Garden Railway Forum

It runs




Quite a few small problems to sort out though

Now I've fixed the forum maybe I can get round to fixing them !

Aah. You're Teebee Tom. Thanks for your help getting us 'talking' again. Very much appreciated by me and I'm sure all forum users.

Lonsdaler wrote: Wed Aug 13, 2025 6:22 pm Aah. You're Teebee Tom. Thanks for your help getting us 'talking' again. Very much appreciated by me and I'm sure all forum users.

I think it must be divine providence that made me, three months ago, decide to build that garden railway that I've been thinking about for 50 years and rejoin the forum!

And I got to use some skills I've not used for ten years

anyway glad I could be here to help !

Tom

Yes I would like to second Phil's comments.
Thanks Tom, and hope you can now enjoy your railway, which I imagine is capable of absorbing many hours shunting wagons to and fro.
Well done,
Grant.

Quite a long run from one end to the other. Have you found out how many wagons the loco can pull?

Rik

It's about 60 foot from one end to the other - of course if I do another bin dive and find more tables I could make it longer ...

Haulage wise, the Lego wheels/axlebox/axles assemblies are not that free running, though I've not done anything to tune or lubricate them yet. The wheels run loose on the axles rather than the axles revolving, which means you don't get the self-centering effect of coned wheels. They short of chitter along - if you've ever watched a rake of real inside framed minecarts going past you'll see exactly the same effect for exactly the same reason.

Now the Lego motor block is designed to run on 6xAA cells or 9volts, but my test line on my own garden table last year suggested this would be rocket speed and I ran the loco on a single 18650 Li-ion cell which gave a much more realistic speed. However that line was flat, and this one has gradients, the loco was struggling to pull 5 cars on the flat and only managed 2 on some of the gradients . Changing it to two batteries, so 7.4 V, the loco will pull 10 cars up the gradients though the downhill speed is way too fast. I guess I'm going to have to actually run my trains, rather than sit and watching them run by.

I do want to experiment with intermediate voltages by trying a mixture of 3.7 and 1.2 volt batteries and I also have an alternative radio control I could use, but first I need to sort out some of the unintentional gradients I've managed to introduce. How ever I may need to temporally dismantle and remove the line so I'm not sure how much to do now.

I may instead start constructing some buildings, to give a better purpose for operating it. I'm thinking of making some from real genuine wood but I may also 3D print some stone ones

I realy love the idea to use old plastic tables.

I would suggest mixing battery chemistries, is not a good way to vary voltage/speed.

You will (as a minimum) need to be very careful to split these for charging, and I think you will find you will 'kill' the 1.2V batteries quite quickly.

Phil.P.

Phil.P wrote: Mon Sep 15, 2025 10:45 am I would suggest mixing battery chemistries, is not a good way to vary voltage/speed.

You will (as a minimum) need to be very careful to split these for charging, and I think you will find you will 'kill' the 1.2V batteries quite quickly.

Phil.P.

I agree
Got this from the net
Mixing battery chemistries poses significant safety risks, including potential chemical reactions, fire, leakage, or explosion, and can lead to device damage and reduced performance. Different chemistries have unique voltages, capacities, and chemical properties that create imbalances when mixed, leading to overheating, overcharging, or forced discharging of weaker cells. It is crucial to use identical batteries in a device to prevent these dangers and ensure proper function and longevity.

Why Mixing is Dangerous

Chemical Incompatibility:
Different battery chemistries (like Nickel Metal Hydride and lithium-ion) have different materials and reactions, which can lead to dangerous reactions, heat generation, and the release of gases.

Voltage and Capacity Imbalance:
Different voltages and capacities between batteries create an imbalance. Stronger batteries can force discharge weaker ones, increasing the risk of leakage, overheating, or rupture.

Overcharging and Undercharging:
When charging batteries of different characteristics, some may overcharge while others undercharge, reducing overall pack efficiency and potentially damaging the cells.
Reduced Device Performance:

Mixing can lead to unpredictable performance, with devices shutting down unexpectedly as some batteries drain faster than others

Plan is batteries will be in holders, taken out and charged separately They will be used together in series in the loco which I don't think will be a problem? Anyway I'm also working on an alternative solution of using diode droppers in series with a pair of Li-ion batteries, in fact today I ordered 100 3amp diodes for this.

Unfortunately, progress on the railway has been stalled for a while as life has got in the way. I've been ill for a bit with long covid and have good times and bad ones, went through a bad patch and was letting the house disintegrate in chaos. It got so bad that the nurse the regularly visits me because of other Covid complications including diabetes contacted social services on my behalf and I've bening having to deal with that. Not helping is the fact that I'm trying to lead a low impact eco friendly lifestyle in a house with no mains water and limited electricity supply. Trying to be as self sufficient as possible.

This very hot summer the well ran dry, burring out the pump in the process. Luckily I have a backup system of 13,500 liters of rainwater collection tanks, but unluckily because of the hot summer and some neglect from me due to being ill and the very hot dry summer I only had a little less than 5,000 liters of water in them. Also due to my neglect I'd not fired the pump for them up every couple of months like I should do and it wouldn't start! So I was a week without water while I waited for a new one to arrive.

Now normally I could driven to the diy shop and bought a new pump , but I'm currently stuck in limbo as I'm changing my UK driving licence for a french and it's been 10 months now - French bureaucracy at work ! I also have a car I can't use because the odometer has stopped working and no one knows how to fix it - and its a French MOT failure point.

I've had to buy an electric cargo bike so I can at least get to the shops - ah well, at least it's another boost to my eco credentials.

I seem to have been cursed to live in interesting times.....


.

Arggghhh!
Tom, I thought you'd been quiet recently and wondered if it was the Long Covid again. Just keep on keeping on and let's hope there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Despite everything, you seem in good spirits, Tom. I hope it all works out. At least your trains give you something to focus on ...

Rik

I've been messing with LEGO type track, the Little film hopefully explains my attempt. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=in5dLVQYA ... 4Bo7VqN5tD

That's the trouble with the official LEGO points, the handle is very big. I'd always recommend using TrixBrix points, not just because you can get different radii https://trixbrix.eu/?currency=GBP

tommygander1941 wrote: Mon Oct 20, 2025 8:07 pm That's the trouble with the official LEGO points, the handle is very big. I'd always recommend using TrixBrix points, not just because you can get different radii https://trixbrix.eu/?currency=GBP

Yes I've been looking at a three way point, just for messing with in the house. Including postage it's about thirty quid. They're not injection moulded but printed. I'm wondering if something designed for Lego trains will survive the attention of a 16mm scale loco clomping about on it. I spose there's only one way to find out.

There are 3 way points on Aliexpress for about £5 and these are injection molded

https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/1005007425441411.html

Remember the Lego trains are 37.5mm gauge rather than 32mm

tebee wrote: Tue Oct 21, 2025 1:02 pm There are 3 way points on Aliexpress for about £5 and these are injection molded

https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/1005007425441411.html

Remember the Lego trains are 37.5mm gauge rather than 32mm

All noted, thank you.