VillageRail
Foreman
Posts:104
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 | | 05/13/2008 10:16 AM |
| It's one thing to build a railroad and then add a garden. It's quite another to build a railroad over an existing garden. My first dog leg loop was placed right in the middle of a spot where a heavy flower garden has been for years. The rain has been well above average over the last month, and there are flowers coming up everywhere in the tracks. A couple sections were completely covered in about two weeks. Right where the new loop is planned to go through. 
Paul | | | |
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lownote
1st Class Member
Arlington VA
Conductor
Posts:555
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| | 05/21/2008 7:54 AM |
| I ahv the same issue--I added a train to an existing garden. It's definitely better to plan the whole thing, garden and track, at once. My wife and I are looking at it as a challenge
My goal is to partly have the railroad disappear into the garden--I'm trying to make it less obvious and ore surprising. So if it vanishes into a clump of flowers I'm happy. We have a few sections where we aim for more realism, with plants scaled to fit. | |
Evading the Midas touch of expertise
http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/magic/westover/ | |
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VillageRail
Foreman
Posts:104
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| | 05/21/2008 1:14 PM |
| Since the last post, the old loop has now completely disappeared in the flowers. I've decided to elevate the new line under construction. Glad I didn't start a month ago, when it was going to be at ground level.
Paul | | | |
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aceinspp
1st Class Member
Conductor
Posts:684
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| | 05/22/2008 1:08 PM |
| | Even tho the 1 to 1 RR track floats its prone to the same problems we face in the garden RR. Rains will wash ballast away, sun will heat the track and cause sun kinks, cold weather will beak rails or cause joints to pull apart. So you are basically fighting the same elements. Just depends if your up to the challenge. I 'am and that just part of Railroading. All my track is floating and been in place 5 years with no ill effects. Little ballast once in a while and cross level the track. Seeing how I spent 45 years in the maint of railroad track all the knowledge is put to task. Later RJD | |
RJD Chief Engr D & S RR | |
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VillageRail
Foreman
Posts:104
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| | 05/22/2008 2:58 PM |
| RJD,
That puts you about 45 years ahead of the rest of us on the experience scale.
Paul | | | |
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Joe McGarry
1st Class Member
Galt, CA
Brakeman
Posts:86
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| 05/22/2008 3:36 PM |
| I decided to build my RR through the existing landscaping that came with the house. It's sort of a challenge to make the track fit the existing shrubs. So far I've got the elevated portion of a loop along the perimiter of the fence. Still have a lot of track laying to do, but so far so good. As for weeds and native plants coming up we put down weed cloth and give the whole area a dose of pre emergent weed killer (Preen) every six months.
I'm using redwood 2x6's for the elevated roadbed and some compacted dirt at the ends of the elevated sections. The elevated track is just floating in ballast with a little diluted Tite-Bond III along the edge of the ballast. The level track will be on a gravel base floating in ballast. We get a lot of sun here and often over 100f. temps in summer. The ballast allows the track a little wiggle room for expansion. So far no major problems except I may put an expansion joint in the long straight along the back fence. I'm trying to build scenery as I go. So far the track and roadbed is getting done faster than the scenery.
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gary Armitstead
1st Class Member
Burbank, CA
Foreman
Posts:411
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| | 05/22/2008 3:55 PM |
| Joe,
I'm designing an elevated track for my yard now, following a fence line. I would really like to see more photos of what you have done. | |
Gary Armitstead
Los Angeles Live Steamers
SA #4449 | |
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Kyle's Dad
Passenger
Posts:1
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| | 06/23/2008 10:54 PM |
| | I just went through the posts on this thread, some was very useful for thought, I have to deal with expansive soil so, floating might be worth a try. As I am in the planning stages, I am looking for advice on minimum radii for curves and turnouts. The project is for my son who likes Large steam power, of the 4-8-4 variety. I was given some modest LGB equipment which I will use for testing but, I know I better plan for the big locomotives, and probable long passenger cars that my son admires. It does not help that his favorite locomotive is the 4449. My location is Southern California. Thanks in advance. | | | |
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rsmproductions
1st Class Member
Reedley, California
Brakeman
Posts:16
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| | 06/23/2008 11:08 PM |
| I live in the Central Valley and after much research decided to go with a concrete sub-roadbed with Aristo track screwed in every three to four feet. It was installed last August and I haven't had any issues with the track. I put ballast in between the rails more for look than anything. I am happy with it especially since my 21 month old likes to jump on the raised bed and help me run the switches and generally cheer the train on. He, and I can walk on the rails without fear of damage.
I have mostly 10' radius and my Connie (much smaller than what you are planning) has no problem with it. My guess would be nothing less than this for you.
Good luck!!
Richard | | | |
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Skip
Ontario, Canada
Foreman
Posts:172
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| | 07/02/2008 11:25 AM |
| I use 3 different methods depending on the area: floated in ballast, mounted of 5/4 x 6 pressure treated and mounted on 2x4 steel channel over an area of lawn. Curves in the latter are made of short sections of curved ladder frame.
Of the three, the steel mounted has been the most stable. I primed and painted the galvanized channel before mounting the track. The track is anchored by sheet metal screws periodically as needed. This is noisier than wood plank, but only by a little bit.
The least satisfactory method has been the wood mounted. The planks are floated on bricks above ground and underfilled with 3/4 clear stone, but I've had to go through several boards to get the number I need that don't warp. When adding new track to this method I set the selected planks out for a month or so to see what they'll do, and use the ones that seem to behave. What doesn't, about half of what I buy, gets used in various yard projects. I may eventually replace the wood with the steel.
About 1/2 the line is ballasted floating track. I don't trench it. I clear the route and level the ground as needed, then I use 3/4 clear stone to build the road bed. Then I top it with crusher fines, smooth and level, lay the track, bed it with more fines, then water it in, and correct and back fill as necessary. It requires this backfill several times as the fines settle into the 3/4 stone. Very stable when its done, and the 3/4 stone builds height quickly when needed. The train will pound ballasted track into the ground, creating a wash board effect over a season (you can see the dipsy doodles with the use of a laser level mounted on a flat car), so a bit of maintenance is needed from time to time, usually using a old long thin carving knife to grade the track level (lifting the track), then reseating it.
Where I have the straight wood runs, I'm thinking eventually I will run ballast (3/4 stone + fines) and set the steel channel, painted an appropriate colour into the fines at grade level. Yes, it eventually will rust, but we're talking years and its easy to replace. | |
Paul
Greensville-Crook's Hollow Railway Company
building the finest mongrel short line in S. Ont.
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