Leeds Hill Railroad

BakerJohn

BakerJohn

Baker, Modeler, future husband
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United-States
Construction has finally begun on the Leeds Hill Railroad in Western Massachusetts! Today I cleared away the brush, trash, etc. from behind the shed and test laid track (photos below). I only laid one loop, as that is all the track I have now. But, I am watching some second-hand track online and hoping to purchase enough to complete the second loop in my plan as well as the entire wye. Plan_LHRR-Double Loop.png

There's a lot of work to do... but this gave me a good idea of what I have to do before I can lay track and start running my locos.
These pavers will need to be leveled, then the track will transition to the large gravel smoothly. The track will be ballasted everywhere but the raised section.
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The 4' pull-away section is over this platform to the shed. This raised track section will be the only part that is not ballasted.
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The grass area that the track is on will be re-landscaped. I'm going to pull out the grass, add in more dirt, lay the ballast and track, then plant some things. Note that the door doesn't reach the track, so there is no risk of the train getting knocked off by the door opening.
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There is a decent slope down here from foreground to background. I will need to fix that. The new garden section will come out almost 3' from the shed.
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This photo is kind of odd in that it looks like the track is sitting in a trench about 16" wide; but it is not. This whole thing is lower than the rest of the loop though (you can see how steep the curve in the background is). I will be adding dirt, then large stone, then ballast. It should add between 4 and 6" to the height.
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That's all for now! Updates as they happen...
 
Looks like a good start. BUT are you using track power. If so, you have built in a short circuit as you enter the yard. if you follow through the upper or lower rails you will see that they cross over through the junction and connect to the other side. OK if your steam or battery but a no go for track power. There are ways around this if necessary.
 
Nice start. Before you get too far I would reconsider the track with limited access by the side and back of the pool shed photo1 unless you have no choice. Apart from the problem of access you can't see your trains running for some distance which kind of defeats the purpose. But that may be the only land you have planning permission for in which case if you want unattended running that loop may be your only choice. Or you could consider a to and fro shuttle instead as mentioned in another current layout thread.
 
<nit-picking>
I'm just confused by the door to the shed! :confused:

Must be dummy hinges, and frame?? :think::think:
 
I am running battery power, so no need to worry about the wiring, thankfully! That would be a huge problem because my full plan has many reverse loops.

Unfortunately this is the only space I have permissions, as you suggested. I'm also running a limited budget. I intend on expanding the railroad so that this will only be a small portion of it and the hidden loop won't seem like such a problem. I'll post a full photo later of my plan.

Phil, what do you mean? lol
 
Phil, what do you mean? lol

Well, first picture (with the door in) the hinges appear on the left..
Second picture, the door is obviously hinged on the right.. :confused:

Must be a little unhinged? - Just like me! ;):giggle::giggle:
 
PhilP said:
Phil, what do you mean? lol

Well, first picture (with the door in) the hinges appear on the left..
Second picture, the door is obviously hinged on the right.. :confused:

Must be a little unhinged? - Just like me! ;):giggle::giggle:
Click to expand...
Ahhhh! Lol Its double doors!
 
Pool Shed ? is that Pool table or pool as in swimming but very small ? or something else just curious :)
 
Picture #1:
If you need to do any serious digging... You could ask the neighbour if you can borrow his spade!
The big rusty one.. Hovering menacingly.. ;):eek::giggle::giggle::giggle:
 
Before the ran started today I got to go out and expand the garden and lay some track! camerafv5_0695.JPG
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If that one flower I moved grows well there, I'll transplant a bunch more along the front between the track and the garden fence (starting just before the points).
And yes, some leveling will be required. I plan to do that when I lay the ballast.
 
Today I got outside and finished the garden expansion, laid the track on the front of the shed (to completion), built the pull-away section, and transplanted those flowers I talked about. My SR&RL Combine Coach tested the track for me, with a report returned: All smooth!
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Okay, so I didn't take any photos after I moved the flowers. I'll take a photo of them tomorrow...
 
Nice. I think I would be tempted to leave the removable section in front of the shed doors in place as it is at ground level. It doesn't interfere with the doors. You could put a thin piece of concrete or stone slab or wood either side at the same height as the rail top to avoid you catching the track with your toe when you walk over it. Most code 332 track will quite happily survive being walked on. There is a minor "trip hazard" risk but less hassle when you want to play trains. You could even make it into a level crossing feature with railroad signs and bells ringing! :-)
 
idlemarvel said:
Nice. I think I would be tempted to leave the removable section in front of the shed doors in place as it is at ground level. It doesn't interfere with the doors. You could put a thin piece of concrete or stone slab or wood either side at the same height as the rail top to avoid you catching the track with your toe when you walk over it. Most code 332 track will quite happily survive being walked on. There is a minor "trip hazard" risk but less hassle when you want to play trains. You could even make it into a level crossing feature with railroad signs and bells ringing! :)
Click to expand...
I personally would love to do that. However, there are 10 other people who live here who say no. Majority (and seniority) rules here, unfortunately.
Additionally, it's not quite ground level. The ramp itself is actually at about 10 degree angle left to right. So, the left side of the track section is ground level, but the right side is raised about 3cm. I need to add some feet to the plywood still.
 
I did a little more work on the LHRR today. Mostly it was just moving stone from one place to another haha But! It looks really good, and actually would be a good place for a yard or a few sidings!
There's a lot of leveling required, so, ultimately, I need to buy more stone, but that won't be a problem. Luckily we have this vehicle to help with such work.

You can see the flowers I'd mentioned above in the third photo.
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How are you fixing the track? Is it on the bricks only and then supported with the ballast?
 
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