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The McMullen Coal Company Light Railway


Owd Bob
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Many thanks Martino!  :) I use a granite chippings mix from my local building supply yard, i seem very lucky to be able to get hold of it around here. It is about 5mm-6mm. Diam' particles of Granite going right down to fine dust, i use/mix it 50/50 with pure Portland cement, no sand is needed as there's plenty of granite dust in the mix to bind it all together, i make a dry mix and brush it into the sleepers and firm it down just with my fingers, i let the rain or on dry days use an hand held spray bottle to damp it down and set it. Once it has set i sprinkle handfuls of the same granite chippings around the line-side which washes and weathers in nicely with the set ballast. Hope it helps!

 

Thank you. Getting the granite dust here in NW Florida is proving to be a problem! May have to mix Portland cement with either poultry grit (probably too white) or cat litter, which I hadn't previously thought of! - thank you Mike Storey.

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I'm lucky to get hold of the small chippings for the ballast and always have a 50 Kilo bag or two spare... but i have'nt any left at the mo' :O so i best get some asap before they ever stop selling it! Maybe i could bag it up in two kilo bags and sell it on Fee-bay for daft money? :spiteful: I think the weight of the postage costs would stop that possible venture though  :jester: Mike! the weather has been awful all over the World during the last month or so, especially all the wet and windy stuff :threaten:  I can't complain in comparison with the amount we get but it do's grind you down not being able to get out and do summat constructive on the railway! We have another storm heading up here tonight, after a weekend of bad weather news elsewhere in the World it makes me wonder what would happen if Northern Europe or GB ever got a bigger storm coming across us :resent: it maybe sooner than later at this rate of climate change :fie: This Government has'nt made any mention of any provisions for such an event, but i think they should start to think about it and let us know what to do and where to hide. :unknw_mini:   :crazy_mini:

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True - in comparison to the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, let alone Bangladesh, India and so on, it is churlish for me to complain. However, if Michael Fish ever makes a comeback, look out! My concrete blocks are now hurricane proof at least. But how to make the track and structures we place on top of them, resilient to increasingly extreme weather without losing their charm and detail, is problematic. I really don't want to have keep bringing everything susceptible out and then back indoors again for every session, but I guess it may come to that if this kind of weather persists. In seven years on my garden layout at Peterborough, I only lost one building to "weather" and that was due to a falling tree branch. Now, as I see quite heavy garden furniture being whisked away on amazingly strong gusts of wind, I am having to plan accordingly. Life doesn't get any easier!

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 I was working in Horsham in 1987 living in a touring caravan on a caravan site when that storm hit .lucky to have survived  to be honest .some caravans were blown to pieces ,whole stands of trees were blown down .And all we could do was sit it out till it blew over. The damage it did was unbelievable. phil

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I have used this in the past, and very good it is too. I think shipping to the U.K. would be prohibitive, but maybe the bonding mix would be OK. http://www.locomotionworks.com/index.php

 

Our Commander in Chief and his pals tell us that climate change isn't happening, so I suppose we have to believe him, despite the arrival of Irma this week. Luckily she passed us by with literally miles to spare, but it's all getting too scary. I guess if the storms don't get us, North Korea will.

 

I have a US outline loco (an FA unit I understand it's called) that was left outside during Hurricane Ivan 12 years ago. It survived and still works. I bought it for $5 but have no use for such a beast. It's been named Ivan, but heaven knows what I'm to do with it.

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I have used this in the past, and very good it is too. I think shipping to the U.K. would be prohibitive, but maybe the bonding mix would be OK. http://www.locomotionworks.com/index.php

 

Our Commander in Chief and his pals tell us that climate change isn't happening, so I suppose we have to believe him, despite the arrival of Irma this week. Luckily she passed us by with literally miles to spare, but it's all getting too scary. I guess if the storms don't get us, North Korea will.

 

I have a US outline loco (an FA unit I understand it's called) that was left outside during Hurricane Ivan 12 years ago. It survived and still works. I bought it for $5 but have no use for such a beast. It's been named Ivan, but heaven knows what I'm to do with it.

 You could rebuild your FA unit into something else?

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  I use this but not cement . This tends to over here encourage moss growth ,which interferes with the running of the locos and stock .

  Pleased that  Irma passed you by . Its sad that lives are lost and people have to rebuild from scratch after the storms have passed, because they have lost everything  Phil

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I have used this in the past, and very good it is too. I think shipping to the U.K. would be prohibitive, but maybe the bonding mix would be OK. http://www.locomotionworks.com/index.php

 

Our Commander in Chief and his pals tell us that climate change isn't happening, so I suppose we have to believe him, despite the arrival of Irma this week. Luckily she passed us by with literally miles to spare, but it's all getting too scary. I guess if the storms don't get us, North Korea will.

 

I have a US outline loco (an FA unit I understand it's called) that was left outside during Hurricane Ivan 12 years ago. It survived and still works. I bought it for $5 but have no use for such a beast. It's been named Ivan, but heaven knows what I'm to do with it.

 

I remember Ivan.  It totalled Cayman. I was in the BVI at the time, a bit blustery, but nothing serious.

 

As for Irma ...  I have managed to establish that most of my friends out there are safe an sound, but they're going to have a Hell of a job clearing up.

 

Why is it the World's most idiotic leaders insist upon expressing their lack of judgement via the medium of their hair?  

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 You could rebuild your FA unit into something else?

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  I use this but not cement . This tends to over here encourage moss growth ,which interferes with the running of the locos and stock .

  Pleased that  Irma passed you by . Its sad that lives are lost and people have to rebuild from scratch after the storms have passed, because they have lost everything  Phil

 

I used that when in the UK, although with a weak cement mix (along with O gauge granite ballast, but that gave a very uniform appearance, something that grit and Owd Bob's fines do not). I like moss!!! It is so strange that it is so hard to find anything quite like it over here, at least in this part of France, unless you buy it by the tonne. Hence my experiments with very coarse sand and now cat litter. But I may well buy some of the fine grit on my next pirate raid across La Manche, as a well tried back up......

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Indeed Philg, that was my intention when I shelled out all of $5 on it - to use its innards for another project. So far, it has just sat on the top shelf gathering dust. I foresee some sort of GWish flying banana type rail bus one day. I'll add it to the list!

 

Horticultural grit. Yes. Now if I can find a translation of that into Southern American, I'll be fine.

 

I'm so sorry for my fellow Floridians (and indeed the Georgians - not to mention folks out in the Caribbean) who have suffered from Irma. Natural disasters are awful, but the cost of living somewhere that is beautiful outside hurricane season.

Edited by Martino
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Mornin' Doug' the saddle tank now resides on the 'Dragons friendly' the  '40 is only really posing outside and probably won't make it around the curves but the 25 would, i'm not too bothered about the 'O' gauge outside as i'm doing an indoor layout for those loco's this Winter. Is there any news on finding swordbreaker Yet ??? i keep looking for it when i'm out and about. :good:

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  • 2 weeks later...
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I've somehow only just come across this thread, I don't often look at the Garden Railways section of the forum.  They have always fascinated me in one sense, but never seem very "real" in another, just shiny toys running around the rockery.  I don't mean that in a disrespectful way, just not my thing.  But this is a whole new level of realism, and as others have said, it blurs the line between a real railway and a model, the weathering and modelmaking are superb, and yet at the same time it fits into a real landscape like a real railway, as well as seeming to have a purpose.  The canal basin and mine are particularly impressive, and give it a sense of doing a job, rather than just being a pretty run of track to play trains on.  It deserves a much wider audience!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well I have just read this thread and I have to say what a brilliant layout, I have moved to sm32/32mm from N Gauge,( there was one particular reason for doing so, for which at this moment in time I won’t go in to.) I still do N Gauge, but garden rail has took over, and this layout is superb. Love the way it all kind of flows, and the modelling is fantastic.

 

I hope to show some of my layout soon, but it isn’t anything like as good has yours.   :)  :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks for al the kind words :) Sorry for the lack of postings recently i can only say this year has been a rotten year for me and my family and a lot of friends as well, mentally and physically we've had the stuffing knocked out of us. Hopefully the enthusiasm will return in the new year and i can get out and play trains again soon. Luckily i've not had a lot of leaves dropping all over the line this Autumn to clear up as the high winds a month ago seemed to blow them past my garden and over into someone else's yard for a change :jester: but do'sn't it drive you mad when you've hardly any tree's in your own garden yet you get all the neighbours dead leaves dropping and blowing into yours  :no:  Not the best pics' today and they are quite devoid of any trains but they show just how a few months of neglect can get the mosses and the greenery spreading on to the tracks and that i'm still here and breathing ok. :jester:   

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Edited by Owd Bob
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 Glad your back mate , Do like the crane . Got my  darj Garrett back from roundhouse after repair, not tried it yet.  Ive 2 big trees shedding leaves at mo in my front garden, and other plants that require trimming including the next door neighbours forest that overhangs my fence line.  phil

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Thanks for al the kind words :) Sorry for the lack of postings recently i can only say this year has been a rotten year for me and my family and a lot of friends as well, mentally and physically we've had the stuffing knocked out of us. Hopefully the enthusiasm will return in the new year and i can get out and play trains again soon. Luckily i've not had a lot of leaves dropping all over the line this Autumn to clear up as the high winds a month ago seemed to blow them past my garden and over into someone else's yard for a change :jester: but do'sn't it drive you mad when you've hardly any tree's in your own garden yet you get all the neighbours dead leaves dropping and blowing into yours  :no:  Not the best pics' today and they are quite devoid of any trains but they show just how a few months of neglect can get the mosses and the greenery spreading on to the tracks and that i'm still here and breathing ok. :jester:   

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Sorry to hear that life has been hard for you and yours this year, and my sincere hopes that things will get better now. As for the line, what neglect? It still looks absolutely fantastic, perhaps even better!!

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Sorry to hear that life has been hard for you and yours this year, and my sincere hopes that things will get better now. As for the line, what neglect? It still looks absolutely fantastic, perhaps even better!!

its called bedding in

 

:drinks:

 

even with all your problems youve still done more than me.

 

keep it up OB

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Wonderful modelling there Owd Bob. Life does get a bit rough sometimes as you age and old friends get laid up and worse, you just have to "keep guwin wit yed darn".

 

My garden also has been a bit of a to clean due to next doors leaves - though the recent wind virtually stripped the trees so only one big clean up needed. I've stopped running my garden railway now for winter, and taken indoors signals etc, though I have very few buildings etc (a couple of old bird boxes as stations !!). I tend to run trains on nice warm days, so a long wait for the next one !!

 

Take it easy & look after thysen.

 

Brit15

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  • 5 weeks later...

Still looks stunning.  You have my sympathy and best wishes.  Real Life has a nasty habit of getting in the way, especially when you receive more knocks than a Body should have to. I am sure that the enthusiasm will come back, and that you are able to enjoy the really rather special railway that you have created.

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Thanks Edwardian, as Apollo rightly says i shall 'keep goin' wi yed daewn 'as they say around here ....in other words 'stop being a big Girls blouse' :jester: Hoping the weather men have it right and we get the White stuff this coming weekend, and i'm preparing for a steam up, so i cleaned up a lot of the track and line-side yesterday in the hope that it do's. :) Meanwhile i've weathered and detailed up the 'O' gauge class 40 diesel over the last few weeks and posed it on the garden line. I'm hoping to fit remote control in this loco' and the yet to be weathered up 'O' gauge class 25.

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Thanks Mike, i'll probably be going the 'Timpdon' way as i already have two hand held remote units for my garden rail stuff, but basically anything to save a bit more dosh! A combined URC12 unit should fit in 'Aquitania' ok with a 'Strikalight' or similar rechargeable battery pack squeezed in there as well, i'll just have to find the wheel pick-up wires and re-route them....i hope! An inch of snow this morning so i've had the battery loco's out for some fun and a run, not quite deep enough to need the plough yet though, hopefully the steamers can come out later or tomorrow when the snow is predicted to be a lot worse. The Batts' on the Baguly Drewery packed in after just five minutes so the two oldest locos took over...until heavy snow showers soaked me through, three hours is plenty enough standing about in it for me today.  :jester:

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