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Trackbed in the Pacific Northwest

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#21 ·
Chris,
It's good you have good drainage. If you don't and there is water in the trench and then you get a freeze,well not good. If you'd like to take a day and come visit I can give you quite a few pointers on what works and what doesn't here in the Northwest. Even buy you and yours lunch at our favorite little Italian place right here in Gig Harbor.
 
Discussion starter · #22 ·
Paul, thanks so much for the invite! It'll have to wait, unfortunately, as urgent chaos rules our lives at the moment getting things together for my daughter's birthday. We're having a post reception party here and we still have a lot to prep. I'd love to come and visit some time, though. Maybe later in the summer?
 
#23 ·
Hi Chris and congrats to Zena the Great.
Although you plan on having a simple track, once you put your trains on it, it will look simply amazing.:D

Looking forward to some pics this summer.

Tommy:cool:
Rio Gracie
 
#24 ·
Chris....I'm in the Portland area as well.. Gresham to be exact. I'm just getting ready..after years of planning and building other things..to lay track. I'm going to lay it on stained cedar attached to 3/4" pvc driven into the ground. It just rains way too much here, and the monsoons that we get at times along with the 60mph wind would lay havoc over time I believe.

I'll be starting a thread soon about the build.

Bill
 
#25 ·
I live in Shelton Washington. It rains like crazy all winter.

I put my track down on the dirt then I ballast it with a product I get from Manufacturers Minerals in Seattle called Bridge Topping. It is absolutely perfect size for scale ballast. I replace ballast in the spring. I just finished running for the first time this year and things ran well.

I have tried concrete roadbed but found it too difficult for the few benefits it might provide.

I have used 5/8th minus black rock which works pretty well for me. It packs down nicely forming a good foundation for track.

John
 
#28 ·
Portions of my layout (Portland metro area) were done using the trench method, but I paid strict attention to where drainage was needed, using culverts of electrical conduit. So far so good on that portion. BTW hard clay soil here.

Other portions are on PT wood (reclaimed from a play structure, so thus relatively straight after 8 years.) This part is supported by pavers laid on paver base, it held up well over the winter because we don't have the insane freezing like folks in Minnesota or wherever.

I think the key is to observe the micro-topography and try to imagine where the water will erode things. We do get some frog stranglers, as one of the Mariner's baseball announcers used to say.

And even then, nature will teach a thing or two. I looked out the window one day last winter and saw that while a culvert was draining things just fine, the flow of water was flooding my water feature, because I had not built a little berm high enough.

I do think you can use the trench and tamp method here, if you have a good drainage plan.
 
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Dean Whipple
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