I love the way you run the engine fast. Just something about watching those little giants pull with so much torque is amazing! And I love the track with the uphill and downhill grades. It's the best.
Very clever set up being able to run straight into the shed and be at an acceptable height to do servicing. I have a 1:19 grade on my own line at home and it can be a challenge. You've done well.
Genius ! Such a great hobby! Fell in love with trains at a young age , became a driver on the underground and have always loved old steam locos and the railways of Great Britain , steeped in British history around the world! Absolutely amazing !
Being a steam enthusiast myself, especially for The Flying Scotsman, I’ve always thought these models were really cool, anyway nice lil locomotive and stay safe
As an Englishman I'm sure you've heard the saying, "I bet your neighbours love you!". On this occasion it looks like they actually do! I was bought up around these model steam engines my dad builds them. He would love a garden railway. We are lucky to have several in our area (Leicestershire) our nearest being a few minutes a way. Subscribed.
Lovely to see the practical side of a home garden railway. I'm currently building a Polly I all on my own (as I'm nowhere near a club) so your channel and similar are essential viewing in my opinion. One aspect I have trouble researching is the building of the track. Can you do a video on how you build your track? rail type and size, sleepers connectors gauge setting and how do you tie the rail to the sleepers? Thank you
I'm please you enjoy the videos and learn something from them. Ironically if you look at the video where I'm selling up and leaving America I describe how I built the tack. ua-cam.com/video/N93D0b46CGg/v-deo.html
I ventured to a so-called 'club' and it was ordeal by fire so to speak YUCK ... can't believe their reticence and shallow indifference to my presence ie I'm highly skilled and well read. Don't worry, stand on yr own two feet .... you will thrive !!
RE: My previous comment. You have moved back to England from the US. I have watched a few more of your videos and now understand. Have enjoyed them all. Thanks for making and posting them, and all the best back in England.
Another great video - Like the fish pond too - is it new? - Making some progress on my Simplex rebuild and purchased a Poly iV now also - Running battery Locos just aint the same - keep them coming
I have absolutely no interest in this and have no idea why it was recommended to me. But watching your video was enjoyable and quite theraputic, so I can see why you enjoy the hobby. Just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to make such a quality video, one of those rare gems amongst the masses of dross!
I love the informative present in the video, I'd honestly love to own one of these types of miniature engines one day. At a curiosity, have you derailed on your engine? On another note, I like the shot you took of putting coal into the firebox while the engine was in motion. It was a nice video.
Thanks Thomas glad you enjoyed it. These little engines take some work to get going and run but they're very satisfying and i learn new things about driving it every time.
My friend has a 5 inch gauge Achilles which ran for about 3-4 hours one day and filled the smoke box half full with ash that had been pulled through the tubes the track which we run on has got some quite steep gradients on it so the locomotive has to work had around the 1/4 mike track.
I really enjoy your series of videos! I only have a humble little Gauge One Ruby that I've continued tinker with and improve through the years, but hope to do more in the future. I just picked up the Brian Wilson book and hope to eventually purchase a small lathe and mill in the future. Did you happen to chronicle the building of your garden railway? I would love to learn more about how you laid the track, how you kept the rail spacing consistent, what materials you used, and so forth. All the best, Dean
Hi, thanks for your comment. I didn't chronicle the building but I did film the lifting of it. We are moving. You'll see when that video gets uploaded how it was made. Just pressure treated 2x4's with slots cut in them and steel strips laid as rail. Very simple and it lasted 20 years.
Hi, the sleeper are pressure treated 2" x 4" with slots cut in them to make a tight squeeze on the rail which is black mild steel bar. That's all that holds the rails together and it's worked well for almost 20 years.
Thank you for your answer ! This seems to be a simplex ? How tight is the sharpest curve in your garden ? I'm building a speedy, it has a similar wheel arrangement/size and I'm worried it won't go round my new garden... 4meter radius would be the biggest I could fit and that would be a circle. 3m radius I could make a fairly intesting ovalish shape.
Yes, this is a Simplex, take a look at the other videos about the loco on my channel. I doubt your Speedy will get round 4 meters. My tightest curves are 25 feet radius or 7.5 meters.
Good afternoon sir, can you please tell us what radius your curves are? I'm considering a 5" loco as a future project and it would be good to know if it is feasible in my 50' wide space. It would be lovely to know why you chose a simplex over any other design?
Hi, I would say 50 feet diameter curved are a little too tight for a 6 coupled engine. 4 coupled would be fine. Could try removing the centre flange on a 6 coupled but you'd have to widen the tread on the center wheel for it to work reliably. My tack was 100 feet diameter curves. A Simplex? Because it was my first engine and I thought it was simple to make. It wasn't.
@@GandyDancerProductions it's just, you look a bit like someone I met at the club's annual meeting, I was just wondering if you were the person I met there :)
Hi Jordan, I made it from steel got from a scrap yard and fixed to pressure treated 2" x 4" wood ties from Home Depot. With a lot of hard work making the road bed.
Gandy Dancer Productions thanks that interesting to know, would love so see some more videos soon, it’s been a while, maybe something on track maintance or a visit to a public model club with ‘joan’
@@thevioletvalleyrailway346 My Simplex has a theoretical tractive effort (pull) of over 80 lb. It can't exert that much pull because it looses grip on the rails but by having a well timed well balance engine it can pull a surprising load. A similar engine 'Speedy' was reported pulling 2 tons in Model Engineering Magazine some years ago..
Oh hello again I realy want my own train but I am only 9 years old I realy need some information how to build a train plz help me or build a train and send it down to bidford so I can collect I realy want my own train your look stunning dude well done on the build and complete thx :(
Hi John, it takes many years to build locos and a railway on this size. I can't help you other than through these videos but you can join a local model engineering club. There's lots of them in the UK. They will have a track and blokes with a lot of knowledge running and building trains..
How wonderful - a SIMPLEX at work ! ! Here in southern Germany I am also running a SIMPLEX. I must say that this a quite tough and reliably workhorse ! My “DUTCHESS OF INVERNESS” is quite similar to your “JOAN”, besides an additional axle pump (you possibly did not mention yours). In preparation for the upcoming 2021 season I am about equipping my engine with an aditional steam-powered water pump, as being used at full-scale locomotives:
www.regner-dampftechnik.com/product-page/dampf-speisepumpe Like the originals, I can use stops for easy filling the boiler. Let’s have fun with our SIMPLEXs and STAY HEALTHY ! !
Hi Nielk, nice to hear about you Simplex. Does it look like a DB loco now? I Have an axle pump, to the design of Martin Evans, that has proved to be very efficient and reliable and two injectors. One works off the tanks that only works when the water is cold and that's really only at the start of a steam-up. The other supplied off an auxiliary tank which you can see under the coal and it's very reliable. I hope I'm able to get to run on as many tracks as I can this summer.
It's a good question. As Mr Simulator says it's the speed and the resonance of the blast in a small smoke box. The bigger the smoke box the gruffer the puff.
@@GandyDancerProductions in the us?? I'd like to know where and from who because I have a 2" allchine from britan and it would be expensive getting it shipped from the uk to here I'm in minnesota..
@@charleskendall6401 I lived in New Hampshire and got my coal from Aubuchon Hardware, 125 Washington Street Dover NH 03820, Call 603 742 2064. The anthracite was difficult to light and keep alight without a strong draught so I mixed it with blacksmith coal. Hope this helps. I would think you can find a supplier closer to you.
@@GandyDancerProductions Thanks, my other guess was 1/12 so i suppose i was almost right. Maybe i missed it but would it work fine on charcoal as well?
the track ads challenge to lawn care but i don't care, for me, it's worth it.... i probably put in 100 hours of garden care per 1 hour of making steam. next year i'm putting in a tiny scale village for the grand kids and i'm thinking about a brigs powered locomotive for them to play with.....
It depends on the coal I'm burning and time in steam. In the US I used mainly soft coal that was smokey so cleaned the tubes every time. Back in the UK I burn a harder coal used in gravity feed central heating boilers that burned cleaner so i only clean the tubes every other run.
Looks like great fun, even with the coaling of hands and face. Was it not possible to avoid such drastic grades or is that the challenge you were going for ?
I didn't has a choice the garden raises over 10 feet between front and back and putting in a tunnel wasn't an option. It does make driving the engine an interesting challenge.
I love the way you run the engine fast. Just something about watching those little giants pull with so much torque is amazing! And I love the track with the uphill and downhill grades. It's the best.
What a lovely garden and a lovely loco to go with it!
Nice way to keep in touch with the neighbours. Your loco is beautiful, and your channel quite superb.
Thanks for your comment, Philip, much appreciated.
Gandy Dancer Productions you‘re most welcome!
Very clever set up being able to run straight into the shed and be at an acceptable height to do servicing. I have a 1:19 grade on my own line at home and it can be a challenge. You've done well.
Genius !
Such a great hobby!
Fell in love with trains at a young age , became a driver on the underground and have always loved old steam locos and the railways of Great Britain , steeped in British history around the world! Absolutely amazing !
WOW Never seen a rig like that. Fantastic hobby. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Being a steam enthusiast myself, especially for The Flying Scotsman, I’ve always thought these models were really cool, anyway nice lil locomotive and stay safe
Makes me wish that I lived next door.......i'd be hassling you constantly for a ride. Superb!
Love the "tick"-ing noise her exhaust makes
Вохс
Thanks for your video. Its so relaxing. From Hong Kong **
As an Englishman I'm sure you've heard the saying, "I bet your neighbours love you!". On this occasion it looks like they actually do! I was bought up around these model steam engines my dad builds them. He would love a garden railway. We are lucky to have several in our area (Leicestershire) our nearest being a few minutes a way. Subscribed.
Wow! What a place! :-D Love the fish too. :-)
It needed a lot of hard work of yours. Hats off to you Sir.
Amazing that a small locomotive can do so much. Nice to see the Missus on board even if only for a garden inspection.
Can't wait to see what you have in store for the future. Keep it up!
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooh. That's one Heck of a gorgeous railway.
I love your channle so much, and i hope you never stop making videos about your trains!
Lovely to see the practical side of a home garden railway. I'm currently building a Polly I all on my own (as I'm nowhere near a club) so your channel and similar are essential viewing in my opinion. One aspect I have trouble researching is the building of the track. Can you do a video on how you build your track? rail type and size, sleepers connectors gauge setting and how do you tie the rail to the sleepers? Thank you
I'm please you enjoy the videos and learn something from them. Ironically if you look at the video where I'm selling up and leaving America I describe how I built the tack.
ua-cam.com/video/N93D0b46CGg/v-deo.html
I ventured to a so-called 'club' and it was ordeal by fire so to speak YUCK ... can't believe their reticence and shallow indifference to my presence ie I'm highly skilled and well read. Don't worry, stand on yr own two feet .... you will thrive !!
I am a kid that is very interested in steam locomotives and you have inspired me , my dream is to one day have a backyard railway
I had the same dreams when I was kid too.
RE: My previous comment. You have moved back to England from the US. I have watched a few more of your videos and now understand. Have enjoyed them all. Thanks for making and posting them, and all the best back in England.
Great show! Really enjoyed it. Thanks
Bother lovely video mate really enjoying all the stuff your doing keep it up, love the mic work you have. Really makes it feel like your there 🙂
this is exactly the set up i want if i ever win the lottery! this is amazing!
Another great video - Like the fish pond too - is it new? - Making some progress on my Simplex rebuild and purchased a Poly iV now also - Running battery Locos just aint the same - keep them coming
Thanks Richard. I must say I do enjoy a quick run round in the evenings using my gas mechanical loco but steam is so much more exciting.
Great movie! I have seen it a lot of time! Very exciting, stay safe and cheers, Fabrizio
Love it! One day I may do the same with my 9F. Thanks.
There's nothing like the satisfaction of running your own loco and dreaming you're out on the mainline.
@@GandyDancerProductions wehre arm theoretisch eng ins from
@@GandyDancerProductions wehre arme the lock from
@@GandyDancerProductions ?????
@@Stony-fh5cj I built the engine myself from plans in Model Engineering Magazine many years ago.
Would love to see some new videos. I enjoy watching them hope to see them so. And happy railroading.
Very well filmed and edited, a brain in charge!
Great video & wonderful track!
This guy's living the dream here.
I've just found this by chance, and I have no regrets
Beautiful layout. Cheers!
That loco is such a runner!
I have absolutely no interest in this and have no idea why it was recommended to me. But watching your video was enjoyable and quite theraputic, so I can see why you enjoy the hobby. Just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to make such a quality video, one of those rare gems amongst the masses of dross!
Hi, thanks for you comment I appreciate it.
Congratulations from France!
Wow, that engine is amazing!
So cool. :)
Thanks for the video! :)
I love the informative present in the video, I'd honestly love to own one of these types of miniature engines one day. At a curiosity, have you derailed on your engine? On another note, I like the shot you took of putting coal into the firebox while the engine was in motion. It was a nice video.
Thanks Thomas glad you enjoyed it. These little engines take some work to get going and run but they're very satisfying and i learn new things about driving it every time.
Omg, my dream was presented in this video! 😍🚂🔝
Beautiful!
Hell man that's pretty damn cool 🧐..👍
somehow stummbled across your channel, liked and subed!
I’ve just bought my first live steam loco 😁 only a little one but have to somewhere 😀
This is really good! Why doesn’t this have more views?
Great videos. Could you tell me what tool or how you created the sleeper slots for the rails? Thanks - Liam.
I used a dado blade in a saw table. It has an adjustable wobble to cut slots a various widths.
@@GandyDancerProductions Thanks for your response.
thank you for sharing this id love to understand the engineering involved in making that
One of the nicest Simplex i've seen.
My friend has a 5 inch gauge Achilles which ran for about 3-4 hours one day and filled the smoke box half full with ash that had been pulled through the tubes the track which we run on has got some quite steep gradients on it so the locomotive has to work had around the 1/4 mike track.
Where can i buy one of those
nice locomotive and a good run , but are you sure you are burning anthracite? not the best choice of fuel
Thanks for the info. So blue is not bad then? So less smoke is better ?
Enjoyed your Edge Hill loco shed film from 1968. Is this in America?
Nice video mate and good commentary too.
ThatLooks like the tiny times to take a job
Another good one. I'll still honour the promise to give you a tour of mine in the UK.
Thanks Dan, I look forward to it. How is the track coming along?
Gandy Dancer Productions Very early days yet but I'll let you know. Groundworks required are very significant!
Where and how do you get one of these trains? And how much do they cost?
This is a beautiful locomotive and if I could buy this cheaper than three thousand dollars I would be the first
probably won't find any engines in 1" or 1.5" for under $3000 in good condition, even most G scale live steam is unfortunately more expensive...
@@jamesm6638 unfortunately yes those locomotives are very expensive and that’s why I can’t afford them if they are more than 3 grand
@@gripping_crystal4982 well, keep saving I guess, you'll get there eventually
do you treat the boiler water? even with fairly soft water it seems like hardscale would be a problem
Thats amazing, id love to do this but i have no idea where to start.
Hi dear friend. Do you know how to tell me where to find the small oil boxes that you see mounted everywhere on your loco?
Hi Jacques, I made them myself from thin brass sheet and miniature hinges bought at a hardware store.
It’s realy good job! Thank’s for this information. always a lot of fun watching your videos
you actually built a superheater for your model steam engine? that's some dedication^^
Amazing i think it's awesome
I have a question where would you purchase such a locomotive
There are a number of sites that sell engines like 'Station Road Steam' and 'Steam Workshop' plus check out 'Live steam locomotives' on Ebay.
I really enjoy your series of videos! I only have a humble little Gauge One Ruby that I've continued tinker with and improve through the years, but hope to do more in the future. I just picked up the Brian Wilson book and hope to eventually purchase a small lathe and mill in the future. Did you happen to chronicle the building of your garden railway? I would love to learn more about how you laid the track, how you kept the rail spacing consistent, what materials you used, and so forth. All the best, Dean
Hi, thanks for your comment. I didn't chronicle the building but I did film the lifting of it. We are moving. You'll see when that video gets uploaded how it was made. Just pressure treated 2x4's with slots cut in them and steel strips laid as rail. Very simple and it lasted 20 years.
Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. I hope that you will have space at your new location to continue steaming.
HERMOSO!!! QUIERO UNO PARA MI!
Lovely loco (Simplex ?)I wondered how are the sleepers, made of wood, fixed to the rails ?
Hi, the sleeper are pressure treated 2" x 4" with slots cut in them to make a tight squeeze on the rail which is black mild steel bar. That's all that holds the rails together and it's worked well for almost 20 years.
oh I see, so the sleepers are well under the ground level at 4" thick ? Never thought of this, nice thank you !
Thank you for your answer ! This seems to be a simplex ? How tight is the sharpest curve in your garden ? I'm building a speedy, it has a similar wheel arrangement/size and I'm worried it won't go round my new garden... 4meter radius would be the biggest I could fit and that would be a circle. 3m radius I could make a fairly intesting ovalish shape.
Yes, this is a Simplex, take a look at the other videos about the loco on my channel. I doubt your Speedy will get round 4 meters. My tightest curves are 25 feet radius or 7.5 meters.
Did you made the whole system
Hi Sunitha, I did make the whole railway, trolleys and engines.
i'm watching a real Donald Duck - Out Of Scale. love it.
The train looks like thomas
Good afternoon sir, can you please tell us what radius your curves are? I'm considering a 5" loco as a future project and it would be good to know if it is feasible in my 50' wide space. It would be lovely to know why you chose a simplex over any other design?
Hi, I would say 50 feet diameter curved are a little too tight for a 6 coupled engine. 4 coupled would be fine. Could try removing the centre flange on a 6 coupled but you'd have to widen the tread on the center wheel for it to work reliably. My tack was 100 feet diameter curves. A Simplex? Because it was my first engine and I thought it was simple to make. It wasn't.
Great video!
Thanks.
Get steam up quicker with less water in the boiler. Once you got enough pressure to function, you can use some to add water later.
Lovely! This may sound like an odd question, but do you have any links with something called 'the Bristol Austin seven club'?
Funny you should ask I do know two members of the Austin Seven Club.
@@GandyDancerProductions it's just, you look a bit like someone I met at the club's annual meeting, I was just wondering if you were the person I met there :)
Lovely railway, are you in Kent??,well presented.
The track you have laid, is it something you made or brought?
Hi Jordan, I made it from steel got from a scrap yard and fixed to pressure treated 2" x 4" wood ties from Home Depot. With a lot of hard work making the road bed.
Gandy Dancer Productions thanks that interesting to know, would love so see some more videos soon, it’s been a while, maybe something on track maintance or a visit to a public model club with ‘joan’
How many people do you think this engine could haul on a level.
Probably over a dozen with a dry rail.
@@GandyDancerProductions are you sure the simplex is that strong?
@@thevioletvalleyrailway346 My Simplex has a theoretical tractive effort (pull) of over 80 lb. It can't exert that much pull because it looses grip on the rails but by having a well timed well balance engine it can pull a surprising load. A similar engine 'Speedy' was reported pulling 2 tons in Model Engineering Magazine some years ago..
A mix of fish and trains (there’s nothing better)
Where did you get this locomotive?
I built it myself.
Oh hello again I realy want my own train but I am only 9 years old I realy need some information how to build a train plz help me or build a train and send it down to bidford so I can collect I realy want my own train your look stunning dude well done on the build and complete thx :(
Hi John, it takes many years to build locos and a railway on this size. I can't help you other than through these videos but you can join a local model engineering club. There's lots of them in the UK. They will have a track and blokes with a lot of knowledge running and building trains..
I said I'm 9
I'm 9 not 21
omg! is it G sales? really want to know if u made it or bought it?
No it's not G scaler which is 45mm wide. This is 5 inch gauge much bigger.
You should have sat your passenger on the loco - called it a saddle tank ! More weight on the driving wheels that way !
that's just too cool
Beautiful! Where did you get that locomotive?
I'd love to have a railway at my home. Maybe someday.
He builded it
How wonderful - a SIMPLEX at work ! !
Here in southern Germany I am also running a SIMPLEX. I must say that this a quite tough and reliably workhorse !
My “DUTCHESS OF INVERNESS” is quite similar to your “JOAN”, besides an additional axle pump (you possibly did not mention yours).
In preparation for the upcoming 2021 season I am about equipping my engine with an aditional steam-powered water pump, as being used at full-scale locomotives:
www.regner-dampftechnik.com/product-page/dampf-speisepumpe
Like the originals, I can use stops for easy filling the boiler.
Let’s have fun with our SIMPLEXs and STAY HEALTHY ! !
Hi Nielk, nice to hear about you Simplex. Does it look like a DB loco now? I Have an axle pump, to the design of Martin Evans, that has proved to be very efficient and reliable and two injectors. One works off the tanks that only works when the water is cold and that's really only at the start of a steam-up. The other supplied off an auxiliary tank which you can see under the coal and it's very reliable. I hope I'm able to get to run on as many tracks as I can this summer.
Great fun. 👍
The train is an E2 class btw nice train
I've never met an electric blower I really liked. So terribly noisy.
Amazing!
Cool, Why does the steam train sound like a diesel at times?
it is just the way the beat of the exhaust sounds at speeds.
It's a good question. As Mr Simulator says it's the speed and the resonance of the blast in a small smoke box. The bigger the smoke box the gruffer the puff.
May I ask where you get your anthracite??
Hi Charles, I phoned around and found a local hardware store that sold it.
@@GandyDancerProductions in the us?? I'd like to know where and from who because I have a 2" allchine from britan and it would be expensive getting it shipped from the uk to here I'm in minnesota..
@@charleskendall6401 I lived in New Hampshire and got my coal from Aubuchon Hardware, 125 Washington Street Dover NH 03820, Call 603 742 2064. The anthracite was difficult to light and keep alight without a strong draught so I mixed it with blacksmith coal. Hope this helps. I would think you can find a supplier closer to you.
he is fast!
Lovely! What scale is it, 1/8?
It's 1:11 scale just over 1 inch to the foot.
@@GandyDancerProductions Thanks, my other guess was 1/12 so i suppose i was almost right. Maybe i missed it but would it work fine on charcoal as well?
@@UncleFester84 Charcoal would probably work but you'd have to be feeding it a lot more frequently than coal.
Are you in the UK? I didn't realize our coal went overseas. That comes from the mountain behind my house!
the track ads challenge to lawn care but i don't care, for me, it's worth it.... i probably put in 100 hours of garden care per 1 hour of making steam. next year i'm putting in a tiny scale village for the grand kids and i'm thinking about a brigs powered locomotive for them to play with.....
1/6 scale layout estimated value 17,000 per loco lowest price per feet of track 50 ish
Muito legal!!!
Do you clean out the tubes after every firing
It depends on the coal I'm burning and time in steam. In the US I used mainly soft coal that was smokey so cleaned the tubes every time. Back in the UK I burn a harder coal used in gravity feed central heating boilers that burned cleaner so i only clean the tubes every other run.
Looks like great fun, even with the coaling of hands and face. Was it not possible to avoid such drastic grades or is that the challenge you were going for ?
I didn't has a choice the garden raises over 10 feet between front and back and putting in a tunnel wasn't an option. It does make driving the engine an interesting challenge.
What coal do you use? Is it steam coal or housecoal?
From my knowledge, he uses a mix of anthracite (which is a hard coal), and bituminous (also known as black smith's coal)
Is it housecoal he mixes it with?
Is the bitumous he uses normal housecoal ?