The Whareora & Glenbervie Branch Line

[bobg]

Re: A Train with No Name

Why not use a piece of 25X25X3mm angle iron instead? It wont give anywhere near as much, or change shape with the weather/time.

 

[Beddhist]

Re: A Train with No Name

Hmmm, there is an idea! I have got quite a bit of that sitting behind the shed, rusting away. Plus, I have the feeling that they don't stock the timber any more that I am using. But curves will be a challenge. I won't be able to bend it.

How to attach the track to that?

 

[bobg]

Re: A Train with No Name

I only really meant for the under-brace, but I used steel for quite a bit of the T.V.B.L. as main supports. Metal flats will bend without difficulty and can be spaced with wooden blocks, then the track-bed screwed to them. I then lightly nailed through the ties to hold the track.


Edit.

Check out https://www.gscalecentral.net/g-scale-pictures/problems-on-the-t-v-b-l/msg66719/#msg66719
though it seems to have suffered some with the chance of Forum software, and may even have some pictures missing.

 

[Beddhist]

Re: A Train with No Name

Thanks for clarifying. Your build makes an interesting read. Looks like all the pix are there.

 

[Beddhist]

A few more pix from last weekend`s effort:



There are kinks in the track bed that I didn`t really want, but somehow couldn`t avoid making. The last bit under the steps is particularly difficult, with my movement restricted and having to stand over the flowers. There is a big obstacle in the shape of the double punga (native tree fern). Originally I wanted to go behind it, but even at 4% grade the track is still too low. This would have required major earthworks, right where it is the most difficult. I decided on a relatively sharp curve to go around it. I may have to cut a small section out of the stairs. I won`t know until the track is in place. Still, that should be easier than cutting into the bank and relocating a number of plants.





Now I`m waiting on rail joiners and track again.

 

[JRinTawa]

Re: A Train with No Name

There looks like enough room, fingers crossed Peter As for the long straight having some gentle kinks is not a bad thing.

 

[Beddhist]

Gentle, my foot:



That S-curve is far too sharp for my liking. I didn`t even need to be...



A lot of progress was made in the last few days, most of it today.





Now we are getting into the really thick vegetation.

 

[Madman]

Re: A Train with No Name

I like the route the track is taking. Meandering through the flowers and woodlands as the prototype might.

 

[Beddhist]

Re: A Train with No Name

It's just, if you are a G Scale Person, the size of them may be a little intimidating at first.

 

[Beddhist]

Not a lot happened during the rest of Nov and Dec. The latter, in particular was quite wet and during the dry days we had to work. My two locos, however, were converted to Airwire and battery. I`ll report on that separately shortly.

A few metres of track bed were completed yesterday:



This shows what a poor job I have done building this, as there is hardly a straight section.  :`(



The workers are now entering the dangerous Agapanthus Bush area. The greenery is so thick here, I think this calls for a tunnel.

 

[JRinTawa]

Re: A Train with No Name

Horrible sticky Agapanthus Peter! Hehe, mind the snails

 

[Beddhist]

Re: A Train with No Name

Oops, I didn't know they were sticky. Workers could come to a sticky end, then. ???

Double-oops about the snails. I can just see them taking up residence in a tunnel. Then it would be the 1st train through coming to a sticky end... yuck.

 

[CoggesRailway]

Re: A Train with No Name

Its going to be spectacular! With regard to running in wind- I have a weighty battery loco and a log train with "real" logs for such occasions. Alternatively just ballast up a short train and remove when the weather is good.

 

[JRinTawa]

Re: A Train with No Name

Oops, I didn't know they were sticky. Workers could come to a sticky end, then. ???

Double-oops about the snails. I can just see them taking up residence in a tunnel. Then it would be the 1st train through coming to a sticky end... yuck.

Well not sticky until you break a leaf Peter! The sap/juice is horrible stuff

 

[Gavin Sowry]

Re: A Train with No Name

The sap/juice is horrible stuff

Indeed, a bit like DB beer (I'm a Lion man, myself).

 

[Beddhist]

Had to work for most of today. Just dashed outside to take a couple of pix of the weekend`s construction progress. There probably won`t be any more progress for the next month, due to visitor.

The line emerges from Agapanthus Bush:



From here we have a clear run to the end of the driveway, where the top ground level meets the drive:



The plan is to swing in a sweeping curve onto the top level and try to back track.

 

[Madman]

Re: A Train with No Name

An entire month without trains!! Shocking. Why not enlist the visitor to help work on the layout? :

 

[cbeckett]

Re: A Train with No Name

Nice Agies - but they do seem to be a bit of a weed here (WA)! We don't get white ones, just the purplish-blue sort...

 

[Beddhist]

Re: A Train with No Name

An entire month without trains!! Shocking. Why not enlist the visitor to help work on the layout? :

I can't see my mother playing or working with trains, somehow...

Yes, the Agies are doing really well here, too.

 

[Beddhist]

We are enjoying the first days of autumn; feels more like the last days of summer, though: sunshine and 26C. Too hot to work in the sun. Luckily, most of the track work now happens in the shade under the feijoa trees.

With almost no work this week I have completed the straight along the drive and I have started to swing under the trees:



Getting those Y posts through the gravel in the drive was hard work. It doesn`t seem to matter how straight I put them in, as soon as they are in that far that I can`t move them any more they start to twist and go out of vertical.

A Eureka moment: right where we need it the line meets up with the top level! Plus, there is just enough room for a 3m radius curve. I think I will stop the ladder frame shortly and put the track into the ground with ballast. Once I can get more track, that is. Micro Engineering are still out of stock.



Meanwhile, at the other end of the line the station layout is being revised. I have unscrewed the track, but the switches are firmly screwed down, because I want to force the straight section to actually be straight.



Tomorrow we will batten down the hatches, as tropical cyclone Pam is heading our way. Vanuatu is expecting wind speeds of up to 300 km/h.