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Introducing the Newtown & Barrowhaven Light Railway


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I realise the answer is probably 'as long as a piece of string' but can anyone give me any sort of idea of how much money i'd be looking to invest to achieve a basic outdoor layout?

thanks in advance.

Can we have some specifics please...? But to give you some thoughts, our 5yr old (and me) has more fun with a £30 Faller Railcar set with its plastic track and auto-shuttle feature than the proper garden railway that has cost many times that.

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I realise the answer is probably 'as long as a piece of string' but can anyone give me any sort of idea of how much money i'd be looking to invest to achieve a basic outdoor layout?

thanks in advance.

Lgb start set incl. a circle of track plus controller @ £270

 

LGB toy train start set around £180

 

Playmobil freight set (incl plastic track) £120 but frequently offered at £80-90 on Amazon and even Argos offers. Also 45mm and fully compatible with LGB

 

Piko start sets around £200

 

 

Lgb track

Straights £4-5 per foot

Curves £5-6 per foot

Points £31-64

More here http://www.dragon-gscale.co.uk/lgb-157-c.asp

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Another cheap option for small stock are these really simple laser cut Mdf kits.

http://www.hglw.co.uk

I bought a couple to use when they were sold under the busted bricks label and they assemble simply with uhu and a couple of easy soldered connections on the loco. I used one under an IP engineering coach kit to make a railcar and it runs great even with only one axle powered. There's a twin axle powered option if you build something to pull a rake of skips.

Edited by PaulRhB
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Another cheap option for small stock are these really simple laser cut Mdf kits.

http://www.hglw.co.uk

I bought a couple to use when they were sold under the busted bricks label and they assemble simply with uhu and a couple of easy soldered connections on the loco. I used one under an IP engineering coach kit to make a railcar and it runs great even with only one axle powered. There's a twin axle powered option if you build something to pull a rake of skips.

Only trouble is MDF and outside do not go together.

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They do if you seal it well. My Railcar has a plywood body and this mdf chassis. I usually use a primer coat rub it down, prime again, then three top coats sprayed on with Halfords tins. None of my models have warped or swelled even those stored in the unheated garage.

Neat pva glue is also good as a sealing coat if then protected with good top coats.

I haven't sealed the one under the Railcar as it's mainly used indoors and only in good weather outside but other stock has been rained on with no ill effects. The Railcar got rained on yesterday and the chassis is fine as it was protected by the fully sealed body above.

Chassis

post-6968-0-75564900-1413202552.jpg

 

Railcar, the body is a IP coach with windows added to the end and radiator and Cowcatcher made from plastic.

post-6968-0-80702400-1413202576.jpg

Edited by PaulRhB
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Yes simple and easy to build a small train well under £100 with their wagon kits. A simple oval with a couple of points and hey presto a railway.

Peco also do setrack for SM32 if you prefer a narrower gauge than LGB.

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Some interesting stuff to mull over, thanks to everyone for posting. While on the scratch-building vein, there are three extremely interesting articles in the August '16mm Today' about scratch building battery operated locomotives, each employing a very different technique. To anyone starting out in the narrow gauge garden railway genre, membership of the Association of 16mm Narrow Gauge Modellers Society is a must - very reasonable annual membership and some cracking articles in the quarterly magazine. Joining was my first step and I'm yet to regret it.

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  • 1 month later...

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Thought this might be of interest. In the May 2008 edition of 16mm Today there was an article showing how to use an empty 250g tub of margarine as the basis for a budget scratch built open wagon. I have used this as the basis for my first scratch building attempt, adapted to use the larger 500g tub. I'm rather pleased with the result so far, with buffer-couplings still to be added, and painting /weathering to be completed.

 

The frames and buffer beams are various grades of stripwood, the chassis a piece of 4mm modellers ply. Axle boxes and wheel sets are Hudson-type gear from IP Engineering. I will be using the IP centre buffer / as standard for all my stock on the N&BLR.

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attachicon.gifimage.jpgattachicon.gifimage.jpgattachicon.gifimage.jpg

 

Thought this might be of interest. In the May 2008 edition of 16mm Today there was an article showing how to use an empty 250g tub of margarine as the basis for a budget scratch built open wagon. I have used this as the basis for my first scratch building attempt, adapted to use the larger 500g tub. I'm rather pleased with the result so far, with buffer-couplings still to be added, and painting /weathering to be completed.

 

The frames and buffer beams are various grades of stripwood, the chassis a piece of 4mm modellers ply. Axle boxes and wheel sets are Hudson-type gear from IP Engineering. I will be using the IP centre buffer / as standard for all my stock on the N&BLR.

What is this type of wagon designed to carry on your railway?  Presumably not 'light' margarine LOL (sorry!).

 

I'll be interested to see a complete, painted version.

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I like the idea of delivering the birdseed, maybe you could install a rotary tippler to serve the bird table ;)

Looking forward to seeing that painted and it will look thin like real metal too, wonder if you could use heat to lightly distress the flat sides without destroying them. Only thinking for variety if you build a rake or build a damaged one to be dumped lineside?

Edited by PaulRhB
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A rotary tippler would be hilarious, the problem is we have no birds owing to several local cats! (Despite best efforts to entice them.) I do however have plans to represent a loading / unloading operation, so some kind of mechanical equipment would not be out of place.

 

The imaginary prototype for the railway is the Isle of Amber off the west coast of Cornwall, with a run-down railway carrying the local aggregate to the docks for shipping to the mainland, the N&BLR - Newtown & Barrowhaven Light Railway. Recently however the Westminster government has decided to pump cash into regenerating the local economy and developing the tourism market, and so a society has been set up called The Isle of Amber Railway Company (IAR) who intend to reopen and extend the existing line back into the hilly interior to reconnect the settlement of High Amberhead with the coastal town of Fort Andrew and the Barrowhaven Harbour via scenic Amberdale. The ultimate aim is to run tourist passenger trains to connect with the twice daily ferry services to Penzance, as well as reintroduce local passenger and freight services across the island.

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For anyone wondering, I have changed the topic title to reflect my intention to provide updates whenever progress is made to the railway / rolling stock / backstory.

 

Christmas has brought the pleasant surprise of a Brandbright 4-wheel brake composite from their 'premier panelled' range, to be constructed over the next few weeks. I will post 'works photographs' at strategic stages. This vehicle is being constructed in the Fort Andrew carriage & wagon works, and will provide both first and second class seating, plus guards / luggage space. Plans are already afoot for a second vehicle, likely to be a 2 compartment second class coach, to accompany it. These coaches will form the initial basis of the N&BLR passenger fleet, which operates the thrice daily local passenger service linking Newtown and Fort Andrew with Barrowhaven Harbour, in between the quarry traffic which transports aggregates from the Newtown quarry to the seagoing vessels to the mainland.

 

The carriage & wagon works will soon be constructing the next two open trucks. The second will be identical to the first 'Flora' vehicle, while the third vehicle will be a smaller narrower open wagon for coal traffic, imported at Barrowhaven and delivered across the island for domestic / industrial supply.

 

Merry Christmas to everyone on RMWeb.

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  • 5 months later...

Thanks, I'm going to check out my options this week / weekend. Another package from Cliff Barker has arrived today with various components for points, chairs, pins etc, so hopefully the first sets of points for Fort Andrew can be constructed in the next few weeks.

 

For anyone interested, construction has been mainly limited to civil engineering projects such as building raised rockery walls and planting, although I'm nearly at the exciting stage of cutting a hole in the front of my 'railway' shed, which will initially contain Fort Andrew motive power shed and associated sidings, connected by a removable curve to the main 'table' section which stands completed outside, via the aforementioned hole. The hole will be secured I think by a guillotine arrangement via the inside of the shed roof, with a wooden sheet descending to cover it on the inside.

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post-11668-0-41769000-1433961421_thumb.jpg

 

Just thought I'd share a tip for anyone having trouble with cats digging up earthworks or newly planted flower beds. Packets of disposable plastic forks are approximately 50p for two dozen forks, stick enough in the ground and hey presto, the offending cat will only return once (and go away feeling tender!) For those concerned about the appearance, see-through forks are also available.

 

Incidentally the photo shows one of raised flower beds I'm building, just after planting. The trough for the railway is clearly visible, with the end-on connection to the table (at Fort Andrew) beyond.

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post-11668-0-54707500-1434316934_thumb.jpg

 

Something approaching an actual train. One of the N&BLR Ruston shunters poses with two recently built open wagons on the works 'demonstration line'. The left hand vehicle is in works primer, whereas the right hand wagon is in a temporary advertising livery! One vehicle can be comfortably completed in a day, and the intention is to have a couple of rakes of 4-5 wagons each, which will form the mainstay of the initial fleet of aggregate movers.

 

Incidentally, N&BLR goods vehicles are numbered from 1 onwards, based on the order of construction. Passenger and parcels vehicles will begin at 101 and work upwards. Locomotives will be named only.

Edited by SebBarrow
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attachicon.gifimage.jpg

 

Something approaching an actual train. One of the N&BLR Ruston shunters poses with two recently built open wagons on the works 'demonstration line'. The left hand vehicle is in works primer, whereas the right hand wagon is in a temporary advertising livery! One vehicle can be comfortably completed in a day, and the intention is to have a couple of rakes of 4-5 wagons each, which will form the mainstay of the initial fleet of aggregate movers.

 

Incidentally, N&BLR goods vehicles are numbered from 1 onwards, based on the order of construction. Passenger and parcels vehicles will begin at 101 and work upwards. Locomotives will be named only.

Excellent.  The 'Triang' shunter is a good basis for a light railway loco.  What livery do you plan for locos?  I n]know of a good painting and weathering service if you are interested !

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Nice conversion of the Triang shunter in the third photo down on this site. Done by Peter Barnfield for his P&BLR.

http://www.whymsical.com/index.php?topic=683.0

That's a quirky model!

 

I must say I like the look of the Swift Sixteen railcar, if money was no object the N&BLR would be building one already. Unfortunately the shareholders would never approve such an idea lol

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  • 3 weeks later...

A couple of photos showing (very gradual) progress to-date on N&BLR no.101, under construction in Fort Andrew works. I am mid-way through painting the interiors and the compartment side-panels have just been fixed in place. Tonight I've spent an hour constructing the first First Class seat sub-assembly and painted crimson, before fixing in place. (The second class benches will be dark green.) I'm rather pleased with the look, goes nicely with the white interior panelling and wooden door/window frames.post-11668-0-13612800-1436141312_thumb.jpgpost-11668-0-07979000-1436141328_thumb.jpgpost-11668-0-73981500-1436141338_thumb.jpg

 

Edit: Just to add, it's a great shame that Brandbright have closed down and are not selling the patterns for these kits on to another company. This coach has been a joy to construct and looks fantastic IMO, despite only being half-finished!

Edited by SebBarrow
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  • 1 month later...

post-11668-0-39038000-1440880786_thumb.jpg

 

My latest scratch building effort is this open wagon which I have constructed in about 4hrs, minus buffer couplings which are yet to be attached. It might seem a simple model to most people on here, but I'm very pleased with this latest vehicle, given I'm still very new to the scratch building game. Various modellers ply and dowel grades are from the Swindon Model Centre whose prices are more than reasonable, approximately half that offered elsewhere.

 

This will be the first in the 'common user' fleet for the N&BLR, construction of which continues outside between rain showers (although still no track laid!)

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