Rebuilding my Railway

[AddictiveBiscuit]

So I started in the world of garden railways early last year and have quickly learnt what I've done wrong with my first attempt at a railway, putting it on soil with gravel wasn't the best idea I've found out! as it's all become a mess this winter. and using Radius 1 curves and Radius 2 in the same curve wasn't a good idea either, and a rather steep gradient is ruining the fun of long trains as nothing can get up it with 4 wagons! So I'm going to level it all out on concrete and change it so the mainline is all on Radius 2, the new yard/engine shed will be designed with LGB locos in mind with Radius 1 points etc... (Get more in a small area) I've designed a track plan in SCARM and hopefully it should all fit in the same sort of area but that seems to easy.

Here is this section of the line when I first started I altered a bit of it but was never happy with it. I would post a picture of it now but its such a mess..

The new plan

Any more suggestions on how I can improve this?

 

[PhilP]

Can you 'mock up' the two short sidings? - I think you may find them very limiting in length of train they will take??
Depends on stock, and if you need to isolate sections, of course.

 

[stockers]

Yes, as Phil says, but if you move the point work up to the longer siding ( so that both short sidings branch directly off the longer one) you will make both the short ones longer.

 

[AddictiveBiscuit]

I intend for them two sidings to be the site of a loco shed.. More then likely a Pola 330911, which should fit rather well there as I've measured it up and it should fit.
I went out today to mock it all up and it fit rather well. I like the idea of moving that point, might try it.

 

[Rhinochugger]

The best thing is goetextile, or weed control matting under the gravel - it allows moisture through, but prevents the soil migrating into the gravel.

You may also need some way of holding the 'shoulder' of the ballast - there are plenty of people on the forum with 'recipes' for fixing ballast

 

[AddictiveBiscuit]

I'm raising it on concrete to level the line out, come spring the whole line is going to be taken up and my granddad is going to help me out in making the concrete track bed (He's a bricklayer) The garden isn't level and if you watch this video I've linked you can see the gradient that my locos struggle to get up, so its's all going to be raised and made level.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/76775148@N04/27682762926/in/datetaken/

As for ballest after watching Mark Found's show in more detail, mixing the ballest with quick setting cement seems like a good idea.

 

[stockers]

i suggest you talk to your grandfather about using building blocks or bricks to make the bed. Ballast will always migrate into the garden - sometimes it may be easier to just top up and accept a bit of loss.

 

[AddictiveBiscuit]

i suggest you talk to your grandfather about using building blocks or bricks to make the bed. Ballast will always migrate into the garden - sometimes it may be easier to just top up and accept a bit of loss.

Something we are going to discuss soon and actually figure out how high the track is going to raised to keep it level.

 

[stockers]

These were laid ten years ago and are still giving great service. They are Celcon blocks - loose laid in sharp sand - like paving stones.
The gaps were back filled with ballast.

 

[PhilP]

Sure your Grandfather will have a good idea of local soil conditions..
Here (in Staffordshire) I have heavy clay subsoil and whatever I use the ground moves a substantial amount, depending on the season and how wet it is..

 

[Rhinochugger]

Sure your Grandfather will have a good idea of local soil conditions..
Here (in Staffordshire) I have heavy clay subsoil and whatever I use the ground moves a substantial amount, depending on the season and how wet it is..

You're never really going to conquer ground heave on a garden railway - remember that in bad soil conditions, Building Regs could require you to go down 2 metres for house foundations, and nobody in their right mind would do that for a garden railway.

So, Colonel Stephens thinking is best - built it light, and if it moves, do the necessary remedial work. If you've only built it light, then it's not going to be a monstrous effort to do a little local re-building

 

[AddictiveBiscuit]

It's likely that we will put the track on blocks quicker and easier then concrete. Only problem I have with it is hiding the side of the bricks, my railway doesn't really have a border a wall or anything like that because its basically at ground level, I'd have to put a embankment side along it or something not quite sure at the moment.

 

[Frank Gallagher]

Embankment and some ground cover plants that will stay small should look bees knees

 

[stockers]

A few stones or even broken concrete will blend the sides.

 

[Frank Gallagher]

If you want inspiration you could do worse than Planting Your Garden Railway by Becky Pinniger

 

[Brixham]

R1 Reverse curves!!!!! Try to avoid these, as reliable running is enhanced by their absence. On one shed entrance, you have a right-left-right sequence. As others have said, if the second shed entrance had it's own point from the siding, that would be better.
Another improvement would be to have an R3 point and R3 reverse curve for the siding with the red arrow..you have the space.
That just leaves the loop line where it rejoins the main line. R3 points would fit here, but your sidings inside the loop wouldn't be parallel with the loop, unless you found or made a one third section of R3. A single 18000 would do the job.

Malcolm

 

[seigezapf]

I have clay soil and have underlain my entire track with 12 by 12 concrete patio stones. Every six feet or so I bury a length of landscape timber. The track lies loose on the stones and is screwed to these timbers. Then I cover the stones with topsoil followed by small bark. The track is several years old and I have not had a problem yet. I don’t use ballast so this system may not work with that, though I don’t know why it wouldn’t. I like the look of the track the way I have it.







For my purposes I have used a minimum of Piko R3 curves and LGB R5 turnouts, but I don’t have sidings like your design which I am sure would require smaller radius curves and turnouts.

Cool design. Good luck.

Craig

 

[KentKeith]

It's likely that we will put the track on blocks quicker and easier then concrete. Only problem I have with it is hiding the side of the bricks, my railway doesn't really have a border a wall or anything like that because its basically at ground level, I'd have to put a embankment side along it or something not quite sure at the moment.

Hi there,

I've been raising some parts of my railway using celcon blocks (which I've been using for 15 years or so) and then face the side of the blocks with recycled broken-up concrete (purloined from my neighbours when they had their concrete driveways broken-up and replaced by blocks) or broken paving slabs:

 

[PhilP]

One problem many of us have in the UK, is plot-size.
The UK tends to have the smallest housing stock, and small plots..

I am quite lucky. Although I have the 'bog-standard' layout 1950's semi, the back garden is quite long..
Only about 22 foot wide, but about 122 foot long. - If I ever get that far, I do not want to use less than R3 for points, or curves..

 

[stockers]

- If I ever get that far, I do not want to use less than R3 for points, or curves..

A good idea if you have room, which it sounds like you have.