In the summer of 2020 I knocked a hole for the railway to enter the shed to provide storage for keeping trains coupled up and on the rails to get things going more quickly when I wanted to run something. My intention was to create a ‘fiddle yard’ based on the ‘cassette’ system often used in smaller scales, but owing to space 16mm scale takes (and the fact my converted pig sty is not a big shed!) I decided to have the cassettes stored vertically, effectively as a set of shelves.
Continue reading Train shelvesCategory: Building
Building Bridges (2)
The most delayed post on this blog (so far) I meant to write this 8 years ago, it was a planned 2-parter with Building Bridges (1) describing two alternate styles of removable bridge. The second bridge itself was complete before I’d written up the first!
Continue reading Building Bridges (2)
3rd Tunnel
The next civil engineering project in extending towards the shed was a further tunnel. Continue reading 3rd Tunnel
Building Bridges (1)
I’m a bit behind with reporting progress on Phase 2 but here’s the first bridge: a simple lifting bridge that, at around 9″ above ground, can easily be stepped over during running sessions but can be lifted completely out of the way to use the garden at other times. Continue reading Building Bridges (1)
Phase 2
I’d already a plan in my head for ‘Phase 2’ of the Moel Rhos Railway – to reach the shed. So that’s the goal for this summer. Continue reading Phase 2
Closing the Loop
With half the track laid, and one tunnel built, phase one was almost exactly half completed. But I hadn’t yet dug the second (more ambitious) tunnel or cut the turf for the line down the western side of the wall.
The Northern Tunnel
I used the ‘cut and cover’ method for tunnel building. It’s advisable for tunnels on garden railways to be less than two arm-lengths long, if you want to be able to recover your derailed train. That’s fine, my tunnels are mostly to hide the tight radius curves, as well as punch through the hedgerow.
Laying Track
With the Eastern ledge completed, I was ready to lay the first pieces of track. Continue reading Laying Track
Site Survey
I’ve been asked for photographs after my last post in which I described the chosen location for the railway.
Well, it’s true that a picture is worth a thousand words, though these aren’t great photos, so they might only be worth 7 or 8 hundred words. Continue reading Site Survey