New outdoor layout ideas

[Anonymous]

Hello, I'm new to GRR and have a USA Great Northern GP9 with several flat cars, box cars and a Great Northern caboose, My backyard is perfectly FLAT, I checked with a 4 foot level. My authroized yard usage footprint is 15 feet by 30 feet. I am designing a kidney shape single track using all 12 foot diameter curves. My longest straight run is 18 feet, which will incorporate a 3.7% grade for the mountain, which will be 2 feet high all around one end of the 12 foot curve. I've read all the pages here on the forum and also on the Aristo Craft forum. The track bed will be cut out of the mountain 8 inches up to maintain the 3.7% grade. I will eventually be adding the Aristo Makado Great Northern to the layout. My outbuildings will be made from cement board (used as backing for tile in bathrooms) and my roof will use plywood covered in corrugated coke cans made from my Crimper. I already tested this method and it works great.

The entire foot print will be borderd with 6X6's and filled in, then the track will be dug and filled in with ballast using the float method.

Just wanted to thank everyone for all their wisdom and will post pictures of the build process.....

thanks!!!!

dan

[cutlass12001]

Hi,

I built a nice small garden railroad myself. I also used the float method of ballasting the track. I recently added 2 switches and installed a tunnel. I looked at the website about roofing products I found on ths forum. I want to install a second track on an elevated level running around the front of the flower bed. I only wish I had the room to install wider radius turns to allow for more prototypical running. What part of the eastern shore are you from? Im in northeastern PA. Would make a nice weekend trip to come see what you built.

[tangerine-jack]

Sounds like a great plan you've got there! Your railroad is about the same size as mine, and about as flat! I am totaly redoing it right now in order to incorporate some of the things I learned on this forum and to allow greater operational flexibility.


Hey, I travel RT 13 regularly, how far off of there are you?

[Capt Bob Johnson]

Dan,
Our club over here on the other side of the world (DE & MD Beaches) has been contacted by a guy on Kent Is. who is also starting in G. Our Pres was able to give him a couple of ideas of contacts on the island. If you were to alter your profile to allow private e-mails, you might have some mutual solutions, heck, it sounds almost like there is enough activity over there to start your own club; we have a couple of guys from Easton in our club, and you'd be a lot closer for them!

[Anonymous]

Ok, my profile has been updated.
I am only in the planning stages at this time. In fact I talked w/ my neighbor last night and asked if he still wanted to get rid of all those 6X6's in his backyard. Looks like I'll pick them up this weekend, then order a lot of dirt.

I'll start taking pictures and I'll post them on my WebSite.
http://community.webshots.com/user/baltimorebayside

Thanks for all the support.....

dan

[FJ and G]

Dan,

Do you think that the plywood might warp?

[kstrong]

I had the same concern about the plywood roof; especially in the humid east, where plywood outdoors doesn't set any endurance records. Even out here in the arid Colorado climate, it's dubious. Why not use the same backer board for the roof, or if thickness is of issue, 1/8" plexiglass?

Here's a link to my backer-board projects:
http://mylargescale.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=34517

It's a great material!

Later,

K

[Anonymous]

Yea, I guess plywood would eventually begin to separate since it's glued in layers, even if it was covered in corrugated aluminum. Maybe I can use some cedar wood of some type that isn't too thick.

Here is where I got the idea from, especially the warehouse.
http://www.trainweb.org/girr/girr/girr_structures.html

I can't believe it, it's 61 degrees outside and sunny and I don't have any supplies yet !!!

Ahhhhhg!! It will be windy and rainy this weekend...Uhg!!! Maybe I'll throw somthing in my smoker like a pork butt or a brisket??
thanks

dan

[calenelson]

Hey Dan

Looks like you and I both like Trains and PU's

Cool

Cale

[Anonymous]

Had 10 tons of screened farm-land top soil delivered about 2 weeks ago. Started dumping dirt in a 12 foot diameter for my mountain. After hauling dirt for 6 - 7 hours I decided to quit for the day. The dirt had to be tilled over because some of it was frozen. I didn't seem to accomplish as much as I wanted. Haven't worked on it since?? The pile of top soil is covered with a large tarp to keep it dry.

Also laid down a small section of test track (Aristo-brass) with some stone dust. It looks great and holds like glue!! The only problem, I held a magnet over the ballast and it was attracted to the magnet like metal shavings!!! For stone dust it sure had a high iron content.,........can't use this stuff.

I also need some more large stones, but, this is still winter, so I have plenty of time.

dan

[Anonymous]

HI
Has anyone ever built a scale of this line in there yard.The SANDY RIVER & Rangely Line From Phillips to KIngfield Maine. That's the origanal 18.5 miles.
@ a scale of 1'=22.5 feet thats approximatly 4400 feet. Of course I will be dividing that number 100, which will fit much better in my backyard.

Is this a good way to approach scale of a Line?
Is there software I can download to help estimate my costs?

On the railbeds is it better to pour concreat with wolmanized sleeper's. Or should I crosscut 3/4" wolmanized boards and reverse the grain to prevent warping and level to grade?

Is it better to have loops at the ends where the towns are supposed to be with long straight shots with side tracks for passing trains between them or is it more fun with a big irrugular circle?

I have a list of plants that are local to new england are there any you wouldn't recomend and why?
Thanks

[Anonymous]

http://community.webshots.com/album/547283539pPilnH

Finally got my 6X6's down and more dirt added. Will wait for the dirt to settle hard and then add or takeaway for the grade..........

[Train 284]

Sounds like a really good plan! Just a thought, don't you think that a 3.7% grade is a little steep? I have read in numerous garden railroad books and magazines that if you do have a grade on your railroad, it should not be over 3%. But hey, its your railroad, do what you want. I am just putting in my 2 cents.

[tangerine-jack]

Cool photos. I can't wait for a before and after shots!

Nah, 3.7% is OK. If you are building a short line for logging or maybe iron ore or something, the real railroads had some grades near that anyway. Shoot, it would add to the operating action, "now, how many cars can loco #4 pull up that grade? should I double head or make two trips? or bring in loco #17 that can pull more cars but costs more to run?"

[Anonymous]

Ordered my 12.5 foot diameter track yesterday from Wholesaletrains.com.
As far as the grade is concerned, I figure after everything is packed and settled it will be more like 2 or 3%, won't really know for sure until I pack it down and start leveling it smooth.

dan

[Anonymous]

FINALLY received my track, layed it out and it looks like I have to make some minor adjustments before laying down the ballast. It rained this past Saturday so now I have to wait until the dirt dries before making the final grade and leveling. Also went to Southern State and picked up 100lbs of grit.......nice stuff, crushed granit and looks like it will work very well.....not bad for $8.00 per 50lb bag.......

dan

[Anonymous]

http://community.webshots.com/album/547283539pPilnH

Ballast and track are being laid in place!!!!!

dan

[Anonymous]

Updated photos are added!!!!

http://community.webshots.com/album/547283539pPilnH/1

dan

[vsmith]

Nice its come along well, are you planning on adding any passing sidings or spurs?

[Anonymous]

I'm still landscaping the main outerloop, however, I am thinking of adding a new Western Maryland line AlCo RS3 to the layout. I wanted to perhaps add more detail, maybe a tressle or girder bridge somewhere. but that's down the road.

I want to see how my 13 miniature plants turn out and maybe get some more of them. So far I have a simple offset kidney shape design. I wish I made my mountain range taller, I'd like to run a tunnel thru it for another train, but I don't think I have the clearance???

Need to finish adding my pebbles and mulch this weekend, but the wife came up with another weekend job for me to do which involves digging post holes for 3 sections of fence.......Uhg!!!!

thanks

dan

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dambrose

http://community.webshots.com/album/547283539pPilnH

Finally got my 6X6's down and more dirt added. Will wait for the dirt to settle hard and then add or takeaway for the grade..........

Wow,

Thats looking great! You must be having a great time---but doesn't the anticipation kill ya??!!

Wish I had a yard right now myself !

Regards,

Thomas M.

[Anonymous]

Thomas, did some more work this weekend, got the fence up for the wife, once that was done I had Sunday pretty much easy. Smoked some ribs, made a special finishing sauce, brought the trains out and my digital sound system and LER-ER-RUN!! Very relaxing, nice breeze and cool!!!

I have a powered speaker built in a barn I made, works great. Today I'll shingle the barn and leave it outside in my layout all the time.

Have to pick up some more mulch and pebbles. I still am not sure what to do with the inside of the track structure-wise, so I am putting down ground cloth for weed control and mulch until I decide.

dan