G Gauge - Garden Railways

[drivesafe]

Anybody else into G gauge and if so has anybody got a layout, indoors or garden.

I’ve got a bit of gear but as yet not had the time to set anything up.

I also have a load of HO stuff as well

And again no layout.

Cheers

[disconut]

Bit cryptic? :?

G Gauge: not a shotgun?
HO: not a Monaro?

Are you talking model railway here.
Trev.

[DEFENDERZOOK]

thats model trains alright....i got some ho scale trains somewhere...

gotta be at least 25 years old by now......the trains not me.....

[disconut]

Originally posted by DEFENDERZOOK
thats model trains alright....i got some ho scale trains somewhere...

gotta be at least 25 years old by now......the trains not me.....

I'm lucky to even remember that I once had some! :oops:

Trev.

[drivesafe]

Hi Disconut, sorry about that.

Not being a gun person, I never thought of the comparison. :oops:

Anyway, I have edited the heading.

Cheers

BTW I was up your way on Sunday and it got pretty busy train wise, in the afternoon.

Good train spotting and excellent weather. 8)

[disconut]

I was heading home from the coast Sunday arvo and had just left the Logan Motorway when!!! 8O 8O Two Steamers went by.
I guess they live at Rosewood. Great to see them in action. I could not hear them, the Deffie drowned them out, and I could not pull over. :cry:
Ah!, the sights of times gone by. 8) 8)

Trev.

[drivesafe]

Yep, three of them were at Grandchester on Sunday and thats where I started.

Went from there up to Toowoomba and then made my way to Spring Bluffs and got a bit of video there.

I have relos at Rosewood and we were heading back that way just after dark when we came across a poor sole in a BMW that had just hit a cow full on.

What a mess, cow, car and occurrence.

[drivesafe]

Hi disconut here’s a few pictures taken at Grandchester on Sunday. These are the steamers would have seen, as they were heading back to Brisbane

http://www.traxide.com.au/Project/gc1.jpg

http://www.traxide.com.au/Project/gc2.jpg

http://www.traxide.com.au/Project/gc3.jpg

[disconut]

Hi Drivesafe,
Thanks for the pictures, now I can have a good look at what I missed in detail. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif

Cheers.

[DEFENDERZOOK]

2- 4 -2 ?

[drivesafe]

2 - 8 - 2 actually style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif

[disconut]

Thats two front bogey, 8 traction, and 2 rear bogey wheels?
Hope the terminology's correct! :?

Great looking machine!

Trev.

[DEFENDERZOOK]

Originally posted by drivesafe
2 - 8 - 2 actually style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif



<span style="color:green">yeah....thats what i meant.....

i couldnt see the last two clearly...couldnt make out if it was two or four...</span>

[DionM]

Originally posted by drivesafe
Hi disconut here’s a few pictures taken at Grandchester on Sunday. These are the steamers would have seen, as they were heading back to Brisbane


Wow, that's awesome.

How do you know when these things are running - would love to go see some old steamers in action.

[drivesafe]

Hi DionM, this is probably the best site for finding out about anything rail.

Cheers

http://www.railpage.com.au/f.htm

[DionM]

Originally posted by drivesafe
Hi DionM, this is probably the best site for finding out about anything rail.

Cheers

http://www.railpage.com.au/f.htm

Thanks, have bookmarked it.

[George130]

Nice pics.
I have some HO scale gear with a basic layout. I plan to setup a layout once the boys are a bit older. I'm also hoping to get my masses of slotcars set up then to.

[drivesafe]

Hi George130, I would love to have even a very basic HO layout, just never had the time to put one together.

It’s a case of “one of these days” that never comes. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif

I’ve been collecting HO gear for about 35 years and have about 50 locos alone, half have never been taken out of the box.

I’ve only been collecting G gauge stuff for about 20 years and the same thing, half has never seen a track.

Cheers

[George130]

Ive got an uncle in the Uk who builds the ride on Steam engines (The ones you sit on). I allways wanted one as a kid to drive round the back yard in.

[drivesafe]

Hi folks, post some pics of your gear, and any gauge, it’s still the same hobby.

I’m also interested in finding out about modular set ups so if anyone has had any experience in this area, I would like to hear how you got on.

BTW I also collect Rail videos, mostly of Australian and USA rail but have them on rail ops all over the place.

Cheers

[drivesafe]

Hi folks, for those note familiar with G Gauge here are some pictures that will give you some idea of the size compered with HO scale.

G or Garden railways are now big time in the USA and I imagine they will eventually take off in a big way here, especially if you take our whether conditions in to account.

On e of the main reasons G gauge has taken off is the way you go about setting up a Garden railway layout. It’s not just lay some track and away you go ( although this is a good way to start ).

You AND your other half will very quickly get into the garden side of this hobby and that can be as simple as shrubs that appear to be about the right scale size for the trains, to building small period theme towns with say a real water stream running through the middle and a waterfall and street lighting for night time running and so on.

Garden railways open a whole new area for model railways and can involve the whole family.

Anyway here are some pictures.


These first 3 pictures are 3 HO scale Santa Fa Railway’s PA1-PB1-PA1 lash up and the 3 G scale units are Santa Fa Railway’s FA1-FB1-FA1 lash up.

http://www.traxide.com.au/railpics/mr1.jpg

http://www.traxide.com.au/railpics/mr2.jpg

http://www.traxide.com.au/railpics/mr3.jpg



The next 2 pictures are two electrics, the HO ( small ) electric is a Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 and the G scale is a Swiss Railway’s narrow gauge Crocodile

http://www.traxide.com.au/railpics/mr4.jpg

http://www.traxide.com.au/railpics/mr5.jpg



The last two pictures of the steamers, the HO scale is good old 3801 and the G scale is a Southern & Colorado 4 - 6 - 0. This one is the cheapest of the G scale pictured hear but the only one that comes standard with sound.

http://www.traxide.com.au/railpics/mr6.jpg

http://www.traxide.com.au/railpics/mr7.jpg

[drivesafe]

This link will take you to a site covering what is one of the worlds biggest and most comprehensive G scale layouts

http://www.fgrr.org/index.html

[DEFENDERZOOK]

<span style="color:blue">got a magazine come in yesterday called garden railways....



i have never seen a magazine on these before.........
and ive been playing with magazines for the last ten years......


it just freaked me out...as soon as i find out about garden railawys.....the magazine turns up out of the blue......im sure there is some sort of sign here somewhere.....</span> 8O

[drivesafe]

Hi DEFENDERZOOK, there are two Garden Railway magazines.

I have been subscribing to the American version for the last 6 or 7 years but about two years ago I came across a British version.

The yank version is by far the best but the the pome one has some good articles from time to time and I only buy that one off the shelf if it has something of interest in it.

The irony is that garden railways started in Britain before the second world war.

Then a German company, LGB, started making 1: 22.5 gauge models and the hobby took off.

The yanks started getting interested around the same time in the late 60s, early 70s and as they say the rest is history.

There are some fabulous layouts over there but as I pointed out in an earlier post on the subject, the whether conditions here in Australia makes this the ultimate backyard hobby.

As you would have seen in the yank mag, there are heaps of manufacturing companies making these models now.

The biggest problem here is the cost. The Crocodile is my most expensive acquisition to date and that one was over $1,400-oo yet the Colorado & Southern steamer came with two coaches and track and was only $450-oo on special. The tracks were crap but the train is good value

I’m now starting to buy from the States as the price can be as little as half that for the same thing here.

Cheers.

[DEFENDERZOOK]

<span style="color:blue">thats very interesting to know........

i might have to open up the magazine and have a flick through it.......</span>

[Dinty]

G'day All, I have in my workshop a 5" gauge NSWGR 32 class engine also known as a P class 4-6-0, it was handbuilt by me and is almost complete but I suffered an eye injury and haven't worked on it for years. It does run on compressed air both forward and reverse so if it will do that with air that has no expansion qualities it should run on steam. The boiler is a wetback Belpaire type that was hydrostatically tested to 200 psi and it passed with no problems at all but it remains cold as it has never had a fire in it, it has a super heater header as well, but being a dummy I dont know how to post pix anyway enough of my waffling cheers for now Dennis :roll: :wink: :arrow:
PS I forgot to mention that this is a live steam locomotive but maybe you guessed that anyway

[drivesafe]

Post pic, post pics, I would love to have a look.

I have always wanted a live steamer and years ago, I spent many hours at the Illawarra Live Steam park at North Gong.

If you need help posting, just ask here. Took me ages to work out how to do it ( posting pics that is ). :wink:

Cheers

[drivesafe]

Hi folks here some pictures of Dinty’s 32 class steam engine. An awful lot of blood, sweat and tears has gone into the making of this model.

http://www.traxide.com.au/Project/NSWGR_32_1.jpg

http://www.traxide.com.au/Project/NSWGR_32_2.jpg

http://www.traxide.com.au/Project/NSWGR_32_3.jpg

http://www.traxide.com.au/Project/NSWGR_32_4.jpg

http://www.traxide.com.au/Project/NSWGR_32_5.jpg

[drivesafe]

Here’s a real McCoy at Toowoomba today and this is what I bought a 4x4 for, chasing and filming these things.

http://www.traxide.com.au/railpics/QRS1.jpg

[Disco300Tdi]

Spotted this Monday night on TV

http://thegreatoutdoors.com.au/display.php?ID=11111

[drivesafe]

Hi 84RR, I missed that one but thanks for the web site.

For those Queenslanders interested, there's a steam special on this weekend out at Biggenden, west of Maryborough.

The weekend is the 100th birthday of Chowey bridge, just west of Biggenden so they are running a steam shuttle between Biggenden and the bridge.

Here’s a picture I took last year of Chowey bridge.

http://www.traxide.com.au/railpics/cbridge.jpg

I’d love to get up there but to busy with work.

For those living on the Gold Coast, there is a model railway exhibition being held at the Parkland Centre.

There is going to be about 20 layout on display and I’ll be going to that one .

Cheers.

[disconut]

http://jeep.cfasp.de/upload/31567.jpg

Not quite a garden railway. Yet! 8O

Trev.

[drivesafe]

Hi disconut, where on earth is that and it looks fairly resent. :?:

And yes, it was sure as hell trying hard to become a part of a garden railway. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif

Cheers.

[disconut]

Originally posted by drivesafe
Hi disconut, where on earth is that and it looks fairly resent. :?:
And yes, it was sure as hell trying hard to become a part of a garden railway. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif
Cheers.

Actually I have no idea. Recieved it today on the net.
I wouldn't want to be drinking tea with that thing arriving! Strange set up for a rail station? Lack of stopping devices installed in the shed. :roll:

Trev.

[drivesafe]

Thanks anyway disconut.

Back in the 70s there was an NSWGR 42 class ( if I remember correctly ) that tried a similar stunt at the old South Brisbane standard gauge terminus only this one just stuck it’s nose and front bogie through the wall and over the edge. One story up but didn’t make to the ground.

Cheers

[DEFENDERZOOK]

that one is set up like that....

its probably somewhere like disneyland....

if it smashed through a wall and the railing there would have been rubble
everywhere and people panicking....
not a nice neat hand rail built between the engine and carriage for starters....

sorry if i spoilt the fun.......


i still have no idea where that is though.....

[disconut]

Hi Tony,
You are right. The stones on the ground are nice and neat too. No oil or rubbish leaking out of it either. Looks neat though at first glance.

Trev.

[Dinty]

G'day All,
if it were real I would hate to be on the spot explaining why it didn't STOP where it normally did!!!!!! what do you reckon. well for sure it ain't my P class it's probably never gonna go cause I've got too many Landrovers to play with cheers all Dennis
PS G'day trev didn't know you were a Steam/Train buff as well, funny that ain't it many of us are followers and into similar interests cheers :roll: :wink: :arrow:

[disconut]

When I was growing up thats all there were! :oops: :oops:

We lived about 200 metres from a railway station with a coal siding.
Never went cold in winter. :wink:

I remember running out of spendable pennies all of the time. The shops did not want the ones I had. They were awful thin and quite a bit bigger too. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif

Trev.

[p38arover]

This is where I work and me at work.

Click on pix for a larger view.

http://img490.imageshack.us/img490/2562/katoombasigbox116vi.th.jpg (http://img490.imageshack.us/my.php?image=katoombasigbox116vi.jpg) http://img490.imageshack.us/img490/344/katoombasigbox053rn.th.jpg (http://img490.imageshack.us/my.php?image=katoombasigbox053rn.jpg)


Ron

[disconut]

How good is that? 8)

Trev.

[Dinty]

G'day All, you lucky B ron I sometimes wish I was anything but a nurse, but at 57 what else can i do to support my habits landrovers and other interests as well cheers Dennis :roll: :wink: :arrow:

[DEFENDERZOOK]

<span style="color:blue">it almost looks like noddy took those pics.....




and where are the shorts......?</span>

[p38arover]

Originally posted by Dinty
G'day All, you lucky B ron I sometimes wish I was anything but a nurse, but at 57 what else can i do to support my habits landrovers and other interests as well cheers Dennis :roll: :wink: :arrow:

I only became a signaller 3 years ago. My background was 37 years in international telecommunications. This is a real sea change for me.

Ron

[p38arover]

[quote=DEFENDERZOOK]<span style="color:blue">it almost looks like noddy took those pics.....

and where are the shorts......?</span>

I wish the pix were as good as Noddy's. Re shorts, I'd worn the fly zips out on both pairs I had and was waiting for new ones to be delivered.

Ron

[DEFENDERZOOK]

i just knew there had to be a reason for the long pants.....



and when you get the new ones are you gonna drink less or get YKK zippers fitted......?

[p38arover]

Originally posted by DEFENDERZOOK
i just knew there had to be a reason for the long pants.....



and when you get the new ones are you gonna drink less or get YKK zippers fitted......?

I've got the new ones and I'm not drinking less.

Ron

[drivesafe]

My mother took me, in my school days, to Katoomba to see the place covered in snow and on the way back, when the train stopped at Wenty Falls. There was a 46 class electric loco body ( no wheels ) sitting on 44 gallon drums. Years later when I joined the railways, as part of the training to become a fireman, part of the training included a safety course which looked at major rail accidents and why they happened.

One of the accidents covered was that one at Wentworth Falls.

A train had been made up in the brake road at Katoomba but a number of safety checks had not been carried out before the train left to descend the eastern side of the range.

What had happened was that the train had to do some shunting and when finished, the two locos were coupled back on to the train, BUT some one forgot to reconnect the air for the brakes and the crew had failed to do a brake air continuity test. So when they got the road, they pulled out of the siding onto the main and at that point, the line immediately begins a steep down hill run.

Wentworth Falls is the second station after leaving Katoomba and there is a curve on the approach to the platform.

The train derailed as it went around the curve and piled up in the car park opposite the station.

The trains maximum allowed speed was 40 MPH as it had 4 wheeled S trucks on. The speedo tape showed it was doing 104 MPH when it left the tracks and believe it or not, the crew walked away.

The train was carrying bagged cement from Kandos and it was snowing when it derailed, you can guess the rest.

[DEFENDERZOOK]

<span style="color:blue">you made snow men that still havent melted to this day....?</span>

[drivesafe]

Good one Zook. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif

I still love that area though.

I worked trains to Nowra, south the Goulburn, north to Broadmeadow and west to Bathurst and this was always the most interesting run, particularly the Penrith to Lithgow section.

Cheers.

[drivesafe]

Hi folks, this is for those of you who do not like going to work by rail, probably should be in a joke section but as it relates to rail, here it is.

Turn your sound up and once it loads, press play

BE WARNED, crude language abounds


http://www.kontraband.com/show/show.asp?ID=1833[/url]

[Lughna]

when I was a kid, my dad used to have a huge HO layout, half a double garage. Since then I have had a love for trains. When they brought out the flying scotsman to aus, we went and saw it.

Never had the time/money to get into the HO scale myself.

Cool pics though!

[drivesafe]

Hi Lughna, first off, welcome to AULRO and glad you liked the pics.

For those with a love of all things rail, how about posting some pics of what you like so we can all enjoy.

Cheers.

[drivesafe]

Well I have been trying to get out and do some time exposures and to night, looking for an excuse to take the wife's D3 for a drive, I found a level crossing

All pics are 16 second exposures and I would appreciate any tips to improve the results.

This first pic was just a shot of a level crossing with nothing on and I used a torch to light up the scene.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2005/12/4.jpg

The second shot starts just before the train came into the shot and end just as the gates start to open.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2005/12/5.jpg

The third shot starts with half the train already passed and then the gates opening
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/11/156.jpg

The forth shot starts once the train has cleared the scene and just covers the gates opening.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2005/12/6.jpg

I took this last shot while waiting for the next train, I again used a torch to light up the D3.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2008/12/681.jpg

Cheers

[cewilson]

I've always had a fascination of these - and it's great to see it here at AULRO. You've got me thinking now about when I was a teenager. I suppose you could say I was spoilt, but unfortunately back then I didn't even consider it for a minute.

One of my mothers dear old friends used to have a room totally dedicated to his trains. All set up fantastic which included over 10 different tracks laid out, verious amounts of trains and carriages - and every one of them working. This room was huge, and the tracks etc took up over 1/2 of it!!! Unfortunately he passed away a couple of years ago, otherwise I'd go and visit him. Anyone in the Eaglehawk Neck part of Tassie may have known him.

As well as above, my Uncle Eric is one of the formost steam engine rebuilders in Australia. I believ his last name is Howe from memory (kinda hard to remember full names when all you ever say is Uncle :wink: ) Anyway, amongst his collection is a number of steam trains etc. He used to attend the Hobart show every year with his collection. I believe this year may be his last - if he's able to get there. He is based out of North Central Tassie.

And to top all of that off, in Tassie you get absolutely spoilt with steam trains. Up the road from where my wife and kids live is a steam train museum (Westbury, Tassie) where they have quite a few good collections. They used to run them around the streets before this "Public Liability" crap came in (Damn death of us all :roll: ) There is also a little steam train he uses with a carriage to carry families around the yard - my kids absolutely love this part - especially the steam whistle! https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

Then we;ve got the Don Railway in Devonport, and from memory there's also a steam train just outside of Port Arthur.

So thankyou for bringing back some great memories I'd nearly forgotten about!

[drivesafe]

Good one cewilson, always interesting to hear other peoples rail experiences be it working on them or a hobby or a passing interest.

Cheers.