Peter hopefully we will meet on the 2nd November - if not definitely on the 13th and I will show you a layout of what I plan and I very much look forward to seeing your layout - looks impressive in the photos I've seen. damage, landslips, and burrowing animals (remember the dreaded moles) thus There is low risk of washouts, flooding, standing water around the posts, or extremely cold winters. by DickH Mon Oct 28, 2013 7:52 pm, Post These versatile higher). the purpose(with at least 5 years life)and readily available from where it is free to expand and contract according to the ambient weatherconditions. If you wish, your helper may splash some water into the hole after it (loosely following the manufacturer's instructions for the mix). When frost surrounds a post that is "squared off, the horizontal presure on the sides helps overcome the vertical pressure that might other wise cause the post to rise. go round corners) you may find the following references of particular. In other words, if your garden railroad fantasy includes the notion that you can run trains any time you want to, without having to go through a bunch of track maintenance every time, this is one of the best and least exensive ways to achieve that. raised Note: As an example of the maximum possible length for these things, my friend Will Davis has a long straight section of raised railroad with 2x6 stringers supported about every 48". or strimming it is often worth spraying the ballast with a diluted PVA glue If there Distances can vary if the material section is adequate. modellers spend a lot of time and inordinate effort recreating the physical planks (or decking board, gravel board, etc) fixed to 75 mm square tannalised it is generally known) in place of timber to very good effect. It is, unfortunately, normal for a piece or two not to be centered very well onto over the appropriate post, but as long as there aren't too many mismatches, and the stringer overlaps the post by at least an inch in each case, consider it a successful installation. ___ a five-gallon bucket or a garden hose attached to a water supply. Divide the number of pieces of track that make up a circle into 360 degrees. However the principle applies to any track circle you buy, as long as you are using the correct template. The other two were made for 4'-diameter track and have been used for clinics and temporary open railroads. elevated sarovar hyderabad aparna propertywala nallagandla project layout the basic principles are capable of being applied to any scale or gauge: Another Another way of looking at this is to note that this project requires about the same tools, intelligence, and effort as installing a few feet of fence. difficult to bend round curved sections. You can still see a couple, if you look at his web pages, though. landscape. Secondly, Click here to see an article about that railroad, built in 2007, and still set up every November. Maintains as smooth a right-of-way as possible, minimizing derailments and track power "hiccups" on 4-wheel locomotives. used offer extreme strength and durability combined with reduced weight which allows These versatile While these Garden Railway Technical Help & Advice, http://gardenrails.myfreeforum.org/about7200.html, http://www.filcris.co.uk/blog/tag/recyc -products/. Planning Your Garden Railroad for High Reliability. either on a raisedplatform or bed. This method is especially useful if you are using parallel tracks on separate, but adjacent stringers; you can simply use a horizontal bit of 2x6" as a "beam" under both stringers. In areas where When you are If settling soil, a burrowing animal or a rainstorm washout rearranges the dirt around and under the track, the track will stay usable, so you can still run your trains while you are repairing the "cosmetic" aspects. of roofing felt or other protective material to the top and sides for (pressure treated) wooden posts sunk into the ground or into proprietary heavy be recycled!). You also needto takeaccount layout the basic principles are capable of being applied to any scale or gauge: Handi-Block On my first "permanent" garden railroad, shown at the right, I had a small ground level loop and a very large raised section. I have tried to run my trains at layouts that are lower and it just does not work for me. A hack saw that will cut the rail you are using. common method is to build on a raised base of 5" (130 mm) wide flat timber The live steam crowd almost always use elevated layouts. (click each hyperlink in turn) and whilst the articles describe an O Gauge The length of each post depends on how high you are raising your railroad and how deep your frostline is. between the ballasted roadbed and any lawn makes it far easier to mow and keeps Retirement has its benefits if only I can afford the railway! you feel comfortable with and will hold the track in place. roadbed is much less susceptible to ground shift, erosion, flooding, frost available). can do to achieve realism or your imaginary railroad empire. pier which can be used as alternative to traditional concrete piers when building Most garden railroad track comes twelve to a circle. filled to bed in the track. Whilst we are the subject now is the time when you might give due Using the template you printed earlier, measure and cut the horizontal pieces you need from the 2x6s. proprietary weed-killer and then line with either a plastic or rubber membrane Chris, I understand your position on the sustainability of plastics used outdoors and in theory it makes sense. Wil did me the favor of going out in January to photograph an example for me. plank will help to keep the ballast in place. railroad masterpiece. for these solutions (especially the flexible HDPE Roadbed technique which does Use a 2x2 to tamp the backfill in as firmly as you can. A note So if you are building a temporary O72 railroad using FasTrack, you will probably use this template as well. Thinking of having it elevated 2' 6" - 2'9" off the ground and a bit higher at the rear as I have a slight slope to the garden. USA although I have seen them in DIY supermarkets in the UK. To be on the "safe side," some folks (especially those counting on concrete really hold things in place) like to do the posts one day and the stringers (horizontal pieces) the next day. damage, landslips, and burrowing animals (remember the dreaded moles) thus Low maintenance. Dick, you and I live within the same geographical area so probably experience similar ground conditions. This includes most track that makes a 4' circle, a 5' circle, and a 10' circle. Note: Though it isn't recommended for outdoor use, traditional American Flyer S gauge track and much of the track that comes with HO train sets, also take 12 curves to a circle. building skills. If you are working in cold weather, consider getting the kind that sets in cold temperatures. Composite as Even if you count in the price of a ~$30 post hole digger. Depending on what you are trying to achieve with the final appearance of your line, you have many options available in construction materials which could be used. stone will not lock into place and continuously shift. Even the "Flexible Roadbed" method can't do that, unless you install weed barrier underneath the roadbed as you backfill. with holes for drainage) or lengths of weed suppressant blanket designed for Also, since I first wrote this article, I have built three portable raised railroads that used 5/4" decking instead of 2"x6" planks. will be wise to choose a level which involves the minimum amount of excavations Establishing you line at ground As you continue to put your subassemblies together, you may wish to fasten a plate to one end of each subassembly before you start fastening them each to posts. But even that method uses 2"x6" pressure treated roadbed similar to this method. is an ultra-light weight cellular concrete. How you fill any "empty" space between the ground and the raised roadbed is addressed later in the article. However our method needs a couple of specialist tools. spirit level to make sure the track is just that. Why Some quite a bit of work but you don't have to tackle it all in a day. The assembly may still have a little up-and-down "wiggle" when you've finished; but remember, the whole thing will be supported by posts every so many inches eventually. Thanks for all the advice - I certainly want to try and do it "right first time". Note: If you didn't use concrete to set the posts, or if you think you may want to adjust the grade later for some reason, consider attaching 2x6" blocks to the posts and using those to support the roadbed. If you have any images of your railroad construction that you'd like to share or any tips or other things I've left out, please get in contact, and I'll publish whatever you have. So if this is the right math for your area, it probably means you'll be buying one 4"x4"x8' for every two posts you need, which should give you plenty of extra for "leveling" the finished roadbed. time and make full use of any "free" building materials that 3" of sharp ballast (shingle, crushed rock, chippings, or anything you can foundation. A (You will probably have to take one railjoiner off the track to do this; that's okay; this will make a better joint overall.). maximum rigidity you can also attach longitudinal supports Not all of the dirt will go back into the hole, but get as much packed back in as you can. it is generally known) in place of timber to very good effect. If you are using 10'- diameter curves, consider using at least one post for every piece of curved track. The following diagram conveys the basic principle: Carefully In the railroad I'm building now, there are two separate, level, raised sections (and hopefully a third some day). bending down which can be an important consideration for those who are not in The unique construction materials A 9" bladed angle grinder to cut steel. last many years so go for thestronger, more rigid plastic or metal lawn Using something cheap, but functional, like used concrete blocks, to hold your backfill, then using a mix of real rocks and. Wear old pants and shoes you don't mind getting muddy. by DickH Thu Oct 24, 2013 4:07 pm, Post We have almost reached the stage where you can Read the instructions carefully, though, particularly the part about not burying the DekBlocks, and don't plan on your posts to stick out much more than a foot beyond the DekBlock, unless you devise a method of crossbracing. A package of aftermarket rail joiners (sometimes called rail clamps) that screw onto the rails without the rails requiring pre-drilled holes. Just goes to show you that there are many good ways to build a railroad. Bear in mind that the actual track itself is (I doubt it would work as well with a more flexible roadbed such as HDPE, though). If you are interested in the potential When things finally look like you hoped they would, wipe the track clean, put on a locomotive, and let it go slowly around the track. shanghai PVC guttering (which has the added benefit of being waterproof). So if you want your railroad elevated 24" and the frost line where you live is 18", each post will need to be around 42" long. Only mistake - we used torch on felt. can always encase everything in concrete but you are not building a house so and off you go. Make the desired "worked in" effect and remove any excess ballast. Thanks for your replies: Your knowledge of these materials is most helpful ,it seems to me that a combination of gravel boards ,exterior ply with wooden posts is the way to go. There really is no limit to what you Nothing should be higher than durable and weatherproof track you need to provide it with a solid foundation. Note: Though it isn't recommended for outdoor use, Lionel's O-72 FasTrack "half-pieces" also take 16 curves to a circle. It is generally advisable to use a small the track slightly to ensure a firm connection with the ballast. Whether you leave the roadbed raised above its surroundings or backfill up against it, this approach. all the switches and lights, etc. They learned a hard lesson the next spring, when the posts were pointing every which way and the track was all distorted. Print the templates in "landscape" (sideways) mode on your printer. Hi Im in a similar position as Dick H ,ie age group and wanting a raised line.I noted in Sept Garden Rail a mention of using 75 mm Square plastic rain down pipe, for up rights; Ive been toying with this idea with plastic fascia boards for the track base. should you opt to build a raised railroad when a ground level one would seem to (If you you want to check your printout against an actual protractor, please do so.). Most garden railroad track that makes an 8' circle comes 16 to a circle. the wrong colour and catches the eye for all the wrong reasons - garish ballast Next lay Sometimes you can just agitate We used redundant scaffolding poles, a couple of lengths of 1" x 1/4" angle to form the adjustable Ts and we used whatever board came to hand for the track, roads and buildings base. And after fifteen years of weeding my old railroad (which was only partially raised), I'm more of a believer in using solid lumber roadbed than I've ever been. All information, data, text, and illustrations on this web site are Copyright (c) 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 by Paul D. Race. It seems to me that if you follow less onerous. We have found that "deck support blocks" can work well in areas where you might not want to dig. higher than the thickness of the board) screwed or nailed into the sides of the Hi everyone - two questions for a new bee that wants to build an elevated track. planks (or decking board, gravel board, etc) fixed to 75 mm square tannalised If you are using 4'-diameter curves, you could theoretically get by with one post for every two curved pieces, but some folks prefer a few more posts than that, since they feel that the horizontal boards require more support because of the sharp curves. Deck blocks are a good approach, here is my layout: A forum community dedicated to G scale model train owners and enthusiasts. We have almost reached the stage where you can Note: If you live where there is no frost at all, you might consider a solution using DekBlocks or some similar method for your "foundation;" if you do that, you will not save much money, but you will save time. by Peter Butler Mon Oct 28, 2013 10:28 pm, Post Some folks just leave the concrete dry and let it get wet and "set up" later when it rains or the water table raises. You may find yourself running jumper cables to get maximum voltage to the far end of the track. using various types of Recycled Plastic Wood (or Plastic WoodComposite as As always, I want your feeback; please let me know what is helpful, what is confusing, and what shortcuts or "gotcha's" you'd like me to pass on to our readers. by jim@NAL Mon Oct 28, 2013 9:22 pm, Post On the other hand, if you're really cramped for space, just experimenting for now, or you're thinking about having a dinky mountain train circling the waterfall four feet off the ground and adding another, bigger railroad a foot or two lower, you may find a 5' or even a 4' circle fits your needs. running in the shortest possible time. You might consider a raised layout Now isn't it easier just to use the little templates? use of existing wall and fences to attach a roadbed. On the other hand, the stringers that support the curved pieces of track have to be cut at the correct angles. noticed thatseveral modellers writing in the model press and forums have described Your back and knees will thank you. Skillwise, this article is a "step up" from the 1-Day-Railroad project, in which a loop of track and enough plants and buildings to dress it up are installed at ground level. a shallow trench (about 4" deep should normally suffice and about twice by DickH Wed Oct 23, 2013 8:57 pm, Post When you are satisfied with the position of the stringers, remove the track and center 1x6" plates over the junction between the pieces. You'll be surprised how fast the whole process goes once you've done a couple. back problem you will prefer the layout to be at a convenient height that Everything screwed together for maximum strength. By the time your stringers and plates are attached loosely to the posts all the way around, you should be able to tell if any more adjustments need to be made. 24" - 36" (as close as 18" on curves). Written by Paul D. Race for Family Garden Trains(tm). Update from 2009: - When I built my first railroad this way, I used the "upside-down-method to reduce the number of screw-holes visible from the top when the roadbed is assembled and to make it easier to center the "plates" where they needed to be. the purpose(with at least 5 years life)and readily available from Fred doesn't exactly build decks, to support his railroad (although some of his railroad yards almost qualify). with standard woodworking tools (to accommodate other dimensions) making it a Once you're sure how many pieces of your track make a circle, download and print the appropriate template. In the future, I hope to add a section on variations that have been used successfully; however I didn't want to add too many of those variations in the core article; it's quite long enough. If you use flexible track or require more rigidity in the It is free to join and is funded through voluntary contributions by its members. Of course, you could just lay some pre-. solution (adding a few drops of your favourite washing-up liquid) to stabilise Take your My preference would be ground level but I do have a slope to contend with (haven't surveyed it yet but I'd guess maybe 2' difference from one end to other). Some But the cross-bracing on their decks keep the whole lumber structure solid enough so that it rises and falls as a unit, and possible inequalities in the amount of frost heave under individual piers, are overcome, by the sheer strength and weight of the finished deck. although conversely, some concealment is desirable as it can appearance over time as the elements get to work and the material ages environmentally correct and can sometimes react with the plastic sleepers) Now do the next post in each direction. At least one of your levels must have a "sideways" bubble that you can use to make certain your posts are vertical. be challenging work! Mig welder to form T brackets from angle. lay your hands on) which will 'knit' together. However, having used these materials for their design purpose, I doubt they would be up to the job you intend. particles or dust in the mix as this will actually help it to compact. As for Filcris,I thought it was expensive for what is basically a waste product. Posts need to be installed about every elevations of your chosen site. expensive (both in time and materials) and more difficult to case of "playing trains" as opposed to buildinga semi-permanent materials may be more durable they tend to be more expensive and certainly more of warning. naturally. wiring now rather than a later date. So if you are building a temporary railroad for those trains, you will probably use this template as well. A flat file to smooth any rail cuts you make. Cut one 10" board for every piece of roadbed you have cut so far. (In addition, you can use additional pieces of wood as horizontal supports for your track if you desire. The angle you use depends on whether the track you are using comes 12 pieces to a circle, 16 pieces to a circle or, in the cast of many O gauge trains, 8 to a circles. You'll have to get down and shoot some screws up through the plate into the stringer that isn't fastened yet. The best I can do is provide a brief rsum of most of the 
common method is to build on a raised base of 5" (130 mm) wide flat timber offer the simplest solution? Some are easier to work with than others (Many other methods force you to finish installing and tamping down the backfill before you can install the track. third reason often advanced is that it this method makes it easier to Since then, I've learned that most folks don't use an up-side-down assembly, and their finished roadbed looks as good and holds up as well as mine - after all, these 2x6 boards were designed to have screws shot through them from the top. Don't worry about finer stores and Garden Centres, or even some brands of cat litter to be popular methodsand leave it to you to carry out further research. new materials are virtually impervious to the weather and insects, donot forbidden. Then fill the trench with about ), In addition, raised railroads that use solid timber construction make it virtually impossible for weeds to disrupt your train service. will always look out of place and distract from the aesthetic look of your when I'm discussing starting to plan my garden railway. This can involve elevated tracks including zinc trays and even "U" or square profile The closest post is supporting two stringers that are beginning to diverge; hence the wide horizontal structure and extra support. When you are ready to build your ultimate empire, you need to look at that method. Here's mine, half is mounted to the fence, and the rest sits atop cinder blocks. selection of recommended website pages is to be found at the end of this go round corners) you may find the following references of particular interest (450 mm) offthe ground to achieve maximum visual impact. 
rot, don't need protective treating, reduce our carbonfootprint, and will the higher the railroad the closer it is to eye-level and the better the Yes, they rise and fall every winter in areas that have serious freezes. 6. the width of the track) below ground datum level. By the way, there's no reason you can't use "flextrack" and a railbender to create your own curves while building a simple raised railroad, but we are saving the railbender skill for another article. be recycled!). Paul D. Race, Editor for Family Garden Trains. Loosen the ties under the part to be cut and slide them out of the way. semaphore satisfying appearance. Then, using the level, keep the post vertical as your partner scoops the dirt back into the hole and begins packing it in place. sure that no ballast is high enough to foul the passage of any locomotive or the ballast as much as possible. the "Handi Block" from Featherlight Pre-cast Products Inc. in Alabama. If people will generally be seated when they watch the trains, a railroad that is 24 or 30" off the ground will provide fairly horizontal viewing while allowing little kids to see what's going on without an adult having to pick them up. If your line traverses several modellers have experimented with other more novel approaches to off-ground In this Thus it noticed thatseveral modellers writing in the model press and forums have described Reuse or republication without prior written permission is specifically tannalised wood (not creosote which whilst cheap is no longer politically or track you will need to employ some form of fixing at intervals. For some reason 4"x4"x8' pieces are a much cheaper per foot around here than 4"x4"x10' pieces. are trademarks of Breakthrough Communications (www.btcomm.com). landscape with tons of real rock, shingle, and earth whilst others make maximum Treat the channel with a The examples shown below use the smallest curved track pieces, which make 48" circles. Once you're certain you're "doing it right," feel free to cut the rest of the pieces you need in this size, and move on to the next size. They take 4x4 treated wood, or plastic pipe - which can make height adjustments easy. for these solutions (especially the flexible HDPE Roadbed technique which does Sledge and two way level to drive in section posts. Buying a few feet of pond liner and making an irregular shaped pond somewhere near or inside your loop. Just go with something that The "Horizontal Support" alternative method described in Appendix 1 provides more informaton on this alternative. Once I've snapped a horizontal chalk line from post to post and cut the posts to the proper length then a horizontal cross piece will be attached at the top of each post to support the horizontal surface on which the track will be laid (yet to be worked out). instability. ___ levels, incluing a little short one for leveling the roadbed from side to side, and a nice long one or a laser level for leveling the roadbed pieces from end to end. bridge railroad diy garden bridges track railroads projects trestles welding definitely rolling stock paying particular attention to any point blades. construct the roadbed and the best type of ballast to use (if any). For one of my temporary display railroads, I used 5/4" decking for my stringers, and 4x4" posts nailed to 12" pieces of decking to be the "stands." So you can do it right-side-up if it's easier or makes more sense to you this way. Overall, this method seems much more flexible and goof-tolerant, but slightly less attractive, than fastening the stringers directly to the posts. One was made for 10'-diameter track and it worked fine for two demo setups and teardowns.
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