A simple Gauge 1 garden line
- Thread starter Steve Cook
- Start date
ceejaydee
Western Thunderer
These aren't the posts that you are looking for
Steve Cook
Flying Squad
There's a mouse in my shed this morning 
Fortunately, its a Multimaus
A spot of dry weather meant I've been able to get out and trim up the bushes, sort out a failed soldered joint on the track and get the Multimaus installed on its shelf in the shed.
The track has had a quick clean with IPA, the platform and shelter installed and the Pannier dropped on the rails - I am now able to play trains from anywhere in the garden...excellent
So far, its done exactly what I had hoped - made running the line more interesting as I can now sit and watch from various viewpoints without having to run back to the controller. I reckon there will be a bit more playing and stock out on the line later today, then I can sort out the extra length of track in the shed and install the last of the diode boxes for automatic shuttle operation. Its been a long time coming - well worth the wait
Steve
Fortunately, its a Multimaus
A spot of dry weather meant I've been able to get out and trim up the bushes, sort out a failed soldered joint on the track and get the Multimaus installed on its shelf in the shed. The track has had a quick clean with IPA, the platform and shelter installed and the Pannier dropped on the rails - I am now able to play trains from anywhere in the garden...excellent
So far, its done exactly what I had hoped - made running the line more interesting as I can now sit and watch from various viewpoints without having to run back to the controller. I reckon there will be a bit more playing and stock out on the line later today, then I can sort out the extra length of track in the shed and install the last of the diode boxes for automatic shuttle operation. Its been a long time coming - well worth the wait
Steve
Phill Dyson
Western Thunderer
Looking really nice Steve 
.......I'm going out later between showers 
to make nice smooth track connections between the removable bridge & the permanent line
.......I'm going out later between showers to make nice smooth track connections between the removable bridge & the permanent line
Steve Cook
Flying Squad
Cheers Phill, hope you've been as lucky with the weather as I have - been dry all day (so far anyway....).
Got the rails into the shed sorted at last, with the feeder wires soldered into place (crap photo, lots of junk in shed - thats another job for another day), just working out the best location for the diode box and switch.
As I'm in a wiring mood, I've made another switch panel and used it to close off the open end of the baseboard structure at the station end. There are two switches in place now, one for the 12v feed which supplies the buffer stop lamp and the platform and hut lamps (when I've built them
) and the second for the 16v AC supply needed for the smoke unit thats going in the hut.
The coil of red and green wire hanging loose is for the platform lighting, all the other wires are neatly cable tied up along the line to finish in their final locations, just a job of connecting them up when required - this time around I've made a proper set of wiring notes so I know whats what too
Right, back to wiring in the shed...
Got the rails into the shed sorted at last, with the feeder wires soldered into place (crap photo, lots of junk in shed - thats another job for another day), just working out the best location for the diode box and switch.
As I'm in a wiring mood, I've made another switch panel and used it to close off the open end of the baseboard structure at the station end. There are two switches in place now, one for the 12v feed which supplies the buffer stop lamp and the platform and hut lamps (when I've built them
) and the second for the 16v AC supply needed for the smoke unit thats going in the hut.The coil of red and green wire hanging loose is for the platform lighting, all the other wires are neatly cable tied up along the line to finish in their final locations, just a job of connecting them up when required - this time around I've made a proper set of wiring notes so I know whats what too
Right, back to wiring in the shed...
Steve Cook
Flying Squad
Got a bit carried away on the wiring side and ended up finishing it all off inside the shed
The twin track DC controller provides the 12v for the lighting (left hand knob), the 16v AC supply (straight off terminals on the back) and a DC track feed. The switch mounted on the black panel under the shelf selects the track feed from either the DC controller or the Multimaus wireless DCC jobbie.
The small black box at the bottom of the photo contains the diode matrix that is used to activate the ABC (automatic braking control) on the loco - it creates a slight assymetric voltage on the track which the decoder interprets and then takes a course of action, in my case thats stop, pause and reverse away. The switch on the box just shorts out the matrix, thus turning off the assymetric voltage and locos run as normal. It works a lot more effectively now the diodes are wired the right way round With two of the same boxes at the station end (used to select stopping point dependant on whether the loco is pushing or pulling on arrival at the station) the Pannier spent about two hours today just shuttling up and down the line on its own accord - its a bit wierd coming out of the house and not seeing anything, then it just appears out from the shed and mooches down to the station before pausing and returning again I need to have a play with braking distances, then the autocoach can come out to play and I'll see how / if it all hangs together as I hope.
As a last shot from me today, the buffer lamp (without its housing - I've got to find it now!) proving that LEDs are pretty robust, this one has been outside in all weathers for three years without any cover on it, lit up straightaway
Steve
The twin track DC controller provides the 12v for the lighting (left hand knob), the 16v AC supply (straight off terminals on the back) and a DC track feed. The switch mounted on the black panel under the shelf selects the track feed from either the DC controller or the Multimaus wireless DCC jobbie.
The small black box at the bottom of the photo contains the diode matrix that is used to activate the ABC (automatic braking control) on the loco - it creates a slight assymetric voltage on the track which the decoder interprets and then takes a course of action, in my case thats stop, pause and reverse away. The switch on the box just shorts out the matrix, thus turning off the assymetric voltage and locos run as normal. It works a lot more effectively now the diodes are wired the right way round
With two of the same boxes at the station end (used to select stopping point dependant on whether the loco is pushing or pulling on arrival at the station) the Pannier spent about two hours today just shuttling up and down the line on its own accord - its a bit wierd coming out of the house and not seeing anything, then it just appears out from the shed and mooches down to the station before pausing and returning again I need to have a play with braking distances, then the autocoach can come out to play and I'll see how / if it all hangs together as I hope.As a last shot from me today, the buffer lamp (without its housing - I've got to find it now!) proving that LEDs are pretty robust, this one has been outside in all weathers for three years without any cover on it, lit up straightaway
Steve
Steve Cook
Flying Squad
Be a pleasure
Chin up misterAt my current rate of progress you'll probably be christening the finished job with my ashes
I reckon its been just under four years since the bridge went in, then we had the marathon garden weekend in April 2009 to get the base laid around the back of the shed. Given the amount of work you've put in to create all of the trackbed on the other side of the bridge, I wouldn't be despondant at progress at all Yours is a hardcore build (in more ways than one). As I likes building stuff, do you want to schedule in another 'Post Camrail Weekend Working Session' 
Simon
Flying Squad
Cheers Cookie, I reckon a mass track building session is probably called for
Part of my despondency is the total opposition of Mrs Simon to the next phase. Despite being a firm believer in a "the sale starts when the customer says no" philosophy of marriage I think I am going to have to concede to near impossible lunacy and make the sections across the lawn removeable
On a slightly brighter note I spent a happy 3/4 hour this morning engaged in the noble pursuit of slug flicking and planting out lots of Alyssium that I have grown from seed. Generally speaking the plants are doing well and I have lots of enchanting moss appearing everywhere (except for under the Horse Chestnut tree) owing to the current monsoon conditions
Simon
Part of my despondency is the total opposition of Mrs Simon to the next phase. Despite being a firm believer in a "the sale starts when the customer says no" philosophy of marriage I think I am going to have to concede to near impossible lunacy and make the sections across the lawn removeable
On a slightly brighter note I spent a happy 3/4 hour this morning engaged in the noble pursuit of slug flicking and planting out lots of Alyssium that I have grown from seed. Generally speaking the plants are doing well and I have lots of enchanting moss appearing everywhere (except for under the Horse Chestnut tree) owing to the current monsoon conditions
Simon
Neil
Western Thunderer
.... Part of my despondency is the total opposition of Mrs Simon to the next phase. Despite being a firm believer in a "the sale starts when the customer says no" philosophy of marriage I think I am going to have to concede to near impossible lunacy and make the sections across the lawn removeable
Weird coincidence; just before we went off to Looe for a week I was going to suggest that removeable sections to bridge the gap across the lawn might speed up progress on the circuit and allow trains to whiz all the way round your garden this year rather than ten years hence. I had in mind some welded sections that would piggyback off each other supporting some fairly robust flexitrack, rather than the super-scale stuff of the permanent parts, that would allow the concept to be realised.
Who or what are you flicking the slugs at?
Simon
Flying Squad
Just pinging 'em through the fence in the general direction of rugby players
You're right, removeable doesn't need to be as hair shirted - maybe.....
Once a rivet counter, always a rivet counter
Simon
Steve Cook
Flying Squad
[pragmatic cookie]
The removable section of line sounds like a sensible compromise to me. Not quite want you wanted I'll concur, but the end goal was/is a continuous garden railway circuit to Scale 1/32 standards (plus we all want somewhere to come along, run and drink tea ) - this seems a good way to get what you want without upsetting Mrs Simon. Of course, I'm with Neil and just want you to get a loop done as fast as possible
Before getting too despondant with a potential change to your minds eye view, get out and stick some stakes in the ground and see if the removable section is a possibility, or whether the line height above ground is too small to make it viable. If it will work and its the only way forward, give yourself some time to be despondant/sulk/rue missed opportunities (about 10 minutes should do it
), then embrace the fact that you have the space and opportunity to create a fantastic garden line. It will still be fantastic, even if bits of it can be taken up and stored somewhere else.
[/pragmatic cookie]
The removable section of line sounds like a sensible compromise to me. Not quite want you wanted I'll concur, but the end goal was/is a continuous garden railway circuit to Scale 1/32 standards (plus we all want somewhere to come along, run and drink tea
) - this seems a good way to get what you want without upsetting Mrs Simon. Of course, I'm with Neil and just want you to get a loop done as fast as possible Before getting too despondant with a potential change to your minds eye view, get out and stick some stakes in the ground and see if the removable section is a possibility, or whether the line height above ground is too small to make it viable. If it will work and its the only way forward, give yourself some time to be despondant/sulk/rue missed opportunities (about 10 minutes should do it
), then embrace the fact that you have the space and opportunity to create a fantastic garden line. It will still be fantastic, even if bits of it can be taken up and stored somewhere else.[/pragmatic cookie]
S
Simon Dunkley
Guest
I am thinking of those lovely girder bridges (not too far above the River Torridge) in the valley from Bideford to Torrington:
Plus, there is a Ruston at Bideford, I think...
Plus, there is a Ruston at Bideford, I think...
Phill Dyson
Western Thunderer
How long will the removable section have to be in order to complete the continuous run Simon ?
lancer1027
Western Thunderer
Could'nt you persuede SWMBO and split the lawn in two with a narrow rockery ( just wide enough for the track ) and have just a lift out section for passage through ( oh and mowing ). Just a thought as i know these women are Very Hard to please
.
If you do mention it to SWMBO and she wants to kick your dangly bit for suggesting such a STUPID idea , you didnt get it from me
. Right time to hide before
hits the fan.
Rob
. If you do mention it to SWMBO and she wants to kick your dangly bit for suggesting such a STUPID idea , you didnt get it from me
. Right time to hide before hits the fan.Rob
Simon
Flying Squad
Could'nt you persuede SWMBO and split the lawn in two with a narrow rockery ( just wide enough for the track ) and have just a lift out section for passage through ( oh and mowing ). Just a thought as i know these women are Very Hard to please
If you do mention it to SWMBO and she wants to kick your dangly bit for suggesting such a STUPID idea , you didnt get it from me
Rob
Very wise, I won't mention your name
In fact I wont mention it at all
Simon
Simon
Flying Squad
About thirty feet, on a continuous curve and c 8 inches above the ground at the path (end of current formation) and in the ground for probably near on half its length at the other end.
I'm just going to have to get on with it as Steve says. I will build the other "abutment" on the other side of the path permanently (as it will be the "jumping off point" for the removeable sections) and need to make the removeable sections small enough that they can be lifted in and out single handed without inducing a hernia. I'm guessing that six feet long is about the limit for my method of construction. It's the in the ground bit that is going to be most tedious.
The old brainbox is however working on the practicalities....
In the meantime I've lots of base that needs track laying on it, I reckon Cookies visit ought to see a streak down the back of the shed and greenhouse and round to the Gooseberry bush
Simon