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Markrider

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Hello I'm Mark from Kent
Totally new to garden railways but use to have quite a big railway innyte loft years ago. Also in to RC boats.
Always wanted a garden railway and have got the garden now that needs remodeling so just need ideas and help ie what track to use ,can I make the track etc
Looking forward to reading through all the forum .

Mark
 
Welcome to the forum Mark.

There are a few Kentish men here abouts, and the local G Scale Society Group has regular meetings....
 
Welcome to GSC, Mark, you'll find lots of info, help and general banter on here! Feel free to ask anything you want to know, the only stupid question is the one you don't ask.... ;)

Yes, you can make your own track, and a few people do - but I think most of us use the various commercial brands, most of which are fully compatible with each other - if you're on a budget (and who isn't?) then second-hand track is plentifully available and, as most of it is pretty near indestructable, there are very few problems with buying and using even very dirty and weathered track - it will all clean up nicely with a bit of effort and give you many years of service.

While many of us have had a rather "scattergun" approach when we first started collecting, just buying whatever bits and pieces take our fancy, it's probably not a bad idea to have at least a vague plan in your head of where you want to go with your railway at the start; things to ask yourself are track gauge (most of us are 45mm on here, though 32mm is more common in the live steam world); type of power (electric through the track, electric via onboard batteries, live steam etc - though many of us mix any or all of these!), and theme of railway - do you like British profile, European, American etc? Of course many folks happily run a complete mix of any or all of these, and there is nothing wrong with that ("Rule Eight" in practice - it's my railway, and I'll run what I like when I like...) but having at least an idea of where you want to go may help guide your early purchases.

Jon.
 
Zerogee said:
Look up "G Scale Society", their website will have all the info on the local area groups.

Jon.
Click to expand...
Thanks Jon
I want a meandering branch line to start with in G scale as that seems the more popular and will be electric or battery . I have a lot of experience in battery stuff with My RC boats .
Good about 2ndhand stuff assume eBay is the best place ?. Lucky I have a shop just up the road from my work in Orpington.
Have sort of an idea but not sure what the biggest incline you can have do have to work that out and bits and pieces like that
 
There's a G show/meeting this Sunday in Teynham...I'm hoping to be there running some trains.

Malcolm
 
Mark, welcome to the forum from Somerset, if want to chat then drop into the coffee lounge!
 
Found the info..

Kent Group – G Scale Society


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Model Rail Show
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Sunday 27th January 2019​

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Teynham Village Hall​

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Belle Friday Close, Teynham,​

Sittingbourne, ME9 9TU​

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11am to 4 pm​

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4 or 5 Large Scale tracks, including live steam​

Kent Garden Railways​

Members secondhand stand​

Light refreshments available​

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Admission £2.50, £1.00 children
 
Markrider said:
Thanks Jon
I want a meandering branch line to start with in G scale as that seems the more popular and will be electric or battery . I have a lot of experience in battery stuff with My RC boats .
Good about 2ndhand stuff assume eBay is the best place ?. Lucky I have a shop just up the road from my work in Orpington.
Have sort of an idea but not sure what the biggest incline you can have do have to work that out and bits and pieces like that
Click to expand...

You're lucky to be within easy reach of Kent Garden Rail - pop in there and have a good long chat about what you want to do. You're also probably not that far from Chalk Garden Rail in Gravesend, Peter there is very helpful. Second-hand track can often be bought from retailers (as well as KGR and Chalk, Garden Railway Specialists - GRS - in Princes Risborough usually have a wide selection in stock), but eBay is a good source - do watch prices, they can vary a lot - as with everything, you get good deals and you also get chancers..... generally as a rule of thumb you should reckon on paying between £3 and £5 per foot for second-hand track, from very grubby stuff to almost pristine. If you spot a batch listed that you're not sure about, just ask on here and you'll get plenty of advice re condition, price, compatibilty etc.

If you decide that you're going the battery RC route, as quite a few do now (though there are still many of us here using track power without any problems at all), then you don't need to worry about track cleanliness and electrical continuity. Some folks on here are, shall we say. a little bit "evangelical" about battery power, but all systems have their pros and cons and many of us have and use both track and battery power as appropriate.

For inclines, only have them when you absolutely can't avoid it - like real railways, they should be kept to a minimum! If you have to have them, try to keep to around 2.5-3.5%. At a maximum, 4% should be considered a working limit. Some people manage more than that, but you're into the realms of short trains only, multiple-headed locos, powered "helper" cars and similar stuff. Of course, if you want to build a rack line then the LGB rack locos will handle anything up a 25%!

Jon.
 
Welcome aboard Mark. You will have plenty of fun with you new hobby. I sure have enjoyed it for almost thirty years as I know most, if not all here have.
 
Welcome aboard Mark. Have a look at some of my conversions in the Battery Section if that interests you. As a starter it can save you a fair bit on Power and Connectivity Issues to say nothing about Track Cleaning. Though as always for me, I would suggest getting an idea of what you want to do first rather than splashing a lot of cash at things that look nice' to find that later on they will probably have been the wrong thing. Though there is a lot to be said for getting a starter set to get you going.

If you get to the Show at Teynham this Sunday there will be lots of tempting stuff, particularly second hand! You are also likely to meet some local guys from Kent, KentKeith and Stockers to name but two that I know and are particularly good eggs are both worth meeting if they are about.
 
I was going to say KGR at St Mary Cray - they're pretty good about emptying your wallet, and they have a good selection of stuff :nod::nod::nod:
 
For outdoors use the largest radius curves practicable with LGB R3 (Piko R5) 8ft diameter as a minimum.
Avoid reverse curves, if impossible then have a straight section at the transition.
Minimise gradients. If you have a rack section with curves you could reduce wear by arranging the curves to be on the flat without a rack.
 
Welcome to the forum. All the above says it all really. Don't forget the 16mm association is also a good thing to look at.
 
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