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Garden Railways magazine has a helpful list of considerations prior to a garden RR construction.
What was not listed, for me, are two crucial considerations:
Your evaluation?
1 - Absolutely, that's absolutely, make sure you can walk on the track to maintain the garden. This is, of course, what most of us experience after we build. Who would think we would have to walk on our track?? The big surprise is when the removal of plants and debris off the rails means stepping on track that may gradually sink into the gravel-based roadbed. There are options for stabilizing our roadbed. Me? I simply laid the track on brick segments, then filled in a 5" gap between the bricks with leveled walking-strength mortor mix. The track was then dropped onto the nearly wet cement, wiggled so the ties would capture holding space into the concrete, then lifted out for the concrete to harden with the tie imprints ready to again receive the track when hardened. The outcome: We then gained a walking pathway throughout our garden while the track stays in place while expanding and contracting as it wishes.
2 - Before construction, first choose the most likely vantage point for the garden railroad. This vantage point is crucial to prevent the look-and-see-and then look-away as the family or guest's conversation moves to another topic. BIG discount! What's the point? Simply, if the garden railroad can be seen in one glance -- that means no head movement, just a quick stare -- the event then is similar to looking at a static fish aquarium or a painting. A dog-bone shape that book-ends a corner of the yard or with the layout wide enough from the vantage point so it can't be seen in one glance is helpful to prevent the glance-'n-talk response. If seen without any viewer's head movement, the problem of boredom results from the action of the train not require any action on the part of the viewer to follow it .
Sound crazy? OK, I remember two layouts whereby this concept was avoided. The layout is still just an isolated entity in the yard that makes no annimation enhancement to dinner al'fresco or other gatherings of family -- it was negotiated off to a corner in the yard out of view from the gathering point on the patio! The other example could be seen in entirety with one static stare. The resultant response was "Hmmmmm. Neat! What else have you been doing?"
Yes, I am dogmatic. There's nothing like the construction, the debut, and then the "We've all seen the trains! Dinner time!" Make the railroad last as a feature DURING dinner as the effort annimates the yard and is an enhancement that garners continual attention.
Your thoughts?
Wendell
What was not listed, for me, are two crucial considerations:
Your evaluation?
1 - Absolutely, that's absolutely, make sure you can walk on the track to maintain the garden. This is, of course, what most of us experience after we build. Who would think we would have to walk on our track?? The big surprise is when the removal of plants and debris off the rails means stepping on track that may gradually sink into the gravel-based roadbed. There are options for stabilizing our roadbed. Me? I simply laid the track on brick segments, then filled in a 5" gap between the bricks with leveled walking-strength mortor mix. The track was then dropped onto the nearly wet cement, wiggled so the ties would capture holding space into the concrete, then lifted out for the concrete to harden with the tie imprints ready to again receive the track when hardened. The outcome: We then gained a walking pathway throughout our garden while the track stays in place while expanding and contracting as it wishes.
2 - Before construction, first choose the most likely vantage point for the garden railroad. This vantage point is crucial to prevent the look-and-see-and then look-away as the family or guest's conversation moves to another topic. BIG discount! What's the point? Simply, if the garden railroad can be seen in one glance -- that means no head movement, just a quick stare -- the event then is similar to looking at a static fish aquarium or a painting. A dog-bone shape that book-ends a corner of the yard or with the layout wide enough from the vantage point so it can't be seen in one glance is helpful to prevent the glance-'n-talk response. If seen without any viewer's head movement, the problem of boredom results from the action of the train not require any action on the part of the viewer to follow it .
Sound crazy? OK, I remember two layouts whereby this concept was avoided. The layout is still just an isolated entity in the yard that makes no annimation enhancement to dinner al'fresco or other gatherings of family -- it was negotiated off to a corner in the yard out of view from the gathering point on the patio! The other example could be seen in entirety with one static stare. The resultant response was "Hmmmmm. Neat! What else have you been doing?"
Yes, I am dogmatic. There's nothing like the construction, the debut, and then the "We've all seen the trains! Dinner time!" Make the railroad last as a feature DURING dinner as the effort annimates the yard and is an enhancement that garners continual attention.
Your thoughts?
Wendell
