Today On Ruritanian Railways
- Thread starter whatlep
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whatlep
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It's been a quiet month in Ruritania, but a few more bits of scenery (slabs!) have been laid down and - when our builders haven't been in the way - a few trains run.
RR welcomes back its original 1999 vintage Mallet. Now back up to speed after remotoring, courtesy of that very nice Welsh Dragon chap.
RR welcomes back its original 1999 vintage Mallet. Now back up to speed after remotoring, courtesy of that very nice Welsh Dragon chap.
whatlep
Registered
May 27th saw the start of the grand extension, permission having been granted by Mrs Whatlep after only a few months' consideration.
The new extension fills the gap between the existing upper loop and the end of the retaining wall at the rear of our house. Originally, we had thoughts about having a paved area here. Mrs W had a patio in mind: I envisaged a shed for the stock....
The only level structure in the picture is the new deck for the return loop!
A last look back to the old station An addition of 2.1 metres in a straight line, but an extra 9 metres of track will be involved in the extension. I never really liked the appearance of the old station area. The new one should look much better.
The destructive phase. Wires from the return loop trail in the dirt. This part of the original line was the last bit to be constructed and it was somewhat bodged. The new bit involved proper measurements and levels! Digging into the wall's foundations was a no-no (!), so the return loop is a couple of inches above the old one and is now the highest point on the entire line.
The principal boards are in place. The wood used originally had suffered no rot, but had shown a tendency to warp unless very firmly braced. I decided to go for a larger section timber this time (150x38mm, rather than 150x22mm) with as much bracing as I could fit in.
Postcreted ground anchors are used where necessary. to maintain stability.
Things start to take shape. A test positioning of track to check that things will work as envisaged. I was very careful to check clearances between those radius 1 curves and the wall! New track has been used wherever possible on the new "main line" with track recovered from the previous trackplan placed in the long siding on the left. I was surprised, though pleased, to find that everything lined up perfectly first time. At that point, I went for a well-deserved beer!
The new extension fills the gap between the existing upper loop and the end of the retaining wall at the rear of our house. Originally, we had thoughts about having a paved area here. Mrs W had a patio in mind: I envisaged a shed for the stock....
The only level structure in the picture is the new deck for the return loop!
A last look back to the old station An addition of 2.1 metres in a straight line, but an extra 9 metres of track will be involved in the extension. I never really liked the appearance of the old station area. The new one should look much better.
The destructive phase. Wires from the return loop trail in the dirt. This part of the original line was the last bit to be constructed and it was somewhat bodged. The new bit involved proper measurements and levels! Digging into the wall's foundations was a no-no (!), so the return loop is a couple of inches above the old one and is now the highest point on the entire line.
The principal boards are in place. The wood used originally had suffered no rot, but had shown a tendency to warp unless very firmly braced. I decided to go for a larger section timber this time (150x38mm, rather than 150x22mm) with as much bracing as I could fit in.
Postcreted ground anchors are used where necessary. to maintain stability.
Things start to take shape. A test positioning of track to check that things will work as envisaged. I was very careful to check clearances between those radius 1 curves and the wall! New track has been used wherever possible on the new "main line" with track recovered from the previous trackplan placed in the long siding on the left. I was surprised, though pleased, to find that everything lined up perfectly first time. At that point, I went for a well-deserved beer!
whatlep
Registered
Day two of the extension and it's looking good!
Track has been nailed into place on the main boards and around the semi-circle of the return loop. LGB graphite paste was inserted in every joint before final alignment. In the bottom left-hand corner is a sea of wires - the S&T gang are in paradise! They will reposition the return loop's sensor wires, reprogram the Massoth switch unit and add wiring for two more (co-acting) points. Rewiring was really tedious work - crawling on my knees for a good hour digging trenches for wires and trying to fit each wire into the correct hole. :impatient:
It's alive! Track wiring completed and the foreground point wired up, it was [STRIKE]play[/STRIKE] testing time. The Stainzes take the honours for first train on the new track, as is always the case. The course of the old loop is obvious.
A close up of the loop end shows the short siding which will be used as a loco spur or for the railbus to hide. The woodwork on the left side of the loop is not as accurate as it should be, but both rails are fully supported, so it will do. Spaces between the various planks will be filled with 20mm gravel which will disguise the carpentry a little. The point's motor will be moved to the other side in due course.
Just about done. New boards are now in place and final tracklaying is in progress. Only one piece of track needed to be cut to fit in the whole extension. Good! The gap between the long, straight boards and the left-most board is intentional. It's necessary to have the track properly centred. At some point, the gap will be disguised with platforms and 20mm gravel. In case anyone is wondering, the longest siding is 4.5 metres in length.
The next stage of the project will involve testing. Lots of lovely testing!
Track has been nailed into place on the main boards and around the semi-circle of the return loop. LGB graphite paste was inserted in every joint before final alignment. In the bottom left-hand corner is a sea of wires - the S&T gang are in paradise! They will reposition the return loop's sensor wires, reprogram the Massoth switch unit and add wiring for two more (co-acting) points. Rewiring was really tedious work - crawling on my knees for a good hour digging trenches for wires and trying to fit each wire into the correct hole. :impatient:
It's alive! Track wiring completed and the foreground point wired up, it was [STRIKE]play[/STRIKE] testing time.
The Stainzes take the honours for first train on the new track, as is always the case. The course of the old loop is obvious.
A close up of the loop end shows the short siding which will be used as a loco spur or for the railbus to hide. The woodwork on the left side of the loop is not as accurate as it should be, but both rails are fully supported, so it will do. Spaces between the various planks will be filled with 20mm gravel which will disguise the carpentry a little. The point's motor will be moved to the other side in due course.
Just about done. New boards are now in place and final tracklaying is in progress. Only one piece of track needed to be cut to fit in the whole extension. Good! The gap between the long, straight boards and the left-most board is intentional. It's necessary to have the track properly centred. At some point, the gap will be disguised with platforms and 20mm gravel. In case anyone is wondering, the longest siding is 4.5 metres in length.
The next stage of the project will involve testing. Lots of lovely testing!
whatlep
Registered
Today most of the stock was out, for the first time in a very long while!
The breakdown train lurks on the left, while a local goods awaits a road into the station which is jammed with trains.
From the other end of the station, we can see that a hopper train has been halted to await departure of international express service "The Ruritanian". That will be followed by a local railcar as soon as a train of vans has been unloaded at the main platform. Busy, busy, busy.
Finally the local got away and was captured across the fields by our camera team. THIS kind of view is why I do G-scale!
The local met the returning van train at the border station. Mallets are immensely popular in Ruritania!
The breakdown train lurks on the left, while a local goods awaits a road into the station which is jammed with trains.
From the other end of the station, we can see that a hopper train has been halted to await departure of international express service "The Ruritanian". That will be followed by a local railcar as soon as a train of vans has been unloaded at the main platform. Busy, busy, busy.
Finally the local got away and was captured across the fields by our camera team. THIS kind of view is why I do G-scale!
The local met the returning van train at the border station. Mallets are immensely popular in Ruritania!
whatlep
Registered
yb281 said:All done just in time for the tourist season. Looks like the Ruritanian economy will be on the up. Great job Your Excellency.
BTW, I thought that having enough track to handle ALL of your rolling stock was illegal?
Hence the urgent necessity to buy more stock!
If only Mrs Whatlep saw things as clearly as G Scale Centralists do......
whatlep
Registered
The engineers have been busy again, combatting the ravages of time. Some Ruritania fans may remember that the lower part of the line was flooded in December 2008. Over time, the affected area's wood warped significantly. Guests have politely not commented upon the trackwork's curious angles, but something had to be done.
Yesterday the lower area received a makeover, with new 38x150mm timber going in, firmly braced underneath and level! While removing the old wood I found that Mr Mole had been banging his head against it. Mr Mole has received a dose of Postcrete for his trouble....
Today is testing day!
Yesterday the lower area received a makeover, with new 38x150mm timber going in, firmly braced underneath and level! While removing the old wood I found that Mr Mole had been banging his head against it. Mr Mole has received a dose of Postcrete for his trouble....
Today is testing day!
whatlep
Registered
HRH Prince Rudolf graciously consented to open the newly-relaid track. His train was delayed for a short while due to a suspected terrormouse attacking a point motor.
The mouse was dealt with promptly. Ruritanian police have formed a composite image of a suspect believed to be associated with the incident:
Prince Rudolf's special train paused at the border station to allow inspection of the works and a ceremonial run-past of the first train over the new works.
In recognition of the sterling efforts of our national railway's staff, the prince awarded Ruritanian Railways' managing director the Order of the Golden Tiger (with Ebony Stripes). The MD is seen saluting the royal train on its departure:
The mouse was dealt with promptly. Ruritanian police have formed a composite image of a suspect believed to be associated with the incident:
Prince Rudolf's special train paused at the border station to allow inspection of the works and a ceremonial run-past of the first train over the new works.
In recognition of the sterling efforts of our national railway's staff, the prince awarded Ruritanian Railways' managing director the Order of the Golden Tiger (with Ebony Stripes). The MD is seen saluting the royal train on its departure:
I reckon that mouse was hired by the Mole Liberation Front - Bromyard Cadre (splitters).
Good to see that Prince Rudi seems to have survived the scandal when he was secretly filmed by that false Sheik with the Paris showgirl and the donkey.
I thought that the station staff in the first picture were being typically mid European and walking to work hand in hand, but luckily it turns out to be a trick of the light .............. or does it??????
Oh yes, good job BTW.
Good to see that Prince Rudi seems to have survived the scandal when he was secretly filmed by that false Sheik with the Paris showgirl and the donkey.
I thought that the station staff in the first picture were being typically mid European and walking to work hand in hand, but luckily it turns out to be a trick of the light .............. or does it??????
Oh yes, good job BTW
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