The layout has begun

[JimmyB]

Not been on the forum much over the weekend, made a start on the Railway

The footing dug out for the ground level
View media item 3151
Height post in place
View media item 3152
Progress after the weekend!
View media item 3153View media item 3154View media item 3155
I now have to start on the raised section, and bridge, and I was thinking about using thermolite block to raise and support, thoughts!!

 

[Bill Barnwell]

Not been on the forum much over the weekend, made a start on the Railway

The footing dug out for the ground level
View media item 3151
Height post in place
View media item 3152
Progress after the weekend!
View media item 3153View media item 3154View media item 3155
I now have to start on the raised section, and bridge, and I was thinking about using thermolite block to raise and support, thoughts!!

Your start is better than my finish, looks good, Bill

 

[dunnyrail]

Not been on the forum much over the weekend, made a start on the Railway

The footing dug out for the ground level
View media item 3151
Height post in place
View media item 3152
Progress after the weekend!
View media item 3153View media item 3154View media item 3155
I now have to start on the raised section, and bridge, and I was thinking about using thermolite block to raise and support, thoughts!!

Those R3 curves look familiar Jimmy, great start. Thermalite blocks are very good, easy to cut with a saw. You can at some places get larger White ones. I only ever found them once, not sure what they are called but very useful if you can find them.

 

[Zerogee]

Brilliant start, Jimmy - you've got further in a weekend than I have in about 15 years.....

Jon.

 

[Capt. Jack]

Wow awesome start. That's a lot of work in a short amount of time. Looks great. Im following this...

 

[Clive Tucker]

Great work! I can vouch for thermolytes (celcon, hebel, whatever ya calls em) - I've been using them for a new track bed this year, as well as an old viaduct (still standing) from about 2004.

 

[JimmyB]

Many thanks for your comments, thermolites for my incline is the way to go.

 

[Sean.]

How is your supply of
doing ..

 

[JimmyB]

Lat weekend started one of the gradients, and was looking for 1:25 - 1:30, however not as meticulous as I could have been, and on test neither of my locos would pull a couple of coaches up the hill, on re-examination the gradient in places was closer to 1:20. Lesson learnt, need to make a proper jig, need to be accurate with the spirit level, don't rush, luckily it was only half a dozen pieces of track and rectification won't take long, it pays to test!!

 

[dunnyrail]

Lat weekend started one of the gradients, and was looking for 1:25 - 1:30, however not as meticulous as I could have been, and on test neither of my locos would pull a couple of coaches up the hill, on re-examination the gradient in places was closer to 1:20. Lesson learnt, need to make a proper jig, need to be accurate with the spirit level, don't rush, luckily it was only half a dozen pieces of track and rectification won't take long, it pays to test!!

Those thermalites can always be recut for a better gradient. My piece of wood at 4ft with a bit of 1 inch timber was used extensively during my build. Only problem I had was a bit of unexpected 1:30. Glad I never made your blooper! But onwards and forwards as they say, you are at least getting things done. More pics please, even of the mistakes we can all learn from them!

 

[Bill Barnwell]

Jimmy it is looking good, I found using a clear tube and filling with water to set grade was easier that spirit level, there's a couple of videos on youtube on how to do it. Keep up the inspirational work, Bill

 

[BakerJohn]

Very nice work so far! Definitely more than I did in a few months!

Jimmy it is looking good, I found using a clear tube and filling with water to set grade was easier that spirit level, there's a couple of videos on youtube on how to do it. Keep up the inspirational work, Bill

For those of you who have a smart phone: I use a bubble level app that tells me the exact degrees of both the x and y planes when my phone is laid on top of it. I keep all my grades within 2 degrees (I believe 1.6 degrees would be more prototypical). So far it's worked very well!
NOTE: I am talking degrees, not percentages. Just to clarify.

 

[dunnyrail]

Very nice work so far! Definitely more than I did in a few months!


For those of you who have a smart phone: I use a bubble level app that tells me the exact degrees of both the x and y planes when my phone is laid on top of it. I keep all my grades within 2 degrees (I believe 1.6 degrees would be more prototypical). So far it's worked very well!
NOTE: I am talking degrees, not percentages. Just to clarify.

Ok so I tried my iPhone Carpenter App on my grades just this minute. The 1:40 read at 5.0 degrees the 1:30 read at 6.4 degrees. That confuses the hell out of us (well me in particular) in UK as it is the exact opposite of steepness. But however accurate it does give an idea if you have n iPhone.

But I have already moaned about this on the Forum. B EEC!

 

[JimmyB]

Ok so I tried my iPhone Carpenter App on my grades just this minute. The 1:40 read at 5.0 degrees the 1:30 read at 6.4 degrees. That confuses the hell out of us (well me in particular) in UK as it is the exact opposite of steepness. But however accurate it does give an idea if you have n iPhone.

But I have already moaned about this on the Forum. B EEC!

I have just tried my gradients, and none were steeper than 4.7 degrees, averaging around 3 degrees, which seems odd as mine are 1:20 - 1:30??

 

[JimmyB]

This is my "too steep" gradient 1:20; will be rectifying this weekend
View media item 3187

 

[BakerJohn]

I have just tried my gradients, and none were steeper than 4.7 degrees, averaging around 3 degrees, which seems odd as mine are 1:20 - 1:30??

Well, I probably did my calculations wrong then. I'd trust your numbers more than my own!

 

[JimmyB]

Well, I probably did my calculations wrong then. I'd trust your numbers more than my own!

Having just googled it:

1:20 = 2.86 degrees (5%)
1:30 = 1.91 degrees (3.33%)
1:40 = 1.43 degrees (2.5%)

So on my re-jig, I will give it a go at 2 degrees!

 

[JimmyB]

Well this afternoon I started putting clamps on my points

Before the clamps
View media item 3188
After the clamps
View media item 3189
In theory a simple task, remove points, remove rail joiners, fit points and fit clamps. Removing the rail joiners is not straight forward, but take a little determination, and with sausages for fingers fitting the clamps can be trying, but two done now, one more for the weekend.

 

[Rhinochugger]

Well this afternoon I started putting clamps on my points

Before the clamps
View media item 3188
After the clamps
View media item 3189
In theory a simple task, remove points, remove rail joiners, fit points and fit clamps. Removing the rail joiners is not straight forward, but take a little determination, and with sausages for fingers fitting the clamps can be trying, but two done now, one more for the weekend.

But you've also taken out the insulation - you're not going over to the dark side are you, Jimmy ?

 

[Zerogee]

But you've also taken out the insulation - you're not going over to the dark side are you, Jimmy ?

I'm assuming (can't exactly be sure from the pics) that the yellow isolators have been replaced with the black plastic Massoth insulator clamps?
Regarding the removal of joiners, I've been doing a lot of that over the weekend - there is a knack to it that, once learned, makes it very quick and simple. With a pair of long-nosed pointed pliers, twist and open out both sides of the metal joiner, taking care not to (at this stage) twist the rail too much, so as to avoid breaking the rail chair clips. Now slide the pliers in to grip the bottom of the joiner firmly, and (again trying not to pull the rail out of the chairs) twist the whole joiner downwards so that the tab at the back end of it comes out of the slot in the sleeper.
Once you have the technique, you can strip joiners off track in just a few seconds each, with no damage to the chairs or sleepers.

Jon.