Methuselah

Clive;-

Your Powerbase suggestion got me thinking. If I used their magnets, I might be able to use a continuos metal strip onder the track to save work - at least under the straight section of the incline...less fiddly...and the proper stuff on the curves.

I'm not worried about the level sections.

I'm beginning to think I'll be drinking that brandy straight from the bottle however...!  :-/

Good morning to you too Clive - and thank you for your kind comments. Oh - I'll still be an anorak when it comes to the internal railway - but outside it will be a free for all.... Most of my gear is secondhand off eBay. I have a used Mallard to run with my Dyno' Car, but since the correct Coronation coaches seem to be unavailable RTR - it looks like I may have to resort to kits. I'm already scouring the internet for an army of gnomes to build the kits I have...!

The superb Stirlings arrived today, but no sign of the Dyno' Car yet....can't wait....!

I did spot the Power-Base, and was very impressed watching how it transformed the pulling-power of locos. Amazing. However, I do have some reservations...firstly, I'm not sure if all of my locos will allow the fitting of the magnets - I really must just get some and try it before I make any pre-judgements however. Then there is the additional work to the track - not so bad where it is straight - about 75% of the incline is straight - but I'm unclear if it will cope with curves...?

Track fixing;- Yes, a nail-gun sounds brutal, but I think the air-powered versions can be turned way-down. The only reason that I'm even considering this is time-saving. The garden circuit will be about 420' - and four tracks wide, that's about 1,680' of track to fix...... That's a lot of tiny screws.....hence thinking about something quicker so I can finish before I die...! It may be that staples are a bit ugly - certainly for the internal railway, but outside it will be quite elevated - deliberately to use the real countryside as a scenic-backdrop, so the shallow viewing angle may hide the staples.

I have the trains and the brandy ready - all I need now is a railway...!

Thank you for your kind comment. It's all proving to be an interesting mental exercise - even before serious construction has begun....! Still a lot to learn..... :-P