My Garden Railway Build - 1/1 Scale :-)
- Thread starter armyairforce
- Start date
armyairforce
Well-Known Member
November 28th
By the end of the 28th, I'd got two courses of cleaned up bricks, rebuilt into the wall. Towards the end of the day, the temperature began to drop, so it was all covered in some fleece blankets.
November 30th
Thursday the 30th dawned very cold and very white. With very cold weather forecast for at least a week, building work stopped. Without the effort and expense of warming water, bricks and sand, my mortar wasn't going to cure properly, so garden work has paused.
By the end of the 28th, I'd got two courses of cleaned up bricks, rebuilt into the wall. Towards the end of the day, the temperature began to drop, so it was all covered in some fleece blankets.
November 30th
Thursday the 30th dawned very cold and very white. With very cold weather forecast for at least a week, building work stopped. Without the effort and expense of warming water, bricks and sand, my mortar wasn't going to cure properly, so garden work has paused.
armyairforce
Well-Known Member
What was worse, is that in the best traditions of British Rail, it was the "Wrong type of snow", so all trains were cancelled again! and we'd only just recovered from the leaf tragedy! 
So here's my wall today, December 2nd, lost under a plastic sheet, several more blankets and a couple of inches of snow. I did get the fence across the end of the garage done before the frost and with the lawn, railway and path complete, all the main goals for the year were achieved. If it warms up after this snow goes, I'll get back to the wall, but overall, I'm very pleased with year's work.
So here's my wall today, December 2nd, lost under a plastic sheet, several more blankets and a couple of inches of snow. I did get the fence across the end of the garage done before the frost and with the lawn, railway and path complete, all the main goals for the year were achieved. If it warms up after this snow goes, I'll get back to the wall, but overall, I'm very pleased with year's work.
armyairforce
Well-Known Member
I might have more wall building to do after this morning. At about 7:15am, I think due to icy roads, someone buried their BMW in our front garden wall, also snapping off the top eight feet of the telegraph pole through whiplash! Phone lines and internet down for us and our neighbours!
armyairforce
Well-Known Member
It's been a while since I updated this thread. I want to finish the story of the garden rework, which is almost complete.
I left the story with news that was garden wall rearranged, thanks to an icy road and a BMW that buried itself in my front garden wall and snapped the telegraph pole in December. Here's some pictures of the fun!
I haven't done any more of my back garden wall rebuild. The weather has been very poor over the Winter and even now, well into Spring, it has been chucking it down or blowing a gale. I'm still hanging out for a few warm, calm and dry days!
Another Winter project, built inside in my workshop thankfully, is this Anti-butterfly air defence system. When we put the veggie planters in, the neighbours warned us about slugs. Nobody mentioned butterflies laying eggs and the hungry caterpillars! This frame has a 5mm mesh, which I'm told is too small for the butterflies. The 7mm netting we had over the planter last year didn't stop them.
I left the story with news that was garden wall rearranged, thanks to an icy road and a BMW that buried itself in my front garden wall and snapped the telegraph pole in December. Here's some pictures of the fun!
I haven't done any more of my back garden wall rebuild. The weather has been very poor over the Winter and even now, well into Spring, it has been chucking it down or blowing a gale. I'm still hanging out for a few warm, calm and dry days!
Another Winter project, built inside in my workshop thankfully, is this Anti-butterfly air defence system. When we put the veggie planters in, the neighbours warned us about slugs. Nobody mentioned butterflies laying eggs and the hungry caterpillars! This frame has a 5mm mesh, which I'm told is too small for the butterflies. The 7mm netting we had over the planter last year didn't stop them.
armyairforce
Well-Known Member
In early April, I spent a day weeding the small border along the hawthorn hedge - 70 feet out of 100 feet. I've left the bit behind the garage for now. I then dug in a load of sand to help break up the clay soil and help drainage. A week ago, Lynne and I went to a few local garden centres and came away with £120 worth of plants.
These were planted a couple of days ago and calculating for their future spread, they only did 60 feet of the border! I've got some other stuff that I'm growing from seeds, but wanted something down that would eventually help to control the weeds which spread from the other side of the hedge.
We also made a start on planting the railway embankment. Up by the kitchen, there's an area where we are going to enlarge the patio. It's a bit small with a few people, chairs and a table out. So from the area that is going to be buried, we've dug out several plants which have moved to the railway.
These include "Lady's Mantle", "Purple Rock Cress" and "Water Avens". I also dug out some "Forget-me-not" from the edge of the lawn. We still need to shop for more plants, but I also have some wildflower seeds that I will spread around the back edge of the embankment.
These were planted a couple of days ago and calculating for their future spread, they only did 60 feet of the border! I've got some other stuff that I'm growing from seeds, but wanted something down that would eventually help to control the weeds which spread from the other side of the hedge.
We also made a start on planting the railway embankment. Up by the kitchen, there's an area where we are going to enlarge the patio. It's a bit small with a few people, chairs and a table out. So from the area that is going to be buried, we've dug out several plants which have moved to the railway.
These include "Lady's Mantle", "Purple Rock Cress" and "Water Avens". I also dug out some "Forget-me-not" from the edge of the lawn. We still need to shop for more plants, but I also have some wildflower seeds that I will spread around the back edge of the embankment.
armyairforce
Well-Known Member
For those who are green fingered, here's what we have planted so far.
It's so close to being finished in this area. I'm looking forwards to seeing the rest planted, though it is going to look a little thin for a while until the plants get established and spread out.
It's so close to being finished in this area. I'm looking forwards to seeing the rest planted, though it is going to look a little thin for a while until the plants get established and spread out.
Jaz avalley
Station cat
You may need to do sone weathering on the wall to match it in…..runs…It's been a while since I updated this thread. I want to finish the story of the garden rework, which is almost complete.
I left the story with news that was garden wall rearranged, thanks to an icy road and a BMW that buried itself in my front garden wall and snapped the telegraph pole in December. Here's some pictures of the fun!
I haven't done any more of my back garden wall rebuild. The weather has been very poor over the Winter and even now, well into Spring, it has been chucking it down or blowing a gale. I'm still hanging out for a few warm, calm and dry days!
Another Winter project, built inside in my workshop thankfully, is this Anti-butterfly air defence system. When we put the veggie planters in, the neighbours warned us about slugs. Nobody mentioned butterflies laying eggs and the hungry caterpillars! This frame has a 5mm mesh, which I'm told is too small for the butterflies. The 7mm netting we had over the planter last year didn't stop them.
armyairforce
Well-Known Member
It's a busy road, so I think it will naturally weather fairly quickly, however, weathering with paint has already crossed my mind!!
santafewillie
Same Ol' Buzzard
If you guys across the pond drove on the right side of the road, that wouldn't have happened!
Smudge617
Well-Known Member
Yes it would, most BMW drivers are not exactly known for their driving skills here, BMW does not stand for Bayerische Motoren Werke in the UK, we have a whole (unrepeatable) name, for their drivers instead.If you guys across the pond drove on the right side of the road, that wouldn't have happened!
plus a few more that Stephen probably managed to find when he saw the damage, but joking aside, from the look of it, no one was injured which is the main thing.
armyairforce
Well-Known Member
If you guys across the pond drove on the right side of the road, that wouldn't have happened!
She was pulling out of the junction opposite, which is difficult to see down the main road one direction. I think she saw a gap, put her foot down to get out, then hit the ice on the top of the camber in the centre of the road. From that point on-wards, she was a passenger!She wasn't hurt, but obviously shocked.
Jaz avalley
Station cat
armyairforce
Well-Known Member
All
Here's "Kingman, AZ" the location of Storage Depot 41 where thousands of WW2 planes were scrapped after the war.
All my layouts over the years have had some kind of military or aviation theme. Several have had Jeeps on.I like your avatar excuse the off topic , I hope you have this or similar on your layout
Here's "Kingman, AZ" the location of Storage Depot 41 where thousands of WW2 planes were scrapped after the war.
Jaz avalley
Station cat
Do you do Facebook??All
All my layouts over the years have had some kind of military or aviation theme. Several have had Jeeps on.
Here's "Kingman, AZ" the location of Storage Depot 41 where thousands of WW2 planes were scrapped after the war.
I say this because a friend weathers his planes and shows them on fire you might like to trial it on the one you broke
Jaz avalley
Station cat
He has his on page and is full on Facebook else I would try to drag him here, anyway I could give you a link if you want to look
Jaz avalley
Station cat
armyairforce
Well-Known Member
Many years ago, my dad and I did a narrow gauge World War 1 layout, with a bombed out town, airfield and trenches at the front lines. Somewhere around 1980/81 I think. We scratch built a few locos and rolling stock. There were aircraft on the airfield and flying over the trenches. It was an exhibition layout, so not all the accessories were on here when the picture was taken, several years later.
armyairforce
Well-Known Member
April 13th
On the 13th, we had another push on the railway embankment. After dropping my daughter off to see some friends, Lynne and I continued to a garden centre and splashed out on more plants, compost and some small garden tools. By the time we got back home, it was lunch time, but after a quick bite to eat, we were out working at the railway.
The first job was to dig more sand and compost into the embankment, to break up the clay soil. With that done, the exciting bit, planting. We couldn't get all the plants I'd picked out two weeks ago, so had to get some alternatives, but it all worked out.
On the 13th, we had another push on the railway embankment. After dropping my daughter off to see some friends, Lynne and I continued to a garden centre and splashed out on more plants, compost and some small garden tools. By the time we got back home, it was lunch time, but after a quick bite to eat, we were out working at the railway.
The first job was to dig more sand and compost into the embankment, to break up the clay soil. With that done, the exciting bit, planting. We couldn't get all the plants I'd picked out two weeks ago, so had to get some alternatives, but it all worked out.
armyairforce
Well-Known Member
It took a little rethinking of where some of the plants would go, because the replacements were the wrong colour or would spread further or not as far as planned. Obviously they need to grow and fill out the area properly, so it still looks a bit thin for now. The pictures below show the completed embankment, one with all the plants identified.
All around the back of the planted area, we sowed wildflower seeds, to form a backdrop to the rest. We also bought five more spreading plants, to continue the plants along the hawthorn hedge, up to the garage. That's thirty four along seventy feet of hedge.
All around the back of the planted area, we sowed wildflower seeds, to form a backdrop to the rest. We also bought five more spreading plants, to continue the plants along the hawthorn hedge, up to the garage. That's thirty four along seventy feet of hedge.
