I am in the planning stage of building my first garden railroad, and would like the opinion of my fellow forum members. The site is the winter home of a band of Northern Pocket Gophers. They are quite social creatures, and are very energetic tunnelers. The gophers feast on the spent vegetable plants, particularly the Broccoli. They abandon the garden during the growing season, preferring the unoccupied pasture across the road. Not sure why they don't inhabit the garden when everything is growing - you would think all that greenery would be irresistible. Maybe it has something to do with my presence while tending the garden. The garden is wet year round. Anyway, I plan to divide the garden in half length-wise, railroad on one side, vegetables and flowers on the other. The garden is 30' X 60'. I embrace the requirement for a very stable sub-roadbed from my work in HO scale, and suspect that a trench filled with packed-down gravel will not be good enough to keep the track stable year round. My idea is to use cinder blocks as the track foundation, with gravel below for drainage and an appropriate rough-edged gravel above for ballast to lock the track in place.
Any comments are appreciated.
When we purchased this house the backyard was Norwegen Warf Rats and gopher central. For years I had been using a slingshot to place moth balls on the roof to keep the Sea Gulls and Pidgens off the roof. After an unsucessful six month campaign of traps and the like, no baits as we have dogs, I remembered the moth balls. I put a 1 1/2 inch earth augher on my 3/8 inch drill. I punched a series of 10~12 inch deep holes in the yard on a 10x10 foot grid. Drop in one moth ball and backfill. in less than a month not a rodent was found. They had all moved to both of my neighbors yards. We started punching hole in everybodys yard, and the word spread throughtout the entire neighborhood. Even though the hillside behind the house is rampent with gophers not a one has been seen in the neighborhood. That was 20 years ago. We repeat the process twice a year althogh we had now limited it to along the fence line. Caution: any closer than 4 inches from the grass roots and it inhibits the growth of grass and flowers. stay at least 10 feet away from vegetable gardens.
Tom Trigg
Not too familiar with your frost-thaw heave in your area but here is a thought. Punch down a couple feet below the frost line, drop in a 3~4 PVC pipe, fill the pipe with concrete and tie into your "below ground cinder block wall". Space the "posts" about 10 feet apart, unless you have a massive frost heave problem. Bad part of this suggestion is, if you don't get it right the first time it's not so easy to come back and correct.
Tom,
Thanks for your insights. The moth ball barrier/perimeter sounds like just the thing I am looking for. I'll try it this spring when the rodents move out.
I was planning on laying the cinder blocks on a bed of gravel to provide a good sub-roadbed for the track, while at the same time not be too influenced by the ground moving from season to season. I was hoping to not have to use concrete to anchor them. The railroad/garden site is on the south side of the house, (and can be mild in the winter, which may be why the gophers like it) and is relatively free of frost heave as compared to the north side, which does experience significant movement some winters. Am I correct in understanding that a reason for using the gravel-filled trench method is to compensate for some ground movement, to a point? If so, then the cinder blocks would be unneeded to provide adequate track support.
Wilton.
Where I live we have, on average, 5 snowflakes every 10 year, so I have little experience from frost heave, but I have plenty experience in earth movement measured in the Richter scale. Crushed rock filled trenches does provide some stability from movement but even more strength from loads applied to the rails. Crushed rock beds are extreamly easy to repair and maintain when movement does occure. I noticed you used the word "gravel", i would suggest that gravel not be used in the roadbed area. Gravel has rounded smooth corners and edges. Will not interlock when placed in the trench. Instead, used crushed rock, sharp edges will interlock and provide reat stability in the roadbed.
I would suggest a test. In the area you plan to build your empire, scrape away the top of the soil to a nice flat roadway and put down a length of track. Then in April check to see if any lift or drop has occured. Then determine your construction method.
Thanks for the tips on crushed rock vs gravel. I now fully recognize the utility of crushed media. Your idea of placing a section of track and then observing its potential for movement over time is appreciated.
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