The Dovecote Light Railway Project
By Mark Thatcher
Welcome to the Week 4 Instalment:
Well, after the depressing Bank Holiday, we ducked and dived the showers to start off week four. I have really chickened out on finishing the Tramways loop, which is really what I ought to do, in favour of the somewhat easier track laying towards the West of the line which will terminate at Westway station. Future plans will be to put a radius 5 loop on the end, to allow continuous running of both the inner and outer tracks – but that’s for later as I have rather got my hands full at the moment.
Day Twelve
Despite the unpredictable and changeable Bank Holiday Monday weather, we really made far better progress today than I could have imagined. This was largely due to my wife, Flo, who meticulously went around the line to re-level, where appropriate and really put all my mistakes right. This included sorting out the dodgy level on the Tramways loop and the “fall-off” from Dovecote station down, to what will eventually be the Eastern terminus at Wensley station (also due for the loop treatment sometime in the future). This allowed me really to make headway by continuing to lay track to the West, where the track again splits. The upper section (set on a raised gradient) leads to an engine shed and will form the goods yard. The lower section terminates at Westway station – yet to be positioned. Most of that section of the line is now laid, apart from the final station passing loop. I can see we are short of soil though, having to pinch it from the as yet undeveloped East side of the line. I guess we will have to ask nicely for the Man that can, with the digger to return to nick a couple more JCB scoop-fulls of soil from the far side, to make up the difference. Still, it’s great to see such progress on such an inclement day and it was particularly satisfying to set in the second (of four) engine sheds.
Day Thirteen
Not wishing to tempt providence and do anything too strenuous on day thirteen, a trip to the local garden centre was in order. I think they think I am totally mad as I ask for miniature trees for a garden railway. They’re probably right. So I end up with Picea glauca and Podocarpus nivalis – and no, these are not some nasty diseases but in fact slow growing shrubs, which will require “training” and I hope will eventually resemble trees, bushes and ground cover. Ideally when you are planting out, you want perennial alpines and shrubs. Alpines are great for general ground cover and shrubs pass for trees. They are all fairly hardy and very soil-tolerant, although this is not an issue here as the soil quality is very good. Just remember to plant them not too close to the tracks and they will inevitably grow to engulf the line. Also plant them where you can readily get to them for pruning and shaping. I have set in a couple of steppingstones to make this task, as well as the re-ballasting of the track easier to access.
Day Fourteen
NEWSFLASH - The Western link is now open!
What a great day! We started fairly early on, having decided to give us both a day off from proper work. The day started by the continuation of ballasting the West end of the line – then more tracking laying up to and past Westway Station. Actually Westway station is to be renamed Awdry Moor, in memory of the Rev Awdry, who wrote his last 13 of his Thomas the Tank Engine stories for his son Christopher, whilst living at the Old Vicarage in which we currently reside. Anyhow, it all started reasonably well, with the ground level signal box from Modeltown and home signal from Lineside Delights being set in place for the station approach, but as the line developed it was clear I had got my measurements miserably wrong. First I had set the radius curves of the two tracks leading to the new station far too tight, not leaving enough room place the island station in between the two lines. So I am afraid a good deal of “adjustments” needed to be made in this respect. Secondly once the right curvature was obtained, I was about a foot or so too short to achieve the passing loop I needed to get the locos in and out of the station! There was nothing for it, the line had to be extended still further. As the wooden shuttering is purchased in metre lengths, another metre was added. Fortunately I had two more pieces of the stuff in stock, bringing the total to a round 50, or, if you like, giving me an end-to-end length run of 22 metres now. Thankfully my wife, Flo, stepped up to the oche, and moved 9 barrow-loads of earth to fill the new shuttering. Now how many wives would do that I ask you? And the end result – well just before teatime (for us actually that’s G&T time) and just as the rain started to fall once again, we had just ballasted in the last bit of track on the Western side of the layout. We also positioned engine shed No.3 As good a result as this may be, there is nothing for it now. Our next task is to tackle finishing the Tramways loop, a task we have been avidly putting off due to some major earth-moving issues.
Day Fifteen
Today was really a day of consolidation and improvement. Consolidation – by way of testing the new track laid to the West yesterday. We chose firstly our VoR loco, as it is the widest loco we have. We immediately spotted a problem insofar as the tolerance between the tracks either side of the newly named Awdry Moor station was too tight – albeit by about 5mm on each side – meaning the loco was fouling the station platform. There was nothing for it other than to sink the station into the ballast to allow the cylinders and rear steps of the loco to clear the platform edges. The second loco, our newly acquired Silver Lady from Roundhouse had only her second outing today but worked admirably. She is so controllable and it was nice to prove the newly laid track was pretty straight and level – despite her nearly running the buffers at the Western end of the line – this has subsequently been adjusted as we didn’t want £1500 quid’s worth of loco falling off the layout. If you like the look of any of our locos then you should check out www.roundhouse-eng.co.uk for more details. Improvement - this involved already starting to prune our newly planted shrubs & alpines, and more disturbingly, for the third time, revisiting the Tramways loop, which still has too much gradient to and from the summit. I refuse to continue with the rest of the loop until this is sorted – so once again it’s back to the drawing board in this respect.
