Finally starting my layout

[Capt. Jack]

After 3years of collecting train stuff and deciding on a place to put it I'm finally getting going. I had bamboo stumps I'm the yard and wanted to incorporate them in somehow. And my mountain is already there. It's a small space 16×16 but will be expanded later.

 

[Henri]

Bring it on!

 

[Capt. Jack]

After 3years of collecting train stuff and deciding on a place to put it I'm finally getting going. I had bamboo stumps I'm the yard and wanted to incorporate them in somehow. And my mountain is already there. It's a small space 16×16 but will be expanded later.

 

[Capt. Jack]

Photo test

 

[Capt. Jack]

Got the area cleared out. And some track down to get a idea of how I want it. I like the way it's looking. Still a ton of work. Lots of trestles to build and water feature and roadbed.

 

[Capt. Jack]

 

[PhilP]

Good start..
?Do you find, once you can run a train, the 'work' seems to take a lot longer??

IF the bamboo is dead.. I can see a volcanic landscape appearing! - The stumps remind me of craters..

 

[Capt. Jack]

Getting some work done on the layout. Got a few bents built for the trestle . I was going to leave the cedar bare but it decided to stain them. I made my stain from vinegar and steel wool . Just leave it till the steel wool is gone .takes about 2 weeks for the mixture but I think it looks pretty good for basically free. I will lightly mist them with flat black after they dry.

 

[Capt. Jack]

 

[dunnyrail]

Couple of things with your bents which look great by the way. If you leave the base in the Ground the wood will rot in pretty quick time. Suggest you place them on a Base of some sort, a bit of paving slab or a small concrete cast base would work fine. Also are the pins Brass? If so the effect of Rain and drying will tend to push them out if the point is burried in the wood. Better to have longer pins and cut off the excess or steel pins that will rust in place though of course they may rust away so after a few weeks of placing them a good idea is to slap some oil on the wood near them to slow that process down. How do I know this, yes I have built a couple of wood trestles in my last Garden. They did not last for too long!
JonD

 

[Melbournesparks]

Looking good! Staining with vinegar and steel wool is clever! I'm going to try that.

Couple of things with your bents which look great by the way. If you leave the base in the Ground the wood will rot in pretty quick time. Suggest you place them on a Base of some sort, a bit of paving slab or a small concrete cast base would work fine. Also are the pins Brass? If so the effect of Rain and drying will tend to push them out if the point is burried in the wood. Better to have longer pins and cut off the excess or steel pins that will rust in place though of course they may rust away so after a few weeks of placing them a good idea is to slap some oil on the wood near them to slow that process down. How do I know this, yes I have built a couple of wood trestles in my last Garden. They did not last for too long!
JonD

I haven't had too much trouble with unprotected wood in the ground so far. In two years a handful of overhead wire poles have rotted off at the base, but most are still standing. The ones that rotted are all in areas that are shaded for most of the day, so the ground retains moisture better. The trestle bridge is made from Yellow Box tomato stakes stuck straight in the ground too. There's a plastic base on the ballasted deck which protects the structure underneath to an extent.

Not sure how Cedar compares, but I'd hazard a guess local conditions have a lot to do with how long wood lasts.

 

[Capt. Jack]

Couple of things with your bents which look great by the way. If you leave the base in the Ground the wood will rot in pretty quick time. Suggest you place them on a Base of some sort, a bit of paving slab or a small concrete cast base would work fine. Also are the pins Brass? If so the effect of Rain and drying will tend to push them out if the point is burried in the wood. Better to have longer pins and cut off the excess or steel pins that will rust in place though of course they may rust away so after a few weeks of placing them a good idea is to slap some oil on the wood near them to slow that process down. How do I know this, yes I have built a couple of wood trestles in my last Garden. They did not last for too long!
JonD

Thanks for the advice. Yes I will have to make some kind of base for them to set on. I was thinking of pouring some small concrete footers.

 

[Capt. Jack]

Looking good! Staining with vinegar and steel wool is clever! I'm going to try that.



I haven't had too much trouble with unprotected wood in the ground so far. In two years a handful of overhead wire poles have rotted off at the base, but most are still standing. The ones that rotted are all in areas that are shaded for most of the day, so the ground retains moisture better. The trestle bridge is made from Yellow Box tomato stakes stuck straight in the ground too. There's a plastic base on the ballasted deck which protects the structure underneath to an extent.

Not sure how Cedar compares, but I'd hazard a guess local conditions have a lot to do with how long wood lasts.

Thanks for the tips. Great picture by the way. It's more tedious than I expected. But hopefully it will look and act the part.

 

[Capt. Jack]

Got some roots dugout and some grading done lol the photography is one of my favorite parts of the hobby

 

[dunnyrail]

Got some roots dugout and some grading done lol the photography is one of my favorite parts of the hobbyView attachment 223079 View attachment 223080

Nice to be able to use modern heavy earth moving kit in cameo's as you have. I lust after some of these, but they are all too midern for my chosen 1981 period in East Germany.
JonD

 

[Capt. Jack]

Thought I would share some pictures of some of the buildings I may use. I have jigstone moulds and have been messing around with them. Alot of fun. Some of these buildings are for sale on eBay. I'm using the money to buy some other things I need for the layout..

 

[PhilP]

Give us a clue (on the EvilBay buildings)..
Might be able to help the coffers??

 

[Capt. Jack]

Give us a clue (on the EvilBay buildings)..
Might be able to help the coffers??

The buildings are for sale on eBay. They are all weather construction from concrete jigstone moulds. And painted and weathered some. If you look under g scale building you should find them. I have sold several items in the past. I use the money to pay for things I need for the layout. If you have any Pacific questions I will gladly try to answer them thanks for looking.

 

[Capt. Jack]

Had some time to work on the trestle. I like the way it is looking. I still need to add some bolts from Ozark miniatures .

 

[Capt. Jack]

Also cut out some more bamboo stumps. And a little more landscaping done. I set the trestle in place for a few pictures. I like the way it's looking for some reason it won't let me upload all the pictures. It would only except theses.