Building an embankment

[GAP]

Due to ground subsidence (possibly where a tree was removed 3 years ago) an area of my baseboard sagged by about 30mm or more, this led to a large dip in the track with wagons uncoupling as the passed over the high points at either end and rainwater ponding in the low points in the centre.

Amount of sag

Initially I thought I was faced with the prospect of digging up the centre supporting posts and raising the base board to level it off.
Further inspection revealed that the lattice frame supporting the area had bowed in the middle due to the centre supports sinking so the whole section would require replacement. This looked like turning into a major bit of work.



Offending lattice piece

After a bit of thinking I came up with the idea of leaving everything in place and building an embankment across the area which would raise the track and make the it level.
I have started by obtaining a level for the track using a couple of string lines I then leveled up the track using spacer blocks.





The section where the sag has occurred




Spacer blocks


I intend to build the embankment using acrylic render mixed with some fine gravel, to save the amount of render needed and to reduce the weight.
I plan to put in a couple of low bridges this will allow the water to run under the track and into drainage hole drilled through the baseboard.
In these holes I plan to put in some wicks to break up the water surface tension at the side of the holes and allowed water to flow down them into the garden below.

 

[dunnyrail]

Wood baseboards? If so I would suggest larger holes for the drainage with lots of roofing felt black mastic to line the holes. This should stop any dampness getting into the wood. Your wick idea is also sound.

 

[GAP]

Wood baseboards? If so I would suggest larger holes for the drainage with lots of roofing felt black mastic to line the holes. This should stop any dampness getting into the wood. Your wick idea is also sound.

Fibre Cement baseboards, painted.
Probably use silastic to line the holes, I am considering slots disguised as water channels.

 

[dunnyrail]

Fibre Cement baseboards, painted.
Probably use silastic to line the holes, I am considering slots disguised as water channels.

Oh good, another thought I wonder if fake grass may work for the embankments?

 

[GAP]

Oh good, another thought I wonder if fake grass may work for the embankments?

Fake grass is definitely in the plan for the embankments, picture 3 shows an embankment with fake turf in the background.
Better picture here;
4 December 2020 Grassy Bank/Hillside
I am going to use a lot of fake grass in all my scenery.

 

[DafyddElvy]

I definitely like the use of the string, I try teach graduate engineers the importance of a string line and a tape measure.

Please keep sharing the pictures, I will be starting the outdoor tramway this year and all these ideas are great to put in the pot to pull out when required, its looking good.

 

[GAP]

I definitely like the use of the string, I try teach graduate engineers the importance of a string line and a tape measure.

Please keep sharing the pictures, I will be starting the outdoor tramway this year and all these ideas are great to put in the pot to pull out when required, its looking good.

Stringlines and tape measures are a must for seeing differences in levels when building things.

There are plenty of pictures of how I built the railway here, includes loco and rolling stock pages and a bit of electronics.

About the Railway

The Ringbalin Light Railway consists of two layouts the "Mainline" and the "Cane Line" that operate independently of each other but do conne...

ringbalin-light-railway.blogspot.com

 

[GAP]

More progress on the embankment area.
I roughly painted areas where there will be a dry river bed a light brown, the embankment areas are in the red colour while the bright green is where artificial turf is in the plan.
Bridges are indicated by pieces of wood.
All the points will be on embankments.

 

[GAP]

I have made some real progress in the embankments area.
Bridge abutments and piers have been installed, rail supports fitted and embankments have been made out of acrylic render.
After the track is relaid, I will finish the scene with artificial turf and gravel to give the impression of the line crossing over a dried up swamp and creek bed.
Blog post detailing the work will be posted in due course.



To carry water down through the baseboard at the low point holes were drilled through the baseboard and wicks put into them. These allow the water drain away quickly to prevent ponding.

 

[dunnyrail]

I have made some real progress in the embankments area.
Bridge abutments and piers have been installed, rail supports fitted and embankments have been made out of acrylic render.
After the track is relaid, I will finish the scene with artificial turf and gravel to give the impression of the line crossing over a dried up swamp and creek bed.
Blog post detailing the work will be posted in due course.

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To carry water down through the baseboard at the low point holes were drilled through the baseboard and wicks put into them. These allow the water drain away quickly to prevent ponding.
View attachment 309598
View attachment 309599

Interesting and unusual concept, will be nice to see the finished result. Is there any planting of say sedums involved?

 

[GAP]

Interesting and unusual concept, will be nice to see the finished result. Is there any planting of say sedums involved?

No plantings on the layout as it is to high up and natural rainfall is not regular enough which would necessitate irrigation.
That being said I could cut holes in the baseboard to take pots and take them out for watering, succulents could survive up there.
Hmmm now you have me thinking about how I could put "trees" up there.

 

[dunnyrail]

No plantings on the layout as it is to high up and natural rainfall is not regular enough which would necessitate irrigation.
That being said I could cut holes in the baseboard to take pots and take them out for watering, succulents could survive up there.
Hmmm now you have me thinking about how I could put "trees" up there.

Ok succulents will survive without water, just a small amount of earth and gravel. Plants in pots (in holes drilled in baseboard) in likely dry conditions would benefit from a drip irrigation system. Sorry to cause you excessive thinking!

 

[GAP]

Ok succulents will survive without water, just a small amount of earth and gravel. Plants in pots (in holes drilled in baseboard) in likely dry conditions would benefit from a drip irrigation system. Sorry to cause you excessive thinking!

Or I could put something into hydroponic mix and let just top up the fluid occasionally.
There some epiphytes that are sold as "air plants" that do not need soil there may be something that could survive out on the layout.
Another idea is PVC guttering along the front with soil in it and connected to the irrigation in the garden below.
Now I am really starting to think here, you have let the genie out of the bottle.

 

[GAP]

This afternoon I re-laid the track, so my loops are now complete again.
I now have to make some actuating rods for the points that are on top of the embankments, or move the servos.

 

[DafyddElvy]

Or I could put something into hydroponic mix and let just top up the fluid occasionally.
There some epiphytes that are sold as "air plants" that do not need soil there may be something that could survive out on the layout.
Another idea is PVC guttering along the front with soil in it and connected to the irrigation in the garden below.
Now I am really starting to think here, you have let the genie out of the bottle.

I am going to use gutting front and back of my line when it gets built, I am also going to have plant boxes on the tilt below the raised areas to give a bit of an impression of plants growing up a hill side.

 

[GAP]

This afternoon I laid the turf.









Unpainted areas will be coloured a sandy colour then gravel will be added and finally the track can be ballasted after train testing to see if the track is OK.

 

[dunnyrail]

This afternoon I laid the turf.

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Unpainted areas will be coloured a sandy colour then gravel will be added and finally the track can be ballasted after train testing to see if the track is OK.

Just a small thought, I see that you have used a screw in the centre of the sleepers to hold the track in place, while LGB put holes in for this purpose it can distort the track. Better practice is to have the screws outside the rail, yes I’d does mean a couple but if you can source real brass round headed screws they soon weather to be near invisible.

 

[JimmyB]

Just a small thought, I see that you have used a screw in the centre of the sleepers to hold the track in place, while LGB put holes in for this purpose it can distort the track. Better practice is to have the screws outside the rail, yes I’d does mean a couple but if you can source real brass round headed screws they soon weather to be near invisible.

where I have screwed track down, I have used a single screw in the centre, however I enlarge the hole to allow some movement, and also do not screw down tight, just enough to prevent upward movement. This also helps prevent distortion.

 

[GAP]

Just a small thought, I see that you have used a screw in the centre of the sleepers to hold the track in place, while LGB put holes in for this purpose it can distort the track. Better practice is to have the screws outside the rail, yes I’d does mean a couple but if you can source real brass round headed screws they soon weather to be near invisible.

I have used those screws all around the layout they are button heads so thin shank wide head, I do not screw them down so the sleepers distort just held down in contact with the baseboard.
When I put down the ballast I use exterior PVA to hold it in place and that contacts the sleepers as well effectively gluing them to the baseboard so in theory I could remove the screws, this is how I did it in HO scale I did not have the rack nailed down at all.

 

[GAP]

Laid the ballast and gravel on the embankments, all that is left to do is put gravel across the creek bed area.
As I have a gravel train I'm considering putting in a siding for a gravel pit probably on the garden side.