It started with a buffer

[Deleted]

looks great, you clearly have far more experience than I in track laying. I'm confident doing it with Templot, I wouldn't be doing it any other way, turnouts I mean. Perhaps you might share a picture here when you have the new trackwork installed by the permanent way gang, I'd love to see it as I'm sure others would too...

cheers

Pete

[barlowworks]

👍

[David]

You certainly were not idle, that's a good amount of trackwork. Fitting DROs isn't a trivial job either. I'd love one on the lathe but know mine would sit under the bench for years until I got around to installing it.

Templot is amazing. I used it to lay out an old Cyril Freezer design and built all the points, then abandoned the project! 'One day' I'll draw up a 5" gauge turnout to AALS specifications and try building it.

[barlowworks]

Hi David

I must admit I do enjoy building pointwork. When I get into the swing of things I can usually go from a blank sheet of paper to a finished point in a couple of days. The limiting factor these days is leaning over the workbench until my back gives in. ☹️ I think the most complex pointwork I have ever done was for our O gauge layout Yeomans Quay. Set on a curved quayside with cobbles and sets covering the surface it was all built with continuous check rails running throughout. Oh what fun. 😏 I think you may still find some photos of it if you google it.

Mike

[David]

I've only built that one lot, to see if I could do it. Nothing more complex than a few crossovers and some curved turnouts. It was all done bar the tiebars and I lost interest as there was nowhere to put a layout anyway.

Continuous check rails would have added a lot of work to it.

[kipford]

4mm scale EM, designed on templot and built straight on prints. I must admit to wanting to build some 5" gauge points.
Dave
P1110003 by Dave Smith, on Flickr
Feature_10 by Dave Smith, on Flickr
Detail_12 by Dave Smith, on Flickr

[barlowworks]

Lovely stuff David, I used to model in EM before I moved up to O gauge.

Here are some photos of Yeomans Quay and the continuous check rail track, also one of our smoking chimney shots. Also the crane ready to load (or unload) the Clyde Puffer.

(3) IMG_7642(E) by Michael Cawthorne, on Flickr

(5) IMG_7645(E) by Michael Cawthorne, on Flickr

(11) IMG_7734(E) by Michael Cawthorne, on Flickr

Mike

[kipford]

Mike
Very nice, our paths have not crossed on the exhibition circuit, I go out with two layouts, my own Brighton East and the South Hants Model Railway Club LNWR/GWR Hope - under - , both EM. I am at BRM show in Doncaster with Brighton in 2019.
Dave

[barlowworks]

Yeomans quay has now been sold on to a private owner. We could not get any other club members to help exhibit it. Pity really, it was a lovely layout. Now I'm into 16mm narrow gauge and 5 inch gauge.

Mike

[barlowworks]

Hi everybody, This is a bit of an update of what has been going on in Barlow Works, mostly involved in getting the garden railway into a state where I can at least get a train going all the way round. I apologize if this is not regarded as model engineering, they are just things I must tick off my to do list before I can get back to the Britannia.

IMG_2554 by Michael Cawthorne, on Flickr

This is the model of the Victoria Bridge on the Severn Valley railway that I originally made for my O Gauge garden railway. It has been into Barlow Works for a refurbishment and new handrails and is seen here on the clothes line after having a quick blow over with Ford Burgundy Red. I had a Halford's rattle tin left over from painting some coaches. Its what I use for Midland crimson lake. When its hardened off it will fit in between two concrete blocks I cast in the garden to represent the abutments, complete with stonework cast in. The bridge used to carry three tracks in O gauge but will know carry two in 16mm narrow gauge. I'll post a photo when its fitted.

IMG_2555 by Michael Cawthorne, on Flickr

The other two photos show some of the pointwork I showed last time actually fitted in the garden and operational. Obviously the acer will have to be pruned before the next running session.

IMG_2556 by Michael Cawthorne, on Flickr

The railway itself runs through the garden in a series of raised planters, Madam Battleship insisting she didn't want baseboards all over the garden and the railway had to blend in. After a lot of hard work I think we have finally achieved this and she is happy (which is a vital first point in gaining brownie points for more workshop time.  )

All the best

Mike

[cplmickey]

Looks great Mike. Quite jealous. Ian

[barlowworks]

That's very kind of you. When it's finally finished you could always come up the M1 for an afternoons entertainment. I'm sure Madam Battleship can be persuaded to provide some tea and sticky buns.

Mike

[barlowworks]

I fitted the bridge in the garden this morning. As promised, here is a photo of it fitted onto the stone (concrete) abutments.

IMG_2558 by Michael Cawthorne, on Flickr

Mike

[Oily Rag]

Aug 7, 2019 10:54:59 GMT barlowworks said:

I fitted the bridge in the garden this morning. As promised, here is a photo of it fitted onto the stone (concrete) abutments.

IMG_2558 by Michael Cawthorne, on Flickr

Mike

MVL bridge ?

[barlowworks]

Hi Dazza, you had me going for a bit there, I had to google MVL bridges, I didn't know they existed. I suppose that then answers your question. The bridge is scratch built from nickel silver and brass channel and goes back to the days when I had a pantograph miller. The girder sections and latticework were all milled and then the whole lot was soldered together. It then drops onto the concrete abutments on the cast in angle pieces as it would on the real thing.

Mike

[Deleted]

Hi Mike

Loving the info on your garden railway....IIRC you were working in O Gauge, is the garden railway the same scale or the larger 45mm in either G scale or gauge 1?

Cheers

Pete

[barlowworks]

Hi Pete, the garden railway does go back to my O gauge days but is now 16mm narrow gauge running on 32mm track. That of course is the same as O gauge but the rail section is a lot bigger and the check rails and crossing vee's are far too wide for O gauge. I did develop a point that had a continuous rail running through it so no check rails with the intention of running my O gauge on it as well but abandoned the idea. A lot of my O gauge is DCC and the track needs to be spotlessly clean for it to work at its best, something not really compatible with radio controlled live steam.

Mike

[barlowworks]

The O gauge A4 is now complete and residing in a glass case with its new owner. He is now like a dog with 2 tails so couldn't be happier. For me it is the end of a project that tested my modelling skills and resolve to the limit. So, lesson learned, learn to keep your mouth shut and stop volunteering to do things I don't really want to do. It will now be back to the Brit and the garden railway (no doubt with a few diversions devised by Madam Battleship along the way).

Mike

[Jim]

You have a brilliant layout there. I'm afraid my Midland era Nailsworth Branch has languished for some time now as the Britannia and now the Beam Engine have kept me occupied and out of mischief. I will get back to it though.

Jim

[Deleted]

Dec 25, 2019 21:37:39 GMT Jim said:

You have a brilliant layout there. I'm afraid my Midland era Nailsworth Branch has languished for some time now as the Britannia and now the Beam Engine have kept me occupied and out of mischief. I will get back to it though.

Jim

At least you've made a start on your O gauge layout Jim. Other than building a J71, 20T brakevan and one turnout I've yet to make a start on my layout. I have 2 pacific's to build too..Like you, my concentration has been all on 4472 abd I can't see that changing anytime soon.

Pete