I was certain I'd started a thread on this but cannot find it so I'll start a new one. Last summer I started collecting materials for my small starter loop of track. The only space I could justify was the unused garden to the right of the front porch. I first purchased some of the PVC trim board from my local Home Depot. Cutting the 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 into 1 1/2 in long blocks for spacers. I laid out the 8 foot sectional track I planned on using on a sheet of plywood and using blocks and clamps I managed to get both ends of the loop screwed together to fit my sectional track. I know this is backwards but it was what "I" was going to do.
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I
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did
I manage to get the whole loop screwed together before the snow started falling in Western NY but we had a somewhat early winter that never really let up. The roadbed overwintered pretty well with a little bit of pulling out of the screws on the apex of the curves on the outside.
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I moved the roadbed with some help several times this spring and summer. First to remove the sod to expand the garden and then again to till it and add in some topsoil. Then again later to put down weedblock and some black mulch. Sort of like owning a utility trailer that gets moved everytime you mow. (sigh)
Sa last week on Friday I took said trailer to the local ashpalt plant and got a load of CR1A crushed Limestone. This is all about 3/16 and smaller down to the fines. I have .87 tons loaded on the trailer hopefully to be unloaded tomorrow night. Last nights progress was to cut the PVC risers on the chop saw and start pounding them in place.
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In this shot you can see the first post placed in the starter hole. This post was the toughest of the 9 I did last night. It was the only one I hit a buried rock on. Here you can also see the "gauge" I made to space the roadbed about foot away from the foundation of the house and keep the ladder at a constant width too.
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The track leaning against the house has been split jaw clamped togetherfor a few months now & leaning there. It is TDV or A-line track that I took the ties off from and replaced with Aristocrafts ties for this loop. The straight sections are mostly Aristocraft 8 foot sections and they lay on the front porch.
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Here you see the tools and a PVC post. A 4 plus pound deadblow hammer on the bottom, a piece of the 1 1/4" ID PVC post simply cut off with no bevelling or angling at all. A Garden weeding tool that I used to poke a hole in the weedblock fabric below and also used as a drill to co-erce the rock below the first post to move. Lastly the hose to soften the dirt some since we've not had rain in about 4 weeks.
After the first post The rest of the posts simply needed a little water sprayed inside and around them to be able to pound them down. It was really dark by the time I was cleaning up and the bugs were chasing me indoors. I'll try to get shots of that tonight as I try to get the rest of the posts set tongiht. I may need to get some more PVC pipe though. My plan is to place some leftover roofing shingles cut down under the roadbed and then shovel the limestone ballast over the roadbed building up to the top and then lay track and top it iff with more ballast. I need to have the trailer empty by Sunday because I promised a lady I know that I'd help her move some furniture. So i will have that much completed by Saturday night at least.
I manage to get the whole loop screwed together before the snow started falling in Western NY but we had a somewhat early winter that never really let up. The roadbed overwintered pretty well with a little bit of pulling out of the screws on the apex of the curves on the outside.
I moved the roadbed with some help several times this spring and summer. First to remove the sod to expand the garden and then again to till it and add in some topsoil. Then again later to put down weedblock and some black mulch. Sort of like owning a utility trailer that gets moved everytime you mow. (sigh)
Sa last week on Friday I took said trailer to the local ashpalt plant and got a load of CR1A crushed Limestone. This is all about 3/16 and smaller down to the fines. I have .87 tons loaded on the trailer hopefully to be unloaded tomorrow night. Last nights progress was to cut the PVC risers on the chop saw and start pounding them in place.
In this shot you can see the first post placed in the starter hole. This post was the toughest of the 9 I did last night. It was the only one I hit a buried rock on. Here you can also see the "gauge" I made to space the roadbed about foot away from the foundation of the house and keep the ladder at a constant width too.
The track leaning against the house has been split jaw clamped togetherfor a few months now & leaning there. It is TDV or A-line track that I took the ties off from and replaced with Aristocrafts ties for this loop. The straight sections are mostly Aristocraft 8 foot sections and they lay on the front porch.
Here you see the tools and a PVC post. A 4 plus pound deadblow hammer on the bottom, a piece of the 1 1/4" ID PVC post simply cut off with no bevelling or angling at all. A Garden weeding tool that I used to poke a hole in the weedblock fabric below and also used as a drill to co-erce the rock below the first post to move. Lastly the hose to soften the dirt some since we've not had rain in about 4 weeks.
After the first post The rest of the posts simply needed a little water sprayed inside and around them to be able to pound them down. It was really dark by the time I was cleaning up and the bugs were chasing me indoors. I'll try to get shots of that tonight as I try to get the rest of the posts set tongiht. I may need to get some more PVC pipe though. My plan is to place some leftover roofing shingles cut down under the roadbed and then shovel the limestone ballast over the roadbed building up to the top and then lay track and top it iff with more ballast. I need to have the trailer empty by Sunday because I promised a lady I know that I'd help her move some furniture. So i will have that much completed by Saturday night at least.
