The story of the CSLR so far.....................
Milestones and see the map. Click on the pictures for larger images.
March 2002 - Moved In!
April 2002 - Pond Construction
June 2002 - Bridge Installation
August 2002 - Tunnel Cut-and-Cover
March 2003 - Forging Ahead at Quarry Curve
April 2003 - Woody Beach appears
May 2003 - Hi-Level Stretch
July 2003 - Bridging the Great Divide
This is a picture of the garden before we got here - estate agents eye view!
We really needed a pond since the goldfish we brought just weren't happy in the lined packing case they were in! Since a railway was in the design right from the start, we took the opportunity to build the first part of the line around the new pond.
You can see the 'raw' concrete (Celcon) blocks in the foreground here, these
will form the track bed when finished.
Here, with the track in place, you can see the log edging going in, the space around the blocks will be filled and topped with ballast when everything has settled.
A bridge was ordered from Peter Howarth of Garden Railway Structures, initially to re-cross the pond, but following it's arrival it was decided it was more suitable for a path crossing. Additionally, this allowed extension of the useable track into the next section of garden.
The bridge is not rigidly fixed in place, it sits on the
bearing pads at each end and the track is fixed to it in two places. This is to
allow the bridge to expand and contract according to the weather.
As supplied, the bridge arrives in it's natural aluminium state, but it was soon decided that it needed a coat of paint. Halfords car paints were used - a tin of Etch Primer gave a good key first, followed by standard grey undercoat/primer, then a blue top coat. Two full tins of blue were used to give as much protection as possible. The finish on the aluminium plate was marvellous!
Tunnel mouths were picked up at the Reading show earlier in the year from Garden Railway Specialists. These are cast stone and rather to heavy and fragile for postage, but a phone call in advance of the show secured their arrival.
The
tunnel mouths were placed in position at either end of a channel dug in the
existing terrain. Previously laid concrete blocks form the trackbed for this
section, more blocks are stood on end for the tunnel sides, thus preventing the
earth from filling the channel. I used expanding foam in a can to hold
everything in place, walls, ends, and finally using paving slabs for the roof.
This means that the tunnel will easily hold the weight of anyone standing on it
Concrete blocks turn out to be the perfect height for this structure, and the
tunnel is (handily!) three blocks long, thus avoiding the need to cut them. It's
also short enough to allow the removal of anything that may or may not be stuck
in there.
After
a rest over the Christmas 2002 period, the wild undergrowth was cleared from the
next area and once stable, 1.5 tonnes of Purbeck Stone and a maxi bag of
builders sand arrived (at the wrong end of the drive!). Much transportation of
stone and sand was followed by a build using the stone and some granite blocks
recovered from the garden earlier.
A five foot radius curve was the aim, turning thro' 90
degrees and beginning to climb around the back of the patio (yet to be built).
The raise in height is necessary to eventually pass over the already constructed
tunnel.
The track will be laid on the granite blocks and some flatter stones, on a strong Rowland's mix (cement/compost/sand, applied dry and dampened later) which will resemble ballast and serve to take out the imperfections in the surface.
The
track is bent to shape using a homemade device - bolts and r/c car bearings
fitted to a small vice. Then the sleepers are slid back onto the LGB rail.
Woody
Beach progress - the decking has been installed and the blocks for the trackbed
built around, levelling the area under the track with a weak cement mix. In this
picture, you can get some idea of how far the track climbs from one side to the
other.
In
the picture left, is a view of the partly ballasted track with the Rowland's mix
below and rough grit spread over the top too. To the left of the picture is the
exit from the tunnel. In the picture right, you can see the entrance to the
tunnel, over which the track will eventually return.
The extra rail required to reach Woody Beach arrived at
Easter and (despite the rain, spending time with the family (!) and such like)
the rail was bent and placed for 'clearance checks' by the end of the Easter
holiday. This picture shows the track in place but not fixed.
The spur into the back of the garage (to the right of the picture) leads to
storage sidings in the garage, made up using LGB Radius 1 points and track.
These are too sharp for most main line use, but are OK in this case.
Closer
to completion, No.3 runs round the train following track levelling and partial
ballasting. The point in the foreground is now the end of the line, until the
bridge construction starts. Test runs with No.3 (manual control) shows that with
the four heavy bogies in the picture, a suitable regulator setting will allow a
complete out and return journey without touching, although slowing to a crawl on
the last stage before Woody Beach and then rushing into the loop!
The
next stage is to cross the garden and over the top of the tunnel. So far, the
undergrowth (denser than it looked!) has been cleared on the far side of the
tunnel and a trench dug down to the clay. The bottom of the trench has granite
blocks laid in and bedded to form the sub-base. The picture shows this to good
effect, the present end of the line visible in the background by the signal box.
Along the top of the granite blocks will be laid Celcon blocks on a bed of
cement to ensure they are level. The line itself is level here and will be the
highest point on the line.
This picture shows the gap to be bridged from the signal box to the tunnel roof. How it's to be done is at present undetermined! Several possibilities of bridge have been investigated, but it must have a curve and hopefully a central lift-out span to allow lawnmower access.
I
have now started to cross the great divide by putting in the main supports for
my bridge section. The picture here shows only the main supports for either side
of the lift-out section in place and some more raised base work at the tunnel
end. I would like to put grasses over the tunnel eventually, so the area around
will become embankment leading to the bridge. The lower track leading to the
tunnel is on the right.