around the perimeter of the lawn area, bordered by block pavers, plus two station areas - a simple passing loop one near the conservatory, and a more extensive three-track one at the back of the garden under the conifer hedge.
No-one was more surprised than me when everything ran just fine the first time out! We had been very careful with cleaning all track ends (using the Kilroc Gel descaler) and then clamping every join, mostly with Massoth railclamps, with a smidgin of graphite paste in each clamp.
The track-bed is fine white limestone chippings, which are very "sharp" and knit together well, and each point has a slate-effect ceramic tile embedded under its moving parts in an effort to keep the point blades clear of as much of the ballast as possible.
Trackwork is an eclectic mix - LGB, Aristo, Piko and AML, and the pointwork is a similar variety - LGB, Piko and Trainline45. Railclamps mostly Massoth, plus a few split-jaw types (not sure of the make).
Next job is sorting out the permanent power connections (cabling already installed, just not connected yet) and then testing it under DCC with the Massoth Dimax.
Here are some photos taken late this afternoon, as the first train ran; sorry there is still some mess around, but that's layout building for you! A lot to tidy up and finish off, but altogether two VERY busy and satisfying days! It was so bright that some of the photos are not great, will take some better ones over the weekend I hope.
More pics in next post....
Jon.
Obviously I still have a LOT left to do, I haven't started on the line up the gradient up to the two raised bed areas (which will hopefully eventually have a couple of concentric loops joined to the main ground-level line by a roughly 3.5% gradient up the blocks that you can see in some of the pics) - but as of tonight the complete ground level loop is up and running!
So far I've run the Harz 2-6-2 (6001), the Rugen 0-8-0 and the big 0-6-0 - 0-6-0 DR Mallet on the line (individually of course), and they all run just fine even on the little temporary power supply.
The ground-level part of the line consists of a largish and very irregular loop around the perimeter of the lawn area, bordered by block pavers, plus two station areas - a simple passing loop one near the conservatory, and a more extensive three-track one at the back of the garden under the conifer hedge.
No-one was more surprised than me when everything ran just fine the first time out! We had been very careful with cleaning all track ends (using the Kilroc Gel descaler) and then clamping every join, mostly with Massoth railclamps, with a smidgin of graphite paste in each clamp.
The track-bed is fine white limestone chippings, which are very "sharp" and knit together well, and each point has a slate-effect ceramic tile embedded under its moving parts in an effort to keep the point blades clear of as much of the ballast as possible.
Trackwork is an eclectic mix - LGB, Aristo, Piko and AML, and the pointwork is a similar variety - LGB, Piko and Trainline45. Railclamps mostly Massoth, plus a few split-jaw types (not sure of the make).
Next job is sorting out the permanent power connections (cabling already installed, just not connected yet) and then testing it under DCC with the Massoth Dimax.
Here are some photos taken late this afternoon, as the first train ran; sorry there is still some mess around, but that's layout building for you! A lot to tidy up and finish off, but altogether two VERY busy and satisfying days! It was so bright that some of the photos are not great, will take some better ones over the weekend I hope.
More pics in next post....
Jon.
