[Tdreabe]

I am expecting(Hoping) to get my first large engine this year when Accucraft makes deliveries of the C-18. As those engines will require more space than my indoor loop will allow, I had better snatch up that permitted land my wife agreed to before I do something to upset her.

Last year I purchased 6 cases of track from Accucraft, anticipating the this build and fearing the price increase that has happened. Their 332 Flex track was selling for $4.15 a foot last February,(same price I was getting used stuff off ebay) currently their website shows $7.33 per foot.

I have been studying construction materials and methods for my elevated layout. I have found a great deal of inspiration from Peter Spoerer's Youtube video and his Elevated Layout.

My plan was to copy his design of PVC posts on 4 foot centers with 1x4 Stringers, 3/4 inch plywood on top. While looking around for reclaimed materials I came across some 4 inch SCD 80 PVC in 5 foot lengths for $5 each. Quite a bargain in today's economy, especially since my target elevation is 24 inches and I hope to have 36 inches in the ground. They're already cut to length!

While in the yard for this surplus store, they had 8 to 10 foot lengths of 4x6 x3/16 wall Fiberglass beams for $12 each. My plan is to simply hole saw into the fiberglass to make sockets for the pvc posts.

What luck, for less than the cost of lumber, my frame will be made out of materials that won't decay. And stronger. I have been looking to find another material I could re purpose to make the 16 inch wide decking and have a permanent (won't rot away) rail road structure. For now I have an abundance of hardwood pallets free to me that I will use, Paint with preservative, then cover with roll on roofing.

My layout will be built in stages, and in a manner that allows additions that I don't even know of yet. I have a general plan of all the features I want infrastructure wise. But the first step an all variations is a double mainline loop around the outside.

My curves will be 12' 4" and 11'8" radius, it will be mostly rectangular, overall 45 foot wide by 75 Foot long. The long straight next to the garage inside the loop will eventually be a depot/switching yard. The opposite side against the woods will be a curvy straight that follows the edge of the current grass. I plan to have the track 6-8 feet from the garage so I can eventually have it as a covered patio area for steaming in the shade/out of the rain. The layout will stay 12 feet away from the fence.

They are hard to see, but the orange Fiberglass driveway markers are inserted as the centers of my 4 main curves.

Hopefully in the next few days I can get better pictures with a hose showing the path of the mainline. And within the next few weeks I can start digging post holes after the frost is out of the ground. Tomorrow I will call diggers hotline. I know the only thing back there is the power line, so I need it know where I'm going.

Updates to come.

 

[Tdreabe]

I have seen several versions of the telescoping pvc legs. The one I like is using the reducer fitting that is split and then tightened with a hose clamp.

My initial plan will be to set the posts into the ground since those blocks will eat at my budget. The manual post hole digger will just eat at my short term comfort but provide long term benefits. My posts will socket into the beams, so I will have up to 4 inches of vertical adjustment.

This week I laid out some stakes to outline my curves, I also had the utilities marked. Tonight I had the laser out to plan the grades and elevation. I managed to discover my yard is flat as a pancake. The deepest depression to the highest rise is 8 inches across the whole area. Along the planned track route the variation is only 4 inches.

I was about to dig my first post hole when my son had very compelling arguments why I shouldn't.
"I want to play with Thomas."

While no more progress was made on the Railroad, it was a very productive evening in other respects.
This is that video.

This Video Shows my son demonstrating our whistle on the air compressor. Rather than fit whistles on smaller locos, I think I should just rig a radio and servo to this whistle.

Hopefully this weekend I can get some posts up.

 

[Tdreabe]

I like those telescoping pipes.. I may end up beginning to replace my 4x4s with those over the next set of years.

While looking for an example of the telescope method I like I came across these.
Telescoping adapters.

If I could find, or have someone fabricate, something like that in the 4-3 inch range. I think there are a lot of people whole would be very interested.

This could work. If you had enough engagement to keep the slip connection straight.

These are what I originally envisioned modifying to use a hose clamp to tighten the slip adjustment. But at $20 per fitting, with 70+ posts. I think I'll keep researching for what to do if my 4 inches of built in adjustment isn't enough.

 

[Tdreabe]

Tdreabe, in post #6 you mentioned digging post holes. That is the method I used, buried treated 4X4's 24" and have never had to make any height adjustments, and no platform shifting, in place since 07. Takes a bit more work, but I think a time saver in the long run.

I just dug my first post tonight. All of them will be 30+ inches in the ground. The digging is supper easy after you get through the top soil. I live in super sandy soil, I mixed a little water with the sand I dug up so filling the hole was easy while keeping the post perfectly straight. I used a fiberglass driveway marker to stir the slurry to remove air pockets.

Wow, you guys use wood like it grows on trees!!!!!

Actually, I'm using the current wood prices as justification for materials that are not going to degrade over time. Even treated lumber will start to rot in 20-30 years.
At work (Family business) we have pvc plumbing and fiberglass components that has been exposed 24/7 for 40+ years with no deterioration.

I want to find a permanent decking material, but with my current budget reaching limits, I plan to use pallets from work (free) with some preserving paint ($50-$100) to make my decking. I also plan to cover the deck with roll roofing like steamers in the UK do.

 

[Tdreabe]

I live in a fairly sandy soil, so drainage is excellent

My drainage is excellent, until about 34 inches. Depending on the season and recent weather, that the ground water table. PVC is my only choice if the bottom will be regularly submerged.

 

[Tdreabe]

Today's work started slow. First thing I had to do was re stack all of my PVC to get access to the fiberglass beams.
Once I had the beams I drilled one with the 4.5 inch hole saw for the PVC pipes. Turns out I'll have to split the beams at every post. I made a jig to offset the holes as needed.

It took me a couple hours to figure it all out. Once I figured out my system I started moving at a good clip. My chief helper went back inside for his nap, he found it fun to push my dirt pile back in the hole as I dug ....
I think I could set 2 posts an hour, during nap time.
Running straight is simple. The curves will present a challenge to tackle once I get to one.

So far this is my progress.

 

[Tdreabe]

Between a week long trip to Georgia for a family wedding, bad weather, and crossing some other things off my list, (building a sandbox, new tool post and chuck on the lathe....)

I finally had a nice afternoon to make some progress on my railroad. The civil engineer in me also had it out for the design engineer, also me. As soon as I completed the calculations and drawings for an 11 foot primary radius, I decided to make a go on a land grab and up the radius to 15 foot. The bureau of Land Management and Live Stock caught on to my plans and negotiations lead to a net 0 change in square footage. The straight section against the garage that will eventually have the switch yard stayed the same length. The radius was increased 4 feet through out, the length of the back stretch was shortened accordingly. It is now going to resemble a trapezoid more than a rectangle.

Here's my progress.

My efforts are doing the survey markers was twice as much work. My construction assistant tended to pull the markers

Hopefully I'll get a chance to do more work this week.

 

[Tdreabe]

Even though the weather has been cooperating, I haven't had too many opportunities to set posts, when I do, I've been able to it down to 15 minutes a post.

The back stretch (right side of the photo) has a jog in it to fit the flow of the yard and break up the straight line.

I found that standing on top of the propane tank gave me a good perspective.

I have thought about what I'll deck it with but I think I've decided on pressure treated deck boards. I looked into many options and for the cost vs benefit. I've seen 20 years out of treated lumber decks. The synthetic lumber decking I've looked into would be over $3000 for my needs. Maybe in 15 years those numbers will become more realistic.

Just an update. By the end of next week I hope to be done setting posts and starting on the decking.

 

[Tdreabe]

To keep the decking from warping I added 'sisters' underneath on curves. I have only had to replace one piece that warped despite all additional support. Pic of underside.

I do plan on adding sister boards like you have.

 

[Tdreabe]

Haven't had a chance to set any more posts since my last update. We had a heat wave and that sparked a fury of activity on other aspects of the rest of the yard since my wife and kids spent more time outside, my hunny do list grew. And the power company dropped 3 trees in my yard for me, so I had those 20" trunks to buck and stack off the grass.
I don't know how much it weighs, but an 18" long by 20" round white pine log that is still green, is more than I can lift.

Tonight I was able to do some destructive yield testing on the fasteners I plan to use on my decking.

This is a general layout of my mainlines. They will be spaced 8 inches between centers. The deck will be 16 inches wide total. The heavy pencil lines outside the track denotes that dimension. I have considered reducing the amount of space from the outside track to the edge, but I keep having terrible thoughts of a consist having a derailment and tumbling to the ground.... And 16" is a good number when most my lumber options come in dimensions of 4 ft multiples.

I centered my body weight on the"edge" of the board to see if the machine screws I used would take the pull. They held.

When I stood outside the dimensions I could start to hear the sounds of impending failure.
I am confident that my system will work especially since I plan on having sister boards to help distribute the load to neighboring boards.

I need a good few days to finish my posts then I'll get my decking material.

 

[Tdreabe]

Tyler - I heard you on Model Rail Radio podcast recently. Any further progress on the construction?

Thanks! Great to know there are other large scale people listening.

I haven't taken the picture yet but I have finished setting my PVC posts. I have a 12 foot gap at the far end of my garage that I am building a 10 foot drawbridge for. I hope to finish the structure for that this weekend so next week I can start my decking.

My work season is starting and I'm hoping to get at least one loop down before the end of next week, since free time will be imaginary until September.

 

[Tdreabe]

We had a storm go through, my wife called and said a branch landed on my railroad. I replied that at least it's not finished, I can easily replace some structure.

She admitted that she was just kidding to see if I would get home faster.

I finally have pictures of all of my PVC posts in the ground with the fiberglass beams. Every post is the same height with the aid of a rotary surveyor laser. The posts are not in cement. It bears my weight with out moving. But a mallet will allow me to pound them deeper, slowly. And a rope and implement jack allow me to raise them. Correcting for height changes in spring, if any, should be of minimal effort.

All curves are standardized at 15 foot radius, even the S-curve along the woods.

I started visualizing what the deck will look like once I start attaching it.

The top surface will be about 16 inches wide with 8 inches between track centers.

This is where I plan on building my drawbridge with a 10 foot span so that I can get equipment from the driveway, along the side of the garage and into the inside of the layout. In case I need a lift to trim trees or a backhoe to make a pond/Mountain.

I've stated construction of that bridge. It won't be a scale replica or pretty model based on prototype. It will be functional over form. I will get those photos up as I have time.

 

[Tdreabe]

how far down into the dirt are your posts, and what is the frost line depth?

Are the post ends cut square or angled?

Also, I get how you can pull the posts up, do you intend the bash on the track to lower them?

Greg

Posts are 60 inches long with 22 inches target height. 38 inches dept +- 4 inches due to ground elevation changes.

Frost depth is about 3 foot in this area. But depending on recent weather my ground water table is about there too. The white fence in the background is about 3 winters old now, not moving yet. Same depth.

Posts, fence and track, are a hollow square cut.

While I may be neanderthal in some respects to problem solving, I have many options available to me. My initial attempts will include a 2x4 laying on the deck between the mainlines over the posts and using a rubber mallet on the 2x4. If that proves fruitless, then the worst case is removing the structure in four or five foot sections. They simply rest on the posts semi socketed, with about 4 screws per span holding them from voluntarily lifting off the posts. As of yet I have not used any screws to secure anything yet. Once the decking is on, if they don't want to move, I may not secure the beams to the posts at all.

 

[Tdreabe]

How are you attaching the square pieces to the round PVC upright?

In one of my earlier posts I detailed with pictures how I use a hole saw to put half round notches in the bottom at each end. I originally wanted the posts to socket in, but the posts are wider than the beams. Right now there are no fasteners. The beams are just set on the posts with half round notches. Eventually I will screw the beams to the post. The screws won't bear any weight, just prevent them from lifting off.

 

[Tdreabe]

Just an update.
Like I've explained in other posts, my career in Agriculture doesn't allow much free time to work on anything from June through the beginning of September. But this last weekend I did get a chance to enjoy the backyard layout with the kids helping me with my construction, where I left it over a month ago. This fall I'll have to retrace a few steps. Its all worth it.

Here is a video of my daughter helping.

 

[Tdreabe]

I finally have had an opportunity to do some physical work on the layout. Attached are some pictures of the Sono tubes I placed for my drawbridge foundations. This weekend I hope to pour the cement. In doing so I realized I had to remove one of the PVC posts I had already set. The video shows my son demonstrating my method for adjusting track height if needed in the future.

This bridge is hopefully the last big hurdle/project before I start adding the decking and track.

Here is that video. If I need to go down with a post, a rubber mallet and block will allow me to tap it deeper.

More progress to come as the summer work season continues to slow down.

 

[Tdreabe]

I have dug the last post hole for the far end of the Drawbridge. Since this post will be supporting the end of a 10 foot span and subject to impacts if the bridge doesn't come down softly, I am setting this post in cement. The top beam and the saddle for the bridge are attached on threaded rods giving me the ability to adjust almost 2 inches in each direction up or down if the post should ever move relative to the bridge tower.

The PVC post in the ground nearest the camera had to be driven a few inches deeper to match the level of the bridge.
This next picture shows how far I am off elevation wise after 224 feet and following curves using just a torpedo level.

Roughly 5 inches.
I also purposely set my bridge tower 1/4 inch lower than the rest with the plan that I will drive the rest of the posts down a little to match.
Once my concrete is cured a day or so, I will set up my rotary laser and set my grade around the whole loop.

Then comes decking.

 

[Tdreabe]

I haven't updated on all of my progress recently.

I have my bridge structure installed, I still need to install cable and lift rigging.

Once I was done with that, I leveled all of the posts using my rotary laser and a rubber mallet to pound them all to match the lowest post.

Finally, I could start fixing the decking. To make things straight and square on the straight sections, I stretched a string, then used a t-angle from a garage door opener to butt the boards against.

On the curves, I used the tripod for my laser and a 16 foot deck board. The curves are actually faster than the straight sections to attach the decking.

 

[Tdreabe]

I ran out of picture space on the last posts.

This last picture is where my progress is now. About half way through putting the decking on.

I used the board and tripod as a protractor to draw the center on the curve, and the centers of each mainline.

The pressure is on for me, Accucraft announced they'll begin shipping the C-18 in November.

 

[Tdreabe]

That looks very well thought out and the decking gives it a very nice look. I have been watching your progress since near the beginning post. Thanks for the updates! I am looking forward to seeing the rail go on. Are you putting in switches to cross over to inner and outer lines

Thanks for the kind words.
Yes, my whole plan includes cross over, switch yard, turn table, round house, sidings in other 'towns.' I am approaching this in stages. My first big step this year will be the main loop construction, track will be just the outside loop and a long siding. Once my yearly allowance resets I will get the rest of the track for the inner loop and maybe some switches.