Indholdsfortegnelse for January 2023 i Garden Rail

I deas of what makes a garden railway vary from ultra-realistic to very freelance designs that look pretty, but are more caricature than prototype. I’d say the Plateway Alpine coach fits somewhere between these two extremes – possibly why I really liked the look of it the moment I saw a photo in Product News. Chatting to company owner/designer/tea boy Michael Murray, I persuaded him that Garden Rail readers would enjoy a build, and he generously provided a kit for me to have a go at. The instructions are comprehensive, but cover several different models in the range, which is a little confusing. Having said that, a bit of reading while looking at the parts helps. Like most kits, it’s not rocket science, you just need to think about what…

Early in 2021, I built a signal box for my garden railway, and, after running trains throughout the summer, I realised that there were no signals for the staff to operate; they just had to change a couple of points occasionally. This situation had to be rectified. I had not seen many signal boxes on German narrow-gauge railways, but had been to the one at Bertsdorf on the Zittau system in Saxony. Another signal box existed at Kipsdorf, but normally signalling and point levers were located inside station buildings or were in the open, if they existed at all. I had built some styrene and brass H (halt) signs for the ends of the platforms, and had also made some Trapeztafel (station entry) signs that are now sitting on…

Letters are welcomed on any aspect of large scale railway modelling. Please email the Editor: phil.parker@warnersgroup.co.uk or post to The Editor, Garden Rail Magazine, Warners Group Publications, West Street, Bourne, Lincolnshire, PE10 9PH BLOWING A FUSE Dave Sketchly’s article, ‘Powering Up’quite rightly pointed to some of the problems with using I would rechargeable batteries of all types. Might I suggest that where any type of rechargeable batteries are used in as our models, it is more than prudent to put a suitably as rated fuse in line with the load to the battery terminal, not the positive charger lead. I have for years now used auto re-settable fuses on my battery models. The advantage of these is that short circuits and overloads are controlled in a safe manner, cutting the…

Our own Mark Thatcher took part in the Unofficial Mamod and Other Steam Forum annual show at Horncastle with a fine selection of his projects over the years. Such a fine selection, that he came away with the “Best in Show” award. A Friday evening in Hinkley saw the Editor attending the Three Counties Area Group show, part of the G Scale Society, which was full of large scale layouts. Several people were gently persuaded that they should be writing up their efforts for our readers. Easily the biggest surprise was walking into a room, and being confronted with a massive Playmobil layout. At 35 years old, it takes two days to extract from the owners loft and set up at an event. The team building the outdoor track at…

To me, one of the greatest joys in this great hobby of railway modelling, in all its scales and gauges, is the number of marvellous friends I’ve made down the years; friendships which will last a lifetime; friendships that reveal a willingness to help each other out; and, friendships that result in wonderful days out to see the work of other friends. It’s this last-mentioned aspect which is the subject of this very modest piece, resulting in Eddie Adams, Geoff Haynes and me being invited to a day’s outing to see, operate and photograph Alan Brackenborough’s O Gauge ‘layout in a garden’. For those who might not know, Alan Brackenborough is one of the finest model painters of all time. In fact, in professional model painting circles, he’s known as…

This tale starts back in the 1980s. I obtained a copy of The Cane Train, which described the Sugar Cane lines in Fiji. This New Zealand publication contains a wealth of details and drawings, but it was the relatively unremarkable centre cabbed loco that caught my eye… The prototype The loco was one of a batch built by the Crossley Brothers, who were based in Bed-ford in the 1920s. Small 0-4-0 machines, weighing 5 tons, they were apparently able to haul 60 tons on the level. To Crossley, they were L type. Two of these locos were purchased by Dorman Long in 1924/5 (records vary) for use on the contract to build the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I have seen a video clip showing one at work on the bridge itself.…

High Force - February 2022 Mark bought this layout, only 5 by 2 feet in size, partly constructed, and then went on to turn out one of the best looking large scale model railways I’ve ever seen. Reworking the walls and completely replacing the tiles with Minaco items, a very time-consuming job, resulted in superb realism. There’s a lot of detail to be found trackside too, something we did our best to show with a wide selection of photographs, alongside the variety of 32mm gauge stock that runs on the model. One day, I intend to build a detailed model like this - I just hope mine is as good. Popular Poplar - September 2020 You might notice a theme with my choices, scruffy narrow gauge buildings. Not the sort…

At the Westland and Yeovil District Model Engineering Society, we have an extensive 16mm scale garden railway. Recently, an extension was started, involving shifting tons of soil and rubble, building a retaining wall etc. Peco track was laid on various types of support-concrete trench, wooden post and decking board, and a large paved area. After it was finished, it became apparent that a footbridge over the track was required for safe crossing. One was designed and made, but an important thing was overlooked - it was smack bang over two sets of points. Clearly, some method of operating these points was required. Various methods were considered; Bowden cable, pulley and wire, electric point motor, radio control, etc. During lockdown, a couple of us had been fitting radio control to our…

Have you ever built a piece of flatpack furniture, and had a few pieces left over? With the Peckett, aside from some spare bolts and screws, the box contained a rectangle of gasket material. I knew that’s what it was, it was the same as the gaskets used to seal the end of the cylinders. I wasn’t worried though, after all, the locomotive steamed perfectly well. Right up until it didn’t After half an hour testing, it became apparent that liquid PTFE is not the correct way to seal the joint between a pressure gauge syphon and the boiler, or the sight glass upper pipe and its steam input. Gradually, these joints started to bleed steam, and the locomotive stopped working. Even a non-engineer like me is familiar with the…

I unwrapped the parcel that had been stuffed through my letterbox and inside was a 16mm scale figure, which was instantly recognisable as Phil the Editor. I was initially concerned, was this part of some strange voodoo curse originating on the Sugar Cane railways of the West Indies? I needn’t have worried; Phil had commissioned a caricature of himself from Rob Benett of Busy Bodies, and was so pleased with it he had a mould made so he could distribute copies to his friends. Mine was painted by Phil, amazing! It was Rob Bennett, Mr Busy Body I guess, who can be said to have introduced the concept of the caricature to garden railways. These caricatures have always been controversial, with many of those who prefer precision and authenticity branding…

PIKO AMERICA Freight Building Block Starter Set This starter set comes with a GE 25-Ton loco and two building block wagons, a pocketsized remote, with forward/reverse and speed and stop controls, a full circle of track, and track clips. With this set, the imaginations of young (and not-so-young!) railway modellers can run wild with a wagon that may be built and rebuilt any way they want it. Aspiring modellers can use their favourite building blocks for nearly unlimited possibilities. Features • GE 25-Ton Diesel Electric locomotive with directional lights powered by six AAA batteries • Radio control has over 80’ range • Cab interior light • Wagons are fitted heavy-duty hard plastic wheels for use indoors or out • Supplied with a circle of R1 radius track and connectors suitable…

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