Enfield Town Model Railway Club

Retired or Dismantled Layouts Section

"Do you like the house Keith?"
"Yes, the garden has potential and it has a brick built workshop"
It's a familiar conversation between a model railway enthusiast and his more practical partner. Somewhere to bath, eat, sleep and build a railway of some sort.

The start of a model railway usually begins with a plan, the next is wood, in this case me, Mark and a chain saw, because that tree is definitely not in the plan!

Ground preparation is important outside as the plan was to use live steam without radio control and, also electric traction. The line needed to be as level as possible, the garden is on a slope with about a two foot drop, high at the house, low at the workshop end. As the patio is two foot above the grass, steps need to be built and old path removed. The steps are easyish from B & Q, the path wasn't, my sledge hammer bounced on the concrete, it was six inches deep and twenty two foot long and two foot wide. Enter Ken, a new member of the E.T.M.R.C. who happens to have a jack hammer road drill and a Saturday morning to spare. Ten minutes and two coffees later, it's done, then two hours to load it into a skip.

A pond would be nice! over enthusiastic or mad - the next fine weekend had the pond dug on the Saturday - lined filled and edged on the Sunday. It was a modest size but just right six foot by four foot by three foot six inches deep.

After setting the ground levels around the garden at the house end a cutting was dug. I was going to use LGB track the largest curve is eight foot radius so this is used as a minimum to allow for most 'G' scale locos to run. As the ground is a hard clay type soil no concrete was used, the ground was packed down hard and the track was put down on to this base. As the line goes towards the bottom of the garden the track is raised up on posts with a wooden track bed. I used fence gravel boards as these are pre-treated. Trying to keep it all level (not easy) to cross the new path I used the LGB large girder bridge as this can be built as a removable section.

In about nine months it was up and running and a club open day was arranged. The plan was simply a circuit with a passing loop so that the train can trundle round while we watch and relax. I chose the 'Train Engineer' control system so you are not stuck in one place to drive, but I found it was necessary to use a ten ampere fifteen volt transformer to supply this as the electric locos have a high amp requirement especially with two motors, two smoke units, lights and sound systems. This is how it stood until June 2001! But wait... single track is fun but it could be double fun. I don't like the shape of that pond anymore, why don't you make it square? OK I says, and blows the dust off my shovel! For the next stage I had a partner in grime - Alan Briers. Alan is better at bricklaying than me so I was able to look and learn, we had the pond enlarged and bricked up to make the side walls then rain stopped play. The next weekend the pond was lined and filled. Under a tarpaulin we edged the pond, time was important as the fish were in a paddling pool in the garage. The second track was easier to build as it followed the course of the original, both circuits use the same radius curves plus another large bridge. The extension took three months to complete on weekends and evenings and the official opening was on the first of September and everything went very well.

Well it's now April 2003 and an update is due, so here goes...

As mentioned before, the line has been doubled so the passing loop has been removed, the station now occupies this site along with the Sheriff's office and a small cattle dock (only two cows at a time please!).

The new photos below, show an Aristocraft wedge snowplough being propelled by two USA Trains diesels. The front loco is a GP38 in RIO GRAND livery and the assisting loco is a GP7/9 in PENNYSYLVANIA RR livery.

The snow was about three inches deep "no problem" I thought, WRONG! The plough was too light, a couple of handfuls of ballast did the trick!

The GP38 has a Phoenix sound system installed which adds to the enjoyment of freezing your socks off, standing in the garden, playing with a snowplough. This is the first time it had been used in anger and I didn't want to miss out on this opportunity - the first snow since it was purchased two years ago. There is also a rotary plough in the maintenance fleet, but I thought the snow was too wet (maybe it should have been posed for the camera).

The loco fleet is quite large for a small layout like this but it adds some variety to running sessions.

NB locos 13, 14, 15 are all gas fired live steam without radio control

Rolling stock list;

As summer is nearly upon us there may be a tale to tell for more of my ramblings. The plants and foliage have grown and established themselves so some views of this may be of interest!

Snow photos are thanks to Sue who delayed a shopping trip and indulgemy hankering to try my plough (Sue got some good video too!)

Thanks must go to my fiance Sue and Alan Briers who helped with this project. Without them I would have more blisters and a dry throat, and the retailers;- Peter Marshall at Wagon and Carriage Works, Tony and Co at Kent Garden Rail, Peter and Jackie at Chalk Garden Rail, Garden Railway Specialist at Princes Risbrough.

I must mention our chairman, Peter Watson, who took me to the Bristol Garden Rail show where I thought I would resist the big trains. Look what I started. After I bought my first two wagons, I haven't looked back, and have enjoyed it all.

I am a member of the 'G Scale Society' and would welcome any questions or comments.

© K Plum
revised 23rd July 2003

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