Extending at the top of the garden

At the top of the garden the ground drops away so the plan is that the railway will pass over a short viaduct and a bridge (recycled from the Sandwell Valley Railway) before entering Stoke Prior Station. This will be the end of the double track section. From Stoke Prior Station the single track branch line will descend on a spiral and then pass under the bridge on the double track main line.

Looking down the garden from the tunnel

Looking towards the site of Stoke Prior Station

The viaduct of bridge. Both will need to be widened to take double track

Planning the spiral

Another view of the bridge and viaduct

Shed Update

The shed station now has dagger boards and lights, and I've started work on the ticket window.

A Visitor

 A VIP guest, Mike, has visited and inspected the railway.

Waiting for a train at Brookside Station

A view of the garden from Annie's window

Mike alights at Stoke Works Station

Chatting to Thomas

Thomas is interested

Stoke Works Station

Passing the time of day with Percy

Saltworks Sidings

Stoke Works Signal Box

Mike on James' Footplate

A goods train

Spiteful Brake Van does not look impressed

Another footplate ride

Toby gives Mike a ride round the garden

Toby and Mike

Tunnel inspection

Watching Emily emerge from the tunnel

Mike riding on Henrietta's balcony

Mike with Winston at the end of the line - for now

The other end of the line for now

A Railway Themed Shed

The railway has had to take a back seat for a while as I am busy building a new shed.

To be continued.

Tunnel

The inside of the tunnel is made from foam board.

The tunnel is curved so a MDF template was made to the correct curvature.

The roof is made in 7 wedge-shaped sections .

This is the tunnel nearing completion.

The foam board tunnel was spayed black inside. Concrete was poured over it and slabs bedded on the top. Eventually the tunnel will be covered in earth and turves.

A train emerging from the newly completed tunnel.

A view through the tunnel showing the refuges.

A view from the opposite direction.

Percy and the Pollinators

The bees are busy collecting pollen from the aliums. Meanwhile Percy is busy pulling a goods train around the garden.

Some Views of the Railway

Obstacles to extension removed

There has been no progress this month on the railway itself. However lots of jobs in the garden have been completed including removing the obstacles at each end of the railway which have been preventing further track laying.

Firstly at the top of the garden the summerhouse has been demolished and temporary tracks laid over what was its base.

Here the railway will emerge from the cutting and then run on a low embankment. It’s a shame but the slab base of the summerhouse is at little too high and the first row of slabs will have to be taken up. I’m toying with the idea of using the Cain Howley viaduct sections that I brought from the Sandwell Valley Railway when the embankment gets higher as the lawn drops away. As this is a double track section I will need to use the angle grinder to slice them down the middle and then fill the gap with concrete. The join should be invisible when the track has been ballasted.

At the other end of the line the base for the new shed has been completed. When I build the shed I intend to leave a 1.2 metre platform in front of it. The single track branch line will run alongside the platform before it wends its way up the garden.

Finally I’m having to carry out some remedial work at the Saltworks sidings. This area of concrete was very badly frost damaged so I’ve taken it up and will lay these three slabs in its place.