MY INTEREST IN LIVE STEAM in O Gauge stretches back to 1988, when I attended the Langley GOG show. Clarey Edwards demonstrated a diminutive 0-6-0 locomotive easily hauling 10 coaches around the test track. So, after a break for study of some 10 years from railway modelling, I knew not only that live steam was possible in 7mm scale, but also that that was what I wanted to do.

Being from the Northeast, I was pleased to discover Slater’s made kits of the NER P7 hopper wagons. Then I discovered the renowned Model Engineer designer LBSC had produced a design in 1¼in gauge (ie O Gauge) of the NER T class (LNER Q5) locomotive, which he named NETTA. His detailed step-by-step instructions enabled me to make a working locomotive. On joining the Guild, I learned of Eddie Cooke’s articles in the Gazette. Some kind soul supplied photocopies, for which I am very grateful. They are still available in the Live Steam book from the Guild Shop on the web.

Naturally after producing a working live steam locomotive, you want to see it strutting its stuff at the head of a train and the garden is ideal. Shortly after completing my NETTA, I built a small oval of track, on breeze blocks mounted on edge. Steaming up meant sitting down on the ground so this was not ideal, but it did enable me to build it into a rockery. After domestic agreement, an extension down towards the house was planned. With the natural fall of ground, this would mean the steaming up would have been at a much more convenient height.

However, before I could build the extension, we decided to move. In the summer of 1995, we viewed many properties considering location, accommodation of the property, and most importantly whether a garden railway was viable.

Many of the usual consideration for a garden railway equally apply to one built for live steam. In addition, the track should be continuous and level with generous curves. With many 7mm live steamers being manual control, this allows you to stand back and enjoy the run of your engine without continually needed to adjust the regulator. However, the steam-up area should be at a convenient height – especially for those of advancing age.

Direct rail connection to secure storage is invaluable to reduce the time to get up and running. If you host a get- together, then having sidings to hold non-running stock (both your own and visitors’) is invaluable. You can also run prototypically, with the locomotive raising steam in the engine shed area, then driving light engine to the storage sidings, and collecting its train there.

Over the years I have been fortunate to run and video on several garden railways (search YouTube for ‘O Gauge Live Steam’). To best highlight the design tradeoffs and decisions, I’ll illustrate using some of these layouts.

Chris was faced with a civil engineering challenge. While the garden had space for a double track oval and Y junction off to a steam-up area, with storage in the garage, the terrain did not look promising. There is a significant rise in ground level from the garage to the top of the garden.

However, Chris made this work in his favour. The steam-up area and train storage in the garage is at a convenient waist height. It’s a pleasure to exit the steam-up area and drive onto the oval with a train in tow. As the trackbed is nominally flat (minimal subsidence over the decades), I can usually get my engines to run without need to touch the regulator for several circuits.

Because of the slope of the ground, the land soon rises to meet the track, so it merges with the landscape. At the top the track is running through a cutting and Chris made a bridge, so the wheelbarrows can get to the far end of his garden.

A cutting introduces the problem of drainage – especially on clay. So, Chris has introduced culverts and even a single-arch bridge to allow the rainwater to safely run away from the concrete trackbed. Chris also had an eye to the appearance and introduced a reverse curve into the straight side of the oval. Its always a joy to a train snake its way through the cutting.

An alternative is a squashed oval configuration or dog bone, consisting of two loops connected together to provide the continuous run. The link section can be at one side thereby minimizing impact in the garden. Graham’s track starts in his garage which is also his workshop and continues up through a purpose-built building, which houses Abbottsdene station and MPD, before exiting into the garden. The steam-up area and Abbottsdene are at a convenient height for tending your engine and admiring the station/MPD. With the rise in the garden, most of the track is still at a reasonable height to get access to the locomotive controls. However, Graham had to sink the ground level in the top loop – the site of Crewchester station. The track is well integrated into the garden with the supports for the elevated sections hidden by Lonicera nitida. A magnificent curved viaduct and even a tunnel providing visual breaks to the upper loop.

Graham speaks more about his layout in Guild Video Library ID:39 and more recently for the GOG November 2021 Virtual show Steam on Crewchester on YouTube.

The summer of 1995 the Robinsons spent looking for a new house. The deciding factors were the usual – location and accommodation – but with the added requirement of a suitable garden to build a live steam railway.

Eventually we settled on a house with a redundant lean- to garage which could be converted into a workshop and a good-sized back garden. It took a couple of years getting the house straight before I could start on the railway. When surveying began in earnest, two things became apparent. Firstly, there was a gulley between the house and the garden itself, about 75cm deep and wide enough for a couple of people to pass. Building the track bed on the top of the retaining wall would make it at a convenient height for steaming up and getting to the engines.

The second thing was that the garden was nearly flat. I decided to go for a dog bone configuration. This meant that it was possible for most of the track bed to be at or close to ground level. However, easy access to the locomotive controls is possible for over 60% or a circuit.

There is great pleasure seeing your locomotive at the head of a train disappearing into the distance, only to return a short time later. With nearly dead level trackbed and 3m radius curves, there is little need to adjust the regulator. But the gulley provides opportunity to add water as necessary. Learning from Chris Lovell, I’ve incorporated several reverse curves to improve the spectacle.

Is a level track bed essential? Andrew has built an elevated dog bone track which curves round the garden border yielding some magnificent vistas. As both loops are double track with suitable points, it’s possible to run round them in either direction, which introduces multiple operational opportunities. From the civil engineering perspective, there is a significant height different in the ground between the two loops. For the track to keep a similar height from the ground, the loops are linked by a track with a 1 in 75 gradient. This means you need to drive your engine by opening the regulator when exiting the bottom loop for the ascent to the upper loop; and to close it when you get there. With my Q6 at the head of a train of hoppers, I imagine coming through South Pelaw junction starting the long climb up to Consett. Magic!

A well laid and level track bed with generous radius curves means you do not continually need to be worrying about your locomotive, which allows you to sit back and enjoy the spectacle. For the constructor, you have similar civil engineering challenges to the 12in. to the foot railway engineers, as you introduce bridges, cuttings and tunnels.

You can add operational interest by steaming out of the MPD to join your train. And even stop at a water crane to replenish supplies. I hope this article encourages you to get all steamed up in your garden.