Feedback for design for my garden layout

[GAP]

My elevated layout under construction.

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

it has 2 levels to reduce the base board width and to provide some visual interest the width is 630mm (25") with a width of 1Metre at the trestle area.
I am planting bushes under the layout that will be allowed to grow high (they grow at least to the height of the fence) to give some "garden' for the train to run through.

An example of some big trestle bridges

Sandstone & Termite Garden Railway

Main page for G gauge garden railway.

www.members.optusnet.com.au

 

[justme igor]

Greg mentioned levels. You might be surprised that what initially seems like a level site does have a slope. I would suggest working out those slopes by driving a peg in the ground and gradually working round the site with more pegs and a spirit level. It might end up being ground level for a small section (easy access) and elevated elsewhere.

Paul

With a spirit level you can make quickly mistakes, i would advice to rent a laser, especially for distances longer than 10 meters.
And while your busy with those pegs, start in each corner and tension a string between the most outer pegs, drive at every two meters a peg into the ground next to that string, you will end up with a very level and very strait railway.
Like Greg said: go with a bridge that you can take out or with a hinge.
Best

 

[voodoopenguin]

With a spirit level you can make quickly mistakes, i would advice to rent a laser, especially for distances longer than 10 meters.

You can certainly make mistakes but using a 6' spirit level like I did in my own garden and checking via different routes of pegs not just in a straight line any mistake would not cause a problem. The idea of a string between the outer posts to check those in between is an excellent idea which I also thought of but after I had finished! Fortunately my layout doesn't appear to have any untoward hills or bumps and on the longest side is about 15 metres in length.

Paul

 

[justme igor]

With a 6 foot spirit level you can do 15 meters, a mistake of half an inch is forgiving on that length.
But the garden of DGE looks a bit bigger, i think the longest straight track will be ~120 yards(~40 meters)?
So even if you would start in the center and go your way to each middle to work to the corners, for me would that be to tricky.
And i have some good and long levelers
I am also not used to do that kind of distances with a leveler(working in the construction), when it is longer than ten meters we always get a laser.
Also to save time of course.
And dont forget to turn around the leveler after every point you made or make sure that it is a really level leveler

 

[38thfoot]

Is there a prototypical reason to have double track as I’m personally a fan of the meandering single line that I associate with MOST narrow gauge?

38

 

[dunnyrail]

Is there a prototypical reason to have double track as I’m personally a fan of the meandering single line that I associate with MOST narrow gauge?

38

No reason other than heavy traffic, single line is a well used system still (even on some main lines) so if that is what you like go for it.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

Yes, a prototype reason as well as one for a model: easier to run more than one train in opposite directions at the same time. At the model level, more fun factor.