Hi all. My original track was laid on pieces of decking. While firm, it was a pain to cut on curves, and doesn't look very prototypical. For my extension, I am thinking of laying on geotextile or pond liner with proper ballast. What size ballast would I need? How deep? Can geotextile be obtained in strips, or would I need to get a roll and cut it myself? Any advice from anyone who has done it this way would be welcome.
Advice needed on track extension.
- Thread starter Fairlie
- Start date
steve parberry
G Scale Trains
Yes done lots of times.
Geotextile 50mm ballast two layers 150mm deep then lay the track
Oh you mean in the garden
done that as well about 25mm deep alpine grit works well. its been posted before, you will find the post in the track section me thinks.
Make sure you check all posts from the begining and not just recent ones.
Geotextile 50mm ballast two layers 150mm deep then lay the track
Oh you mean in the garden
done that as well about 25mm deep alpine grit works well. its been posted before, you will find the post in the track section me thinks.
Make sure you check all posts from the begining and not just recent ones.
maxi-model
UK/US/ROW steam narrow gauge railways 1:1
Alpine & Horticultural grit and such like (small & sharp edged) works fine NOT pea shingle, 10mm gravel or similar (too rounded).
Check if you have a local agregates merchant nearby, could save loads on the prce - my local garden centre £4.50 per 25 kg bag, agregates merchant £1.50 per 25kg bag. Always keep a stock, as a the grit settles you will need to top up. You will be surprised how much you will use.
Invest in some metal lawn edging so your balast does not flow all over the garden, even if you want to improve soil drainage
My entire track, all 60 yards is laid that way, floating and spiked through to the soil every 3-4 feet. No prob's the past 6 years.
Max.
Check if you have a local agregates merchant nearby, could save loads on the prce - my local garden centre £4.50 per 25 kg bag, agregates merchant £1.50 per 25kg bag. Always keep a stock, as a the grit settles you will need to top up. You will be surprised how much you will use.
Invest in some metal lawn edging so your balast does not flow all over the garden, even if you want to improve soil drainage
My entire track, all 60 yards is laid that way, floating and spiked through to the soil every 3-4 feet. No prob's the past 6 years.
Max.
whatlep
Registered
I would use granite chippings sold as "6mm (quarter-inch) to dust" and about 4 inches deep from your nearest aggregates dealer. The granite is pointy and binds very well, particularly if tamped down with a shovel. The dust element acts like a weak cement, binding everything together very firmly, yet weak enough to allow train through and the formation to be loosened by a tap from a hammer. A textile membrane will help, but won't stop small weeds growing in the granite. This system worked fine on Ruritanian Railways Mk1. The granite even formed a curving embankment up to 9 inches high with no other support.
http://www.gardenrailwayclub.com/railways/ruritanian-railways/part-2---into-the-garden
http://www.gardenrailwayclub.com/railways/ruritanian-railways/part-2---into-the-garden
JRinTawa
Member of the Wellington Garden Railway Group
Here's my version of in ground on ballast track laying http://www.gscalecentral.net/tm?m=27429&high=H&MGR < Link To Track Laying on the H&MGR If you are in soils rather than our heavy clay then I'd definitely use some form of geotextile, a weed mat would probably suffice.
