New garden layout

Great Work Davy!

Gotta love his bridge and trestle!  LOL!

So that's the world famous Guinness trestle. I'm awestruck. This is a humbling experience.

Thanks for the pictures, Marty.

Rick

I could see that trestle having an issue on Friday and Saturday evenings!  LOL!

Have you located the water tower yet.  If not I have a solution.

Hi Colorado,

          Managed to locate 3 water columns and they are ordered. So quite pleased. Thanks for that.   Davy

Hi Guys, well was away over the weekend working on the lovely Island of Aran and it has been extremely and abonormally hot here ,hittin 29C for days on end ,just too hot for my liking,anyway a bit cooler today so got a wee bit done today on rebuilding the sandstone wall along the new station area formation.Nothing other than that very exciting to report,but thats the progress to date. Shouldn't take me too long now to get round to some actual train stuff as opposed to groundwork. Cheers  DAVY   

Davy,

Of all the solid work you have done on this project, incorporating that wye configuration really is the icing on the cake. After redoing my own G layout following your advice, I thought I would pass along a revision I did for the power supply. One of my major consternation's is the lack of a weatherproof transformer that is more portable than not, outside of radio control. In the power revision department, I buried cabling intended for such in a larger gauge for DC outdoor lighting from the track feed to an area closer to my patio. I then bought a DC disconnect set of low voltage wiring in a kit for lighting auto-trailer connections. Now I simply pull the connection apart and stow the transformer a few feet away. For what it's worth,

Bruce

Hi Bruce,

          Aye , I have left areas where I can bury wires where required. I have a Lionel lighted coaling tower in transit from the states which will be the main feature of the engine servicing area forward of the turntable and will require a power feed. You should  post a couple of pics of your G scale layout here Bruce, G or O doesn't matter the technique / ideas are the same.As for actual control, I will initially work with DC but hope in time to go completely digital  Cheers  DAVY

Bruce, does Marklin make an outdoor G scale transformer? I thought they might be I am not 100%. Davy keep up the great work you are an inspiration to us on the other side of the Pond!

George

I honestly don't know about Marklin making G gauge transformers. I have used a bulletproof PH Hobbies DC transformer. It has a steel case with a cooling fan and I have had it so long.. I couldn't tell you how long I have had it if I tried to. Plenty of power. I have run Aristo A-B-A FA consists with all units powered with smoke etc, and it never maxed out. If they still make them if I needed a replacement I would get another.

Hi Davy,

This is the still incomplete rebuilding as a passing siding and equipment storage spurs still need to be added. You might want to turn the sound down as my lung issues were acting up making my breathing sound bizarrely like the subject of the video. This was a trial run of a Plymouth with a couple of cars added for weight. Its normal consist will be LGB skeleton log cars along with a newly acquired "bobber" caboose for which I am finding real "logs" from the yard to fit. I run both narrow gauge and mainline stuff as well as live steam. I do the gardening as well as the railroading. My wife likes to watch. Just as well because I listen patiently to her good advice and then carry on doing it my way.

Hi Bruce, neat video.I can see where you've done the cement work now. And see what you mean about how heavy rain would have washed away your gravel.Glad it worked out for you. Does make a difference eh ? No fun having to keep re-ballasting and relaying /fixing track. You say you run mainline locos. You have quite a curvy layout there what kinda mainline/standard gauge locos do you operate ? Anyway ,great to see your layout.Also I've never thought about laying the track directly on to the stonework like you have there in places. cement between the stones and pinned to timber between ?. Don't know where I'd use that on my layout now but its something that had never occured to me till I saw your video.

 As for my layouts progress ,well it rained heavy today so got nothing done and yesterday I spent most of the time collecting old sandstones from a broken down wall and more flat stones from the river. Should get a good day in at it tomorrow though as the weather has to clear up again. The pics I've attached show the current state of affairs and the timbers laid loose roughly show the intended track layout. Basically just a passing place on one side. As for women giving instructions.... well I have a wife , 3 daughters, and 3 grandaughters....so believe me I know exactly what you mean ha ha !!

Davy

I use a 0-4-0, a 4-4-2 and a 4-6-2 as far as steam. I am probably going to add a Mikado in July. Although heavy, the Pacific has to take the tight radius turns slowly. Diesels are the Plymouth now in addition to a A-B-A set of Alco FA CP units. I run mainline and narrow gauge consists and change them out monthly for a change of pace.I am enjoying the pictures of your stone work on the retaining side..the last set of pictures served as a great cut-away view for me.

The track on the retaining wall has been there for roughly eight or so years and with the addition of the ballast set in concrete, it looks much better. The block wall is under three feet so it doesn't require extra work against frost heave. I still have to finish ( begin) the yard ...on the backside of the garden. I have the track, but I am waiting for the weather to cool off a bit as we have high seasonal humidity.

Hi Bruce,your pacific,is it Aristocraft ?  

It is and it is in the maroon, orange and gray Milwaukee Road Chippewa scheme. I run it with two Milwaukee Road (Aristo) heavyweight coaches. They are enormously long ( dwarfing the standard gauge heavyweights in length ) and it is somewhat painful to watch them to watch them twist and turn along the tight curvatures in the garden atop the retaining wall.

I originally purchased them when I built a large indoor G layout in the basement of a former home with wider radius curves. The Pacific has no issues but again I have to go light on the throttle around "dead man's curve."

Hi Guys, aye Bruce I asm familiar with the pacific you are refering to. I also have two of those Aristo heavyweights in B&O colours.

 Anyway,pushed on a bit today .More or less have the new stone retaining wall built along where the station area and passing place is goin to be. Just loose-laid some track to show where things are goin. A couple of days work will see this area well on its way to completion. Oh well thats me for the night. Just about eaten alive with midges so I'm sounding the retreat ! Hey by the way guys,meant to ask do you know of any suppliers who do driving wheel sets/sparesetc., for O gauge 2 rail.?

   Cheers  DAVY

Davy... and Bruce,

I have long wanted to build an O scale layout in my rear garden area. Watching your progress has given me lots of ideas how to go about doing it.

Davy, Stevenson Preservation Lines here in the U.S. should have a supply of the drivers you're looking for. Search online.

Hi Chris, hope you get your O scale garden railway up and running. If I can be of any help let me know. As far as O gauge 2 rail spares go I'll tell you exactly why I ask.

 As for re-wheeling /converting American 3 rail locos to two rail ,here in the UK we have a company called "Slaters Plasticard",they make a quality range of O scale wheels. Though based on British practice you can usually find spoked driving wheels that are as near as damit very similar as makes no difference for US locos.However, British boxpoc/disc drivers are different patterns from US types. I have also been collecting Japanese National Railway steam and electric loco kits in 1/50 scale by Otaki,Arii and Aoshima. Japanese standard gauge was 3ft6". These 1/50 scale japanese kits are display models with plastic chassis and wheels etc., but they are superbly accurate.Modern Japanese steam locos followed US practice and I'm hoping to have metal chassis built for them and have them motorised but to run on 16.5mm track. So I'm lookin for American style boxpoks in O scale but to go onto HO size chassis. I suppose pretty much equivalent to Bachman On30 US narrow gauge types. Anyway I will check out that company you mentioned Chris. Thanks for that. Cheers DAVY    

Well this thread has nudged me over the edge with regard to an outside railroad.  It will be nothing as nice nor elaborate as yours, but I will use your basic construction principles.  Mine will be G scale for a couple reasons - I have three O scale layouts in my house and would like to try something different; I am planning a Narrow Gauge operation (I am in Colorado after all) and G seems like a good choice for that; and the size of the equipment may be more conducive to what I would like to try regarding power.  Which leads me to . . . .

As I understand DCC as well as conventional systems, power is carried through the rails.  Have you considered or tried an R/C system with the power contained entirely in the motive units?  I have a bit of experience with R/C cars - mostly crawlers and off-road rally cars.  There certainly is enough power although you couldn't run for hours on end.  I guess one issue may be with voltage as I believe standard G locomotives expect 18-24 volts.  Standard R/C electronic speed controls (ESCs) are set up to handle much less voltage e.g. 7.4 to 11.1.  The newer lithium batteries have been a boon in terms of power and run times and you can get high voltage batteries (more cells) - but they soon outstrip the capacities of the ESCs not to mention the increase in size.  So it may involve motor replacement.  I have no idea how hard that will be, but I will find out.   I have bids in on a couple G scale locomotives and will do some experimenting.  If you have ever considered R/C or tried it, I would be very appreciative of your experience and opinions.

O scale might be a tight fit for R/C electronics, though I think maybe heli or plane equipment may be miniaturized enough - though that is not an area I know anything about.

Hi there colorado, I used to use Aristo radio control but to control track power. Lots of guys on the forums used to complain about brass track getting dirty and this seemed to be their main reason for switching to onboard R/C. I tried brass track etc., and hated it.Didn';t much like stainless steel either. Switched to Peco Nickel Silver and had absolutely no problems with conductivity. No need for complicated track joiners or clamps either. My power to track worked fine. I might sound like a UK salesman for Peco with an axe to grind but I'm not. I found that it wiped the deck with American and German track hands down.Just a better product all round. Incidentally I have a load of it 2nd hand I'll be selling off. Its all been used and cut into various lengths etc but is all fine for re-use. Plenty left and right turnouts too. Don't know what it would cost to send it to Colorado but would be happy to parcel it up and let you have it at a decent price if it was financially feasible in postage costs.??? It is Peco G45 flexi and is meant for narrow gauge. I had enough to go round my garden 3 times with umpteen sidings. Only thing you'd need to buy new is rail joiners and I can get them easy enough over here.    Cheers        DAVY