Confessional

[invicta280]

Hi Keith

I sympathise with your predicament. Seems like you are living in a marginal environment for this kind of pastime. You obviously appreciate the possibilities and fun of garden railways but if you don't have your own garden where you can control and create the sort of environment conducive to a garden railway then you are off to a difficult start.

I have a garden that is ideal for a 16mm line but alas other circumstances are preventing me from moving forward with the idea at present. Not everyone is blessed with a suitable space, sufficient funds etc. but that does not prevent you from appreciating what others on the forum are achieving, and who knows, your circumstances may change.

I can understand the frustration felt at your friend's attitude but myself , I would carefully select who i chose to invite to a steamup. It really needs to be people who appreciate what you are doing and get into the spirit of it,

I can see that the idea of packing everything up into boxes and loading it onto a boat, then rowing to an overgrown wilderness island to watch a train run round in circles may seem a pointless obsessive waste of time. Especially compared to a fun afternoon with a bunch of like minded people enjoying steam and snacks in a
nicely manicured suburban garden.


The RH Billy is one of my favourites and I wish I could buy one so I hope you enjoy yours, whether it is in steam or adorning a shelf. I'm sure that something will turn up. You may yet be surprised to find a like minded person in your area... perhaps one with a garden.

[IrishPeter]

I seem to break the tenth commandment fairly regularly when it comes to the Accucraft 'Caledonia' and more recently 'Peveril.'  However, anything IMR would open a huge can of worms (and rivet counting) given the fact I have been a little nuts about that particular railway for 35 years!

For a long time enthusiast like me, the present IMR management have gladden my heart greatly by putting the bdy of N41 back infront of the works.  It looks like Doolish Works again!

Peter in AZ

[Keith S]

Thanks for the message Invicta280. I do like my "Billy", it's a nice little engine. It doesn't know it's a toy and it works hard at its futile job dragging wagons around that godforsaken circle.

I will have a garden someday.

[Mrs F Controller]

My confession.... This is really weird and you're all going to fall about laughing but sometimes when I've not ran anything on the MPLR for a while.... Sometimes, I just wonder what all the characters on the railway have been up to while I've not been there!

[Big Al]

Probably letting their hair down and having a good time, Maldon Gold flowing freely.

[Sir Clothem Cap]

Mine can't get up to much as they are mostly glued down. a killer rabbit chewed a foot off one passenger recently

[AndrewGVT]

I have to confess that I am, hopefully temporarily, finding the whole issue of garden railways in general a bit insipid. I'm still quite proud of my Roundhouse engine that I built from kits, and I like looking at it, but since I don't have a garden and my "railway" is hidden on an island it's a bit of a production to load the engine and wagons into boxes, take a boat to the island, repair whatever damage wind and rain and dogs have done to the tracks, and run the train round several times finding all the places where it will derail and fixing them, and only then am I able to run it.   Last time I watched it going around and around and I thought to myself: This is stupid. Also my wagons all get damaged going to and from the railway in boxes and I'm lucky I haven't damaged my engine. Frankly I'm planning on taking the tracks apart and putting the whole works in storage, other than the engine, which will sit on a shelf. It's too much work just to watch a train toddle slowly around a circle in the dirt, getting bitten by bugs and not able to have a cup of tea. It's not an appropriate hobby for where I live.

I think the 7/8ths stuff is great. Rinky-dink little "tramway" type steam trains are why I was attracted to UK-style narrow gauge models in the first place. I love how the Hunslet looks too and can easily imagine weathering one and outfitting it with all kinds of details like buckets and chains and teapots to make it look like an unkempt industrial locomotive at the end of its working life. One thing though is that, if it looks like I am only going to have one live steam railway locomotive, which will be sitting on a shelf in my music room most of its life, I'd rather have an English one than a Chinese one. But that is just my own personal prejudice: I'd like a working model that is made in the sam country as the "prototype" was (even though there isn't really a prototype for my engine particularly)

Sorry if I sound defeatist; I'm just not having any fun with it, and frankly I think I would have to be living in England and be acquainted with you lot in order to have any sense of community in the hobby. I think I give up.

If anyone is interested, here is probably the last time I will be making a video of this train, at least in this location. I don't like it as much as the winter one I did. Although it looks like the train is running OK on these tracks, most of the wagons sustained some minor damage going to and from the location, and after the video it rained heavily and washed out most of the "ballast".

The last time I ran this train it was on the request of one of my friends so their children could see it run. After half an hour or so of watching the train derail, come uncoupled and nearly trampled by two small children chasing it 'round and trying to leap over it, I was getting visibly frustrated. Their mother said "See how much fun they're having? That's the important thing." ...and I thought to myself "No it bloody isn't. The important thing is that I'm standing here in the heat and insects watching a thousand pounds' worth of toys running through sand and getting mauled by small children". I think maybe it's time to pack it in.

I know what you mean, I'm going though the same thoughts with my OO gauge railway. Every time I try to run it, the session always end in storming out of my bed room wondering why I when in to there in the first place and how much I could get for the lot

[MDLR]

I know what you mean, I'm going though the same thoughts with my OO gauge railway. Every time I try to run it, the session always end in storming out of my bed room wondering why I when in to there in the first place and how much I could get for the lot

That was why I gave up 009. I suppose I'm lucky: though I don't have a garden railway any more, I can go and run at Butterley whenever I feel like it, but I do feel guilty when I go into the garage and see the "Big Box" that is Flagg Fluorspar sitting in the corner.................

[andymctractor]

I have to confess that I am, hopefully temporarily, finding the whole issue of garden railways in general a bit insipid.

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Hi Kieth
is there someone within travelling distance that you can join up with and use their railway and in return you help them with running repairs and when they host a proper steam up or open day?

[Keith S]

No, I'm afraid there isn't. I think I can safely say that there are no garden railways in Yellowknife, where I live. It's probably safe to assume there must be someone in Edmonton, the first large city south of here, who has a garden railway but there is no association or community track that I can locate, and besides it's at least a fifteen-hour drive. It's farther than the distance between Kirkwall and Portsmouth, if you want to look at it that way. Canada is ridiculously large and there aren't very many people here. I think if I visit England in the near future I will try to bring an engine and some wagons with me.

[Matt]

My confession...I've been really tempted recently to call my new Lady Ann 'Lord Tyrion'.

[williamfj]

My confession...I've been really tempted recently to call my new Lady Ann 'Lord Tyrion'.

This forum needs a like button!

[MDLR]

Is the loco going to be fitted with a driver's seat (or throne)????????

[Matt]

now there's a thought...

anyone know where I can get a 16mm scale throne of swords?

[IrishPeter]

The throne should be in that small wooden building behind the booking office complete with twelve sheets of Izal, half a bar of soap, and last week's Isle of Man Examiner for when the limited supply of Izal gives out...

Peter in AZ

[SapperAnt]

Oh G*d! I remember Izal Medicated bog roll.

My grandparents used to have it.

We also had it at Cadets and it came in ration packs.

One sheet. per day.

[Catweasel]

half a bar of soap

Make sure it's Wrights Coal Tar soap!

[SapperAnt]

Wot? no pink Carbollic?

[pauly]

I have a confession

Some may rememeber long ago I had an MSS saddle tank, well after awhile I got curious enough as to what was happening under the bodywork over the boiler to take it apart.
I never found the time to put it back together and then one day I found myself needing some parts for another loco I owned at the time.
So some of the MSS parts where used with the intention of buying new ones for it when I got round to putting it back together.
Then I borrowed some more parts, then I sold some parts to a friend for a restoration project because hell I wasn't using them and like Snowdon railways Number 1 this continued until very little remained.

I quietly hid the bodywork in a drawer in shame

[Narrow Minded]

I quietly hid the bodywork in a drawer in shame

I've often wondered what had happened to your black saddle tank - it was a Christmas present as I recall
Shame indeed Pauly!!