August has arrived in the "low country" and brought high temps and humidity with the frequent afternoon downpour. I know understand why we don't see our neighbors very frequently during the summer months!
I started on my new garden railway earlier in the Spring, but humidity has kept progress at bay. Do you change your clothing 2-3 times a day! :^)
I decided to simplify roadbed construction and went with an approach I used in Va Beach years ago. Pressure treated fence boards cut with a mitered edge to form my curves and using 8" cement block to get it up off the ground. Not the most astetic but it got the trains running. I plan on backfilling as time goes on. My goal is more the "English country garden rwy." rather than a detailed, fine scale railroad line.
I've been collecting Japanese Maples for years and moved a lot of them down from Va. Beach when we retired to Charleston. Most have done well, but a few of the yellow leave varieties are suffering at the hands of the strong afternoon sun here. The reds are doing just fine.
I've been doing a lot of research on the 3' gauge railways in Ireland. There were many of them both in the North and the Free State. They were somewhat unique in their rolling stock and passenger carriages. Motive power usually came from England. I converted a Bachmann Big Hauler 4-6-0 to a "close enough" model of the B&L #106, an 0-6-0 tank engine. It was a lot of fun knowing it was not going to have to be a "scale" model, but look enough to satisfy from the patio. (with a nice glass of wine or a "cuppa")
The garden line will serve as my fall/winter modeling as the heat of summer keeps me in the garage/layout room working on my SR&RL's line.
