The EJ&KLR: The Cathinthia branch

[jameshilton]

What a lovely day! The perfect weather to be in the garden...

So yes, a coffee, biscuit, book and a sketch book. Trouble is, from my wife's point of view, I also had a tape measure! Those that follow the http://www.gscalecentral.net/tm?m=107675 < Link To original EJ&KLR (either on here or on my http://ejklr.blogspot.com < Link To blog) will remember that I brokered a deal, whereby my wife got a kitchen and I got a garden railway!

So, yes, the book, Nick Trudgeon's inspiring volume had me sketching out a plan and visualising the line gently curving and twisting through a rockery style border. Now I've got some more measurements I can knock up some track plans on my Mac Railsoft track planning software. Learning from the line at Mum and Dad's house, ideally I want the longest loop I can fit (for visitors) but there are some constraints in topology and existing root structures I don't think I can dig out entirely limiting space.

Just day dreaming at the moment mind... As I think 2012 will be the http://www.dragon-gscale.co.uk/lgb-78580-wangerooge-freight-train-starter-set-4849-p.asp < Link To LGB Wangerooge trainset and possibly the http://www.gscalecentral.net/m202013 < Link To German Faur L45H hand made kit, so no money for the track for this layout!

(the name? A play on the federal state 'Carinthia' and my wife's name).

 

[CoggesRailway]

Exciting stuff. I think you are right to build as lage and flowing as you can. So you are going to be a man with TWO garden railways. That is something! Nice sketches, knowing you whatver you do will look brilliant....

 

[mbiff]

Shop about for secound hand track james , it is about if your in no rush .

 

[Rhinochugger]

So are you going americanish, James ?

 

[yb281]

Early days, but great to see the new railway being born James.

 

[mmts]

Shop about for secound hand track james , it is about if your in no rush .

Or a p.m to Tony of this parish (keenly priced secondhand track )

 

[jameshilton]

Hi chaps, thanks for the kind words and encouragement. This is just half our garden, not massive, but I'll put up some plans as I explore options.

Ian (rhinochugger) nope, staying Austrian I suspect. Nick's book is inspiring, not because of the trains themselves, but the incredible scenery and physical presence. Actually, Nick's railway is inspired by the wonderful railways in South Africa (and a dose of South America too).

Mel, yes I guess it is being born! It's exciting but I'm going to take my time, get the plans right, and build it right. I learnt a lot o. The fist railway!

Ian (cogges), yes two railways, twice the fun? Twice the maintenance!

 

[garrymartin]

I am quite jealous James, I some times considor taking mine down and starting again , but then I realise that I am happy with what I have and I could not change thigs in any significant way due to the topography , and luckily most of the mistakes were made on paper.
I do not know if you are familiar with Bernard Deluard's Cote d'Or metre guage garden railway but its another that inspired me as much as Nick Trudigans and may give new comers reading this some ideas http://www.modelismeenpolynesie.com/photosoffertes8/index.html

 

[JRinTawa]

I like the planning,

 

[jameshilton]

I managed to get some of the basic dimensions in to MacRailSoft 'Rail Modeller' (the only track planning software I found for the Mac - great piece of share-ware) and here is how it looks as a first go... I was trying to avoid R2, but without it, the bottom left corner is basically useless. The point on the left is R5! Very generous! Gives some nice sweeping shapes, I've also copied over the existing EJ&KLR to show a comparison of size...

Lots of fun planning and tinkering on sunny days hopefully this year...

 

[jameshilton]

I do not know if you are familiar with Bernard Deluard's Cote d'Or metre guage garden railway but its another that inspired me as much as Nick Trudigans and may give new comers reading this some ideas http://www.modelismeenpolynesie.com/photosoffertes8/index.html

Garry - quite a spot, no I'd not seen his line - that's beautiful modelling - again a very different but consistent subject

I hope one day I can have a line that people find as inspiring to read about! 15 - 20 years maybe!! Still, look at Mel of this parish, 2006 a simple oval in the garden and 6 years later, a line that screams character and captures the UK outline look of the early 1950s perfectly!

The plan I posted above has a very generous loop length, ideally I'd like 3 tracks in the 'station' to allow a couple of trains to be assembled and run without shunting... however I've only got a finite space. I really like the way the curves flow into the station area, but I have a totally different layout in mind to try later on, where the bins rotate 90degrees and I move the station area...

 

[jameshilton]

This shows the other simple use of the space, move the station to the longest edge (unfortunately, this is potentially the most scenic edge and it all becomes 'station' in this plan) and then put the bench in a prime viewing spot. Behind the bench is a trellace to obscure the bins from the rest of the garden. The clothes line would go in the U curve on the top right, accessed via the path for the bins, with a step over onto some gravel. The rest of the border becomes a rock garden with suitable alpine planting.

It's funny when you look at a space, it's hard to visualise what will fit until you start playing. Again this plan uses R2 on the bottom right, a compromise to get the most out of the long straight.

 

[jameshilton]

To help you visualise this in the garden, here is the plot we're taking about.

In photo one, the stone wall in front you is the long diagonal edge on the left of the plan. The shed on the left is what is immediately to the top of the plan.

In photo two, you're looking from the bottom left corner of the plan down onto the layout.

In photo three, you're stood at the top right of the plan, looking up onto the layout.

You can see there is a subtle gradient on the slope (about 30cm from diagonal top left (lowest) to bottom right (highest). This area is completely up for grabs, the rest of the garden isn't. The shed could be modified, but I'm not sure I'd keep anything in it anyway so have not shown that on the plan at this time.

 

[Richie]

Cracking area to build a line James Really like the dry stone wall would look great with a train running on it's edge

 

[Shawn]

James glad to hear you are building a RR at your house. Cant wait to see the progress. I hope you can fined the stone dust that you always liked. If it didnt cost so much to ship I would send you some. Keep us updated. Im looking forward to this.

 

[steve parberry]

I like the plan with the station at the front along the top of the wall just right for shunting

Then as the line develops a siding straight in to the train shed

A lot of the hard ground work is already done....

 

[ge_rik]

It's looking good James. For me the planning stage is the most interesting. My suggestion (for what it's worth) is to think about the potential for future expansion in the early stages so that if 'planning permission' is granted later on you can easily extend from the basic trackplan.

Rik
PS If ever you fancy a trip out into the Cheshire countryside you're always welcome

 

[jameshilton]

Thanks guys - planning is definitely fun!

Ritchie - yes I hit gold with this garden, that stone wall is one of the features I love about it!

Steve - I guess I'd not really thought about the option of shunting, a good call, I'll see if I can knock up another plan with the station area of the second, but the bins in the original position... As you say, the area is mostly level and has the lovely wall seperating it from the rest of the garden.

Rik - thanks for the offer, I hope to visit a few lines this spring/summer, I do have two engines with digital chips as well these days. As you say, plan for expansion, although in all likelihood that won't happen. I like to finish things, and then do something else, but an extension into the garage or shed would be an option.

Shawn - great to hear from you, yes good to be planning another line. The original EJ&KLR is still a wonderful little railway that I look forward to watching mature and play on it all summer - this new project, in all honesty, is now probably a 2013 thing, as I think I'm going to splash out on the Faur L45H kit instead this year!

 

[playmofire]

I think the three line station version is a very elegant and flexible design, and there's room to build in shunting options off the station lines isn't there?

 

[mole]

Glad to see you are doing another railway, as I found the progress you made on your first layout very intresting, as well as your many conversions on loco's and rolling stock, and alway's done to the highest standard's With reguard's to the new track plan's, the second one is a lot better also the station layout with 2 loop's is more in keeping with Swiss Austrian station's That's what I think anyway for what it's worth