The Cobtree Line

[invicta280]

As previously alluded to, the next section of trackbed is being laid into a shallow bed of the familiar pea gravel; I think my local builder's merchants believe I'm constructing the base for a nuclear reactor, their stock reorder programme for 10mm pea beach has spiked.

This section of the line has to tiptoe between a narrow path needed for access and a row of plants bordering a trellis, so a deep base is out of the question. Hence the pavour bricks.

Looking back down the line....



...and where we're heading next....

[Dwayne]

[tom_tom_go]

I like the sound of this line having to negotiate around the garden. It should be very atmospheric when finished.

[Just Julie]

[invicta280]

Due to pressure of work and other aspects of life, the trackbed for my garden line has progressed no further than the last picture. Also I needed to figure out how the line would cross the footpath to the rhs of that picture as the line needs to swing to the right, crossing the path and curving around the pond to the reverse loop.
The path is more of a goat track through the back of the rockery and around the pond. Not intended for leisurely strolling it is more an accessway to tend the garden and of course maintain the railway (when it finally opens for business).
SWMBO has already taken a tumble into the pond once but fortunately the pond liner wasn't damaged

So a permanent bridge was asking for trouble. I need something removable but easily put in place for a running session. A timber trestle was too complex for me and not suited to constant movement. A lightweight stone lookalike viaduct made from expanded polystyrene? Not really.
The idea of Meccano popped up. I had no previous experience in this medium but the simple bolt together nature of it appealed and it is real metal !
The undeniable fact that anything made of Meccano looks like like it has been under sustained attack by a machine gun doesn't really bother me. Neither does its colourful appearance. Bridges are often brightly painted. The bits needed appear on ebay in random colours and tbh I like it that way.



What you see here is one deck section. Two others will be required plus some extra L- girder pieces to provide additional strength underneath. A couple of large ice cream tubs full of concrete set in the ground with angle iron or steel pins sticking up should provide permanent anchorage for rough wooden abutments, maybe coated in grout scribed to look vaguely like stone.
It is only just wider than this loco and the approach to the bridge will be curved so clearance will be tight.

[bazzer42]

I like the bridge, a darn site easier than cutting bits of aluminium...I should know...

I think the colour scheme is cool too.

[FWLR]

Agree with bazzer42, the colour scheme looks great. It's a simple solution, that's well thought out.

[invicta280]

I finally got chance to make a little more progress and the track is being laid around the south end of the pond.
The Chariot inspection trolley was sent out to test the newly laid track. I think it needs fitting with a snowplough to clear away all the hazelnut shells deposited on the line by squirrels..



I made a video too but imgBB wasn't happy with that so I may have to start a youtube channel.

[Lonsdaler]

That chariot inspection trolley looks familiar - Lost in Space, or something?
BTW, creeping thyme is doing a very good job of growing down a stone embankment on my line, maybe it's something you could consider for your cutting?

[invicta280]

Yes, its the Lost in Space chariot, remounted on a 16mm powered chassis. It awaits a crew and some working lights fore and aft. Possibly a snow plough as well.

Creeping Thyme is great and yes, we have tried it here but without much success. Just shrivels up and dies. Wrong soil maybe,; I know it likes dry stoney conditions.

[DonW]

I haven't seen this before so spent a pleasant time starting from the begining. It looks a great line and well fitted into the garden.
I think garden lines need a bit of over engineering . The rolling stock may be 16mm but the weather is 12mm:1ft and even our small terrier at 10kgs would be a huge beast. Not to mention us oversized humans lumbering round. If your ground is wetter usually you could try Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia) it will grow on dry land or can adapt to the edge of a pond. Some people regard it as invasive as it will spread but it has never been a problem (unlike MYOB which spreads everywhere) the golden form is said to be better behaved.
The Loco looks very nice too.

Don

[Lonsdaler]

Yes, its the Lost in Space chariot, remounted on a 16mm powered chassis. It awaits a crew and some working lights fore and aft. Possibly a snow plough as well.

Creeping Thyme is great and yes, we have tried it here but without much success. Just shrivels up and dies. Wrong soil maybe,; I know it likes dry stoney conditions.

Love it. Looks very futuristic in that distinctive 1960's way
It's a shame the thyme isn't working for you. It's one of my few successes. Even MYOB struggles in my garden, except in a few well shaded spots.
It's al looking very promising anyway - keep it up!

[philipy]

Creeping Thyme is great and yes, we have tried it here but without much success. Just shrivels up and dies. Wrong soil maybe,; I know it likes dry stoney conditions.

We've had this discussion about creeping thyme before, and yes the books do all say dry and stoney soil is what it wants, but I've got a couple of patches where it is going berserk in moist clay in semi-shade. It took a couple of years of me wondering whether it would make it and then suddenly it took off.
I bought another one and planted it alongside my stream a couple of months ago in some new topsoil (bought a bag from Wickes), in complete shade behind a Camellia where it gets watered twice a day automatically. So far it seems to be doing well.

Theer are several species of 'creeping thyme' so maybe a case of finding the right one for your situation?

If you want a plant to trail down a wall/cliff, you could use Aubretia, which likes to do exactly that ( think of old fashioned cottage garden walls ). The leaves can be a wee bit on the large side in some varities and some are a bluer green than others but it works well to cover, but again it may take a couple of years to establish properly. It also benefits from a good haircut of the straggly bits after it's finished flowering and that encourags it to spread.

[Lonsdaler]

Theer are several species of 'creeping thyme' so maybe a case of finding the right one for your situation?

If you want a plant to trail down a wall/cliff, you could use Aubretia, which likes to do exactly that ( think of old fashioned cottage garden walls ). The leaves can be a wee bit on the large side in some varities and some are a bluer green than others but it works well to cover, but again it may take a couple of years to establish properly. It also benefits from a good haircut of the straggly bits after it's finished flowering and that encourags it to spread.

Now I've never had much success with aubretia either, despite trying to grow it on rockeries with a sunny (for North Yorkshire) aspect. I blame my not so green fingers

[philipy]

Now I've never had much success with aubretia either, despite trying to grow it on rockeries with a sunny (for North Yorkshire) aspect. I blame my not so green fingers

Maybe you are right, but I've also got dirty brown rather than green fingers, so I dunno.

This picture shows my Aubretia, Thyme and MYOB.
The Aubretia at low level to the left is where the original high level plant rooted itself this year after cascading itself down.
The MYOB is just doing it's own thing and covering everything it can.
The Thyme to the left, growing across the track, has done that in the last week or two, and I noticed only yesterday that it has crept along the outer edge of the MYOB on the paving slab!! It started life a small rooted piece that got pulled off the main plant a couple of yards away and I just pushed in the gap about this time last year.

The fungi just appear, we get many different varieties, dunno what they are, but I guess it shows how damp things are generally.

The rockery is facing slightly west of south and spends much of the day in the shadow of the house.

DSC_0002 small.jpg (242.27 KiB) Viewed 15305 times

[Andrew]

Nice picture! Might have to try some of those plants...

Does your MYOB have any adverse impact on your SBR'd ballast Philip? I recently weeded mine where it had grown over some track which I ballasted earlier in the year, and it appeared to pull up some of the ballast, but I think it might just have been where I didn't apply enough glue...

Cheers,

Andrew

[philipy]

Does your MYOB have any adverse impact on your SBR'd ballast Philip? I recently weeded mine where it had grown over some track which I ballasted earlier in the year, and it appeared to pull up some of the ballast, but I think it might just have been where I didn't apply enough glue...

A quick squirt of "24hr weedkiller" solves that problem without the need for physical force! You can never get it all out anyway by pulling.

[Lonsdaler]

Now I've never had much success with aubretia either, despite trying to grow it on rockeries with a sunny (for North Yorkshire) aspect. I blame my not so green fingers

Maybe you are right, but I've also got dirty brown rather than green fingers, so I dunno.

This picture shows my Aubretia, Thyme and MYOB.
The Aubretia at low level to the left is where the original high level plant rooted itself this year after cascading itself down.
The MYOB is just doing it's own thing and covering everything it can.
The Thyme to the left, growing across the track, has done that in the last week or two, and I noticed only yesterday that it has crept along the outer edge of the MYOB on the paving slab!! It started life a small rooted piece that got pulled off the main plant a couple of yards away and I just pushed in the gap about this time last year.

The fungi just appear, we get many different varieties, dunno what they are, but I guess it shows how damp things are generally.

The rockery is facing slightly west of south and spends much of the day in the shadow of the house.

DSC_0002 small.jpg

I'm not at home at the moment so can't reciprocate with pictures of my attempts but can I ask how much of a soil pocket the aubretia has? If any, of course. The few areas where my myob does well look similar to your patch, and other parts of the line have patches of moss taking root, whilst others remain starkly barren.

And apologies for the thread hijack

[philipy]

And apologies for the thread hijack

Yes, I've been feelinga bit guilty about that as well!
I've copied the last few posts over to the Plants thread and I'll answer there. https://gardenrails.org/forum/viewtopic ... 62#p149562
Again apologies forthe hijack!

[invicta280]

And apologies for the thread hijack

Yes, I've been feelinga bit guilty about that as well!
I've copied the last few posts over to the Plants thread and I'll answer there. https://gardenrails.org/forum/viewtopic ... 62#p149562
Again apologies forthe hijack!

No worries. Be my guest. Its all relevent. I've wondered why some rockery plants thrive at my place while others curl up and die, despite me having the advantge of a wife who is a knowledgable gardener.