Maxitrak blog

Maxitrak welcomes 2019

2019-01-09T12:37:45+00:00

Firstly we would like to start this post by wishing all of our Maxitrak customers, old and new, a happy new year. With our 40th anniversary having just passed it is because of our fantastic customers that we can continue to do what it is that we love doing. What is it that we love doing? Well bringing you fantastic new locomotives of course!

We are kicking off 2019 with a big yellow (and maroon) bang in the shape of our EM Baldwin diesel locomotive. These engines were constructed by EM Baldwin and sons of Castle Hill, New South Wales, Australia.
The company supplied smaller locomotives for industry from the 1950s to the 1980s. Designs included shunting, mining and tunnel locomotives but the most common surviving engines were built for the Queensland sugar industry. At this time the extensive 2ft gauge lines were changing from steam to diesel traction. EM Baldwin built a large number of the replacement diesels to a continuously evolving design, to the extent that there are hardly two alike. Engines and gearboxes varied depending on power requirements and supplier’s delivery dates etc.
The usual sugar industry livery was bright yellow with red and white striped buffer beams, many enjoyed further enhancement with coloured stripes and panels giving the modeller many opportunities to customise the standard colour scheme.
Many of these engines are still hard at work in the cane cutting season and form the backbone of the largest surviving 2ft gauge industrial railway system in the world.

Our showroom locomotive 'Borcknel', (No the name doesn't mean anything, it was a plate we had spare and has now become a bit of an inside joke.) made it's debut at the SSME meet at Leatherhead just before Christmas.

The big yellow monster definitely turned a few heads and quickly got to work pulling people around the track. With the ability to pull up to 8 adults on level track it has double the hauling capacity of our 5" Planet.

When we were deciding on how we could improve our loco we decided a vinyl stripe in green and the Caterpillar badge would be an interesting choice, but as with the real-life engine, the customisation options are only limited by your imagination. We have also been working on the optional extra of the smoke machine. It certainly adds a bit of flourish.

Thank you to everyone who has sent us their pictures and don't forget you too can share your photos by emailing them to Info@maxitrak.com with the subject line 'Share Station'

Share Station - GL5 Appearances

2018-07-03T09:37:30+00:00

It's hard to believe the sun is still out, what fantastic weather for getting out and running your maxitrak locos.

We recieved a lovely email from the satisfied owner of this lovely Class 25 who ran it at GL5 in Lincoln at the weekend. What an absoloutelyfantastic set up with all those wagons. It really goes to show that our locos have some pulling power.

It's always great to see these trains out and doing what they were built to do, especially when they look as good doing it as this one does. The Class 25 is one of our popular 5" gauge electric engines and features a wealth of detail.

Not only were we represented by the lovely Class 25 but there was also the apperance of one of our brand new Brush Shunters. This one has been kit built and finished to an amazingly detailed standard. I particularly like the plain yellow as oppesed to the standard wasp striping we usually see on this model.

Thank you to everyone who has sent us their pictures and don't forget you too can share your photos by emailing them to Info@maxitrak.com with the subject line 'Share Station'

Getting off Track

2018-06-27T11:56:24+00:00

A Maxitrak Blog

The year 2008 was celebrated by extending the line at the top end across the lawn. As I intend to get to the top part of the garden the gradient had to be maintained across this section which was far from flat in the first place.
I started by marking the line of the track across the bottom of the lawn using a spade to put in two track bed edge lines following the desired curves. From here a section of grass was removed every ten feet or so. The earth was removed down to track bed level by eye, this was then followed up using the laser level. A peg was then driven in to the ground to mark rail level, and the track bed level adjusted to match. Each peg was given a rise of about two inches to get the correct gradient.
The rest of the grass was taken off and reused on embankment sides and the earth dug down to the track bed level guided by the pegs. As the next part of the construction needed embankments there was no problem using the excavated soil. The only hold up was that this part was through some very dense undergrowth that needed clearing before the soil could be tipped.

The resultant track bed was some distance below the grass level giving a cut soil edge in places nine or ten inches deep. I had some problems with soil erosion encroaching on the track in the rockery cutting and could for see problems here as well. The solution was to cut under the grass, fold the turf back, slope the soil down to track level and then replace the turf. This gave a nice grass slope down to rail level, it reminded me of the hidden wall used in stately homes to give an unobstructed view from the house but stopping the cattle from getting in to the garden and eating the flowers. I am told this is called a
“ha ha”, but my version only conceals the track and gives a safer edge to the cutting for children. The path the line had been following from the loop peters out near the pond so a fresh path was laid giving a short cut round the pond. The path crosses the line so as to give access to the lawn and hopefully to stop little ones walking through the rockery cutting.

Progress on this part was slow as dark evenings meant that work was restricted to weekends only. However we had track sufficient track down by early March to give us some running in the last of the winter snow flurries. The first anniversary of construction found the line starting on the embankment built from the lawn excavation. At this point we are quite near the bottom loop but have gained about two feet in height from this section. The exact height is difficult to judge due to the dense nature of the undergrowth but this all adds to the scenic appeal of the line when glimpses of different vistas appear and then disappear as you travel along.

The next section of track was though dense undergrowth, and needed a considerable amount of clearing. In addition the ground level fell away making all of this section on an embankment. Just to add to the interest there was a tree stump in the way, this had been a large poplar tree about twice the height of the house. The tree was in an unstable condition and was felled about four years ago but the stump was still very solid and only responded to being chipped away with an axe over an extended period of time. Fortunately the track only skirted the edge of this stump so the bulk of it remains firmly in place.

Some smaller trees and bushes were transplanted or simply uprooted, I like to transplant as much as possible though thanks to my gardening skills there is a good chance some will not survive.
The ground, once cleared, was covered in a layer of leaf litter. This is too soft to take the embankment so had to be cleared as well, however in keeping with the philosophy of reusing as much as possible I have found this a useful commodity for making paths and covering the edges of the track underlay. It is very light and washes away after a time but blends in well when it is there, and you get a fresh lot every year!

Dead Mans Gulch

2018-06-12T12:07:21+00:00

A Maxitrak Blog

I decided to use the same section of angle for the girder construction so as to keep the same look to the complete bridge. The ends of the girders are supported on two towers each consisting of four upright angles with diagonal bracing. These were stood on bricks standing on the sub soil in the same manner as the A frames. The two girders were then welded up with the top angle extended. This was then bolted to the top of the towers at each end, the ides is that each welded section is bolted to the next so the bridge can be disassembled if necessary and is also not too heavy to be put in place by one person.
The girders and towers are actually quite light and can easily be carried in to place.
The next section of track was welded up using extended heavy duty sleepers on the girder section, spanning across from girder to girder. This had to be aligned carefully as the track is curve over the bridge. The sleepers alone are not enough to hold the weight of the train so a diagonal brace was put in under every second sleeper transferring the weight to the bottom of the girders on each side. To prevent the girders spreading under the load a second lower brace was put in between each girder. This has given a strong light construction to the bridge section, there appears to be minimal deflection regardless of the weight put on the bridge.

It was suggested I should invite a few stout friends for a ride to test the bridge for strength, in the event I used bags of ballast (more easily replaced than friends). The end of the bridge only required two more A frames to match up to the end of the existing embankment. The shorter of the two is the only part of the bridge to require any additional maintenance, as it was put in the embankment it did not reach the hard sub soil and has needed a bit of extra packing under the brick foundation.
The safety boards on each side of the track were extended over the bridge with a wider section on the girders where the track curve makes the bridge wider. It only remained to make a slight realignment to the track on the embankment and we were able to run the whole line in one go, about two hundred and fifty feet end to end.

Once complete the bridge was inspected by the family, “I’m not going on that! You know I get vertigo” was my wife’s comment. My daughter announced that Maddie was not going on it as it was too dangerous. My mum enquired what I was going to do with the hole, when I replied put rocks and ferns in it she suggested I leave out the rocks and put in some nice soft bushes to land in. As we have started to run trains attitudes softened, and everyone has now ridden the line including the bridge. All in all this section of the line has given the least trouble and required the least maintenance. Derailments are very rare on this section, christened “dead mans gulch” by the family, may be because everyone sits very upright and holds their breath on the high trestle.