Track lifting...

Sunday marked the end of the EJ&KLR in its initial form as the layout was lifted (in less than an hour) from Mum's garden...

A real family effort as both kids were helping - of course we had to run some trains first... The last train is a reincarnation of the first train, which was my Liliput diesel which formed the basis of my O&K conversion.

Here are a few of the last trains...

So what now? Well ground work has been advancing over the winter for the new site so hopefully in the coming weeks the track can go down. However for now - enjoy these last few photos...

Last rites...

Well today was the penultimate day of trains on the original EJ&KLR - as tomorrow will see the track lifted ahead of it's relocation. Enjoy this selection of photos as I tried to run every item of stock this afternoon!

EJ&KLR Last Rites

Deutz out in the garden...

The LGB Deutz with modified roof has been out on the garden line today. Running in the outdoors with a rake of peat wagons it looked absolutely superb! Can't wait to get the line laid at my house so we can see trains every weekend.

New Deutz for the Feldbahn...

The new LGB Feldbahn diesel has arrived from Germany today. It's a lovely model and LGB have tweaked the mould to remove the raised edges from the cab sides which is a great improvement.

I don't plan much in the way of modification but do plan on making it a little more Deutz like. Therefore I used masking tape to mark the edges for the cab on the roof and then used a razor saw to cut down to remove the over hangs. I'll paint this, and the front radiator in satin black, along with the wheel edges in satin red. More soon...

James

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Levelling begins...

Further ground works this weekend as the family and I braved the damp weather and muddy clay soils for a second weekend on the trot...

It may look an absolute mess, but actually we've made really good progress! A 'soakaways' was dug in the lowest corner, deep enough to break through most of the clay - whether it makes any difference long term we'll see, but it's peace of mind. We then roughly marked out the new patio area with bricks (by the bench) and started to dig along the top edge, slowly moving material to the bottom corner (closest to the shed).

Hard work, but the nature of the compacted, clay heavy soil meant it clumped so you could almost dig it out in bricks. My daughter broke these up with a small hand fork, before my wife then smoothed it out. My 3 year old son mainly supervised, whilst I did most of the digging.

So this is how things stand now - it's not level yet, but it's getting there. We'll have a long plank and spirit level out next weekend - to check it properly. The aim isn't a perfectly level layout as we'll then put out the track, mark it's position, dig out for some sand and ballast foundation, compact, and level the track bed. After that we'll re-lay the track, wire it up, ballast and then start planting. More soon...

New Feldbahn coach...

It's multiplying...

Ahead of the Feldbahn diesel release later in the year, I am looking to add a few specific items to my collection. The first was a suitable van to use as crew car/brake coach. This one was just £29.99 delivered, brand new, split from the LGB starter set.

My little boy Alex thinks it's great! So what else am I hoping to get? I'd like two more of the planked open wagons and the two hoppers - the other feldbahn four wagon set. We'll see what the finances look like when LGB release the diesel so I can get them at the same time.
More soon...

A rebirth...

Well isn't it funny how things turn out... Talking with my wife in recent weeks we've decided that a family project would be a great thing to work on this year. It wasn't even my suggestion - but hers - that 'a project' could be renovating the garden and building a garden railway...

So this weekend we got the kids wrapped up warm and into the garden and after an hour and half cleared most of the bushes and plants from the proposed location - which was a great way to get a feel for the space. It's a lot bigger than we had imagined, and there is plenty of space for a decent run.

Alex and I put down some 'indoor' track (so it's R1) but it gives an idea of the run we're planning, although I think we'll move the station area to the other side, so that the front edge just features the train meandering through some trees... That could well change though... we'll see!

We've filled the garden waste bin and still have an absolute ton of cut back bushes to chop up and get rid off. Next up though is working out how to level the space, whether we build up the bottom, dig down at the top, or a mixture of both - as the intention is definitely for a level line!

In this last photo you can see the height difference from the front bottom edge (next to the shed) to where the bins are... The bins will be shielded by a wall and fence, and the bench (you can see it behind Alex) will be a lovely spot to 'observe' the garden and railway. We're hoping to keep it pushing forwards this winter so we have something to enjoy this summer...

James

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A last hurrah...

Well I didn't think the line in Chester would see anymore action...

But the weather was good and family commitments lined up so Alex and I headed over to Chester to play trains!

In all honesty track maintenance (ballasting and post rabbit damage repairs) took as long as play time but we enjoyed ourselves and we got to run the new Feldbahn outside! 

Talk of what next obviously. We will have to see...

O&K fettling...

Well as is usual for me - the very least my little O&K was going to get was some minor fettling...

This evening I dug out the satin red and satin black paint. First up was painting the rims (not the tyres!) of the wheels satin red - this makes a big visual difference, so despite the large flanges still being bright silver, it certainly helps reduce the toy appearance of the model. Secondly I used the red to paint the green clips and black screws in the buffer beam at the back under the cab. Finally I touched in the smokebox door handle in red.

The black was used to paint the brass coloured rod that connected the steam feed from the dome to the cylinders to the controls in the cab. I also used the black to paint the red section on the top of the rear coupling.

The big question is what next... I originally intended a repaint but I quite like the base colours. I am planning on doing some etched works and line plates, and could change KJF to KJE quite easily...
I need to check, but I think the underside of the cab roof, and possibly the cab inside front spectacle plate would have been cream or light grey. Then some light weathering perhaps? More soon...

Feldbahn arrives...

The LGB Feldbahn is an interesting range, scaling out at 1:18 making the gauge about 810mm, unusually wide for a field railway but not unheard of! The O&K is a lovely model and runs very smoothly, the four cars are nice enough but the first and last in this first photo are the best. I will look to add a few more cars and the Deutz diesel during the year, and a new layout to run it on? Perhaps....

U tank repairs...

The spare motion arrived from Modell-land this morning so I managed to fit it to the U-tank this evening. The motion bracket is red now rather than black and the motion is a darker silver than before, but it works! 

James

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