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The Dragon's Friendly Light Railway


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  • RMweb Gold

It must have been one of "those" weekends - we went from having just two gigs in the diary to a solid four days worth! Only managed to touch base briefly over the weekend, so absolutely nothing done here.

I've had no actual experience with the Cliff Barker track Idris, but I've heard no negative reports about it either :no:

I know that feeling NM. June has gone from  being free to being totally booked up. Thats why I have set myself the target to get most of the track laying done by then. I'm a little behind, but thats because of last week and the lack of enthusiasm. I'm hoping that the fine weather this week will get me outside.

 

I had to admit I am slightly frustrated with the brass/wooden track. It takes ages to make a panel (my current fastest record is about 1 hr 30 to make one panel, but most take alot longer than that). This makes it feel like I'm making no progress whatsoever.

 

Hmm, I am tempted to purchase some to try on the other curve. I will have to peruse the bank account.

 

Oh and get well soon Pinzer!

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  • RMweb Gold

Well the combination of nice sunny evenings and free time has meant some more track has been made and screwed down.

 

Here are some of the curves I had put together (gauge widened of course) for the loop in the station area while waiting for the varnish/wood preservative to dry.

34709438792_a94d2f542a_c.jpgIMAG0917 by Matthew Jones, on Flickr

34029720084_bd36f8d10c_c.jpgIMAG0920 by Matthew Jones, on Flickr

 

By end of play last night I had gotten 5 lengths down.

34709438042_7d3bb83575_c.jpgIMAG0918 by Matthew Jones, on Flickr

34709437452_19f2ef8031_c.jpgIMAG0919 by Matthew Jones, on Flickr

34741536811_5a52f10cee_c.jpgIMAG0921 by Matthew Jones, on Flickr

 

I was quite surprised just how well the curves were going down, they look as if I knew what I was doing. I should have the run through loop completed by end of play tomorrow, and dependent on when the track turns up, maybe a complete circuit by the end of the bank holiday.

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  • RMweb Gold

Hi Phil.

 

I'm using some plastic packers which we bought for building the kitchen and other building work. They come in various sizes (yellow is 1mm high, blue is 3mm high, and brown is 5mm high). They are similar to these. http://www.screwfix.com/c/screws-nails-fixings/shims/cat7290012?cm_sp=managedredirect-_-screwsfixings-_-shimms

 

Still using a rail bender to bend the tail to the correct radius. Otherwise it would still be a load of 1 inch kinks!

Edited by vjoneslong
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  • RMweb Gold

Good news everyone! Last night saw the completion of the main circuit.  :sungum:  :danced:  :yahoo:

 

Here is SWMBO driving the "golden spike" so to speak.

34196179473_6d7082228f_c.jpgIMAG0923 by Matthew Jones, on Flickr

34196179703_ccfd26eda9_c.jpgIMAG0924 by Matthew Jones, on Flickr

34966578316_5a45aaf9dc_c.jpgIMAG0926 by Matthew Jones, on Flickr

 

Looking up the line over the bridge to Much Camping station

34196180853_927de76eab_c.jpgIMAG0927 by Matthew Jones, on Flickr

 

Over the lift out bridge and the curve entering Toryhurst

34196181313_5242ac49d1_c.jpgIMAG0929 by Matthew Jones, on Flickr

 

I didn't get to run a steam engine, but managed to run Chattenden for about 2 hours while I tidied up the garden a bit and a couple of chores. 

34966578776_58760c8979_c.jpgIMAG0928 by Matthew Jones, on Flickr

34196177853_38942f157f_c.jpgIMAG0933 by Matthew Jones, on Flickr

34196178213_9bb1d41091_c.jpgIMAG0934 by Matthew Jones, on Flickr

34163116574_6884f4823b_c.jpgIMAG0935 by Matthew Jones, on Flickr

34196178563_87583f0c72_c.jpgIMAG0936 by Matthew Jones, on Flickr

34196178773_2bd8673a18_c.jpgIMAG0937 by Matthew Jones, on Flickr

 

I had forgotten how much pleasure to be had from just plonking a train down and letting it go about it's business while you do your chores. There is still a lot left to do, most of Toryhurst to lay, and a couple of bumps and kinks to ease.

 

I had one slight issue with my home constructed gauge widened track. One small area appeared to be very spread - not sure how that happened. It was quickly corrected.

34966579266_6433171edd_c.jpgIMAG0930 by Matthew Jones, on Flickr

34196181693_0ef647ed81_c.jpgIMAG0931 by Matthew Jones, on Flickr

 

I purchased and laid some Cliff Barker track on one curve, since he does gauge widened flexitrack. I have to say I was very impressed with it. Dead easy to dismantle and run through the rail bender. Guess we will have to wait and see what happens now with the steam engines. I promise something will make an appearance tonight and some video will be taken.

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Well done young Man! :danced:  :yahoo: Looks like you really made the most of the long weekend. It's a great feeling when you finally join the circuit up :sungum: .... that is one heck of a long garden  :O  Looking forward to seeing future progress and the steamers running  :yes:

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  • RMweb Gold

Thanks chaps! It did feel like a huge milestone had been reached last night. I'll be even happier once I have proved the steamers get round.

 

Of course, if anyone is in the area, you are more than welcome to come and visit!

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 great moment, :fan:  but how many yards of track have you used to date?  or to complete the circuit ? phil

Hmm. Not sure. I know I bought 6 yards of Cliff Barker and a box of Peco which is half used, plus around 15 yards of brass track, plus whatever I had over from the previous line. I did start making a Dynamometer wagon, perhaps I should finish it and try and measure up the entire line. Would be good to know. 

 

When I left Chattenden running round at a scale 15 mph approx it took 4 and a half mins to do a complete circuit. So I guess pretty long?

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When I left Chattenden running round at a scale 15 mph approx it took 4 and a half mins to do a complete circuit. So I guess pretty long?

 

Cor!  :O Will the steamers not run out of puff before they get all the way around?  :jester:

Edited by Owd Bob
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  • RMweb Gold

Thanks. It was really nice to come home and spend the evening running trains rather than mixing concrete. I've still got alot to do, and I need to spend a few days taming the garden again, but at least I feel as if a big barricade has been breached!

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Very impressive, very professional video! A great visual explanation about your construction progress too. You have clearly planned this very well indeed, contrary to most!! Many thanks for posting this.

 

Incidentally, are your whistle effects from DJB or someone else?

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Very impressive, very professional video! A great visual explanation about your construction progress too. You have clearly planned this very well indeed, contrary to most!! Many thanks for posting this.

 

Incidentally, are your whistle effects from DJB or someone else?

Thank you very  much Mike. I've made the mistake with not planning properly, but even with this one I have managed to get a few things wrong along the way. But thank you for your kind comments.

 

Yes the whistle was the DJB prototype for the No. 14. I think its moved as its a little throaty at the moment. Its tucked up underneath the footplate, there is just enough space between footplate and trailing truck.

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Morning vjoneslong, bingo finely found your post and the video you mentioned, pure awesome , the music fitted the beginning of the video nicely indeed, how when did you start construction of the track base a lot of house bricks and the larger bricks are they the soft bricks you nail in a nail easy , we have them over here but quite dear, good feeling to see the train in around the layout with no problems with all that back braking work paying well done.

 

you have good size back yard to play with and fairly,, going by the track stacked up you still have a lot of work ahead and will see lot more progress pics, does your partner like helping out, mine doesn't.

 

I will save your thread so I can check on it to see your further progress, looking forward to seeing more video clips and pics, well done.

 

Tony from down under

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  • RMweb Gold

Thanks very much for the kind comments Tony.

 

When I started I used all the good bricks I recovered from the demolishing of an internal wall in the house just after we moved in. However, there weren't that many of those, and we had over ordered on the bricks we needed for the internal building work, so I ended up using those. As things have progressed I also purchased a load of "breeze blocks" in varying shapes and sizes. These are light, and as you say, easily fixed too. They just aren't terribly strong, but are fine for what I am doing.

 

Yes plenty left to do. I had hoped to spend the weekend laying the track in the station but weather and exam marking have put paid to that. I still have some block laying to be done, but I am in no rush to get on with that for the moment.

 

My better half enjoys the railway to an extent. I can't get her to help me with the construction (other than supplying tea and coffee), but she helps with the gardening. Since Sunday evening was nice late on and we were home we managed to run two trains in opposite directions, with her driving one and me controlling the other (and the pointwork). I guess I'm quite lucky.

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Morning vjoneslong, I have done the recycle thing as well, from  previous layout I used the 3ft by 7ft ply tops from  for most of the curved sections and smaller ones for the new station modules and sides stage one of my station complex, have being buying off cut ply when I can or seconds in full sheet, I like the way you built the bedding for the track, you must have a good size block, we are on quarter of an acre, in the new estates the house blocks are half the size. 

 

Good to hear your better half likes to run a train, be nice if I could convince my with o have a go to.

 

Always lots to do on any layout, I never completes any of my previous layouts I wise I discovered HO/00 scale garden railway a lot  earlier, taking so long on my own, worth the effort.in the end, I surprise you couldn't use the narro16mm locos and rolling stock on the smaller HO scale 16mm track to do with the lager wheel flanges, nice to have live steam as well, do you have to have some sort a ticket to have live steam..

 

I have an old Hornby O gauge clock work tank loco I want to bring back to life again, new brass track and cheating by powering the coach I plan to presently join onto the loco, leaving the clock working  in place, loco is 58 years old and still runs wel, will have second carriage as well.

 

I am not well asthma is playing up  blame winter for that, 2 degrees over night ouch, no Jack Frost paying us visit yet.

 

Keep the good work up looking forward to see more progress pics, do you have any diesel locos to.

 

Tony from down under.

 

 

 

.

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  • RMweb Gold

Thanks very much Tony. Its not a bad size garden as things go round here. Its roughly 30m long by 10m wide (I think), so thats 100 foot by 30 foot approximately. Out street has big gardens, but a couple of roads away and they are tiny again. 

 

She will only play with it if its steam. She isn't interested when I'm running one of battery diesel locos. I have three, but only one (Chattenden) is operational at the moment. The other two are waiting for me to swap their RC gear.

 

The HO/OO rail is too small, the flanges on the wheels would bounce along the sleepers. No, no tickets required. But its worth testing the safety valves and keeping the boiler well maintained as it avoids problems in the long run. I think you may need a ticket (or certificate) if you are running at a public exhibition, but its generally down to the exhibition organiser and their insurers whether its necessary. I'm not much of an exhibitionist (ahem) so I don't have any for mine.

 

I have pondered a clockwork loco. Several people have used the mechanisms for 16mm scale locos. I quite fancy a nice Midland Compound, but they seem to go for silly money. Maybe in the future.

 

Get well soon Tony. Its turned to winter here again. Gale force winds the last couple of days and heavy rain. As I am typing in my office looking out the window all I can see is dark grey clouds scudding across the sky. Bring back summer!

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I think Tony you might be confusing scale and gauge. 16mm refers to the scale. The gauge of the track is normally 32mm (o gauge) or 45mm (gauge 1).

 

Your line is looking very nice Matt. It certainly gives you a nice long run!

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