Yet another new line springs into existence! I started planning the rebuild of this line a while ago, after the previous one was lost in the Great Garden Makeover of the noughties. The plan was to be simple:
A double track was impractical and wouldn’t suit the ‘one train at a time’ I was planning so I opted for a loop to loop.
The planning officer wasn’t making the right noises so I opted to not run to the house for now and to put the yellow loop under the green laurel bush just beyond the flowerbed, with a view that I could extend the yellow loop later maybe. The bonus for now was it would all be at ground level and it is still a run of about 80 feet plus the loops.
Track bed was to be cut up old paving slabs set into the ground, edged by some lengths of Filcris conveniently left over from the garden work. Not sure how I had just enough left over, just lucky I guess.
I started by cutting the edging into the grass around the border to get the correct width and levels…
and laid in the cut slabs which had the edging screwed to them.
All track is Peco flexi, but I decided to use set track for the tight curves of the loops.
I had a small truss bridge that was going to be used on the raised section of line but as this isn’t going to happen, at least for a while, I decided to use it in the main line running over a dry creek. This will be landscaped more once the line is up and running.
Track was laid out…
and cut, drilled and screwed to the slabs
with some help!
Finally it was ballasted with alpine grit, rescued from the garden makeover ,and pea shingle.
As yet the second loop is not finished and I still have ballasting and ground work to complete but I have managed to do some essential testing of the reed switches and loops over what is laid already.
Electrics:
Simple DC, one train at a time, so nothing complicated. I did (and do) consider battery but want to avoid the cost and hassle of changing existing locos and reuse the existing controller etc. and as all track is accessible I’m not concerned about cleaning.
Power comes from a Gaugemaster transformer, via an Aristocraft TE wireless controller mounted on a board that is kept indoors and taken out at the start of each session. An extension lead is run out to provide power. A bit of a pain, but no alternative at the minute.
Polarity issues in the loops is managed by making the points into slip points, one way into and around the loop and out through the sprung point. Meanwhile a reed switch in the loop, activated by a magnet on each loco, reverses the polarity on the main line, via a home built module (details available via trainelectronics.com). Another reed in the other loop switches it back again. Power in the loops is kept flowing in the same direction by use of a bridge rectifier.
As stated before, the intention is simple running, sit and watch the trains with a beer/tea in hand, although I may add sidings later once the original plan is finished and the planning officer won over.
Lastly, as the stock I have is either ET&WNC or Ely Thomas, the line will be called “Ely Thomas & W**** Narrows Creek”. Still undecided what the W stands for, Wide, Wight, Wild or Windy maybe, the creek being under the bridge. Suggestions welcome.
- Continuous running
- Re-use of existing stock and track
- Ground level as much as possible and minimum incline
- Minimum impact on the garden as this was going to be a retrospective planning approval job, i.e. build it first and wait for the “if you must!”.
A double track was impractical and wouldn’t suit the ‘one train at a time’ I was planning so I opted for a loop to loop.
The planning officer wasn’t making the right noises so I opted to not run to the house for now and to put the yellow loop under the green laurel bush just beyond the flowerbed, with a view that I could extend the yellow loop later maybe. The bonus for now was it would all be at ground level and it is still a run of about 80 feet plus the loops.
Track bed was to be cut up old paving slabs set into the ground, edged by some lengths of Filcris conveniently left over from the garden work. Not sure how I had just enough left over, just lucky I guess.
I started by cutting the edging into the grass around the border to get the correct width and levels…
and laid in the cut slabs which had the edging screwed to them.
All track is Peco flexi, but I decided to use set track for the tight curves of the loops.
I had a small truss bridge that was going to be used on the raised section of line but as this isn’t going to happen, at least for a while, I decided to use it in the main line running over a dry creek. This will be landscaped more once the line is up and running.
Track was laid out…
and cut, drilled and screwed to the slabs
with some help!
Finally it was ballasted with alpine grit, rescued from the garden makeover ,and pea shingle.
As yet the second loop is not finished and I still have ballasting and ground work to complete but I have managed to do some essential testing of the reed switches and loops over what is laid already.
Electrics:
Simple DC, one train at a time, so nothing complicated. I did (and do) consider battery but want to avoid the cost and hassle of changing existing locos and reuse the existing controller etc. and as all track is accessible I’m not concerned about cleaning.
Power comes from a Gaugemaster transformer, via an Aristocraft TE wireless controller mounted on a board that is kept indoors and taken out at the start of each session. An extension lead is run out to provide power. A bit of a pain, but no alternative at the minute.
Polarity issues in the loops is managed by making the points into slip points, one way into and around the loop and out through the sprung point. Meanwhile a reed switch in the loop, activated by a magnet on each loco, reverses the polarity on the main line, via a home built module (details available via trainelectronics.com). Another reed in the other loop switches it back again. Power in the loops is kept flowing in the same direction by use of a bridge rectifier.
As stated before, the intention is simple running, sit and watch the trains with a beer/tea in hand, although I may add sidings later once the original plan is finished and the planning officer won over.
Lastly, as the stock I have is either ET&WNC or Ely Thomas, the line will be called “Ely Thomas & W**** Narrows Creek”. Still undecided what the W stands for, Wide, Wight, Wild or Windy maybe, the creek being under the bridge. Suggestions welcome.
-
9
- Show all
