Shedheads

[Jules]

In a moment of weakness Marie has agreed that I can start planning to build a garden railway (planning mind, not actually building yet).

Every railway needs a headquarters, hence the need for a fairly solid shed or workshop. I've been trawling t'internet for ideas and am currently bewildered at the choice.

Keeping costs down I'm aiming to go either for a kit build, or a full self design and self assembly job.

Any recommendations on approach, suppliers or manufacturers?

Why's your shed the greatest ever?

[Pete T]

Garden Railway - Talking O or larger then. Get the biggest shed you can afford/site. It still won't be big enough..
Flimsy garden centre types, held together with a paper stapler - Won't last five minutes, even in the sheltered south..
I'd be looking at one of these "scandinavian" types, 1 1/2" thick t&g planks if mine didn't have 3 foot thick stone walls..
Check out screwfix, but you'll be looking at several 1000's..

[Pete T]

..alternativley, be-friend a local builder and get some ply, 4x2's, and shiplap, at cost price, and build your own.. (to your own design - not Marie's summerhouse..!!)

..and my new roofs coming on fine. Spent 2k, but would have cost 5k if i'd got someone in to do it..
A few "wobbly" moments on ladders, but nothing too difficult..

[Rob W]

Garden sheds? I SAID GARDEN SHEDS?

Kit builds, 4x2, shipla (what the bl**din' ells that?), ladders, t&g planks, screwfix......blinkin' eck.

I've not even got my bit of plywood to nail the subbuteo pitch to, which I was yakking on about more than a year ago.   

 

[Colin Salter]

Oooh garden railway! My wife made me promise never NEVER N E V E R to THINK of building a garden railway. As a concession, she has at last agreed to let me press my snotty nose to the glass of shops SELLING railways, as if that would somehow ease the pain! And to make sure I don't renege on my promise (which I would) she has made me buy a first floor flat. Cruel are the ways of lurve.

[Rob W]

I see the artist formerly known as Oric is 0-0 on the karma front.

Well that'll bring the crowds in won't it ?!!

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Dave Bardsley]

My garden railway got the Beeching treatment some years ago.  The end started with a "Tay Bridge" incident when a 12 year old giant alien life force fell off his bike and broke the bridge over Garden Path Gorge.  It all went wrong from there on. Sadly this was in the days before digital photos, so no evidence to show.  I still have 2 Mamods and my Merlin Mayflower steam locomotives and the RC gear but, sadly, no track.  Why do you need a shed?  All you need is a cupboard for the engines, stock, fuel etc.  The rest stays outside - cuz it's a garden railway...

Track was a mix of Merlin (pressed sleel in wooden sleepers, probably not available any more) and Peco.  A quick check of the specialist press will give clues as to what is available these days.

Garden Railways and The Manband.  How many more minorority interests can I get in to...

[Rob W]

Garden Railways and The Manband.  How many more minorority interests can I get in to...

You can support BFC..... that's a minority interest !!!

[Pete T]

Garden Railways and The Manband.  How many more minorority interests can I get in to...

You can support BFC..... that's a minority interest !!!

..and NWS Foodlink, go on, google it..

[Jules]

Garden Railway - Talking O or larger then.

16mm Narrow Gauge on 32mm track is the intention. Just in the planning stages currently, so looking forward to a whole new world of skills to be acquired.

Get the biggest shed you can afford/site. It still won't be big enough..

Yep, I was thinking along the same (ahem) lines . Trying to find the balance between affordability and usability. Has to suit multiple purposes, workshop, garden equipment store, railway stock store, bar, gentleman's refuge, so size may be everything.

Why do you need a shed?  All you need is a cupboard for the engines, stock, fuel etc.  The rest stays outside - cuz it's a garden railway...

Mainly because I don't have workshop space inside the house nor a garage. Plus, a man should have a shed, it's the law.

Sorry to hear about the Tay Bridge incident.

shipla (what the bl**din' ells that?)

It's shiplap, after someone's taken the p.

[Nick Nation]

Some articles here: http://www.modelrailforum.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=51 and here: http://www.modelrailforum.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2471 which may be of help.

Others will claim that there's no substitute for a proper brick-built room due to the extreme heat variation, condensation, creepy crawlies, wet patches, sound proofing, security, electricity, fire risk, etc with a wooden shed. Try this: http://www.onehouse.co.uk/theshed.html

Some have an optional circuit round the edges of their garden which can be used on a dry day.

[Dave Bardsley]

You can support BFC..... that's a minority interest !!!

I don't think I could cope with that.  Supporting Everton is probably enough and we have to play BFC in the Carling Cup soon.  You did mean Brentford didn't you?

16mm Narrow Gauge on 32mm track is the intention. Just in the planning stages currently, so looking forward to a whole new world of skills to be acquired.

That's what I ran.  They were starting to call it SM32 but times may have changed.  Excellent for pretending it's a Welsh narrow guage line, or for scaring the c**p out of the cat sleeping on the track.

[Colin Salter]

I see the artist formerly known as Oric is 0-0 on the karma front.

I don't really understand the karma thing - probably why I'll be coming back next time as an ant ... or a Phil Collins fan .. or a garden railway sleeper ...

[Martin Daughton]

It's shiplap, after someone's taken the p.

If there's one thing we are good at it's taking the p

[Andrew P]

I'm currently deep into shed building territory; 17'x9', built from Travis Perkins and D G Heath (Pontardulais) best timber stock. Lucky my brother in law is an experienced carpenter and lucky he likes doing this sort of stuff because he has practically taken over the construction side, leaving me with the groundworks and passing up any tools he drops.

We have used real railway sleepers to form a perimeter foundation, filled the space in the middle with several tons of road scalpings, and made a floor from 6"x2" CLS joists sheeted with 3/4" exterior grade ply. Walls are 4"x2" CLS at 14"/16" centres. Apex roof from same material, sheeted with exterior grade plywood. Eventually the roof will have 2 layers of bitumen roofing roll and the sides will be done in shiplap, insulated with Kingspan panels inside and lined with plywood. Then we'll get to grips with fitting doors, windows, security, electrics and internal fittings. So far the projected cost is in the £2k region, vs. many times more than this for something less bomb-proof.

I did say to the good Mrs. P that a garden railway would look nice running around our house, and that was the reason for the shed dimensions. She didn't discount the idea, whereas she has totally put her foot down against me filling it with vintage motorcycles (although there will be quite a few old bicycles in there once it's done).

2011's project by way of appeasement will be a greenhouse, but that should be a piece of p!ss compared to my gentlemen's refuge.

Should we perhaps have a "shedhead" category in the Manband Forum?

Oh, and the shed will have some nice big speakers in it so I can play Man tracks (there - made it - a reference to Man and sheds)