survey says:

"More shade".

It gets hot here in the summer. In order to minimise exposure to the sun while running trains in the garden, I've settled on the 'more shade' versus 'less wet' option for the location of the track. Time will tell if this decision is a good one; I may need to invest in some Wellingtons.

I'll use a couple of garden hoses to establish the (very simple) arrangment of track. I'd like to minimise the impact on mowing and trimming the grass-like substances that cover the ground, so I'll have to leave room for the passage of a garden tractor at the periphery.

In terms of route, it will be a simple oval with a siding offering a spot for guests to 'steam-up'. 32mm gauge, single track. Still looking for an inexpensive method of raising the track off the ground; galvanised steel fence posts are the current front-runner for the job.

Going to visit another garden railroader who is using raised track this week. I vaguely recall his solution being practical and effective. More investigation is warranted, but I can (at least) lay out the route with wooden stakes and see how it looks.

getting steamed

Over the summer I was able to attend a steam-up at a local enthusiast's home. Wow! There are some seriously interesting live steam engines out there; available either as kits or ready-to-run. The majority of the equipment at the event was 16mm scale (~1:19 proportion) and ran very well, often at surprising velocity.

16mm scale appears to be the ideal scale to pursue construction of the relatively small War Department equipment - a live steam, 2' gauge Baldwin is actually available in this scale (but I didn't dare ask the price).

real live steam

I had a rare chance to work as a crew member on a preserved steam locomotive this past weekend. It was at the Maine Narrow Gauge Museum in Portland, ME. The engine was ex Monson RR #4, an 0-4-4 Forney built by Vulcan in 1918.





The hospitality, accommodation, and seafood in Portland were all great. The days were long and the work was dirty. Everything I wore was covered in coal dust, oil, and grease. That said, it was well worth the distance travelled and the effort involved in order to enjoy the experience. It was a privilege to be able to work with the various engineers, firemen, and museum staff.



If you get a chance to volunteer at a steam preservation line, please consider doing so. These pieces of history and the knowledge to operate and maintain them are slowly but surely disappearing. You may never get another opportunity.

all work and no play...

Nothing but excessive work of late. I did, however, get to operate a Wilesco stationary steam engine yesterday. It was great fun! The unit is very similar to their model D22 shown here:

Once a good head of steam is made in the small boiler, the twin cylinder, self-starting engine really whirls along at what I can only describe as a somewhat intimidating RPM.

The owner of this marvelous toy would like to make it into a self-propelled engine, in order to play around with "steam in the garden". Naturally, I think that's a capital idea and volunteered to assist in the process as time permits.

hunter/gatherer efforts

Smoky Bottom does have the jeep-o-motive conversion kit. One should be on its way from overseas in short order. The Australian War Memorial Collections Database has a search for information which returns several interesting photos of the prototype using the terms "railway jeep".

Jerry Wilson has produced several S scale resin cab, stack, and dome sets for various 2' gauge locomotives. These are designed to adapt MDC HOn3 2-8-0 kits to represent
either Mogul or Prairie wheel configurations. I've ordered a set for 2-6-2 #15 and am looking forward to receiving these parts next week. Expect a construction article from Jerry in one of the major MRR publications shortly.

Mike Brown Solutions has drawings for 1 and 3hp single and dual cylinder steam engines capable of doing some serious work. They also have informative (if "quaint") videos showing boiler construction and co-generation basics. Their "Steam Package" video and drawing set is reasonably priced and delivery was rapid.

1803 locomotive

Working replica of Trevithick's Coalbrookedale locomotive. Ironbridge Gorge Museum, UK, May 2004. Note the use of "L" cross-sectioned rails. Travels about 1/4 mile in distance and 200 years back in time. I was priviledged to ride on the footplate for a few precious moments.