Laying track across a concrete path

[gregh]

For a change from doing radio control, I have ventured into concreting. This hobby sure gives you a wide variety of jobs.
I have 5 places where my tracks cross a concrete path, but they were all laid first and then concreted in.

I now need to put another crossing over an existing path. This is how I did it.

I bent up the 2 rails to the curve required (1.5m radius) and then soldered copper-clad sleepers every 200mm or so to hold them in gauge.

I used this to scratch onto the concrete where I had to cut out the grooves for the rails to sit in.

 

[gregh]

Then it was just a matter of getting the angle grinder out, with a number of masonary cutting disks. Lots of water to keep it cool and 1/2 hr later I had the grooves for the 2 rails and the 5 sleepers cut out. The rail grooves are around 15mm wide.

Next I put plenty of Bondcrete in the grooves and mixed a slurry of 1:1 sand cement and filled under and outside the rails. After about 6 hours the cement was dry enough to gouge out the grooves inside the rails for the wheels to run it.

No just hope it lasts for years and years...

 

[CoggesRailway]

thats really cool! did the test train run OK?

 

[Bram]

That is a very good job done, the frost will will decide how long it will last tho. There are sealers for concrete which may be an idea to safe guard cracking.

 

[CoggesRailway]

do they have frost in sydney?

 

[Gavin Sowry]

Technically, yes, but not as severe as Britain/US. Frost heave is not a problem, if that is what you are getting at.

 

[Geoff the garden nav]

Thats really good, a neat job which should last for a long time, I did something much cruder when I was 16 in 1977 with some old brass HO track, plastic sleepers and 1 : 3 course sand & cement mix through a path in my perants garden, the rails remained in place untill 2002 when my father finally removed them!

 

[gregh]

CoggesRailway - 26/11/2009 9:06 PM

thats really cool! did the test train run OK?

Haven't run one yet - still keeping it damp in the hot weather. No connecting track yet. I have to build 2 turnouts to connect it up.

And to answer Bram - No frosts in my part of Sydney.

Greg

 

[JRinTawa]

Very neat Greg.

 

[Bram]

<p>

CoggesRailway - 26/11/2009 7:23 PM do they have frost in sydney?

</p><p>I missed that Grejg was in Oz - Doh</p>