Garden and railway complete re-hash

Somehow, I've only just discovered this thread.  Davy you're a mad man! All that work!!! What a wonderful space you'll have when it's finished.

ha ha .... aye George ,and the wife'll probably tell me to move into train hut when its finished........ come to think of it ,a wee wood burnin stove and a sleepin bag and I'd be quite happy..... .....  Hi  Wiltz.... just saw your reply ....yip...totally mad...thats what ma wife says too, ...great fun...  and the best bit's still to come !!

Now !!! run a train.

Looking very good.

Larry

cheers larry !

And so the serious pond work begins this mornin ....liner goin in.

Roastin day here today,so have downed tools 3.30PM. Got the left side of the pond-liner bricked in place and the pondside path laid....enough for today..... 

Hi Guys ,another great day weatherwise so got on quite well. Made a start to the inside of the pond .

Hi Guys,cooler and cloudier today but still dry, still workin on the pond, very time consumin. However have  got the basic header pool construction and some of the water fall built

WOW!

Davy it looks more like a swimming pool

Larry

Davy, watching you lug the giant rocks around is like watching the Highlander games where those guys carry telephone poles around. 

Hi Guys, sorry Larry ,a part from fish and frogs its bikini clad women only allowed in or around this pond ,...its a local by-law.... George ,I think by the time I finish this I'll need somebody to carry me around !! .

Anyway, workin on the wee header pool and waterfall today, no shortcuts doin this , fernickety work and has to be absolutely watertight. You also only get one crack at cementing the stones in,... if you don't get this right and the water doesn't flow the right way then its a rehash from square one.However fingers crossed !! Still..... done a few water features over the years so hopefully the water will run as planned . 

Hi Guys, just workin away "flooring" the pond, everything laid in a base of waterproofed cement. 

Todays progress....

Hi Guys, well the hot dry spell of weather has given way to the unsettled rainy variety ,so makin progress a bit awkward.However the pond area is well advanced with not a lot to do.A couple of decent dry days work will see it complete. I'm also cuttin out the corners of the grass "curved triangle" style to it tie into the pond area  .The wee lawn will more or less be circular .,watch this space.... anyway heres the latest....   

Got a wee bit done this morning , ( overnight rain water proving that my new pond doesn't leak ...so far anyway !!)  Have cut out the remaining corners of the lawn,these'll get a similar treatment to the finished left hand bottom corner. In the case of the pondside corners the stonework will be tied into the stonework in the pond in rockeries and filled with creeping plants etc.. ...Drier weather forecast for next week .... excellent 

Davy Mac posted:

Got a wee bit done this morning , ( overnight rain water proving that my new pond doesn't leak ...so far anyway !!)  Have cut out the remaining corners of the lawn,these'll get a similar treatment to the finished left hand bottom corner. In the case of the pondside corners the stonework will be tied into the stonework in the pond in rockeries and filled with creeping plants etc.. ...Drier weather forecast for next week .... excellent 

Davy, I like the round circle of grass sort of an Oracle or Command center for your trains. I can imagine that grass area will be your area where you and the wife can relax with your favorite adult beverage and oversee your railroad empire.

startin to take shape as a garden..... from the kitchen window aand from upstairs. 

Davy,

A lot of work that is finally rewarding you with a beautiful appearance. The view from the window is inviting. You must feel good about your efforts.

Looking good.  I love your pond.  

Hi Guys thanks for the encouragement. Its appreciated.  Still a fair old bit of work to go yet but gettin there !!

Hi Guys,well been workin away the last couple of days. The way I've done  fence/planter between me and my neighbour might be of interest. The old fence had a trough along the top and was simply filled with soil. It was a bandit to plant out, and was a constant pain in the neck to weed too. Last year I did my front garden using flowerpots but in hot weather I was never done watering the plants as the pots were very limited in water capacity.So this time round came up with this solution. Bigger troughs spaced out about eighteen inches apart approx. 3 plants per pot. The floor of the woodenm trough was painted with bitumen paint to avoid water rotting the timber in time. Between the pot spaces I cemented in some pieces of broken slabbing to keep back the decorative gravel. Could have used wooden dividers but again cement doesn't rot. Where the broken slabs were cemented I pushed  some of the decorative gravel into the wet cement then between I filled the spaces with loose broken rubble then of the decorative gravel on top to finish off. The plastic plant troughs can be lifted out if any weeding /re-plantings needing done . So much easier to maintain. Fence now just needs painting... ch 

In the rest of the garden I've been working on tying in the pond stonework with the lawn. Also made a start to digging out the back right hand corner, heavy going ,this is where I used to have a wee waterfall and stream running into the old pond, Forgot just how many big stones I had used . Have also removed a whole load of weeds and brambles etc., am in the process of extending the retaining wall between the lower garden area and the strip at the back which is higher. Haven't made up my mind yet but I'm toying with the idea of seperating that section off with another fence and making another double circuit of track in a different scale. hmmmm....we'll see ????? . 

Check this stone , dug this out the local river years ago, humphed it up the river bank and into the van and brought it home, ....my God it feels a lot heavier than it did back then...... ....just need to get it over to the pond side of the garden and into place...... , can wait till tomorrow !  

Hi Guys, have flattened the area for the back-right patio to be finished and part-built the rear retaining wall . 

Hi Guys, been busy with other must-dos the last few days ,however still makin a bit of progress, tying the pond area stonework into the lawn area is almost complete.  

Davy

Sure is looking nice. I enjoy seeing the progress. I'm sure others do as well .

Larry

Wow the virtual construction site !

Davy:

Thanks for taking the time to share your project's progress with us. When construction is finished and trains are running, will we be seeing any British classics such as the A4, Black Five or Deltic in operation?

Bob

Hi Guys, thanks for the support. BOB.. as for what trains will be run /British classics, etc., in O scale I have a Britannia class 4-6-2, but thats the only one at present.Which brings me to a possible change in plans vis a vis scales. My intention was to make the layout O gauge ,however ,I still have an abundance of G scale track from my previous garden layout. I currently don't have enough O scale track to go round the garden ,however I probably have enough or nearly enough O track to make a second layout in O . This is an idea that has come to mind as I've been working away at things. I've taken a real liking to the new steam locos in G (estimated at 1/26th scale ,they are BIG) now on the market from PIKO of Germany.They are excellent bang for the buck and superb looking models. The idea I'm toying with is to lift the O gauge track and lay the main circuit in G. I'd then build an entirely new O gauge circuit on the raised back section of the garden in O. Obviously it wouldn't be as big ,but if built as I have it in my head it would be far more scenically intensive, It would be built using a different track laying method too which would see it take shape much quicker. Anyway ,thats the idea currently floating in my brain. The alternative would be to keep the main layout O gauge and do the second layout in OO/HO, however I think if anything it will be G and O gauges . Anyway whatever, I'm currently workin on finishing the pond. Tested an old pump from my previous pond and its working fine ,so am in the process of installing it. The intention is to have two sources of waterfall. One from the top header pool (already in place) and another one adjacent and lower down ,. Should look good once done. However achieving good results takes time and a lot of stone and cement work. Has to be completely leak-less or its a waste of time and effort ,so slow and carefull is the name of the game. 

Hi Guys, this pic attached shows the area where the proposed new O gauge layout would be, looking out from the house it would "stroke the T" of the main layout in G. However it would still be a very decent sized O layout .As you can see in the picture the main garden layout runs at ground level here ,the O gauge layout would be raised ,running in parallel to the G line but at a higher level, along the back fence (also soon to be completely renewed), anyway "que sera sera"....    

This is for Bob.... only British "classic" I have in O is this Britannia class ,  previous owner did a very good job of dickying her up as she was in her very final years of service. "Economy" unlined BR green livery , brass nameplates removed and name painted on the smoke deflectors...  

Davy:

Cheers for posting the pictures of your Britannia class. You're right; the previous owner did a very accurate job in capturing the look of a locomotive in its final years of service. My British books contain numerous pictures taken during the final years of steam and the appearance of many of the locomotives was simply appalling. 

Bob

Davy Mac posted:

Check this stone , dug this out the local river years ago, humphed it up the river bank and into the van and brought it home, ....my God it feels a lot heavier than it did back then...... ....just need to get it over to the pond side of the garden and into place...... , can wait till tomorrow !  

Back then, you probably had more hair too.....LOL

Davy I like your idea of G scale on the Outter loop and O scale on the inner loop. I did the same idea except my layout is not outside but an indoor ceiling layout. Gives me the opportunity to run some of the bug stuff in G. MTH 1/32nd scale recently is reissuing the Union Pacific Big Boy, which is a favorite of mine. G scale stuff as you know does well outside too with what Mother nature can throw at us.

Hi Guys,  Dan, my hair's just comin in actually ....am a late developer ... .  Bob.., yip British steam locos were generally in abysmal condition towards the end,  sadly neglected..... however they were still appealing ,I have fond memories of steam in those years. George.... I won't be running G and O scales together.The G line will be entirely seperate. The only place they will run parallel will be along the very back of the garden,but on quite differnt levels. The G  tracks will pass under the planned O gauge tracks at two points. all will be revealed..

Davy Mac posted:

Hi Guys,  Dan, my hair's just comin in actually ....am a late developer ... .  Bob.., yip British steam locos were generally in abysmal condition towards the end,  sadly neglected..... however they were still appealing ,I have fond memories of steam in those years. George.... I won't be running G and O scales together.The G line will be entirely seperate. The only place they will run parallel will be along the very back of the garden,but on quite differnt levels. The G  tracks will pass under the planned O gauge tracks at two points. all will be revealed..

 

Davy I understand and agree. I think your use of G and O scales will enhance your backyard layout. I think G is best suited for outdoor running. 

Hi George, looking out from the house on the left the miniature spruce trees look massive against O scale, however against the new PIKO  G models they will  look right.  The PIKO models are based on German standard gauge prototypes scaled at 1/26th which makes them BIG. So they'll look the part .  When I do the O gauge layout I intend to use very young miniature conifers from scratch and plant them in restricted pockets of soil which will have a kinda "bonsai" effect on them and should keep them very small.  Construction of the new O gauge layout should be quick too. I intend to use exterior grade plywood covered in torched-on mineral felt screwed into supports levelled and cemented into the ground. The mineral-chipped felt gives a very decent representation of ballast and is bullet-proof against weather. Track laying is much simpler too.   Heres a rough diagram of the intended plan. The O gauge circuit will be at a higher level than the G circuit. The O gauge will  cross the G scale at two points .  

Davy,

Been following this since last year, and its just amazing how much work you have done!

Thanks for the photos.

Sean

Cheers Sean,  thanks, ...will get to the trains soon !! ..... hopefully.... 

Hi Guys,well another scorchin day here in Scotland, have finished planting and dressing the stonework between the pond area and the wee lawn. Am now working on the stonework around the waterfalls. Slow time consuming progress it is too. Never mind upwards and onwards !! Need to get the new the fence painted too to catch up with the plants !