New Tracks Down Under

[Pipalya]

Inspired by Shawn I thought I might weigh in with a few pictures recording the progress of the White Pass down under. Having retired to an apartment and having no room for my HO layout, most of which was sold off in a garage sale with a few items retained just to look at, I thought my railway days were over when my financial manager spotted a Bachmann Annie when we were in a local model shop and remarked, "you could lay tracks on the floor and run that for the grandchildren. A few years later after much action on the living room floor (maybe some pictures later in another forum) I was ceded some land at the back of a large back garden that my younger son had moved into. What followed started in the summer (February) this year (2010).

surveyors at work

retaining wall building - checking levels with a laser level

Using electical conduit to plan track levels - the fill used was dirt and rubble that was left over from landscaping and cleaning up in other parts of the yard. Did my son a favour - he didn't have to pay to dump it.

The work train arrives for track laying

Chased by a young train-spotter

Entering the tunnel; photo taken by track gang working on the embankment above the tunnel.
That 4-6-0 just looks too clean in the cab - now listed for some serious 'weathering' !

Rock work - Can you spot the real rocks from the fake! I bought a pond set made by Universal Rocks - http://www.universalrocks.com.au/
They are so, so real!

Enough for the moment..................

 

[Gizzy]

Great start Peter!

Those building blocks look like a concrete version of Lego; never seen those here in the UK....

 

[royale]

Well done - that's looking decidedly good.

 

[Pipalya]

Thanks guys for the kind words.

Regarding the lego bricks. I found them when I went looking for some retaining wall blocks at a local paving shop. What I liked about them was that they came in only one size plus a capstone. The trapezoidal shape meant that I could build straight or curved walls with the same blocks. In addition they were relatively small compared to some others which meant the "weaker sex" could carry and position them. I bought in conjunction with my son who also used them for placing around the fruit trees and other raised garden beds. Thus my construction matches other retaining walls in the backyard.

 

[scaleandy]

Hi Peter,

Well done your layout looks brilliant, from a fellow Aussie in Victoria!

I started my track August last year and closed the loop early January this year. I just love having a garden railway. I too used quarter minus (with crusher fines?) for ballast and in the end got fed up with it jumping into the points and onto the track when it rained, along with relocating itself everywhere but the track! The solution was posted by another Aussie, gregh, http://www.gscalecentral.net/tm?m=38178&high=ballasting < Link To http://www.gscalecentral....78&high=ballasting

I followed his recipe, but added 1 part peat moss. It was very easy to do and now, it can rain and rain and the track and points remain clean.

Will make a trip to one of the local stockists of the rock shop, been meaning to get around to building a water feature...

 

[casey jones snr]

A great start Peter. It's nice to see the children getting involved. Well done.

 

[Pipalya]

Thanks for advice on ballast. As I have done little running yet I may be able to head off a few ballast problems at the pass!! I am still ballasting and have noticed heavy rain which we have just experienced does tend to wash it out. Victorians will know what i mean. I hope you guys send us some of that water back via the Murray. However not so much ballst left between rails or points so although they haven't stuck so far ideas for conserving the ballast will help a lot.

 

[Pipalya]

Another view of track laying progress.

I used leftover lawn rolls for the sides of the embankment. The grass is slow growing and i haven't had to cut it so far : 4-5 months !
I'll see how it goes in the summer. It has` certainly arrested any erosion on the steep banks.

For those interested i am posting how i made two girder bridges to connect to a Truss bridge i have made out of Meccano on the Buildings, Bridges & Lineside Forum.

 

[Shawn]

Peter thats looking awsome so far and a perfect size. The balast looks nice and fits in with the layout. I see a lot of great spots for some cribbing and walls to hold that balast in. You have alot of great spots for adding details. Keep up the good work and great seeing the kids having fun. Makes it even better.

 

[Woodduck]

awsome

Peter - great layout. Fantastic that the kids can play - and learn as it is developed.

Mine is "under construction" - power lines are down, irrigation pipe are nearly complete and trenching for sand base is in progress.
I found an alternative for ballast that you might like to investigate. I found it on one of the USA forums (sorry, I can't remember which). The product is called Stablizer (http://www.stabilizersolutions.com ... in Melb - ([url]http://www.evergreen.com.au/ < Link To www.evergreen.com.au). There is no reference to the product on this web site, but ask for Rob and he will give you the low down.
The beauty of this product is that it can be re-used. It can't wash away, it does form a bond/crust, but if it is broken (where concrete may crack), it fixes itself next time it rains.
The properties appear to be amazing. The Distributor is sending me a 1KG bag to try out (and I plan to also use it on my driveway - a bonus).

Good luck with your new railway. I will enjoy watching it grow.
Regards

 

[C&S]

This is looking soooo good. What a great start. I really look forward to seeing this one progress.

Is the track plan your own, or developed from a published one? I only ask because parts of it remind me of one of the classic 1960s era HO scale plans published in Model Railroader and repeated in Bruce Chubb's book on layout operation.

 

[oldoak]

Great start like the idea of conduit for fixing levels. I would be interested to know how you go with rail expansion in the Adelaide summer sun. I would think Woodduck would also be interested as well, as we have a very big temp chaing in the ACT.

Keep up the good work.

 

[Moonraker]

Peter,

I am also in Adelaide. Home is in Teringie (above Magill) and I have a fully developed garden railway at Clayton (an hour south) running live steam and battery powered diesels.

A couple of times a year, I have an open day which is usually attended by about twenty local garden railway enthusiasts. If you would like to come or visit my railway at other times, call me on 0414 232 060 or email me at pjlucas@bigpond.com.

Regards
Peter Lucas

 

[gregh]

Looking great Peter. Keep up the enthusiasm over summer!

 

[Budd]

G'day Peter,

Always good to see another railway, are us South Aussies are going to over run this site? Which side of town are you on? The Penfield Model Engineers at Salisbury have a very active Gauge 1 Railway Group and we are always looking for new members (Moonraker is a member as well), you are most welcome to pay us a visit.
Our railway is battery and live steam only but we can soon convert you from track power if you want to have a run.
The grand kids will love Penfield Park as well, ride on trains, smaller trains, boats, cars, picnic areas, full on canteen, very family orientated.
Email me if you want to visit at hosk@adam.com.au.
Regard track expansion Oldoak, my railway is out in the full sun with hand laid code 332 track and I don't have any problems except that it is just too uncomfortable to run trains in my yard on a hot day, not that we have had many of them lately but summer is coming, yeah.

Wayne

 

[Woodduck]

Wayne/Peter/Peter,
Do you leave any distance between the tracks at the joins - if you are laying in cooler weather?

I hear that you haven't had an expansion problems - but (for instance, in Canberra) going from minus 5 to plus 40 Celsius will result in some expansion. (Admitedly, we only have a few +40 days each year).

I will be laying in November - in the cooler part of the day - so probably around 22 degrees.
In your experience - should I leave a gap. I plan to use Rail clamps at all points/turnouts. Everywhere else will be standard fish plates.

Thanks

 

[Budd]

Certainly don't get -5's in Adelaide but we easily hit the 40 mark, my home track is only lightly fixed down and ballasted with 3mm crushed quartz rock, it moves a bit but I very rarily have to touch it. The club track is fixed down with 20mm square shim plate spanning 2 sleepers so the track can move around, only about half is ballasted, in summer it all expands out but strangely enough in winter it all contracts and the track stays "out" but the joints open up so we go around and close up the gaps by pulling the track back to where it started, this would be good if we could afford rail clamps but alas, club finances don't stretch beyound making our own slide on rail joiners.
All our curves are pre bent so they hold there radius, initially we didn't (we bent it like flex track) and fixed the track thru the sleepers, that was a disaster in the first summer, since we pre curved the rail and used the plates we really haven't had many problems.
Regard my home track (about 20 years old now), I have wondered whether the ballast has had an effect when it comes to the heat and acts like a heat sink or whether it is the real timber sleepers or a combination of all these things. I followed a traditional old English approach when I built my track and ran 2 stringers along the track under the sleepers and spiked thru the sleepers into these stringers which has probably helped as well, but this spike/track combination is starting to let go now and I am replacing the sleepers and using a crimped staple idea which holds the rail and sleepers together real good, but this is a slow process.

Wayne

 

[oldoak]

Thats really interesting Bud it's the -5 that I see as the problem as, as you say, mid summer is just not good, so I would see spring & autumn as prime operating times which is when we have the greatest temp movement THROUGH THE DAY. You did not say if your track was brass or s/steel, I have been experimenting with s/steel in Poole but have not come to any firm conclusions yet.
Woodduck, did I call on you in Feb this year when I was back in Latham? If so glad you found the site, if not welcome. We may evan have enough for an ACT open day soon.

 

[Woodduck]

Thanks Wayne - that is what I was hoping (that there is minimal movement). My next question is what is the longest straight (or flex) section you have. As you may be aware, Pamak sell 3.6m lengths (which is what I have). Do I need to (or should) I cut these down to 1.8m
(I am talking Brass)

Oldoak - I don't think we met in Feb. My first G scale attempt was at Christmas - in the garage in a "Santa's Workshop" type arrangement.
To give you some idea of what I am talking about, here is what our front yard looked like last December.

This year, I am endeavouring to lay the track in the front garden. Here is where I am planning on laying track.

And here is the planned layout

(I apologise to Peter Russell - as it may seem I am off topic - however, these are also "Tracks Down under". If it is felt I should start another thread, that's okay)

 

[Pipalya]

Wayne/Peter/Peter,
Do you leave any distance between the tracks at the joins - if you are laying in cooler weather?

I hear that you haven't had an expansion problems - but (for instance, in Canberra) going from minus 5 to plus 40 Celsius will result in some expansion. (Admitedly, we only have a few +40 days each year).

I will be laying in November - in the cooler part of the day - so probably around 22 degrees.
In your experience - should I leave a gap. I plan to use Rail clamps at all points/turnouts. Everywhere else will be standard fish plates.

Thanks

I am using flex track which is pre-bent using a track bender and the track has all been laid with temperatures 15-25ºC. I await with interest to see what will happen when the weather heats up. As someone else said it can hit 40 in Adelaide. The garden will be in full sun although track near the back fence will be in some shade not that this will make much difference. I use rail clamps on about 3/4 of the joints, the rest being ordinary rail joiners with some small gaps in place. I guess it remains to be seen what will happen.