Garden Railway Blog

Video: Moors Valley Railway

2010-05-02T07:40:00.003+01:00

Here's a video of a recent trip to the 71/4" gauge Moors Valley Railway, near Ringwood, Hampshire - well worth a visit if your in that part of the world...

Video: Spring 2010 on the W & L Lt.Rly.

2010-05-02T00:06:00.004+01:00

New video of recent running on the Worthies & Littleton Light Railway...

Early Influences - Bekonscot

2010-04-11T22:21:00.006+01:00

Family outing to Bekonscot Model Village today. I went there aged 5 on my first school outing, and thought the place was magical. Not much has changed (either at Bekonscot, or my reaction to the place!). Although neither the buildings or the trains are finescale or overly detailled, both ooze charm, wonderfully evocative of 30's - 50's home counties. The automated railway control system they have built is very impressive (although I'd love to see a few Aster live steam main-line locos doing the business there!)

Lovely to see my son have a similar reaction to mine on his first visit. I wonder how much my first visit might have in some small way lead to the railway I now have in my garden?!

Stoneleigh 2010

2010-04-10T21:44:00.004+01:00

A cracking day out at the 16mm Association show at Stoneleigh today! The highlight for me was seeing Edward Sholto 'in the metal'. Loads of traders (all seemingly doing good business?), not so many layouts, but a few favourites, including Indian Hill, Nant Mawr, and of course all of the Hunslets on Jack Lane :-)

I managed to keep spending vaguely under control; some nameplates from John Lythgoe for the MMS (after my youngest), some replacement silicone tubing for water fill valves (badly needed), and a bargain 'end of line' 4 wheel coach from I.P.

Shot a bit of video, will post once edited!

Spring!

2010-04-08T07:42:00.002+01:00

Well, spring is here and I've been trying to find time to tackle the jungle that is our garden (two loads of clippings to the tip). Had a few steam ups in between the rain, and been thinking about how the line might be extended right around the garden... Will have to see if there's time to tackle that this summer!

Looking forward to the Stoneleigh show this weekend...

Steam in the Snow Vol 2

2010-01-09T09:53:00.001Z

Some problems here as YouTube & Quicktime seems to have different interpretations of H.264 video frame rate (and hence the video is playing back at half speed compared to the audio & takes twie as long). Anyway, hope it is vaguely enjoyable nonetheless...

More steam in the snow!

2010-01-07T21:43:00.002Z

Well, after you've built a snowman & thrown snowballs at small children, what else are you going to do?! Video to follow...

Upcoming Model Railway Exhibitions

2010-01-07T21:01:00.003Z

Here are some dates for upcoming model railway exhibitions in and around North Hampshire... Something to do whilst it's so damn cold in the garden!!!

SOUTHAMPTON MODEL RAILWAY EXHIBITION 2010

SATURDAY 30th & 31st JANUARY

Alton Model Railway Group FebEx2010

Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 February 2010

NARROW GAUGE SOUTH WEST 2010

Saturday 20th February 2010

Eastleigh Model Railway Show, incorporating Eurotrack 2010

27th & 28th of February 2010

Romsey and District Railway Modellers Society Anual Exhibition

6th and 7th March 2010

Basingstoke & North Hants Model Railway Society Exhibition

13th and 14th March 2010

It's Christmas!

2009-12-25T23:52:00.002Z

Had a lovely day with the family (after a busy few days of preparation). A couple of particularly nice presents: a footplate experience at the Kew Bridge Steam Museum waterworks railway (thanks love!), and a copy of 'The Engine Driver's Manual' by Brian Topping, which looks an excellent read!

I hope to get some stock kit(s?) built up over the holiday, watch this space...

Hunslets @ Stoneleigh

2009-12-01T23:38:00.002Z

Looks like next years' 16mm association National Show at Stoneleigh (April 10th) will be a 'must-visit'!

"The Association is proud to announce a very special visitor at the 2010 show - a full sized quarry Hunslet! The locomotive's identity will be revealed in due course and will be the centrepiece of a display celebrating the fascinating history of this historic locomotive builder. We want to make this history come alive by running as many 16mm scale Hunslets as we can throughout the day on the 'Jack Lane' layout, which will be located near the full size Hunslet. Our target is to see 100 16mm scale Hunslets throughout the day to make a grand total of 101. The significance of 101 will become clearer soon"

Hmmmmm - Hunslets! :-)

Braving the elements at Eastleigh

2009-11-30T07:00:00.004Z

Fed up with being stuck inside yesterday, decided to brave the elements & visit Eastleigh Lakeside Railway with the lad. Fortunately it stopped raining for about 20 minutes, and they have some enclosed passenger stock, so we made a circuit without getting drenched or too windswept. We were hauled by their Coronation Scot, which was giving plenty of amospheric steam effects in the cold!

Whilst there, I picked up the latest edition of Miniature Railway magazine, which has a nice feature on the regularly visited Luscombe Valley (see previous posts!)

Kew Live Steam Model Railway Show 2009 - The Video

2009-11-17T12:48:00.001Z

Here's a video of my favourite stuff at the Kew Live Steam Model Railway Show 2009:

Kew 2009

2009-11-15T23:26:00.003Z

Made it up to the Kew Bridge Steam Museum Live Steam Model Railway Show today, and very enjoyable it was too. Whilst there weren't quite as many exhibitors and I recall in previous years (marquee seemed a bit empty?), all those present were excellent. Brian Caton's Isle of Man layout was fantastic, and nice varied 16mm running on layouts from Kew, Guildford & Bedfordshire. I bought a laser cut matchboard brake/3rd 4 wheel coach kit from Brandbright; the detail / price ratio was irresistable! Should be a nice project for winter evenings when the missus is out!
The only downside seemd to be I missed most of the Kew rotatative engines running; only saw the Easton & Amos, & Dancer's End in steam. Sadly the Hathorn Davey Triple wasn't running at all - I always love the sound & rhythm of that one running!
Nice to see the new 'Wren' loco Thomas Wickstead in steam; I could watch that Hackworth valve gear all day! (and I can neither confirm or deny any runors that I put my name down for a Wrightscale Wren, although with a 2 year waiting list I figure I have some time to develop a 'funding model'). Video to follow...

Exeter 2009

2009-10-25T08:27:00.003Z

Got a pass out to got to the Exeter Garden Railway Show yesterday. The show was very enjoyable, with a good set of layouts. Traders seemed a litte thiner on the ground though?

Here's a video of my favourite exhibits at the show:

MSS upgrades

2009-08-29T23:23:00.003+01:00

Not much garden railway action lately, what with new arrivals, typically mixed British summer weather, and a resurgence in my other hobby, playing the drums!

Anyway, decided to finally get the MSS sorted out, and ordered a steel wheel set from Dream Steam, as the quartering on the old ones was very sloppy. I fitted them today, and it seems to have sorted things out, with a good steam, first on blocks and then running light on the circuit.

Not really sure I should call it an MSS anymore, as it has had an uprated safety valve, meths burner, lubricator, regulator, centre-buffer buffer beams, hand rails & now wheels (which all in all must have cost about as much as the loco did in the first place; not uncommon to get a reliably running one!). Anyway, she seems in good fettle now, and I expect she will improve with some more running - here's hoping for some good bank holiday weather...

A New Addition

2009-07-19T08:33:00.002+01:00

Well, not much garden railway news of late, as we had a new baby just over two weeks ago! Of course, in the longer term, this may result in an additional loco (to be named after the baby, naturally!).

Making the way permanent

2009-06-14T23:33:00.005+01:00

Finally got the track for the front half of the circuit properly fixed down today. The track is screwed down at 12"- 18" intervals into wooden dowels hammered into holes drilled in the blocks.

Test running with battery electric & live steam locos this afternoon went very well, running seemed more steady, even though the alignment of the blocks could be better! I plan to complete the rest of the line as time allows...

Receieved my joining pack from the 16mm association today; all looks very good! SMT seemes to have improved since I was last a member; both quality & quantity...

Bits & Bobs...

2009-06-13T23:38:00.003+01:00

Finally got round to (re)joining the 16mm association this morning - you can now pay the subscription by PayPal :-)

Flew into Southampton airport this week (on a business trip), and had a cracking view of Twyford waterworks, Eastleigh locomotive works & the maintenance depot as we came in to land! Looked as though there was still a steam loco in situ from Eastleigh 100, other than that all I saw was a long line of DRS class 20's...

Guildford MES have an Open Day next Sunday (21st) - may try & get there if family permits... Hoping to get a steam up in tomorrow, and maybe even start fixing down the track!

Summer Colour

2009-06-12T07:47:00.002+01:00

Having come back from holiday (and a week of particularly warm weather) it's nice to see the garden has erupted into colour - campanula, poppies & rose blooms everywhere!

Visit to Woody Bay

2009-06-07T23:17:00.005+01:00

Well, having found out the Launceston steam railway was closed last week, I was able to make the case for a trip slightly further afield, to the Lynton & Barnstable at Woody Bay.

Sadly their sole steam loco, Axe (a Kerr Stuart from the 1st world war) was out of service due to a failed (actually, just fixed) air brake pump, so we were diesel hauled for the trip up & down the line. Too bad, as with the gradient of the line, I guess the loco would have been working hard with a good steam plume on the way back to Woody Bay... We will have to return to find out!

Nonetheless, a nice afternoon in the sun in a very picturesque location, and everyone on the railway was very friendly & made us feel very welcome. For me it was nice to see prototypes of the stock that is so common on 16mm lines, and take lots of photos!

Also nice to see a 'cabbed' Simplex (I still plan to build & bash an IP kit when funds permit ;-)

Hopefully some video to follow shortly...

Off to the Hidden Valley...

2009-06-07T09:15:00.006+01:00

Just back from a fantastic week's holiday in North Devon with the family. When we went this time two years ago we had a lovely afternoon at the Launceston Steam Railway, so we set of for Launceston with much excitement (OK; I was excited...), but was disappointed to find it was closed (having been open the previous week for half-term). Sadly my quarry Hunslet fix had to be postponed... :-(

So as an alternative, we went to the Hidden Valley discovery park, which I had seen covered a while ago in Garden Rail, and is just up the road (well, narrow windy lane actually...).

And a thoroughly nice time we had when we got there. Railway attractions included a beautifully planted G-Scale 'secret' garden railway (reminiscent of Beckonscot but without the model village?!), and a diesel hauled 71/4" railway (also nicely landscaped). Most of the rest of the park is a 'crystal maze' style 'discovery' park with various challenges, but a bit old for our kids!

More Eastleigh 100 photos

2009-05-29T11:48:00.002+01:00

I've added some more photos to the slideshow - enjoy!

Eastleigh 100 Photos

2009-05-25T00:02:00.005+01:00

Reminiscing at Eastleigh 100

2009-05-24T21:32:00.004+01:00

Had a cracking day today at Eastleigh 100. I decided to splash some cash & go for an early bird ticket (8am rather than 10am start), on the pretext I would likely get more time with less people around to do some decent photography, and I'm very glad I did, because the place was heaving by 11am! I spent over 6 hours there, the first 3 hours of which was focused on photography; I ended up taking nearly 300 digital photos, and over 40 on B&W roll film... (some film to soup this week!). The latter half was spent mostly browsing the trade stands and trying not to spend too much pocket money!

Perhaps surprisingly the big draw for me was not the steam locos (although there was a very decent collection of Southern locos on shed), but instead the splendid array of classic diesels, most of which were working in my youth. Seeing my favourite 50's & 33's turned out in immaculate liveries took me right back to the early-mid eighties, and open-days at Stratford, Cardiff Canton & Stewarts Lane.

A slightly sad counterpoint to this was that a good part of the Eastleigh works is gutted, and looking somewhat sad for itself (although by all accounts things aren't in too bad shape considering the whole lot could have been closed). Anyway, all in all a great day - stay tuned for some photos...!

News & updates

2009-05-21T00:09:00.003+01:00

Well, sadly I didn't make it to Merstham last weekend (for domestic reasons that are too dull to go into here). Shame, as apart form being a good day out, it's also a good opportunity to pick up all those little bits & pieces for finishing jobs that you wouldn't bother mail ordering because of the P&P!
Anyway, it's the Eastleigh open days this weekend, which I'm looking forward too, and hopefully some running over the bank holiday...
There's a bit of a backlog of jobs to do on the line at the moment; the need to fix down the track is ever greater with my enthusiastic toddler pulling it up at every opportunity. Need to sort out a few of the wagons too, as the brass axle bearings have come loose from the axle guards... (seemingly all at once?). A chance for me to try some white metal soldering perhaps...

Merstham Next Weekend

2009-05-09T22:11:00.002+01:00

It's the highly recommended Merstham Model Steam Show next weekend, looks like I should be able to go, maybe en-famile...? Anyway, here's hoping for pleasant weather! Busy building a playhouse for the kids this weekend, so no running so far, despite the pleasant weather; maybe tomorrow?

Dorset Coast Express

2009-05-04T22:55:00.003+01:00

Lots of excitement this Bank Holiday as a Bullied Pacific hauled railtour ran from London through to Swanage, over Swanage Railway metals. Despite passing less than a mile from our house, I sadly missed seeing it... Check out these videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0cZF-o1ZPg (Near Basingstoke)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa5BZx39afE (Tangmere going full tilt through Beaulieu Road)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcJscHH2e9Q (The whole railtour)

Cracking Stuff!

Sunday steam-up

2009-04-26T22:28:00.003+01:00

After Saturday's excitement, had a nice steam up on Sunday... Must say a big thankyou to Auntie Anne who weeded the garden the other day - turns out there was actually some railway track under that lot!

Footplate experience at the Moors Valley Railway

2009-04-26T16:37:00.006+01:00

Had an absolutely cracking day at the 7 1/4" gauge Moors Valley Railway yesterday on their Footplate Experience Course. Our engine for the day was 30 years old Talos, an 0-4-2T built by Roger Marsh.

Once she was in steam, our instructor Alf took us through all the controls, and then gave a demo lap of the line (1 mile in length). Then my co-attendent & I took it turns to drive the line for the rest of the day (in between scheduled passenger trains).

Talos was great fun to drive, certainly a bit more to take care of than on my 16mm locos! The fire didn't seem to need as much attention as a full size loco, but she got through water at a fair rate, and with fairly small tanks, we had to use the injectors a couple of times per lap. The line is fully signalled, so that added to the fun too.

Alf (here keeping a watchful eye over me at the controls!) was great, very knowledgable with experience stretching back to his days driving steam locos for BR, and plenty of good yarns!

The highlight of the day for me was taking the family for a run round the circuit at the end of the day!

Everyone at Moors Valley was very friendly, and I can definitely recommend this as a great way to spend the day if you're a fan of steam locos!

Back to Luscombe Valley...

2009-04-26T10:03:00.005+01:00

A lovely morning had by all at the Luscombe Valley Railway (a previously blogged 5" gauge line in Sandbanks, who now have a website here) last Sunday, my Mum's birthday, and she wanted to go somewhere the grandchildren would enjoy!!! Very busy, like the last time we went, but very pleasant rides around the winding circuit, hauled by a mix of live steam and diesel outline locos.

We got a ride behind this 0-6-0 tank loco, though it was blowing off quite a bit!

I have a soft spot for class 33/1's as I grew up near the Bournemouth - Weymouth line where these were mainstay traction for passenger services in the 80's ;-)

Loco's awaiting departure at the very impressive station signal gantry

Easter Steam Up

2009-04-13T21:17:00.004+01:00

Had a great extended running session with Cackler this afternoon - sunshine, steady running & a cup of Earl Grey - magic!

Unfortunately my young son has taken to walking the line, and is very keen on the trains, so some permanent way re-alignment was necessary before running could commence. The Baguley-Drewery is now minus it's horn due to some enthusiastic grabbing, so repairs will be required. I'm also contemplating screwing the track into the pavers every foot or so to prevent any further 'tamping' by the mini-controller...

00 Update

2009-03-28T08:41:00.003Z

Planning for a small indoor 00 layout continues, you can read more about the most recent plan, Wandsworth Road, over on RMWeb. Meanwhile I have been acquiring a few nice loco's: a couple of Heljan 33's & a Hornby 50, all beautifully detailled & great runners; a step up from the Lima kit of my youth!

Eastleigh 100

2009-03-22T08:20:00.002Z

Looks like the centenary celebrations for the nearby Eastleigh Locomotive Works in May should be worth a visit; plenty of Southern steam locos (from the Watercress line & the Swanage Railway), and classic diesels too.
I couldn't go past Eastleigh on the the train in the 80's without leaning out of the window to get as many numbers as possible, so a chance to have a look around is too good to miss!

Spring has arrived!

2009-03-15T20:50:00.003Z

Class 33 on the M25!

2009-02-18T23:07:00.003Z

As we were driving up to Ely on Saturday morning, imagine my surprise as we overtook 'Slim Jim' 33 208 on the M25, after the M40 junction!

Steam in the Snow - the video

2009-02-04T20:16:00.002Z

Here's a video of the recent steam up in the snow, featuring Cackler.

Steaming in the Snow

2009-02-02T23:26:00.001Z

Found time for a quick steam up today over lunchtime. Video to follow!

Double-0 Dabbling!

2009-01-31T10:08:00.003Z

Well garden railway activity in the last month has been virtually nil, as the weather hasn't been great, and life has been very busy.

However I've been spending some time considering a 00 (indoor!) layout, triggered by my nephew getting a first 00 layout for Christmas! As a result I went rummaging through my parents loft through my old Hornby & Lima stuff. Some is still in pretty good nick, some sadly the victim of an over-enthusiastic teenager frustrated at the lack of detail but without the craft skills to make a change for the better!!!

Anyway this has set the old grey matter turning over; and the idea of a small layout set in the 80s, running my favourite southern region (class 33, 33/1 + 4TC & 73?), & western region (class 47, 50, DMU & maybe an 08 or 03 shunter?) locos & stock does appeal! Currently, something loosely based on Minories is in the air (and also in xtrkcad, an excellent & free layout planning tool), I have a Railway Modeller issue from last summer (bought for the garden railway articles), that has a great article on recent Minories variations.

At last weekend's Eastleigh model railway show I managed to have a go at white metal soldering, and picked up some low melt solder & flux, so hopefully so garden railway kit construction soon (I fancy an IP Lister or similar...).

Boxing Day Steam Up

2008-12-26T18:21:00.002Z

As hoped, got in a steam up yesterday; cold but sunny, so good plumes of steam! Ran Mortimer, now officially 'Ella' having acquired some name plates from Formil at Exeter. These are blu-tac'd in place at the moment, but will be glued in shortly.
Here's a picture of yours truly lighting-up, and one below of Ella with her nameplates...

Got some good railway-related presents today, some black etch primer & crimson lake enamel, and a temperature controlled 50 watt iron for kit construction :-)
Here's a (short) video of the steam-up...

Merry Christmas

2008-12-26T08:11:00.002Z

Not much activity on the blog in the last month (or on the railway for that matter), what with the run up to Christmas with little 'uns, & all manner of coughs & sneezes doing the rounds. Anyway, some nice pressies yesterday, some of the family clubbed together to get me a 'footplate experience day' on the Moors Valley Railway for next year (which I'm looking forward to!). Also some Milliput in my stocking; I can finish off the station halt kit now...
Looking like a nice clear day out there this morning, so who knows; maybe time for a steam up...

Steaming in the cold

2008-11-30T09:25:00.003Z

Not much garden railway activity lately, though I did manage to steam Cackler in the cold yesterday. She ran beautifully with the gas set low, a lovely plume of steam and the quiet 'ticking' of the motion - very nice!

Got some graphite yarn to pack the gland nuts of the MSS which seems to have helped; tried another (unsuccesful) attempt to fix the loose crank pin!!!

More Fettling

2008-11-20T23:35:00.001Z

Got the MMS up on blocks again tonight, but removed the constricted chuff pipe fitted some time ago, and this seemed to make all the difference, with much free-er steaming. All that is left to sort now is the loose crank pin (which neither Epoxy or superglue has fixed so far!)

Kew

2008-11-18T23:29:00.004Z

Made it to Kew for a couple of hours, and had a good time. A couple of good layouts; the Guildford Group had a nice variety of loco's (I particularly liked the super-detailled Roundhouse Bertie, and of course the Finescale Hunslet) , and the Pudding Norton Creek layout was interesting in showing you could run an end-to-end exhibition layout with R/C live steam! I was remarkably restrained in terms of purchases! Here's a video of the best bits...

Moors Valley Railway

2008-11-15T22:10:00.006Z

Not much been going on at home on the Worthies & Littleton as I've bean dealing with the cough / flu thing that's been doing the rounds (though I did watch a few episodes of The Garden Railway on DVD ;-). But off to the 7 1/4" narrow gauge Moors Valley Railway near Ringwood today to celebrate my Nephew's 3rd Birthday.

Enjoyed a nice circuit behind No. 11 2-6-2 Zeus, hauling one of the longest / heaviest passenger trains I've seen on a miniature railway - I'm amazed it got around the sharpest curves!

Nice also to see a double headed frieght train, hauled by No. 6 2-6-2T Medea and No. 17 2-4-4T Hartfield.

Hoping to get to Kew tomorrow for the model steam railway show...

More MSS Fettling...

2008-11-07T23:18:00.003Z

Spent yesterday evening messing around with cylinders on the MSS, trying to sort out recent poor performance. I ended up switching back to the IP Engineering cylinders tried previously, and managed to coax a bit more life out of them (by throroughly lubricating before steaming); there's more power there, but they still need fettling in. So, a bit of running on blocks yesterday evening & this evening also. Looking at the old cylinders there seems a lot of lateral 'play' in the pivot bolts, which might explain things...

Also been thinking of ways to improve her looks(!); thinking about making some new side tanks with tram skirts, and maybe a rear bunker... Might try mocking something up out of card to see how it looks...

Vintage Cloister Film

2008-11-04T21:42:00.002Z

Check out this recently posted YouTube video of Cloister (now at Kew Bridge Steam Museum), early in her preserved existence - cracking stuff!

Sunday Steam Up

2008-11-04T00:33:00.004Z

Managed a steam up yesterday, in a dry spell betwwen the drizzle. Cackler ran beautifully, sporting a new Enots valve picked up at Exeter, and a cleaned check valve - no more hot water being ejected into the cab from the filler...

Still having fun & games with the MSS; having steamed on blocks to test the new 'super wick' material (also acquired at Exeter), she seemed to be steaming well, and did a few laps of the circuit under her own steam. However, problems started upon refilling the boiler. This caused a steam leak from the filler valve with nearly complete loss of pressure. After cooling, I thoroughly cleaned the water fill valve & having re-steaming this seemed to do the trick, but couldn't raise enough steam to get her to run on track, with the wheels easily stopped by touching. I'm hoping this is just a problem with the cylinders, as a) everything else seems in order, & b) I've ordered a cylinder upgrade kit from www.dream-steam.com. Sometimes it seems all the tinkering & expense hasn't led to much of an improvement from the loco as bought (best not tell my other half though ;-) Oh well, such is the lot of a mamod owner...

Garden Railway Blog - 1 year old today!

2008-11-01T20:01:00.004Z

Well, here we are - 1 year and 62 posts old. Sadly, the weather has been too foul today to allow any kind of celebratory steam-up, though the forecast for tomorrow isn't so grim, so fingers crossed.

Quite a lot has happened on the garden railway front in the last year (considering that life with a young family doesn't leave much spare time for anything else!), the first phase of the garden layout is complete, we're down a Jane but up a Mortimer, and Cackler & the MSS have seen regular service too.

I'm certainly enjoying blogging, although I gather blogs are passe and we should all be tweeting away on twitter (at least according to Radio 4 the other morning...). Whilst the subject is 'selective in its appeal' I gather there are a few readers out there, so hello, and thanks for stopping by!

Here's to the next year!

Autumn on the Maesffordd

2008-10-30T19:21:00.002Z

Take a look at this fantastic video on YouTube of 'Autumn on the Maesffordd Railway' - the atmosphere is just great!

Exeter Garden Railway Show Video

2008-10-26T20:19:00.004Z

Here's a YouTube video showing selected highlights of the show... (also available in high quality if you watch on the YouTube site here: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=xORFJA-gRYM&fmt=6)
UPDATE: The Exeter show site http://www.exetergardenrailwayshow.com has embedded this video on their video page :-)

Exeter Garden Railway Show

2008-10-26T19:53:00.006Z

Well, I've finally found some time to write about our trip down to Exeter to the Exeter Garden Railway Show yesterday. After a two hour drive (thanks Ray!) we arrived at about 11 am. First impressions on going into the hall were that it was larger than I expected, and on wandering around we certainly weren't disappointed. A good number of layouts, with live steam power dominating :-) Also a good number & mix of traders. We spent a relaxed few hours, wandering around taking in the sights, sounds & smells.

Everyone was very friendly, and we had lots of interesting chats with vendors & exhibitors. It was nice to meet & chat to David Hicks, whose Bagnall Wing tank I'd admired in GardenRail a few years back. Likewise Colin Binnie, whose steam motor looks ideal to base something home-built upon, and also Tolhurst Model Engineering, who kindly took the time to show us how their multi-fuel options worked in their Quarry Hunslet. Very clever, and the attention to detail on their locos looks second to none. Definitely time to start saving! (I fancy 'Dolbadarn' with the full cab!). I also met up with an old family friend John, who was exhibiting the garden Tram layout. He lived a few doors down when I was growing up, and bares at least some responsibility for getting me into railways in the first place!

There were some lovely models being run; the standard of the layouts was excellent, with Sticklepath, Mendip Vale & Southdown having a particularly good level of scenic detail. It was fun to see what I think was one of Tony Bird's Crackers running. The Gauge 1 layout was certainly impressive.

All in all an excellent day out - we'll definitely be back next year!

Back to the Eastleigh Lakeside Railway

2008-10-19T21:50:00.002+01:00

Went with extended family & little ones to the Eastleigh Lakeside Railway on Saturday, just in time to catch the last train of the day! A good time was had by all, and we enjoyed riding behind live steam loco Sandy River, a US outline 2-4-2 in the still very mild weather! The Eastleigh Lakeside Railway is one of Britain's Great Little Railways.

Steamed Mortimer on Sunday afternoon; it was extremely windy and I needed to set the gas very high to stop it blowing out! This wasn't helped by the Bernzomatic butane I'm using at the moment, the last couple of cans of which seem to make the burner very erratic when first lit - seems as though there might be some kind of impurity in it which burns off in the first couple of minutes. This happens with both my gas-fired locos... Anyway, a nice run once in steam.

Exeter Garden Railway Show

2008-10-09T13:11:00.000+01:00

Saturday 25th October 2008; looks like it should be good...

Drive a Quarry Hunslet!

2008-10-05T20:51:00.003+01:00

On the subject of Kew Bridge Steam Museum, I see they are advertising for volunteer drivers on their waterworks railway. Unfortunately I don't think abandoning the family two weekends a month is an option; although driving a quarry Hunslet would be fantastic!!!
Never mind, I shall have to be content with the Kew Live Steam Model Railway Show, on November 15th & 16th.

Twyford Waterworks Autumn Open Day

2008-10-05T20:29:00.003+01:00

As the weather brightened up this afternoon, I decided to drag the kids out to the nearby Twyford Waterworks Autumn Open Day. Although the site isn't the most pushchair friendly I've been to(!) we had a nice hour or so there, mostly looking at the small industrial railway that services the works lime kilns.

There were two Lister loco's there; one of which was shunting a few wagons - looked like fun to drive!

The waterworks feels a bit like a more rural version of Kew Bridge Steam Museum, with some obvious similarities: former waterworks, a narrow gauge industrial railway, and both with a Hathorn Davey Triple Expansion Engine. That said, I guess Twyford doesn't Kew's unique large beam engines!

Summer 08 Video

2008-10-04T10:30:00.002+01:00

Here's a new YouTube video of summer activity on the line. This shows the line since the reverse curve at the rear was eliminated, and features Mortimer, Cackler, Toby & the Baguley-Drewery.

A Station Building

2008-10-02T23:35:00.003+01:00

I finally got round to starting construction of the W & L Lt Rly's first building tonight - a Lineside Delights Small Halt Kit which I bought a while back at Merstham.
Whilst I love lines that have the full scenic treatment, I don't really have any desire to turn our garden into a model village (though I love those too; especially Bekonscot). The main purpose of the line is to allow me to run live steam loco's & some trains, and I can live with a garden that isn't planted 'to scale'! That said, I think a few railway related structures are quite in keeping...
So the first structure is a modest halt, which will actually go at the terminus at the end of the line! The plan is to make a small platform (probably from timber and some offcuts of roofing felt) for it to sit on. As the picture above shows, I managed to get the basic structure assembled tonight; there is some detailling remaining before painting. Watch this space...!

MMS Back in Service

2008-09-29T20:49:00.004+01:00

Glorious weather this weekend, so a great opportunity for some running in the garden, with Toby, Mortimer & the MMS all doing a turn. But first a quick strip down of the Baguley-Drewery as it's not been running so smoothly of late; lurching a bit & some groaning from the connecting rods. The strip down & rebuild seemed to do the trick & she's running smoothly again.

I also switched the MMS cyclinders back to the original ones, to see whether last weeks' fettling problems were cylinder related. Turns out they must have been, as she was happily running in on blocks Sunday morning, and running very nicely round the track on Sunday afternoon with two wagons in tow. The precision regulator has made her much more controllable, and with the wicks properly adjusted there's no shortage of steam. As she is now running well I may indulge in a few more cosmetic improvements from Dream Steam...!

So - all of the motive power on the W & L is now back in service - just in time for the rain ;-)

Fettling the MSS

2008-09-21T23:55:00.003+01:00

Well, after the Model Engineer show yesterday, I came home & steamed both Mortimer & Cackler, both running nicely in the afternoon sun.

I then decided to get the MSS back into service, having now received the recently ordered lubricator. BTW, the service from Dream Steam was very good, and as there were a few days delay due to a PayPal issue, they threw in a brass chimney cap - very decent of them. I'm also happy to report their lubricator design is an improvement on the IP version, as the pipe to the reversing block is longer & as a result I didn't have to file anything at all! The loco has been running in on blocks this evening, but there seems to be a problem with the replacement IP cylinders; lots of steam leaking from the piston rod glands, and no packing behind the gland nuts either, so something to sort out this week. The old cylinders weren't all that bad, so I may just go back to them for the time being to get her running on the track.. The Dream Steam centre buffer replacement buffer beams look very good too I think.

Model Engineer 08

2008-09-21T23:27:00.005+01:00

Went to the Model Engineer Exhibition yesterday, at Ascot. Good show, with some fantastic locomotives on display. The level of skill and dedication to build locos to this standard is amazing. Check out the scale tin of brasso on the footplate of the GWR loco! It almost seems a shame to steam them...

The Sinsheim 5" gauge track was impressive (surely the worlds largest trainset?!), although there were disappointingly few locos in steam. It was great to see a decent size loco in full cry with a long rake of goods wagons in tow though! The maddest thing of all was a working model of a prototype gas turbine engine - the noise was something to behold as it whined past! Here's a short YouTube video I shot of trains running on the Sinsheim track:

Interesting to see all the machine tools on show. Although I've never done any workshop training, the idea of having a small mill & lathe & to make my own locos is very attractive. Looks like you could get yourself reasonably well equipped for the cost of a decent 16mm live steamer - then it's just time & materials!

Diesel Mineral Working on the W & L Lt. Rly.

2008-09-18T09:14:00.002+01:00

Here's a new YouTube video of diesel hauled mineral workings on the W & L Lt. Rly, featuring my Accucraft Baguley-Drewery battery converted loco & Binnie Hudson Tippers.

Sittingbourne and Kemsley Light Railway to close?

2008-09-15T23:20:00.002+01:00

Sad to read that the Sittingbourne and Kemsley Light Railway is due to close at the end of the year... Lets hope they can at least negotiate a stay of execution if not a continued existance on the site.

Weekend Running

2008-09-15T00:04:00.003+01:00

Finally a weekend with some nice weather for a change, and some opportunities to run some trains!

On Saturday I was able to steam Cackler, following some tweaks as a result of an e-mail thread with the Loco's maker, David Hardy. The filler valve problem turned out to be resolved by cleaning out the non-return valve. I did some further fettling of the steam regulator to try to get it to close completely, I also tighted up one of the connecting rods between the slip eccentric and the piston valve which seemed to have worked loose. The resulting run was one of the best I've ever achieved with this loco; lovely slow scale speed pulling a couple of wagons, gas & steam regulators perfectly balanced. Certainly looking forward to more runs like that!

Today I was able to do some gardening, and clear the plants that had overgrown the line. Having done that, I ran Mortimer, once before the kids went to bed, and for an extended run after. I don't usually run once it's dark, even with the patio light on (primarily in case the track works loose), but Mortimer is very reliable, and with the single-fill system there's not a great deal that can go wrong. It was very atmospheric, and great to sit back with a glass of wine and watch her going round!

Hopefully we will get that Indian summer with more good running sessions into the Autumn...

Back to the BMR

2008-09-14T08:43:00.006+01:00

We went to Brambridge yesterday, to go to the garden centre, but we squeezed a ride on the Bankside Miniature Railway in too. We were hauled by Carolyn, stalwart of the line - here's a picture of Carolyn plus train being turned on the turntable after the run.

They were also steaming a GWR pannier on a short test track. I'm not sure whether she is the same (unusual) gauge as the main line, and will be on passenger duties in future? (shame - we'll have to go back... ;-)

Big trains, little trains...

2008-09-11T23:09:00.004+01:00

Despite the rubbish weather this weekend (again), we managed to see some big trains & little trains on Saturday afternoon.

First of all, up to Ropley again - we saw Wadebridge on a down train, before wandering around the loco shed and seeing several large locos, including a very smart looking A4 60019 Bittern. It's their steam gala this weekend, which looks like it should be very good...

After that it was down to Eastleigh, to the Eastleigh Lakeside Railway for a ride on a little train. It was one of their 'Days out with Underground Ernie', which the kids enjoyed, but sadly no steam haulage! They have quite an extensive track down there, and it was definitely worth a visit - doubtless we'll be back down their again...

I've ordered some parts for the MSS, so hopefully she will be back in steam before long!!!

Toby Rides Again!

2008-09-03T22:26:00.004+01:00

Got hold of a new motor for Toby & fitted it Monday evening (with the new metal worm gear to replace the stripped out plastic one). He felt a bit 'gutless' testing on the kitchen table, but he's been out doing laps this evening, and seems to be running in OK. If anything I'd expected a power increase, as the new gears have a lower ratio. Hopefully performance will improve & settle down as he gets run-in...

Looks like the previously noted problem with the MSS refit is a blow through the dead-leg lubricator fitting, which I filed to accomodate the larger pivot bolts of the new cylinders; looks like I was too aggressive there (& I'll be after a new lubricator!). I was wondering where to get parts now that IP seem to have completely walked away from Jane & after-market Mamod parts; PPS carry some, but a bit of Googling revealed http://www.dream-steam.com/, who look like they have quite a good range :-)

Watercress Line

2008-08-31T10:30:00.006+01:00

As I was looking after the kids yesterday afternoon, we went up to the Watercress Line at Ropley (our local preserved line) to see some steam engines! West Country 34007 "Wadebridge" & 5MT 73096 were both on passenger duties and made a fine sight in the afternoon sun!

Progress (or lack of!)

2008-08-31T10:15:00.003+01:00

Well, August has been a quiet month on the W & L Lt Rly. Between holidays away, pretty rubbish weather, being very busy at work and only having 2 out of 5 locos in service, there hasn't been a great deal of running - just the odd hour here or there with the Baguley-Drewery. Any free time has been spent trying to get those locos back in service:

A new metal worm gear has been fitted to Toby, but the electric motor has failed & I need to get a replacement - hopefully just a trip to the local model shop.
The steam regulator & replacement cylinders for the MSS have been fitted, but on an initial firing steam pressure wasn't being raised, so there's a leak somewhere that needs to be sorted out.
Cackler still needs a new filler valve, and in the longer term the steam regulator needs replacing.

Hopefully there'll be more activity in the Autumn!

End of the reverse-curve

2008-07-26T20:38:00.003+01:00

Having got thoroughly fed up with Cackler leaving the track several times during a morning steam up, I decided to finally do what I'd been thinking about for a while, and re-lay the rear of the loop to get rid of the reverse curve. Originally layed to keep the line as close as possible to the fence, but still clear the fence post, it has though caused running problems, slowing trains excessively, and with the tracks joins coming apart after running steam locos in particular.

The relayed section uses fewer pieces of track at the rear (fewer joins to come loose or have to check) and gently curves to avoid the post, transitioning nicely to the set-track curves. The change in geometry means the right side of the front of the loop is brought forward slightly.
Extensive test running this afternoon with the Baguley-Drewery, then Cackler & Mortimer gave much improved running, with more consistent speed and power round the loop.

Unfortunately it looks like Cackler's filler valve failed at the end of her run, as she was blowing hot water back out of it - not a good sign.

The W & L Lt Rly - in Brio

2008-06-22T19:53:00.002+01:00

OK - Just a bit of fun whilst we were waiting for the kid's bath to run... Here is the track plan of The Worthies & Littleton Light Railway, faithfully rendered in Brio! Has an almost 'Beck-ian' feel about it, with those nice straight lines and 45 degree bends (no prizes for guessing what's coming next ;-)

Steaming Cackler

2008-06-21T22:58:00.005+01:00

A busy day in the garden today, and despite the weather threatening to rain it stayed mostly dry. We found time to steam Cackler for the first time in a while. Ended up having a good session with over an hour's run - certainly the most gentle & consistent run I've managed with this loco for a while - very pleasing!

Bankside Miniature Railway

2008-06-14T22:14:00.003+01:00

We spent a very enjoyable hour or so this afternoon at the Bankside Miniature Railway in nearby Brambridge. The line is 8 1/4" gauge (is this unique?), and we were hauled by 2-6-2 Carolyn, built in 1924.

The line is an out-and-back, the station throat being a turntable, used to turn around the entire train between runs. They are open weekends, 10-30 'til 5, with trains running every 15 minutes or so, and are definitely worth a visit (with a pretty decent garden centre on site too).

No-Wheel Drive Toby!

2008-06-14T21:44:00.003+01:00

Despite doing stirling service with an audience of several kids at our barbecue last weekend, a bit of a dull moment today as Toby's plastic worm drive stripped :-( Just wondering whether I'm better off getting a brass replacement from Cambrian models (answer: yes , if it's a drop in replacement...!)
Otherwise slow but steady progress; the lines' first coach is shaping up nicely (an old project started a few years back but never completed); just a final coat of paint and some detailing to finish.
Got a steam up of Mortimer Tuesday evening, and he was running very nicely too in the gentle evening sun.

Hollycombe Railway Weekend

2008-06-02T23:47:00.004+01:00

A change to the advertsised programme this weekend, as we all went off to Hollycombe to their railway weekend on Sunday. The lure of Jerry M & Palmerston won over the O&K at Twyford (and we can always go Twyford another Sunday, and to Amberley another time to see the O&K ;-)

A good time was has by all, our little girl enjoyed the fairground in particular and was very excited about going for a ride behind a traction engine(!) Her daddy however was much more excited to see a prototype of his model 'Cackler' for the first time - and fantastic she looked too; the lining after last years' overhaul is very smart indeed (if ever I got Cackler 'lightline-d', I think it would have to be this paint-job).

It was nice to see Jerry M & Palmerston running regular services (including a short goods wagon rake) from the station, and at the end of the afternoon, double-heading the last run of the day.

The only down side was we didn't have enough time to see everything - sadly we missed the 16mm layouts! (never mind, there's always next year)

Twyford Waterworks Industrial Railway Gala Day

2008-05-28T22:39:00.002+01:00

Sunday June 1st (this weekend) is the nearby Twyford Waterworks Industrial Railway Gala Day. Should be interesting; apparently they have a couple of Listers & there'll be a visting O&K (time to get some diesel inspiration!), as well as various stands & stalls. Fingers crossed for some drier weather!

4 Wheel Drive Toby

2008-05-22T22:54:00.002+01:00

The first job following Merstham was to fit the IP Engineering budget chassis 4 wheel drive conversion to the tram engine. This reminded me of technical Lego caterpillar track & spockets from my younger days, although I didn't tend to use epoxy with my Lego ;-) Anyway, it's installed and the loco seems to run more smoothly on the line. It'll be interesting to see if the pulling power has improved (especially with the extra ballast I recently added - two lumps of mild steel).

Ray's Railway

2008-05-22T22:51:00.002+01:00

Ray (from work) has comissioned his 45mm garden line. Here's a video of his Mortimer running around the line...

Made it to Merstham!

2008-05-22T21:31:00.010+01:00

Well, a work colleague (Ray) & I made it up to Merstham for a couple of hours on Sunday morning, and very good it was too. The weather was kind and we wandered around between the layouts and trade stalls.

The Gauge 1 layout in the main hall was particularly impressive, with a succession of impressive mainline locos pulling rakes of coaches effortlessly round the gentle curves of the layout...

16mm Narrow guage was well represented with several layouts running. The Kent groups' layout in the gym was impressive, with a nice variety of motive power...

There was coal fired live steam on the East Surrey test track...

And plenty going on outside on the 71/4" line.

Of course it was great to be able to peruse the wares of many f the suppliers to the hobby, and a I did pick up a few bits & pieces, but more on those in future posts!

Merstham Model Steam Show

2008-05-15T20:45:00.003+01:00

This weekend is the Merstham Model Steam Show; I'm hoping to get a pass out on Sunday morning to visit!!! Should be a good chance to catch up with all that's new & pick up some bits & pieces for the line. I'll post if I make it out of the house ;-)

Otherwise not much steaming since the last post, although the odd bit of battery loco running, as the weather has been pretty decent and there's been quite a lot to do in the garden now that summer is just around the corner.

Wildlife on the line

2008-05-04T22:04:00.002+01:00

Found this little chap on the rails this morning, down in the cutting at the terminus. I had seen him near the compost bin the other night, but he's obviously developed an interest in the railway since!
I moved him up into the flowerbed, since I wanted to remodel the far end of the terminus, as the cuttings / vegetation really make it difficult to run a loco around the loop. I've opened this out, with an extra slab at the far end, which has improved things a great deal.
My wife's uncle came round in the afternoon, and we a great steam up with all three locos in steam!

Weekend Update

2008-04-29T21:18:00.003+01:00

This weekend was good for the railway; mostly sunny & warm. Had two extended afternoon steam-ups, running both Mortimer & Cackler (and with both steaming nicely). I also had time to do some track tweaking, re-laying the front part of the loop. This has helped sort out the last of the problems due to the spring bulb explosion! There have also been a few recent problems with track coming apart during running (particularly with running the heavier steam loco's), so a session with the pliers has helped sort this out!

I also had time to sand down the partially completed freelance coach I abandoned some time ago, so hopefully the lines' first passenger stock will be running in the near future! (a Henrietta for Toby ;-)

Outstanding jobs now include improving / aligning some of the recently laid section to the terminus (a bit of a 'hump' to even out), and reworking the end of the terminus. It's difficult to access locos in the cuttings, so this will likely be opened out & re-layed onto a slab.

Still, with warming longer summer days & evenings ahead (assuming that we didn't have the British summer this past weekend), there's plenty of time for relexed running & tinkering!

Lappa Valley Railway

2008-04-25T20:27:00.003+01:00

On holiday in Cornwall a couple of weeks ago, we took the family to the Lappa Valley Railway, near Newquay. The highlight was the steam hauled 15" gauge line, but there were plenty of child friendly things to do and we all had a nice afternoon in the spring sunshine. The staff there were very friendly, and we'd recommend it as a fun & relaxed afternoon out. Pictured is Zebedee, the 15" gauge loco that was in steam.

The garden railway has a name!

2008-04-15T21:28:00.003+01:00

Well, after about 9 months of existence, I finally have a name for the line in my garden:

The Worthies & Littleton Light Railway

The name reflects pretty well where the line is, and also shares initials (W&L) with a rather better known narrow gauge prototype: http://www.wllr.org.uk/. It remains to be seen whether this convenient similarity will be sufficient to warrant purchase of the forthcoming Accucraft "Countess"!

Spring steam up [video]

2008-04-15T08:01:00.003+01:00

Here's a short video of a steam-up yesterday evening, featuring Mortimer running over the newest section of the line. The video gives a pretty good impression of the line in it's present state.

The end of the line?

2008-03-31T22:34:00.004+01:00

After so much soggy March weather (& an Easter weekend wiped out by sickness), Sunday turned out to be a nice warm Spring day. After lunch, I found time to do some gardening, and to have anther crack at removing the bulbs that have been steadily pushing up the paving bricks on the main loop - hopefully mostly cleared by now. Then my sister & family popped in, so we ran a couple of battery locos for the boys (the youngest of whom was very excited!).

Later on I managed to have couple of hours to myself, and got nearly all of the remaining route to the shed laid, including the station run-around loop & siding. The run around loop is quite short, clearance for three or so good sized wagons, but hopefully this might be improved with some tweaking. Some fettling in of the line itself is required, and completion of the run around spur & siding on a few last pavers, but the track was complete enough to allow the first ever proper 'out & back' run at about 7pm (longer evenings are back - hurray!).

Running over new rails

2008-03-01T19:05:00.007Z

Here are a couple of photos of the Baguley-Drewery running over the newly-laid leg of the reversing triangle for the first time this afternoon. It only just cleared that rose-branch!

Weekend Engineering Work...

2008-03-01T17:47:00.009Z

Significant progress with track laying this afternoon, with the reversing triangle completed, the bridge moved further along the line, and work started on the terminus!

Photo 1 shows the newly installed leg of the reversing triangle on the left (you can just see the Baguley running round the loop). Trackwork is the usual Peco laid on paving blocks set into the flower bed on a base of ballast.

Photo 2 shows the start of the terminus; there'll be a run-around loop on the left, and a siding on the right. Originally I had planned to put the terminus by the wall on the left at the back of the bed, but the shrubs there are nicer, and there's a tree stump I'd need to dig out, so I've gone for the easy option, plus it's more accesible here at the front. Track will be laid on some small paving slabs, probably screwed in with rawl plugs... You can just see the re-located bridge in the top right of the photo.

Photo 3 shows the view from the back corner of the garden, with the re-located bridge, and line towards the reversing triangle.

Bridge Installation

2008-02-24T22:36:00.004Z

Had a bit of time to 'install' the bridge this weekend. I ended up laying it across two pavers on their ends, sunk into the flower bed, which looks pretty good and gives a solid base. Having installed it though, I can see it might look even better a few feet further round the planned track bed, as there's a more of a 'dip' which it could more realistically span. Oh well, we'll see how it looks next weekend - should be fairly straightforward to move if necessary...

Toby and the Steam Up

2008-02-24T22:17:00.004Z

Spent an hour this morning moving bulbs & plants that are springing up too close to (or even from underneath) the trackbed. Hopefully I've moved all the big ones, so future disturbance to the permanent way should be minimal. The Baguley-Drewery battery ran flat after only 20 minutes, following an extended run yesterday, so I got 'Toby' out for a run. Toby is a scratchbuilt, very short wheelbase tram engine, mostly built the Christmas before last on a budget IP chassis I got in my stocking! He still needs to be finished (mostly painting, some detailling & a bit of extra ballast), but is run-able as-is (usually the kiss of death for getting anything truly finished!).

Once the track maintenance was finished, and the bulbs planted in their new locations, it was time for a steam up before lunch. I gave the MSS a run, although she seemed to be struggling a bit, I had assumed last weekend's de-gunking session would improve her running, but it looks like all that congealed thick steam-oil was probably doing something useful after all (giving a steam-seal if nothing else!).

Live Steam Roster

2008-02-18T19:04:00.001Z

Here's a picture of the current live steam roster on the garden railway; from front to back: MMS (meths fired), Locomotion 'Cackler' (gas fired), and Accucraft 'Mortimer' (also gas fired). All were lined up on the rails this afternoon, as I took the opportunity of 15 minutes to myself to 'de-gunk' the motion & bearings of each with a bit of paraffin - lovely...!

Extending the line

2008-02-16T21:57:00.002Z

Here's a picture showing the extension off of the main circuit; the line on the right of the points connects to the front of the circuit, track will be laid to connect the left track to the rear of the circuit. Still some work to do to level the pavers before track laying, but I will probably hold off of doing this until the terminus has been built so I can tweak the gradients of the line if necessary. The bridge was a recent eBay purchase; I need to add some supports to the pavers either side to support it.
If the good weather continues, then hopefully there'll be some reasonable progress on the extension in the near future...

Track improvements & a steam-up!

2008-02-16T21:38:00.008Z

More very pleasant weekend weather today (is this the warmest / sunniest February in recent history?!), and we got out into the garden. I was able to spent 40 minutes or so re-aligning track on the main circuit, and also finally got around to re-laying the rear section of the circuit, getting rid of the small 'hill' in the process. This was fairly easy to do following the extensive pruning of the shrubs before Christmas! After some running with the Baguley-Drewery to check all was well, I steamed up Mortimer, and he ran very well, especially on the re-laid rear section. He ended up running for about 40 minutes, refuelling & watering after the first fill ran out.

Here you can see Mortimer running over the re-laid rear section - the small 'wiggle' in the track is to clear the concrete fence-post.

And here you can see a lovely plume of steam backlit by the February sun!

First Signs of Spring?!

2008-02-10T21:12:00.001Z

Glorious spring weather this second weekend of February; sunny & bright, and really not all that cold! I found some time this morning to run the battery-converted Baguley Drewery round the circuit with a few wagons.
Needed to do a little permanent way work; at a few places around the track bulbs have pushed through, in others winter rain appears to have caused a little subsidence under the brick pavers; I'll need to do some more making good before the next steam up - too bad there wasn't time today.

Hopefully the weather will hold; as it was perfect for steaming and progressing the track laying further around the garden. Enjoy the photos of the Baguley Drewery amongst the spring flowers!

From the 'archive'...

2008-01-13T20:24:00.000Z

Well, although the weather hasn't been too bad this weekend, other commitments have kept me from running or working on the railway, so here are some pictures from the 'archive' instead. Jane & the MSS locos, both pretty much ex-works on my previous line in Surrey.

New Year's Resolutions...

2008-01-01T22:53:00.000Z

Perhaps not so much a set of New Year's Resolutions as a list of last year's outstanding 'to-do's, and if for no other purpose than to remind me, here we go...

Complete track laying for the spur round to the rear of the garden.
Flatten out the 'rise' at the rear of the circuit.
Complete outstanding rolling stock projects: freelance coach, Perfect World Talyllyn gun powder wagon & mesh sided coach, Brandbright planked wagon & freelance tram loco (painting; she's been running since the summer)
Tweaks to Mortimer (coal load for rear bunker, some touching up - must order paint from Phoenix...)
Tweaks to Cackler (improve slow speed running)
Finish Baguley-Drewery battery conversion (cosmetic finishing touches; she's also been running since the summer)
IP Engineering regulator for MSS
Proper nameplates for locos (Guilplates?)
Gardening!
(re)Join 16mm association
Garden Rail subscription

Of course, the joy is none of this is particulaly urgent, and most can wait for lighter, warmer evenings...

Steaming in the New Year

2008-01-01T18:22:00.000Z

As the weather has been fairly mild on this first day of 2008, it was definitely time for a steam-up! I decided to steam my MSS loco, as she hasn't been run for a while. The MSS loco is the basic Mamod design, though mine has had a few modifications: narrower chuff pipe, IP Engineering steam lubricator, plus meths burner & uprated safety valve from PPS steam models. The MSS is the only meths-fired loco on the line, so makes a nice change to run. Although suffering the standard Mamod characteristic of 'scalded-cat' like peformance, this is reduced somewhat by the narrower chuff pipe, and a rake of a few wagons will tame her, even on the sharp curves of my line.

She put in a good performance today, though even my two year-old daughter commented un-prompted: 'Skarloey very fast engine' (as previously noted, she relates to all trains via their Thomas the Tank Engine equivalent; all of the (by chance) maroon steam locos on my line are therefore Skarloey!).

All in all, a pleasant way to mark the New Year!

Luscombe Valley

2007-12-22T20:05:00.000Z

The Luscombe Valley Railway, a 5" gauge line in Sandbanks, Poole had their Christmas open day today (in aid of Julia's House). My sister recommended it (they visited in the summer), so we took the little ones & met up with them. Now this is very much the serious end of garden railways, real engineering rather than modelling (though I tend to think that my 16mm stuff is somewhere in-between). Very impressive though, quite a number of routes; computer signalled throughout, & a fair bit of civil engineering / earthworks to achieve a level run on a sloping site. I think it made my family realise my line is fairly 'low impact' on the garden by comparison!

They were very busy today, with half-hour queues for a ride. There were something like half-a-dozen locos running; mostly diesel-outline electric, but there were two live steam locos running. We had an enjoyable run hauled by a class 59 diesel-electric. We look forward to going back to the next summer open-day - recommended!

Cold Weather Steaming

2007-12-16T21:06:00.000Z

A crisp & clear winters' day today, so finally a chance for some running after all this rain. Mortimer was chosen, as apart from anything else, with the single fill system you can just set her running & pretty much let her get on with it (and with a little one toddling around the garden, this makes life somewhat easier). After raising steam & clearing the cylinders, she set off running light at a nice steady pace. It was lovely to just stand back & watch her gently run round the circuit, and with a nice plume of steam in the cold air - magic! Although I've only run her maybe half a dozen times, I am finding her very consistent and enjoyable to run.

The bridge arrived from the eBay seller; well packaged but still a little bent, but fortunately easily bent back. It is very nicely put together so I'm looking forward to installing when I get time.

Autumn Steaming Video

2007-12-08T23:21:00.000Z

Here's a YouTube video of steaming this Autumn on the garden railway...

Soggy Weather

2007-12-08T23:06:00.000Z

Yet another wet weekend; no chance of running today, and the yahoo weather widget on my desktop suggests no chance tomorrow either. Some good news though; I won a small aluminium bridge on eBay yesterday, which should look good on the single track beyond the triangular junction. Here's hoping for some dryer weather so I can get it installed once it arrives.