Andrew's Garden Railway started shortly after I bought my first (and only) house, back in 1992. A 5m by 7m garden needs a railway as an incentive to keep it under control! A few months later I purchased a Mamod engine, second hand but hardly used.
The Mamod engine came with a meths burner which had not been used. The reason was soon apparent - the engine couldn't steam to save its life! After one of the cylinders had been dismantled and a blockage had been removed from the steam pipe, however, it ran like a dream. Servos were fitted in the cab to operate the reversing lever and the whistle. A flat truck was converted to a van to house the radio receiver, and the locomotive was controllable. In due course a 3" whistle was made from brass tube and fitted under one side tank.
The next requirement was some track. The Mamod track was fine for test running but something more permanent was needed for real trains. The quick solution was to dig a trench round the garden, 6" deep and 6" wide, and fill it with 6mm gravel. Peco SM32 track was laid direct onto the gravel, with the curves all pre-bent. This has stood the test of time remarkably well, some minor fettling being needed periodically to maintain the alignment.
As the rolling stock accumulated it was obvious that Mamod was not up to pulling more than about 3 trucks up the hills, so a more powerful engine was obviously needed. When my Grandad left me some money I was on the 'phone to Roundhouse and 'Grandad' arrived a couple of months later.
To increase the operating potential a removable section of railway has been built. This is made up of two 180 degree curves which leave the main line on opposite sides of the garden and climb to cross over the main line and join at a terminus station laid out on baseboards down the middle of the lawn. Trains now leave the station, run round the main line in either direction and return to the terminus. A pond has been built between the main line and the east side curve.
A battery powered 'diesel' locomotive from JD Models provides for an instant train when one is needed. It is also safe for the youngest visitors to drive. An 0-4-0 tender engine has been on order from John Prescott Engineering for over six years. The last delivery promise was spring 2003, but it still hasn't appeared. To augment the fleet an 0-4-0 tank engine has been purchased from Cheddar Models, and this has been named 'G J Aston' after my other grandfather.
As at the beginning of October 2001 the track at the top of the garden was lifted to allow building work to be carried out to provide a larger garage and more space in the house. The garage extension includes a special hatch to allow the railway to enter. When the builders filled in the old pond, the opportunity was taken to build a larger one, suitable for goldfish. The main line now crosses the pond on a girder bridge.
The main circuit is linked to the garage by a triangular junction, one side of which is challenging, both in terms of gradient and curvature. Inside the garage there are moveable baseboards on the floor where the line terminates. The rolling stock can be stored on the baseboards, and a future project is to build a rack on the wall so the stock can be stored there permanently.
The railway is still under development - click on 'New' to see the latest goings-on.
I hope you enjoy your visit to my garden railway. If you have any questions please feel free to send me an email.