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Hello – my name is Tag Gorton and I would like to welcome you to GardenRail magazine – the only monthly magazine worldwide that is dedicated to the fast growing hobby of outdoor model railways.
If you have got this far then, odds are, this magazine is for you. GardenRail covers all garden based model railways and we have readers who run trains in 00 scale right up to the larger ‘ride on’ scales. The greater proportion of people who model in the great outdoors however, tend to use the larger ‘model’ scales, such as 16mm to the foot narrow gauge, G-scale, Gauge 1 or Gauge 3 – there are other scales as well however.
There are tremendous advantages to modelling out of doors. Instead of the ‘preserved in aspic’ ethos of an indoor layout with fabricated scenery and artificial light, our trains run in ‘real’ growing scenery and indeed many of our contributors specialise in growing plantings to match the scale of their railway – certainly many people have found that this activity is almost a hobby in itself!
For some people it is the sight and sound of a live steam locomotive running through a living scale environment that is the reason that they moved outdoors in the first place but, whether your trains run by battery power or are electrically powered
through the rails, they will run in ever changing weather and lighting conditions just as the full size railway does. It is instructive to note that many ‘indoor’ modellers, when taking photographs for publication or display, will drag their layout into the open air to obtain the correct mix of light and shadow – something we have all the time.
The idea of these pages is partly to let you know what is going on at Atlantic, partly to pass on information as it comes to hand and partly – well just to let you know what I have been up to when not sat in front of this computer! Keep coming back – there will be more pages with garden railway content and more links to sites that I hope you will enjoy. The latest date blog entry is below – and if you have any questions just 'chat' via the GardenRail widget – here!
June 2010
Well it seems to be over a year since I last picked up my Apple Mac quill pen and updated this particular page. Easy to make excuses I know – so I won't, but certainly I have set my diary to remind me to get this done in future....
LWR Re-opening
A coal-fired Accucraft 'Edrig.' Latest acquisition on the LWR and a superb runner.
Due partly to pressure of work and partly to the fact that the General manager of the LWR has spent a significant amount of time visiting and running on other railways, the Longlands & Western Railway had become, well, rather down at heel. Services ran rarely and, truth to tell, the track itself was not up to the standard that passengers had come to expect. Station buildings were certainly looking pretty tatty, the signalling was out of action and the 25year old footbridge across Trehan cutting was the subject of a closure notice.
Ex Chief Stoker Ginge C, stokes his first boiler for thirty-five years!
Well I am pleased to be able to tell you that the track gang have been out, the structures repainted and the railway is back to running trains on a regular basis. Running is fine now, the track is in good order and the new coal-fired locomotion has been taking charge of almost all services, both passenger and goods.
Matt Fowles sevices his distinctively liveried 'Caradoc' ready for an inaugural run on the LWR.
There is still stuff to do of course. The footbridge is awaiting new woodwork and will hopefully be replaced within the month, new signalling is in course of construction and the derelict village at Trematon will be replaced in its entirety. For the moment however, I am happy. Trains are running again….
...and is seen here running into Longlands...
January 2009
The last few months have, I?m afraid, been rather busy ? and the log has had to take something of a back seat to other activities. Even the garden railway has, of necessity, suffered a temporary closure notice until the warm weather when I will feel able to undertake some ground level track repairs. I have been able to do some modelling and also have undertaken a fair bit of running, both on other local railways and the demonstration line at Buckfastleigh.
I have lately been much involved in both the pleasures of coal firing and the continuing 
modification of my Shawe Steam Services ?Fowler? 0-6-2 tender locomotive (see if you can spot the differences against the earlier photo). The modifications to date are largely cosmetic and perhaps the one that changes the look of the locomotive the most is the replacement of the single slidebar with the more purposeful twin slidebar set with slidebar bracket as used on the Roundhouse VoR locomotive. I have also replaced the brass handrails with more workmanlike steel rails.
Coal firing has always been regarded as something of a ?black art? and indeed there is certainly a comparatively steep learning curve ? but so there is with a car and you do that quite happily don?t you? I am not here going to run through the full firing routine and suffice to say that after a few hours use then coal firing can be even more relaxing than gas firing ? if only because one is not time limited by the capacity of the fuel tank. Indeed as long as one remembers to keep the tender topped up with water (and coal-fired locomotives use a surprising amount) then one, after a while, has a very good idea on the state of both fire and boiler based purely on the way the locomotive is behaving. Certainly a couple of hours can disappear very quickly.
There is something elemental about making a machine work just using coal, oil and water. It is not just the smell and the sound, but it is the real thing ? albeit very small. I suppose there is a downside. One cannot cook bacon and eggs on the shovel of course ? and I do spend over an hour cleaning and maintaining after a running session, but this I find to be an enjoyable part of the routine of running and I have developed a set procedure for undertaking these chores.
As more time becomes available this year I hope to undertake further modifications on this locomotive. I also hope to obtain a Roundhouse steam locomotive kit ? something I have wanted to do for some time because I can incorporate various modifications during the construction so that I can build the model to my own specification?
Check out the various photographs ? I think the rake of IoM coaches looks very well with this loco ? and these will themselves be modified later in the year?
August 2
Why is it the summers in this country disappear so quickly. It only seems a few days since I last sat at the computer to to a bit of light blogging. Like everyone else I have been rather hamstrung by the regular bouts of wet weather but there have been some highspots certainly.
First of all GardenRail attended the Stroud show on the 28th and 29th of June. This was, as usual, an enjoyable weekend albeit a little bit quieter than last year – no doubt the price of fuel had a significant effect. This is always however, a very friendly show and it is certainly a venue where I have time to chat to readers – indeed this is the main reason for attending this particular show.
I was able to bring my new coal fired Fowler along, suitable named James Cannan Slater, a fellow garden railfarer. Those of you who have been around long enough to remember the chronicles of the Budley Bumblebahn will know the name most certainly.
By the date of the show I had run the locomotive for around an hour an a half and unfortunately allowed myself to be talked into running on one of the show layouts on Saturday evening. This was down to Ivan Prior of IP Engineering and Mick Mobley of Imp Models. They then proceeded to barrack me from behind as I attempted to run a new coal fired locomotive on unfamiliar coal.
Well we did get a run eventually but I have to say that it was not very relaxing! You will I hope be pleased to know that I am now very much more at home with this delightful little beast and indeed in many ways it can be more relaxing to run than a standard gas fired locomotive.
Profits from this show went to the local sea cadets – which, as an ex sailor, I am very much in tune with. Certainly the boys and girls of this particular ships company were a credit to both their group and their town.
We travelled home to Saltash via Kent and a visit to Simon Whenmouth's superb 45mm gauge 16mm scale line. Simon is also dipping his toe in the water with coal firing – although he went for something more exotic in the form of one of those delightful little Hunslets from TME. Note the delicate way he is holding the shovel. One can just imagine his delicate china teacup being held in this way....
A brief stop was made at a delightful cottage in the middle of the New Forest to see David Baker's G1 electric line. This really is a most attractive spot and it was a real pleasure to run on the sort of railway I am not used to at all. Despite being an ex Chief Electrician, I am really not used to all this fancy electronics, but it was great to control these huge growling US deisels with their mournful hooters. Why is it I wonder that these American deisel locos somehow retain the romance of steam power?
May 7
16mm Layout at Merstham
Well it's been some time since I have been able to catch up on the blog front. Things have been very busy here at Atlantic and there are various goodies 'on the way' including a definitive hardbound book on garden size steam locomotives written by someone whose name nearly all garden-railfarers around the world will recognise. Full of technical information and a real visual treat for those of use who enjoy small scale steam. Cannot say more at the moment – but check on the site regularly for information as it comes up.
On the home front, the Longlands & Western Railway has taken deliver of its first coal-fired locomotive from Shawe Steam Services (new pictures of this are threatened in a later blog). This makes 2008 rather an unusual year for the LWR as we have also been running in our first non-steam locomotive – a much-modified Accucraft Baguley from ACME Engineering. There will be some notes here on both locomotives, but it will take some time before a suitable window is found for updating the permanent way.
I did take time out to visit the Merstham Model Steam Show. Rather miss-named actually because this covers all garden railway disciplines (though perhaps I should use a different word here because the current Mrs G reckons that a more undisciplined lot she has never come across). 
Be that as it may, I regret to say that I was a little disappointed with last years show – but if anyone decided not to go this year because they felt the same, let me say that Merstham has come roaring back and this year was excellent. I was particularly pleased to see the Gauge 1 Model Railway Association in prime position with a superb display of mainline steam power that attracted loads of spectators.
Quite a few new products on show including IP Engineering's new range of Roundhouse sized Ffestiniog coaching stock and Lineside Delights? nice new country pub. The editorial wallet was however a bit depleted after purchase of the aforementioned John Shawe steamer – but I do have a rake of Accucraft's new four-wheel Isle of Man coaches on order. Those who notice these things will be aware that these coaches are to 1:20.3 scale rather than the 16mm (1:19) scale of the other Accucraft stock – but you see these are models of large 3ft gauge prototypes and therefore will be approx the correct size for my 16mm 2ft gauge line. I purchased them for their generic Edwardian appearance and they will be lettered for the LWR.
A canny move by Accucraft here because they are not only providing the first real RTR British outline G-scale electric trains for those who like juice through their tracks – but the loading gauge of this rolling stock will certainly suit many of those who run the generic live steam locomotives from both Accucraft & Roundhouse on either 45mm or 32mm tracks.
Bumped into Peter Trinder (leading light of the Gauge 1 Newsletter and Journal) who was thoroughly enjoying himself on the G1 exhibition line and who was also pleased to sell off a vintage 16mm locomotive in unused condition. The second-hand sales section has always been a feature of this show and in years past I have often sold off redundant equipment for my own line at this venue. This year however I will have abatch of freight and passenger rolling stock to sell at the Exeter show on October 25th.
One other feature of the Merstham show that I find very useful is the selection of
modelling sales tents outside the building. These are not usually model railway equipment but they do include stuff for boat people and, particularly on the engineering or tools front, I have often found useful stuff that is just not available from the average garden railway exhibition. Those who use battery power will also find lots of useful electronic stuff here. So, in conclusion, it is good to see that 'Merstham' is on the list of 'must attend' exhibitions for all those who model railways in the garden. Maybe I will see you there next year – you will find it is well worth the trip.
Lightlines
April 5th
The annual 16mm Association National Garden Railway Show was held, as usual, at Stonleigh Park Exhibition and Conference Centre near Coventry. What was new was the sheer size of both the new exhibition hall and the exhibition itself. There were many more traders and layouts this year and, while the numbers of members and visitors continues to rise, it was a delight to be able to wander unhindered through the show.
The amount of space between attractions made things very comfortable indeed, particularly I suspect for those who are disabled. Provision had been made for seating scattered throughout the exhibition hall and this again added to the enjoyment of the show for many. Food and drink were easily available and, while I thought that tea and coffee were a bit on the dear side at the kiosk, a roast dinner at £6.50 in the restaurant was certainly not out of the way for an exhibition venue.
One of the problems with a garden railway exhibition is, of course, that being indoors one does not get the full effect of just what it is like to run trains in the garden and the emphasise has to be therefore, on the models themselves.
Certainly there were plenty of these and a particular attraction for many was the Phurcombe Hall layout which specialised in elderly and vintage live steam locomotives. I was persuaded to take along my comparatively ancient Merlin 'Mayflower' who promptly disgraced herself during my running session despite careful pre-show maintenance.
Another popular innovation was the help and advice stand - and I spent a good deal of time helping out here. The questions were coming thick and fast – a favourite being,"What live steam locomotive should I purchase?" Always a difficult one that because there are so many variables, not least the depth of the questioners pocket book!
All in all it was a superb show - almost certainly the largest of its type in the UK and I should say a credit to the organisers.
All photographs on this report are by Suzanne Bradley and if you would like to see more then go here for more of the show – and lots more railway related stuff
January 8th
There was something of an interesting locomotive juxtaposition at a recent South West garden meeting where Graham Wilkins’ ‘Charles Pooter’ The Reverend met up with your editor’s ‘Carrie’ Thomas Alfred and it was interesting to note the generational differences. The Reverend is actually a first generation ‘Pooter’, an almost iconic Roundhouse locomotive, very much an object of desire in 1984 and remains so today amongst a significant group of garden railfarers.
The original Roundhouse version was an 0-4-0 side tank with Hackworth valve gear, tinplate body and external spirit firing. The great Jack Wheldon, who enticed many modellers out into the garden with his superb articles and his tales of the ‘Border Counties Railway’ in the railway press during the 70’s and 80’s, had originally produced ‘Pooter’ in limited numbers before Doncaster took up the mantle in 1984. Graham’s version is the slightly later model with the fatter chimney and photo etched brass platework. The model received another facelift in 1986 when acquired square windows and a large brass dome. In 1988 a further update added the latest type squared end axles and self-quartering outside cranks plus adjustable gauge wheels before the class was gracefully retired in 1999.
My own ‘Carrie’ was launched in April of 2005 and first shown at the Association of 16mm Narrow Gauge Modellers convention, this was a new version of the original 'Charles Pooter’ locomotive designed using current production methods and with internal gas firing, water top up system etc.
’Carrie’, rather sadly I thought considering the lack of models with Hackworth valve gear, was discontinued in 2007. She is, in the best traditions of the late Jack Wheldon, very much a driver’s engine and I am very pleased indeed that I did not put off purchase of my own example.
Have a look and see how both of us have approached the customization of our respective generations of this little workhorse. Now I do like stuff to fiddle with and Thomas Alfred has a working resonator whistle (yes the whistle on the spectacle plate really works) and dummy draincocks. There are various cosmetic mods and you can see these by comparing with the Roundhouse Works photo here. Graham has had to deal with a different type of model in that his is an externally fired potboiler, but the Wilkins flair is still very much in evidence.
Worth noting isn’t it that this original ‘Pooter’ is something over twenty years old and still performs impeccably after a very busy life to date – and indeed these working engines still command a significant price tag. If you would like to know more about the history of this locomotive marque then take yourself off for an enjoyable browse around the Roundhouse Museum here.
Current photographs by Graham Wilkins. Roundhouse 'Works Photos' of 'Charles Pooter' and 'Carrie' courtesy of Roundhouse Engineering
16th December 2007
It is rare that the weather this time of year is suitable for sustained running of trains in the garden and today’s meeting in darkest Cornwall on Myles Ashton’s busy line was no exception. It was, with a bitter wind driving up the valley, so cold that gas fired locomotives were steamed ‘on shed’ to get the gas tanks warm enough to provide enough pressure for the burners.
Despite the inclement weather there was a good turn out for this meeting, most people being aware that Jean Ashton always puts on a good spread for the Christmas ‘do’ on the Tolponds Light Railway and Myles can also be guaranteed to provide something very warming in the way of festive punch. Indeed, such was his very laudable devotion to this onerous duty that he strayed only occasionally from the punch bowl in the warm kitchen to the bitter cold of the garden railway...
Notwithstanding the cold, there were two trains in action for most of the day and a steady stream of local (non garden railway) people came to watch the trains, raising the best part of sixty sovs towards RNLI (lifeboat) funds. The growing West Cornwall group provided a wide selection of motive power, including a couple of battery 
powered diesel outline models, an elderly Merlin ‘Major’, several different Accucraft steam models, a Regner ‘Lumberjack’, a Finescale Hunslet and a Roundhouse ‘Fowler’.
I had something of a 
Roundhouse day myself and steamed my much modified Roundhouse ‘Carrie’ and a ‘Millie’, now fitted with a resonator whistle. Both locomotives performed creditably despite the cold and Steve Tucker’s Accucraft ‘Mortimer’ seemed to keep going for ever with three bogie coaches and around 5psi on the clock – a most biddable locomotive – now also fitted with resonator whistle and draincocks.
The Tolponds Light Railway is something of an unusual line in that it is not only very scenic, but based in the front garden where it can be seen by everyone who uses this busy road. Indeed tourist coaches regularly stop so that holidaymakers may admire the railway and, when running on this line, expect passers by to drop in to watch!
4th November 2007
Another one of those Indian summer days with hardly a breath of wind and the autumn sunshine casting long shadows across the garden; saw this column visiting David Anning’s extensive 16mm scale garden railway in a Devon seaside town. This is a regular meeting on the first Sunday of every month and it came as something of a shock to us regulars that next month will see the 150th garden meeting at this venue.
Meetings undertaken this late in the year are never as busy as those during the
height of the season but, nevertheless, there was a range of trains and motive power in action. I have recently fitted a resonator whistle and an experimental ‘chuff pipe’ to my much put-upon Roundhouse ‘Millie’ and was keen to see this locomotive in action – having finished the modifications late last night. The whistle was a success – but the ‘chuff-pipe was a dismal failure and so I shall fit the modified version of ACME Engineering’s popular ‘Accucraft’ type instead, using a Roundhouse manifold. This I know works well and the above experiment was a lazy man’s way of trying to cut corners!
Graham Wilkins’ double-headed Regner locomotives put up a brave show of steam with a very heavy goods train – these simple geared oscillators are powerful pullers and the gearing ensures that they are very relaxing to run. Graham Stevens brought along one of his Clay Cellars colonial locomotives – although there must be a livery other than that horrible yellow to dress them in! This model is again something of a test bed, but most of his models are highly detailed with accurate and fully working valve gear.
Dave ‘the train’ Barnett turned up with his Tolhurst Vale of Rheidol locomotive. Unfortunately he is still traversing a fairly steep learning curve with this coal fired model despite being a professional driver on motive 
power ranging from small tank engines up to and including HST’s between Paddington and the West Country.
An attractive vehicle found on the kitchen branch line was a rather nice travelling crane, crafted by John Kelland from an Atrapos flat wagon and IP Engineering mechanicals. As per the real thing, there are outriggers that may be unclipped and swung out to provide a firm base for any ‘lift’.
Now I am not sure of the provenance of the little red lined 0-4-0 tank locomotive but it is a pretty little thing certainly. Possibly Archangel but I am sure that someone will put me right. All in all a delightful afternoon’s running and the weather was so good that it came as something of a shock to find the light beginning to fade as it turned four of the clock…..