Godfrey Pass

[Satan's Goldfish]

I had written out a huge intro to this, sorted the pictures out properly and done a good job of it, then the internet crashed when i went to post it and i'm not doing it again!

 

So to condense it all, this hopefully will be the first of infrequent updates of all the blood sweat and beers involved with me finally being able to setup my 45mm gauge G scale garden railway this Spring. The LGB i've slowly collected over the years used to have an annual outing around my parents house for Christmas when i'd come home for the holidays but now there's a bit too much of it for that. It was the first thing to get laid out at my new house when i bought it last summer and has spent all winter out on the patio with me planning on where to fit it into the flower beds now the weather's warming up (they do sound fantastic running in real snow though, hope we get more next year!)

 

I know this technically isn't a model in the 'indoor on a baseboard' sense but it's definately going to throw up some scenery and track laying issues! The plan will mostly have to be made up as i go along as it's not quite as easy as working on a flat board. To start with i'm going to lay a large square around the edge of the garden to get it running. As can be seen from the pictures the site is not level and raises up 10-12 inches from back to front so there's plenty of scope for a spiral in a corner, tunnels, and tracks bridging each other as the plan progresses. The first picture shows the yellow side of the garage which is about 16ft long and at the base of it is a ready made track bed wide enough for 3 tracks which would then have to curve 90 degrees to the right, reduce t0 2 tracks in width and cross a 4ft bridge over a garden path. It's an ideal station site and would allow me enough space to run 6 coach trains.

 

And that's as far as the planning's got so far. Paving slabs have started being taken up and i've borrowed an angle grinder to trim them so i can have gentler curves. The aim is to have trains running by the summer so i can go and relax with a beer in the sun and watch the trains run by when i get annoyed with working on the 00 in the loft!

 

 

 

 

[edcayton]

Looking good! Don't try to cut curves with an angle grinder though.

 

Ed

[Satan's Goldfish]

Looking good! Don't try to cut curves with an angle grinder though.

 

Ed

 

 

No worries, maybe i should have described that a bit better. The corners are being cut at 45 degrees to make it easy to get the track round, as shown:

 

 

Overview of 'station' area curving round to where a removable bridge will need to be to cross the garden path:

 

 

 

Path (model gorge?) width is usefully just short of a 1200mm length of lgb track:

 

 

2 tracks can line up nicely to the path edge:

 

 

tracks planed out in and clearance checking in station area:

 

 

 

The line will have to reduce to at least 2 tracks again at the end of the garage so won't be able to fit 3 full length loops of track down as would be liked. I'll need to properly lay down the inside line all the way around and see how far the longest train will come round it, this will determine whether i build a custom removable 2 track bridge across the path or if i use the cheats way out of using the single track 4ft LGB model and make that easy to remove

 

The current thinking for the top top end of the station layout shown at the top of the above picture is to have a 1 or 2 track 'level crossing' over the slabs to the shed door. This then carrys straight on into a single track tunnel under the top patio directly in front of it and reappearing in the flower bed at the edge of the garden and heading up a gradient at that point.

 

The next 2 pictures show all the gardening that needs sorting out to allow the track to carry on after the bridge. The slabs at the end of this stretch hav already been removed ready to cut to 45 degrees. Replacing the plants with dwarf conifers will hopefully make them look like scale pine trees and provide a little colour for winter running.

 

 

 

It should be easy enough once the ballesting is complete in the station area for me to lay the track down and have a small shunting layout while the rest of the route is built.

 

If i get all the tools and equipment together then it might be possible for all the plant removal and track laying to be completed in a weekend but i want to get the patio laid properly again first. (Plus i need more beer in before i start that!)

[PaulRhB]

Lots of room there when do you start on the catenary?

[Satan's Goldfish]

A bit of playing around with station layout design and space different radius turnouts will take up. idealy i'd go straight for the smoother flowing radius 3 but only have radius 1 turnouts at the moment.

 

I think i'll be going for single track before it gets to the shed 'level crossing' just for ease.

 

With the way it's cuurently laid down there's enough space for a 16ft train to fit along the inner of the 2 through lines and just 14ft (or 6 coaches, no loco) on the outer liner and in the long siding beside the garage. I can increase the train holding length of the outer through line by having 2 tracks over the bridge then a junction to join the lines there, however there will still need to access to loco holding sidings in the corner somehow.

 

My other option would be reduce train length to an easier to work with 11ft/loco and 4 carriages..........

 

Feel free to post any thoughts or comments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Satan's Goldfish]

Lots of room there when do you start on the catenary?

 

I'm trying to think about that, probably need about 100 feets worth with just a simple square layout!

[PaulRhB]

I'm trying to think about that, probably need about 100 feets worth with just a simple square layout!

 

Friend of mine used the LGB masts but made his own wires using a jig and soldered it together from brass wire. It was the first time he'd done anything apart from tinning wires and they look superb and he has to set them up each time he exhibits the layout.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/salisburyasc/sets/72157607131131607/

[Satan's Goldfish]

Friend of mine used the LGB masts but made his own wires using a jig and soldered it together from brass wire. It was the first time he'd done anything apart from tinning wires and they look superb and he has to set them up each time he exhibits the layout.

http://www.flickr.co...57607131131607/

 

 

Cheers Paul, that's brilliant. I always though having an indoor display of it would be great but the space involved would be scary! Maybe that could be a future extension plan so the trains are actually going somewhere......

 

He's done a brilliant job with the masts and wires, the LGB masts are good but i never liked their wires so that might be a good way to do it. I think until i get to that stage i'm going to tie the pantographs down so the loco's can be run with them up but at a realistic level and just imagine there's some catenary above them.

[Satan's Goldfish]

A little more playing with the track layout. Decided on going with trains of loco + 4 carriages to make it easier for movements around the station. There is still the option of loco + 6/7 carriages on the inside loop for running the ocasional long freight or express during normal operations and similar lengths can be held in the outer loop (but blocking the TMD entrance) when it's just set to watch trains go round.

 

The bridge will most likely be double track dropping to single track on the other side to provide more station space. The 'small' station building that i currently have will hopefully fit in the traingular area between the long stock siding and TMD, if not then i'll have to have a re-think.

 

I need more turnouts so will be getting the smoother radius 3 for the main running lines and moving the radius 1 turnouts into the yard/TMD area. I'm going to try and limit myself to 8 turnouts in total just so i don't make it too complicated!

 

The TMD area will consist of a 2 road shed with a short siding beside and be capable of holding 3 large locos.

 

 

 

 

Clearance testing with a couple of the longest items of stock showed the only problem being the TMD siding was too tight to the engine shed area so this was stretched out an extra 6 inches. It also showed that the entire station site is on a descending gradient from the garden shed down to where the bridge will be, leveling off slightly around the curve which will make shunting intersting. And the ballest needs a lot of leveling!

 

 

 

As ever, comment and advise away!

[PaulRhB]

i'm going to tie the pantographs down so the loco's can be run with them up but at a realistic level and just imagine there's some catenary above them.

 

Sounds like an excellent idea to me. There's a lot of useful sized aluminium sections in B&Q for building gantries.

[Satan's Goldfish]

A result on the bridge front!

 

The ugly and rather pointless plastic mesh door thing that had been fitted between the shed and back of the garage was going to be an issue with clearance for trains so i removed it, then realised half of it with a little altering was a perfect ready made double track bridge:

 

 

Cross batterns removed from one side:

 

 

Tracks laid:

 

 

Clearance check:

 

 

 

A rather nervous worst case scenario load capacity weight check:

 

 

 

As the picture shows it is bowing slightly, but that's not bad considering it's just a frame with no strengthening side girders fitted yet. It's too long as it is right now so needs cutting down to size, also strips removed where it passes over the edge of the walls on each side so it'll hook over them and keep the track bed as low as possible. It will be hinged on the side away from the station so when not in use it will fold over onto those tracks out of the way of the path and not use too much space. I'm undecided on whether to build big open frame girders on each side which also fold in out of the way when it's not in use, or keep it simple with long low plate girders on each side. Any opinions?

 

Else where in the garden, track laying and gardening required is being started...........there's a rather stubborn bush blocking where i need a Junction and the bridge when folded to be!

 

 

[Satan's Goldfish]

Much time gone by with very little happening!

 

Even though the weather's been nice my state of health hasn't been inspiring me to do anything in the garden. I have managed to remove the remaining 2 large bushes that were blocking the track route closest to the house and lay some more track down. Not able to kneel yet from my op to be able to get a fork and trowel out and start clearing a track route up the rest of the garden but was able to conect the tracks up and run the green Ge4/4II back and forth from one end to the other. Got more of a soft spot for that engine than the others even though it's probably the most dull.

 

The bridge hasn't progressed any further, still keeping an eye out for a suitable girder. Procrastinating big time there even though i know i could have it all knocked up, hinged and fitted (minus model girders) in an hour or so.

 

Few pics of shuttling along the line. Lots of leveling to do before a track bed and proper laying of the track!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kintbury jon]

This is great. I have a little bit of LGB myself - it runs so well.

 

Look forward to seeing this progress - you've done a lot in a short space of time.

[Satan's Goldfish]

This is great. I have a little bit of LGB myself - it runs so well.

 

Look forward to seeing this progress - you've done a lot in a short space of time.

 

It runs brilliantly, the controllers have such a smooth start and stop and the trains can be made to crawl so slowly from a stopped position with no jerking, it's great! I'm going to use a contact compound in the fish plates when it's all laid properly (if it's good enough for 11kv mains then it's good enough for this) but even without it i've never had continuity issues accross rail joins.

 

I don't feel like i've done much at all yet, the double loop i had laid out on the patio over the winter took half an hour to get running from nothing!

[Satan's Goldfish]

Been a while since i've posted anything on this, but then i've not really done much with it!

 

Finally got hold of some suitable wood to use for the sides on the bridge last week.........Then went and left it in the back of someone elses car! Hopefully have it back tonight so i can crack on with the bridge tomorrow.

 

The design has changed a little so i can build it with what i already have and not buy anymore. It looks like i may be living in the house for maybe the next 12months tops now so rather than dig up the patio for the tunnel and run it through all the flower beds i'm just going to simply make a small lop on the lower level so i can get something running and not have to do too much landscaping if it's all coming back up again in afew months. Means it's back to running accross the patio in places Nearly got the loop all down and sorted, once the bridge is built and fitted then there should be trains running right around.

 

 

 

 

[PaulRhB]

Lucky you've got so much flat space as it's going to be temporary. Will the next place be more permanent? At least you can see how it performs without extra feeds but I'd recommend them for anything long term.

[Satan's Goldfish]

Lucky you've got so much flat space as it's going to be temporary. Will the next place be more permanent? At least you can see how it performs without extra feeds but I'd recommend them for anything long term.

 

 

Hopefully the next place will be permanent for life and not have to worry about moving again. Work's moved me on average every 2 years so i'd like to properly settle somewhere, originally I planed to be here another 3 years before moving somewhere permanent, but just reached the point that i've had enough with my job and plan on migrating and getting something that doesn't move me.

 

From the loop I had running over the winter i think a layout this small should do fine with continuity for the year it's going to be running, when i do a bigger permanent build after moving then lots of feeds and laying track for minimum maintenance will be a high priority with it.

 

Got the the wood for the bridge back too damned hot for me to even think about breaking power tools out to build it though, maybe next week

[Satan's Goldfish]

Unfortunately, my house move plans have been brought forward by a couple of years so i'm going to have to take the track up again and pack it away before i've even finished a working loop.

 

At least i got to use it a little in the snow.

 

I'll resurrect 'Godfrey Pass' again in the future once i'm settled in to a new home with the aim of going bigger and better!