Outdoor pursuits

Peter Sharpe

Over the last few years I have been ‘experimenting’ (as in playing) with a garden railway. It was to be ‘a bit of fun’, not a serious scale model, of course, since the plants and foliage are way too big. Against that, the space available means that the scale track length can represent a few kilometres, rather than 500 metres at ‘OO’ gauge. I chose ‘OO’ for cost reasons, and because the family already had a selection of rolling stock at that scale. The first task was to make a detailed plan of the garden, including the locations of plants and other immovable features. I then decided on a track route, and began negotiations with the authorities (as in my partner) over compulsory purchase orders for plants which could not be circumnavigated! Regarding the electric power supply, I initially used conventional pick-ups from the track (not DCC). I bridged all fishplates with soldered wires, and ran a cable down the garden to avoid voltage-drop problems. Initially I was satisfied with the result, but the track needed laborious cleaning before use, and the locomotive wheels needed regular attention. These problems led me to consider on-board battery power and radio-control. I have converted four locomotives now to this system (obtained from Micron Radio Control). Of course it removes the need for any wiring and isolation switches in the outdoor environment, and several locomotives can be run on the same track, which is particularly useful on the long tracks available in the garden. All in all I’m getting a lot of fun out of the hobby and my visiting grandchildren are very appreciative, but as with any outdoor activity, we are always at the mercy of our British weather!