Crossing in front of garage. South Bucks Light Railway.

[Martino]

As some of you may know, we’ve relocated from flat Florida to very mountainous North georgia. Finding an area on our piece of hillside that’s flat enough for a railway has been proving challenging. No, trestles etc would not work - for my engineering skills anyway. Also I want a ground level line, regardless of the knees. I’m now looking at using the front garden as a starting point. Then, to extend the line to a flat area at the side of the house, I’d have to cross in front of the garage door…….

Now has anyone any experience of creating a line, laid on concrete, that would cross in front of a garage door that allows two cars (a SUV and a MiniVan) to drive over the tracks?

I’m envisaging track embedded in either a concrete or rubber bump.

VERY early planning here, but wonder if anyone has tried such a thing?

 

[PhilP]

Although rubber sounds like a nice idea, if it is under the track, then the spot-pressure of tyres running over it will cause undulations..

If you could find something that would provide the incline either side, but be very thin underneath, then I think it would work?

A photo, shot diagonally across the garage, from 12-15 feet out, would show us what you have to cross and work with..

PhilP

 

[Martino]

Thanks Philip. I’ll take some photos tomorrow, as it’s pitch black at the moment. I was thinking of the track screwed to the concrete, but with something like a rubber ramp either side of the rack, like a rubber cable protector. … a bit like this https://www.amazon.com/Anbotek-Smal...=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9zZWFyY2hfdGhlbWF0aWM&th=1

It could even be dropped over after running sessions.

 

[SevenOfDiamonds]

or rubber bump

Oops! It looks like you've already had something like this idea . . . and it won't let me delete this message!

I'm wondering if you could do something with a rubber strip designed to prevent cables being a trip hazard.

I'm aware that you are not in the UK but, over here, Screwfix are kind enough to provide dimensions of the version they sell . . .


You'd obviously need to cut it lengthways (and put each half on either side of the track, and maybe add something between the rails), and 12mm might be slightly less that the height of the top of your rail . . . but maybe other suppliers have a "heavy duty" version that is a little taller.

Hope this sparks some further thoughts.

Cheers

David

 

[JimmyB]

So it it was me I would sink the track in concrete below the surface level, or with a very low concrete ramp each side, so that as you drive over the tracks the soft rubber tyre do not come into contact with the track.

 

[dunnyrail]

Back in the days of my Luton line (I left there in 2000) I had an area that was a big problem as it was next to a big conifer that dripped those bits of Pine mess all over the place. I laid some home built track the concreted it over leaving space for the flanges. When I did some work for my former neighbour some years later the track was still there embedded in the concrete.

So my suggestion, cut out a grove in the driveway, lay track in place put dry cement mix to get level then gently water finally putting a mixed bit of concrete to level up to the driveway making sure to clean out a gap for the wheel flanges. Should be dry enough to drive over after an overnight dry.

 

[ebay mike]

Would this be feasible? Obviously you would need to pop out the cover each time the line was used, but it's construction suggests it would be hard wearing enough to take the weight of a vehicle crossing it. There's loads in use in our local supermarket car park.

Mufle 4All Shallow Channel x 1m Grey 50mm Deep | Drainage Channel

Mufle 4All Shallow Channel x 1m Grey 50mm Deep | Drainage Channel for Trade & DIY. Free Delivery Available.

www.drainage-channel.co.uk

 

[Tanker man]

Didn’t Michael Adam’s, owner of GRS run a track in front of a double garage in one of the early Garden railway videos on his ‘Appledore ‘ line?
I have LGB track lain on concrete and ‘in’ concrete if front of our patio , nobody has tripped over it in 24 years , it take a bit of cleaning every year but works well, I don’t drive a car over it though. The only thing I do seem to suffer is that I solder straps for electrical continuity but after a while they seem to fail, I think it may be the salts in the cement that corrode the solder? I also have 5inch track buried in concrete further down the garden, that’s ally track which gets wheelbarrows run over it with no damage………..LGB used to boast about the track being strong enough for an elephant to walk on so I guess, if it’s laid in concrete, it should be strong enough to withstand the weight of a car.
Cheers
Dave

 

[Paul M]

Would this be feasible? Obviously you would need to pop out the cover each time the line was used, but it's construction suggests it would be hard wearing enough to take the weight of a vehicle crossing it. There's loads in use in our local supermarket car park.

Mufle 4All Shallow Channel x 1m Grey 50mm Deep | Drainage Channel

Mufle 4All Shallow Channel x 1m Grey 50mm Deep | Drainage Channel for Trade & DIY. Free Delivery Available.

www.drainage-channel.co.uk

That looks an ideal solution. Filled with gravel, it would form good drainage too.
I done the attached to a path,obviously a lot lighter usage than a driveway. I simply laid the surrounding surface than filled the trackbed up to the correct height for the rails to fit up to the level of the surrounding surface, used some spare track as a wheel guide and filled the middle up level. It's worked fine for nearly 10 years now.The track is Peco gauge1 rather than LGB though

 

[RDFMTS2]

Hi Martino. We had some Peco SM32 track which is only 'code 200' rail as opposed to the 'code 330' of the 'Elephant proof' LGB track. Ours was on a concrete road bed, then ballasted with cement and 3mm to fines granite chips up to the top of the sleepers, it was filled up to the top of rail level outside the rails, and did at times have a timber insert to form flangeways, as you would do on a full size pedestrian crossing, but that did rot away over time and was found not to be needed. That was the first part of the railway we built as we wanted it to be flush with the surface, and it was still there sound after 15 years of use when we sold the house, in fact it was the only track we did not remove to build a railway at our new home, as I don't think I could have got it out in useable condition.
David L

 

[Martino]

Thank you everyone. Some good advice and ideas there. I must do more research.
My railway is battery powered, so electrical continuity isn’t a problem.
I’m loath to start grinding/digging into the concrete. I’m not sure what issue I may inadvertently’dig up’!

I also need to work out what is practical in the front garden. My line in Florida was graced by the ability to have very wide radius curves. That would be restricted in the garden here, which may not work for me.

I’ll post some photos later to get y’all’s opinion.

Thank you again everyone.

 

[Fred2179G]

I’m loath to start grinding/digging into the concrete.

When you said battery powered, I had the sudden thought that you only need slots cut 3mm into the concrete, at 45mm apart. You trains will cheerfully run along a concrete 'track'.

Given that concrete isn't very smooth, I'd be inclined to line the side of the channel with a metal strip or "L" channel for the wheels to run on. Certainly won't bother the cars or the concrete 'track'.

 

[Martino]

When you said battery powered, I had the sudden thought that you only need slots cut 3mm into the concrete, at 45mm apart. You trains will cheerfully run along a concrete 'track'.

Given that concrete isn't very smooth, I'd be inclined to line the side of the channel with a metal strip or "L" channel for the wheels to run on. Certainly won't bother the cars or the concrete 'track'.

That’s an interesting thought Fred.

 

[JimmyB]

When you said battery powered, I had the sudden thought that you only need slots cut 3mm into the concrete, at 45mm apart. You trains will cheerfully run along a concrete 'track'.

Given that concrete isn't very smooth, I'd be inclined to line the side of the channel with a metal strip or "L" channel for the wheels to run on. Certainly won't bother the cars or the concrete 'track'.

That’s an interesting thought Fred.

So a nice piece (or two) of flat brass about 5 mm thick laid on its end should do quite nice and should be robust and bendable to any curve in the track.

 

[Dan]

My son drove his 68 Chevy Nova across my LGB track. No problem. One must remember the tire surface area and how many pounds per inch are on the track. LGB showed an Elephant's foot on a track.

 

[ge_rik]

Looks like you're heading towards two slots cut into the concrete, which to me seems the best idea. I'd be concerned about rainwater puddling behind the track if it was laid directly on the concrete - assuming your driveway slopes down towards the road.

Rik

 

[Martino]

Looks like you're heading towards two slots cut into the concrete, which to me seems the best idea. I'd be concerned about rainwater puddling behind the track if it was laid directly on the concrete - assuming your driveway slopes down towards the road.

Rik

Everything slopes here on the mountain!

TBH I think the whole plan may be in doubt. Finding any area flat enough and large enough to run anything or fit in reasonable curves is proving difficult. Thinking caps are certainly being used here!

 

[Chris Vernell]

Thinking caps are certainly being used here!

Would that be THINKING?
I don't think my two remaining little grey cells are capable of so much effort

 

[Martino]

Would that be THINKING?
I don't think my two remaining little grey cells are capable of so much effort

Possibly cogitating or pondering may be better expressions. …or even just leaning on the fence and imagining.

 

[GAP]

Would that be THINKING?
I don't think my two remaining little grey cells are capable of so much effort

I tried thinking once and got such a terrible headache that I never tried again.