Garden and railway complete re-hash

Cheers guys, as a person who is old enough to have experienced the final years of the UK steam scene and indeed to a degree the end of steam in France too,I have come to appreciate some aspects of modern diesel and electric traction ,however steam locomotives in and around their servicing infrastructure is for me the ultimate in rail appeal. "when trains were trains".... " real trains". Have never seen US steam in action but have watched manys a video from the 50s. USRA steam types and their copies/and derivatives are for me the best lookin steam America ever produced. Ah well,had some rain late this afternoon after  what otherwise was another beautifull day.So a bit damp but back into the garden railway tomorrow.... 

Hi Guys, well, only spent a wee while on the layout this mornin, finished the footpath stonework next to the loco servicing area. Also finished gettin the facing stones cemented in along the flowerbiox fence . Still need to form troughs behind them to get some plants in but that will need to wait till tomorrow. Also got a bit of track laid down the spur and onto the bridge that will take locos on to the turntable. Need to investigate what method Im goin to use for the turntable rails to make electrical contact with the rails off the spur. Have a couple of ideas for this .Will need to take a trip to the local hardware store and have look-see at whats available for the ideas I have in mind.

    While my scale line will be digital the O gauge line will be analog.So I need to look at isolating sections etc.,  So final track ballasting will need to wait till I have the wiring soldered and laid so it will be hiddenbeneath the track ballast. Not so much done today but still a bit progress nonetheless ! 

Every small step is one more in the right direction!  

Sounds like you got enough for today! I think you should take a seat and enjoy a nice cold beer!

Hi Guys, didn't get very much done yesterday but the stonework along the flowerbox fence is now pretty much finished ,planted and dressed. Have just laid the fixing timbers on the curve by the wee hut. Still pretty good weather here but more normal Scottish weather arriving tomorrow afternoon and into Thursday.(WET!!)  So pushin on while the weather is with me. 

Up at the crack of dawn this mornin to get on with the track fixing timber work.Heavy rain and gail force winds due this afternoon and tomorrow so gettin as much done as I can before the weather breaks.Probably the last real work I'll get done for a few days. Anyway the curve at the other end of the layout is now timbered and ready for track. 

New timbering looks great!  Yes, rain here too.  I'll have to wait to mow grass! 

Wonderful looking work Davy! I hope you don't blow away with the high winds!

Hi Guys ,well the weather forecast said rain around 4PM and it's just started on Q . Couple of miserable lookin days ahead ,....still can't complain ,apart from a couple of days with thunderstorms we've had fantastic weather for weeks now. The latest timber work might have looked the part however when I tried laying the track I found the curve I had set in the back RH corner too tight. So I ripped it back up because I knew I;d never be happy with it. Its a pretty tight corner anyway but with a bit of rehashing I should just manage to get a more acceptable wider curve. However it will need to wait till the sun shines again !  

Hi Guys,well weather's been very mixed since my last post. However between the showers we've had some dry spells so I managed to re-lay the timbers and track in that back corner next to the wee hut. Workin fine now apart from one small area of track where my longest coaches just fowl each other slightly while passing in opposite directions.An easy ajustment .Weather still unsettled for a few days yet so don't know how things'll progress. Will need to buy more track as what I had left from the old layout is running out fast.  

Hi Guys, oh well no more progress on the cards for a while.Was workin in a friends garden yesterday , swingin the pickaxe at the very end of the day I felt a distinct pain in my upper chest like somethin went "pop" , turns out its intercostal muscle damage , painfull to put it mildly,so I'm afraid I'm in recuperation mode.  Apparently it can take a few days or a few weeks to heal .... unbelievable ,great weather forecast for the next while too.... typical !  anyway will be back as and when  absolutely NOT PLEASED ! 

Davy Mac posted:

Hi Guys, oh well no more progress on the cards for a while.Was workin in a friends garden yesterday , swingin the pickaxe at the very end of the day I felt a distinct pain in my upper chest like somethin went "pop" , turns out its intercostal muscle damage , painfull to put it mildly,so I'm afraid I'm in recuperation mode.  Apparently it can take a few days or a few weeks to heal .... unbelievable ,great weather forecast for the next while too.... typical !  anyway will be back as and when  absolutely NOT PLEASED ! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WOW Sorry to hear that Davy! Take the time and heal up, the garden and trains will still be there, but I have to say I was getting into your build once again! I just love all the work you do not only with the trains but the beautiful garden! Take care of yourself!

Sorry to hear that Davy! Ice and heat and rest it, take some Advil or Ibuprofen to reduce the inflammation. All the best!

Davy, I’m so sorry you got injured!  On the other hand I’m glad it wasn’t worse.  Take care of yourself and follow the medical folks instructions!!

Hi Guys thanks , ma wife says its time I started acting my age and not my shoe size.... problem is my 65 year old brain still thinks am18 ! ah well....  just need to take it easy for a wee while I suppose.  No way ah'll be givin in to old age though.... no chance.

Davy,

How are you doing? Hope you're feeling better.

NJCJOE posted:

Davy,

How are you doing? Hope you're feeling better.

Hi Joe, cheers and a Happy New Year to you. Unfortunately I never got a single bit more progress on the garden railway done all summer.  Once I'd healed I finished my friends garden which took me till September. Also my wife had heart ops to go in for (she's thru it all and fine now). Then one of my daughters moved house and I got landed with completely rehashing her new garden ,which was about 95% finished before the winter arrived ,which this year has been very mild compared to last year. However finishing that off will be my first project when spring gets here which shouldn't take me too long.... so the trains have had absolutely nothing more done since I stopped workin on them.  Not goin to count my chickens this year but I remain hopefull for 2019 to be the year that I actually get to run something! . Having said that things were pretty well advanced so a couple of good weeks work should see things just about complete. Definately on the home stretch.  Hope all's well with you and yours    Davy

Glad to hear your doing well Dave! No hurry, we will be here when you get started again! You have such a wonderful build and garden we just have to watch! Take care and Happy New Year!

Davy,

I’m glad you and your family are all well again and the young folks have moved.  Your story sounds like mine, although we are still going through it.  Nothing life threatening by any means, and we hope to move one daughter and her husband into the family homestead I grew up in.

I will be happy to follow along the completion of your rehash when you have time, as I hope to get at building my new indoor layout this year.  Yes we have had unseasonably good weather so far here in Western Pennsylvania, when it has been cold we haven’t had much snow.

Hi Guys, sorry for not reportin in before now but its been one thing after another lately. Glad you're all doin fine ! 

Happy New Year Davy.

Hopefully  2019 is a much better year for you and your family.

Larry

Happy New Year Davy      I am so glad that you are mended and feeling better . The trains will always be there when ever you can get back to them . Thought of you often with wonder of how you were doing. .

Looking forward to seeing some new pictures of that great garden of yours .  Jim

Good to see you back, Davy. Meant to ask earlier, what brand of track are you using?

Happy New Year Davy! All the best.

Happy New Year Davy. 

Life does have a way of getting in the way at times. As long as everyone is healthy, that's all that matters.

AGHRMatt posted:

Good to see you back, Davy. Meant to ask earlier, what brand of track are you using?

Cheers Matt, I use Peco track throughout,both on the G scale and in O . Its the business. 

hI guys, well after yet another long break due to other life things gettin in the way,not to mention some rotten weather as well,I've finally got round to pushin on witht he last leg of the O scale line. ie the section down the back fence of my garden. Hopin to get all the timbers into cement before the day's out and the rain re-appears .  one clear week's weather and no interruptions should see at least one train making a circuit ! Fingers crossed. The G scale line track is all completed and only needs some ballasting and wiring and its ready to roll. Anyway hope yer all well and life's being good to you !    Davy   

Well look who is back! DAVY! Sure is nice to see you and that your back at the garden! Things sure are looking good! I hope you get the dry weather with no interruptions so you can get your one line running! Best of luck and I will be hoping to see a train shortly!

Nice to see you back Davy!

mike g. posted:

Well look who is back! DAVY! Sure is nice to see you and that your back at the garden! Things sure are looking good! I hope you get the dry weather with no interruptions so you can get your one line running! Best of luck and I will be hoping to see a train shortly!

Nice to see you back Davy!

Hi Mike, cheers !  with a bit of luck I'll have the bottom timbers set in place a couple of hours from now. Just stopped for lunch. Warm and clammy here today, not ideal for workin but rain forecast tonight so I'll push on regardless ! Once thats done and the cement set,everything else is hammer and nails ,complicated stuff all done. ! Think I'll need another couple of boxes of track to complete every thing but nearly there. Thank goodness !  The plants that were planted a while back have done their thing quite nicely.They're even encroaching on the track in some places but easy enough to fix that. ! 

Welcome back Davy!

The flowers are looking great.

NJCJOE posted:

Welcome back Davy!

The flowers are looking great.

cheers Joe !  

Yes, glad to hear from you and that your at it again

Larry

Larry Sr. posted:

Yes, glad to hear from you and that your at it again

Larry

Hi Larry, good to hear from you guys too, workin away here. Clammy cloudy mornin has given way to blue sky and sunshine, on the home straight now as far as laying track fixing timbers go.  couple of hours and should be finished. Hopefully get the rest of the track down in the next few days. 

I too am glad to see you back, Davy!!  Yes, Mike and I have been commiserating together about life getting in the way of building our layouts!!  I turned 60 almost 3 years ago, and it seems like I have been falling apart ever since!     Mike isn't quite as old, but he has had it worse than me!  Your work by the fence is looking great!!  Before I read it, I was thinking you mentioning rain would mean good growing for the flora!!

Hi Mark , good to hear from you again, other life things just have a way opf gettin in the way at times eh ?? Anyway since my last post,not a lot done because mega heavy rain here the last coupla days.However was out for a wee while today and got the top longitudinal track fixing timbers nailed down. Last picture shows the last bit that needs cemented and timbered .rain again tomorrow apparently but hot weather forecast for next week. The G scale line is complete now,just some ballasting in a few places and a clean up and get the DCC module wired up in the wee hut then the  PIKO German engines can finally roll.  PIKO is introducing a big German BR 50 2-10-0 this year ,supposed to be out in October.So I have one ordered. Lookin forward to that.  

Hi Guys, incase you're wonderin what a German BR50 looks like heres the PIKO  mock up version..... big machines 

Great to see that you are back Davy ! Can not wait to see the trains running in that beautiful garden that you have created .

The BR50 is pretty neat looking, Davy!  Thank you for the photograph.

Mark Boyce posted:

The BR50 is pretty neat looking, Davy!  Thank you for the photograph.

Hi Mark The German BR (Baureihe) 50 was the locomotive that the Germans based their wartime Class 52 on,the "kriegslok" ie., war locomotive. The 52 was built with a lot more welding used and a lot less clutter for ease of mass production . 50s and 52s survived in workaday use in East Germany into the 1980s. I actually prefer the smoother lines of the 52 but I'll settle for a 50. Heres a picture of an East german 50. Although East and West Germany shared many of the same types of locomotive ,developments of the types in the West (DB) Duetsche Bundesbahn, and in the communist East (Deutsche Reichsban) went in different directions and obtained different looks,   

Heres a Kriegslok 52 , more or less in as built condition.