Using Cable Trays to support raised tracks

Ralphmp

Ralphmp

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As usual, looking for some help...

I seem to recall way back in G Scale Mad days a post and photo(s) from someone who used electrical cable trays to support raised sections of their layout. Can't find anything on GSC via search - just wondered if I'm getting more senile by the day and imagined this, or does anyone else recall the technique and, more importantly, can point me at the member and/or thread?

Thanks.
 
Ralphmp said:
As usual, looking for some help...

I seem to recall way back in G Scale Mad days a post and photo(s) from someone who used electrical cable trays to support raised sections of their layout. Can't find anything on GSC via search - just wondered if I'm getting more senile by the day and imagined this, or does anyone else recall the technique and, more importantly, can point me at the member and/or thread?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
I do remember it, so either senility has not yet set in, or both of us have gone :devil::devil::devil:

Not sure if the member is on here.................
 
I can confirm you both have your marbles!

I have toyed with the idea? I gave some to a mate (not on the forum) for a bridge deck.

And I have used it for shelves for my stock at my last property.

I would probably consider it for a high level line, but my current plans are for a ground level layout....
 
I didn't take an awful lot of interest as the idea didn't appeal - I'm not keen on high level lines, working with that stuff can be a PITA, and where you cut it it's going to rust.

Apart from that, it's a fantastic idea if you've been given some free :emo::emo:
 
Ralphmp said:
As usual, looking for some help...

I seem to recall way back in G Scale Mad days a post and photo(s) from someone who used electrical cable trays to support raised sections of their layout. Can't find anything on GSC via search - just wondered if I'm getting more senile by the day and imagined this, or does anyone else recall the technique and, more importantly, can point me at the member and/or thread?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
I also think many moons ago there was a piece in Garden Rail the US one about the method. Anyone who has the full CD of all the back numbers may be able to list the issue.
JonD
 
Yes there was somebody on the Forum (UK based) who used the trays for his line and he also posted about the line under a thread title - Sunday Pictures I think.
 
It sounds like a good idea. May turn out to be a bit costly if you have to actually buy the bits. There's ready made holes for tying down the track, and as it's a tray, ballasting would be easy, as long as the stones are big enough not to go down the holes!
Rusting shouldn't be too much of a problem, I've seen it used out doors many times.
 
The holes will be too large, and ballast will drop through..
It would be very robust, and probably see all of us out, dependent on the supports lasting..

If you used rainwater down-pipe for the uprights, filled them with postcrete, you could set a length M (something-quite-large) threaded-rod into it.. A cross-piece of uni-strut (Google it!) would be fine to support the 'tray, and you have height adjustment..

You could use a plastics mesh to stop all the ballast escaping through the holes??
 
Thanks for the responses, and PhilP's suggestions on installation are most welcome. I'm keen to try this out as a replacement for the "marine" ply I've used in a couple of places where exposure to wind, rain, frost, sun, snow, etc. appears to be taking its toll rather sooner than I'd expected. Will keep you all posted.
 
Rhinochugger said:
I didn't take an awful lot of interest as the idea didn't appeal - I'm not keen on high level lines, working with that stuff can be a PITA, and where you cut it it's going to rust.

Apart from that, it's a fantastic idea if you've been given some free :emo::emo:
Click to expand...
Ralphmp said:
Thanks for the responses, and PhilP's suggestions on installation are most welcome. I'm keen to try this out as a replacement for the "marine" ply I've used in a couple of places where exposure to wind, rain, frost, sun, snow, etc. appears to be taking its toll rather sooner than I'd expected. Will keep you all posted.
Click to expand...

A portion of my railway is made of galvanized steel roofing purlins that have been out in the garden for at least 7 years now. They are slightly larger in width than my track and with spans of 3.6M provide straight lines requiring limited support that will be ideal for my new elevated railway. When I had to go around curves I cut wedge shaped pieces out of one side using an angle grinder and bent the other side to match the curve the exposed ends were sprayed with a product call "cold galv" and have not shown any sign of rust.
The other product I am considering is "Form Ply" which is waterproof (water resistant?) ply with a laminate on either side which is use by concreters to make their form work, I have a building fixed to some and after sealing the edges with marine paint it has been out in all the Aust weather for 5 years with no sign of deterioration.

I have never thought about cable tray but this has now put the germ of an idea in my head might give that some serious consideration.
As for ballast in Aust we have a product called "Geo Textiles" that road builders use under the road base to direct water away from the road and is also used to line gravel soakage trenches to prevent fines from clogging them.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geotextile
I might get some and cut it into strips to line the cable tray and hold the ballast.
Hmm now the old grey matter is all stirred up.
 
image.jpg

Is this the sort of thing you were thinking of?
I have used it on several bridges on my layout, in fact the section behind the tower hinges upward to allow access into the middle. I used a pair of hinges from an old pasting table, called 'ladder hinges' there are pins that aline the section to the wall and I cut the track at 45 degrees in the direction of travel which keeps the track in line ( the train 'runs off ' the track, if that makes sense! )
The suspension wire is 10mm earth wire, the supports 6 mm earth wire set in an electric drill and 'tighter up ' , crimped and fixed to the 10mm with 15mm copper tube again, crimped on to the 10mm, the tray is self supporting, the suspension wire is just for effect.
The towers are therm blocks, sawn to shape with an old hand saw and glued together, with an expanding foam glue, who's name escapes me!
I made this bridge about 10 years ago and have not had to do anything too it, I have not ballasted the track but a piece of garden weed membrane under the track would stop it falling through the holes and give drainage to stop it becoming a canal!
It may have been a picture from 'David 1226' of this bridge that you remember?
I would recommend it as a bridge base ( mind you it does help having a commercial electrician as a son!)
Hope this helps
Dave
 
PhilP said:
The holes will be too large, and ballast will drop through..
It would be very robust, and probably see all of us out, dependent on the supports lasting..

If you used rainwater down-pipe for the uprights, filled them with postcrete, you could set a length M (something-quite-large) threaded-rod into it.. A cross-piece of uni-strut (Google it!) would be fine to support the 'tray, and you have height adjustment..

You could use a plastics mesh to stop all the ballast escaping through the holes??
Click to expand...
Weed Barrier would certainly keep Ballast in place and a use of that would certainly give you a chance to see if it is indeed permiable as the instructions say! If you use it let us know the results please.

As for the use of Marine aply, this has dissapointed many Garden Railway builders over the years. My Wooden Line has used Decking, 8x2 inch Joists and Wicks Gravel Boards. All purchased except the 8x2 which were a gift from my next door neighbour. These 8x2 had white mould on them so were not in the rudest of health. All have had a coating of Wood Preservative the horrible Water Based stuff that we must now used and covered with good quality roofing felt sealed at al joins with the dry fit Black Mastic. Some of my Wicks Gravel Board ones came from a friends layout that I helped build back around 1990 or so and are still going strong. Certainly Tannalised Timber in the Air covered by Roofing Felt is long lasting. As indeed is Decking. The 8x2 joists are just plain Timber but being so karge are showing no signs of degredation on the 3ft high locations that they are in.
JonD
 
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If the guy in question, modelled USA stock.

It was a certain N.E.ex pat now living way down S.W., goes by the handle of Mr Spock, was last kicking around on here 10 weeks ago.

He has a webpage, http://cornwallrailroad.webs.com/ but it's currently frozen, hope it's not a sign of something untoward.

There are some vids, via his You tube account.

 
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Nice video! That's the kind of thing I was asking about (although the photos I remember were in a less well-established garden). The views from top and bottom are really helpful. Thanks!
 
Tanker man said:
View attachment 226253

Is this the sort of thing you were thinking of?
I have used it on several bridges on my layout, in fact the section behind the tower hinges upward to allow access into the middle. I used a pair of hinges from an old pasting table, called 'ladder hinges' there are pins that aline the section to the wall and I cut the track at 45 degrees in the direction of travel which keeps the track in line ( the train 'runs off ' the track, if that makes sense! )
The suspension wire is 10mm earth wire, the supports 6 mm earth wire set in an electric drill and 'tighter up ' , crimped and fixed to the 10mm with 15mm copper tube again, crimped on to the 10mm, the tray is self supporting, the suspension wire is just for effect.
The towers are therm blocks, sawn to shape with an old hand saw and glued together, with an expanding foam glue, who's name escapes me!
I made this bridge about 10 years ago and have not had to do anything too it, I have not ballasted the track but a piece of garden weed membrane under the track would stop it falling through the holes and give drainage to stop it becoming a canal!
It may have been a picture from 'David 1226' of this bridge that you remember?
I would recommend it as a bridge base ( mind you it does help having a commercial electrician as a son!)
Hope this helps
Dave
Click to expand...
Like the bridge, but I bet that tortoise is slow :rock::rock:
 
dunnyrail said:
Weed Barrier would certainly keep Ballast in place and a use of that would certainly give you a chance to see if it is indeed permiable as the instructions say! If you use it let us know the results please.

As for the use of Marine aply, this has dissapointed many Garden Railway builders over the years. My Wooden Line has used Decking, 8x2 inch Joists and Wicks Gravel Boards. All purchased except the 8x2 which were a gift from my next door neighbour. These 8x2 had white mould on them so were not in the rudest of health. All have had a coating of Wood Preservative the horrible Water Based stuff that we must now used and covered with good quality roofing felt sealed at al joins with the dry fit Black Mastic. Some of my Wicks Gravel Board ones came from a friends layout that I helped build back around 1990 or so and are still going strong. Certainly Tannalised Timber in the Air covered by Roofing Felt is long lasting. As indeed is Decking. The 8x2 joists are just plain Timber but being so karge are showing no signs of degredation on the 3ft high locations that they are in.
JonD
Click to expand...

The problems I'm having are with the more recent sheets of m-p I bought. The batch I used from Feb 2013 has proved fine. I guess it's either a case of slight drop in quality or where the wood's been used or a combination of both. I got hold of some Filcris R3 sections that were ordered and never collected, so short-term I'll use these as replacements when the ply finally gives up (you folks gave some great tips on mounting these in response to one of my previous requests for advice). The cable tray approach may be my longer-term fix.
 
Nodrog1826 said:
If the guy in question, modelled USA stock.

It was a certain N.E.ex pat now living way down S.W., goes by the handle of Mr Spock, was last kicking around on here 10 weeks ago.

He has a webpage, http://cornwallrailroad.webs.com/ but it's currently frozen, hope it's not a sign of something untoward.

There are some vids, via his You tube account.

Click to expand...

That's the man Gordon!
 
Ok Phil so may be able to help with some second hand Filcris in the nearish future. Will be helping to rebuild a friends 0 Gauge Garden Railway as he is converting his line to double track. Width of Curves and Straights perfect for Single Track G. Pm me if interested.
JonD
 
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