Taking back control...

I bought a Helmsman controller in January 2008 after the H&DLR v2 was built. This was upgraded with a radio remote control in 2018 along with a repair to the main controller. Last year it was apparent that there were malfunctions occurring with the Helmsman that have become more persistent this year. There's a significant voltage swing around 6v, which is the starting voltage for many locomotives, and which is likely to damage the onboard electronics on newer models. Additionally, from time to time, when the speed is set back down to zero, the locomotive continues to run. This tends to result in a mad dash into the shed to switch the power off at the mains. Disappointingly, Peco, who inherited the Helmsman business, state that they cannot repair the G Scale controllers as they don't have the parts.

I therefore bought an analogue Piko 35002 controller and their 35000 5A transformer, which is an absolute brick of a thing and can be used with their digital controller as well. The controller has proved to be very smooth and effective.

The next stage in the evolution of the system is to add a remote control. This can be done by adding the Piko radio receiver, which can control the analogue controller, and a handheld navigator. The latter is, of course, designed to be used with a digital control system and using it on analogue is somewhat overkill. Nevertheless, it works, and who knows what the future might hold. Given that all LGB locomotives are now digital with sound, it would make sense to be able to manage and control those additional functions especially since LGB's approach to analogue functionality can best be described as "we couldn't care less".

Maintenance

Maintenance on a garden railway is a near constant task. A little while ago, some Belli-Beco lamps were installed. I'd have to say that the design is somewhat sub optimal for outdoor use, as one wire relies on loosely touching a metal sleeve to provide electrical continuity. Over the years this has often proved troublesome, and one lamp failed completely recently. Obviously, this was on the building with a sealed base... anyway, the dremel cut into it, and a new bulb was installed. We'll see how well this lasts, but here it is for now.

Summer trains

A few trains continue to operate, here the Franzburg on a local service.

Trains on 18th June 2025

On what would have been Gillian's 65th birthday, there really was only one train that could run - the Orient Express set that she asked for as her 40th birthday present.

Also operating was her green Saxon IVk with the historic coaches that she liked to see.

Summer already...

Every year, it seems to be a longer and longer gap between posts, this time with very good reason. But from time to time, trains have run and continue to do so.

Winter has arrived

The first snows of winter have arrived...

By the light of the silvery moon...

Trains have been running by moonlight...

Autumn

No sun, no leaves, November... but the occasional train has run, and some serious replanting has started along the front edge at Dottendorf.

Summer trains

With the rebuild complete, minor repairs and upgrades have continued, and trains have been running.

And the damaged light at Birkenhof proved to be repairable, and has been reinstalled.

Work continues

Gradual progress is being made, with Holzapfel restored to the network, albeit with further work required.

With the long viaduct completed, attention has turned to some work at Birkenhof. Additional battens to raise the height of the front edge have been installed, providing a better ballast retainer. In one area, a small "rock armour" section of larger stones was used to block a gap.

One light at Birkenhof has been repaired, but sadly another, rather nice, lamp has suffered probably from the blackbirds and is unlikely to be restorable.

Trains running again

From a 7m gap in the circuit to running trains again...

The new decking boards are again supported on timber legs, but this time 75mm square posts held in place with metal spikes. I was pleasantly surprised actually to be able to get spikes into this part of the garden, given the generally stony nature.

With the new boards installed, track (re)laying could commence.

Nearly there - one last piece to cut and fit. And soon there were trains running again!

Track reinstatement begins

The first section of track to be relaid has been installed at Holzapfel.

The ivy has been removed completely (well, insofar as one ever can remove ivy completely) and new decking boards installed.

This time, thicker edge boards will be used throughout - in odd places where I'd used thicker materials before, it had weathered much better than the slightly smaller section I'd used in most places.

Load testing (electrical conductivity testing, more to the point).

Ballasted, and good to go. The eagle eyed may observe that the halt has yet to be reinstalled.

Major engineering works on the H&DLR

The line between Holzapfel and Birkenhof is now closed to all traffic. The wrecking crew moved in today; it's mildly depressing how much quicker it is to demolish a railway than it is to build one.

With the track lifted, the next stage was to remove the decking boards.

One particular board was the driving cause for concern. Most of the other sections were in reasonable condition, given that they'd been there for 17 years.

It was the supporting fence posts where the major problems lie. These have all been removed and need to be replaced as they'd all rotted where they were in contact with the soil.

There's a big gap to fill at some stage.

And a similar job needed at Holzapfel, where the redundant siding has now been lifted.

Easter engineering works

Easter engineering works completed between showers. It is something of a bodge job, but splicing in replacement board can often be so. Fresh ballast hides a multitude of sins. 

Spring repairs and updates

Last year saw some relatively minor (if awkward) repairs under Birkenhof station while the General Manager continued to ignore the subsidence further along the line. This year, that will be addressed, and some materials have already arrived with more in the supply chain pipeline.

Already, the green edges to the long viaduct have been removed. One particular decking board is suffering from extensive rot, but while I'm in there I shall probably replace the lot and drive in at least one new support as one has rotted away.

There are sundry smaller areas of rotting timber, of which this is probably the most serious. The decayed timber has now been removed, and will be replaced with plastic in the near future.

Trains do, though, continue to run.

Winter operations

Last year was a poor year for running trains on the H&DLR. During the autumn and early part of the winter, predations by the blackbirds (mainly) have uprooted four platform benches, broken two lamps, demolished a building at Holzapfel, dislodged the scenic items in the loco siding at Birkenhof and thrown all the accumulated moss all over the track, and scraped all the earth down the bank onto the track. There's no immediate prospect of trains running all the way round. Apart from that, everything is hunky dory...

There was definitely another building and a platform bench here last year.

Well, the lamp at least still works.

Moss liberally strewn around the railway.

I don't think this lamp will work again, which is a shame because it's a very nice lamp (and it wasn't a cheap one, either).

There's a railway under there somewhere.

The most frequently operated train on 2023 was again the first one out in 2024.

Although a short inspection train did get as far as Birkenhof.

Summer running

Well, this report starts with yet more track repairs to try and improve connectivity through a key set of points.

399.03 has been out and about.

The substantial rebuild that saw an LGB motor block fitted under the tender seems to have worked out well as the loco sees more use than ever before.

The Stainz have been running on the Steiermärkische Landesbahn set...

And for the first time in a couple of years, Pearse Europa class live steamer "Camusterrach Pier" came out to play.

And no, neither "Camusterrach Pier" nor the Stainz were running as fast as these photos suggest!