Downsizing and elevating our railway

artfull dodger

artfull dodger

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Here are some progress pictures of the progress I have made in the last 2 days. I lived the old ground level line on Saturday, I was done with our beagle using the railway as a chew toy and digging spot. The right of was was also far from level, making hair raising operations with manual live steam, or tiring with RC as you were constantly having to adjust the throttle. This new line is almost dead level, a little shimming here and there needed but my Roundhouse Super Sammie can run with no attention for the duration of the run. Yes there are drain ports in the plastic sheet that protects the treated wood from direct contact with the dirt that will soon fill most of the layout. I still have a styrofoam mountain to build in the middle, just behind the depot before I start back filling with a layout of pea gravel, then top soil. But as of today, trains are running on the outer loop(inner connection track and engine shed track need to be purchased). I also got the engine shed, turnout lanterns and depot lights wired up to a small path light transformer, the log cabin has solar powered lighting. First up was battery power to test the track work, then I raised steam and ran my Super Sammie. Cheers Mike



 
Nice layout in minimum space. Looking forward to seeing pictures when it is planted up. Will the wood stanchions stand up to being buried? The bricks might have been better?
 
You will not be able to see the wood blocks once I back fill the railway in. In some areas, I will make what looks like rock or other material retaining walls to hide the supports. I got my Merlin sold this morning, and a blue Bertie has be purchased ofa local chap that is also downsizing his fleet. I also just ran Countess around the loop, does OK light engine. Just made up a hook and chain set up to the front of my one of my LGB brown Zillertalbahn coaches and will try to pull my short coaches around the line. Mike
 
Many moons ago I helped build a layout not a lot bigger than that at an elderly peoples' residence. Got a few of them involved doing it, too, since they still had the skills and handiness to do it. It was judged the most fun physiotherapy ever! All LGB stuff, of course, and simple to move on and off track.

It gave the folks there a whole new look at an interesting subject. Reminded a few, too, of their childhood.

tac
OVGRS
POCRR
G1MRA
 
Definitely a "sitting with a glass of something good & watching the trains" layout, nice and relaxing and no stiff backs! :rofl:
 
The support structure will disappear when I fill in the layout with dirt and mulch. I test ran my Countess with my short cars, which are mostly correct anyways if modeling the modern day W&L. She ran well, as did my friends Earl once I readjusted the timing a bit as I had that engine all apart for new coupling rods to be installed. I am thinking of eventually extending a shunt down the front railing of my deck in another planter box. Give a place for either steaming up or whatever else I want to do. Long term plan is a line along that fence you see in the back ground, it has two sides I can use, 70 foot by 55 foot. A point to point Welshpool & Llanfair is planned at some point. Mike
 
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Mike, the W&L runs with three Pickering passenger cars, often just two, and up the three ex-Zillertal cars as well as a couple of ex-MáV and Sierra Leone cars. It's VERY rare to just run with a couple of the shorty cars - not a financially viable proposition, y'see.
tac
 
artfull dodger said:
I am thinking of eventually extending a shunt down the front railing of my deck in another planter box. Give a place for either steaming up or whatever else I want to do. Long term plan is a line along that fence you see in the back ground, it has two sides I can use, 70 foot by 55 foot. A point to point Welshpool & Llanfair is planned at some point. Mike
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And so the Land Grab commences, great look forward to seeing the results.

Rather than filling the Box with Mulsh and stones have you thought about Concrete Mountains. Wire Mesh Material and a thin layer of cement made to look like rocks. Quite light and you could put some plants in pots or even planters with the cement round them, though I would suggest you arrange drainage from them through water resistant holes in your Deck, perhaps plumb them together with a drain at the side. I got this method from the Floridaa Garden Railway guys who were great exponents of raised Railways,mbut not perhaps as high as yours.
JonD
 
I plan on a foam and stucco mountian/hillside in the middle behind the depot. Need to get the rest of the track in place first though. We got a bad rain storm last evening, got 1.6 inches in 1 hour, nothing was retained, it all drained back out thru the slits in the plastic sheet. One of the nice side effects of being on the autism spectrum is attention to details. As long as I remember those details! Mike
 
I have my 2 long Pickering bogie coaches, but they need much larger curves. This layout isnt ment for Countess, but for the Roundhouse Sammie and Bertie that I have. Countess and her cars are mostly going to be for steam ups and such till I can built our second line along the fence. But, atleast I can run Countess with some short coaches from time to time on the little layout.
 
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