Garden Railway Beginner - advice sought!

[Anonymous]

Hi Everyone,

I am just about to start constrcution of a medium sized O Gauge garden railway.

I am planning on the track being at ground level and would like to in one way or form ballast it.

Could anyone give me a good idea of what I should be doing when laying the track - i.e on to wood treated with any chemicals? Should I have some sort of membrain under the wood to stop rott? Any tips on drainage? Does anyone know of a ballast that is suitable for O gauge and outdoors?

I'm sure I'll be back with more questions later, so if anyone can give me a lead to a good website it would be appreitated, or just general tips form this forum would be equally as useful.

 

Many Thanks in advance,

 

Regards,

Stephen.

United Kingdom

[billblankley]

Use the 'search' at the top and insert ballast and you should see all kind of answers

Bill

[GP-9_Man11786]

For O-guage, I know Gargraves makes 3-rail stainless steel track for use outside. For ballast, crusher fines (also called screenings) are one of the most common material. Ordinary preasure-treated lumber will hold up well for many years. However there is an alternative called TREX, a composite material made out of recyled plastic that's virtualy rot-proof although it is more expensive.

[Anonymous]

Stephen mate;

The best advice i can give you is "Don't do it" ; the amount of garden railways of anything else but "G" scale that succeed are few and far beween. Why try and reinvent the wheel?

Rgds Ian

[devils]

Stephen,

My father's got OO in the garden at ground level and we used a shallow trench with hardcore and cemented bricks into that, laid end to end (double track in OO or single for O gauge), On top of that we used 1/2 inch plywood soaked in cuprinol and covered it with gritted roofing felt, the felt is glued down with a thick black tar like glue and tacked to the sides of the ply. The felt looks like ballast and you could add more on top to create the ballast shoulder but fix it with waterproof glue DON'T leave it loose or the birds will pile it up over the track. So far it's been down about 20 years and we've replaced about half the ply boards so far, some only lasted 10 years.

Go for it, you could also try fixing the track direct to the bricks in O using rawlplugs drilled into the bricks.

To blend it in at ground level mix peat in with concrete to make the embankment slope, the peat encourages moss and lichen to grow and makes it look much better, scale grass!

There are a lot of successful O gauge railways on this side of the pond, Dave Lowerys regularly features in model rail magazine.

Good luck Paul

[EMPIRE II LINE]

Some excellent advise there Paul, personal experience always is. I have noticed over the years in this hobby that you Brit's do like the O scale/two rail arena. As I suppose this is the scale that the manufacturers in your area chose to produce most often. I once saw a 3 rail O scale layout featured in a Garden Railroad issue here in the states. If I'm not mistaken in Pennsylvania, Built by a gentleman years ago, don't remember if he is/was even still alive when the article was printed. It can be done, I too plan to put some 3 rail O scale outside as well. Here in the states LIONEL 3 rail has been around for years as most well know. I plan on using the Gargraves stainless steel track, I also have an extensive G gauge layout, using Aristo stainless steel track. Stainless is the only way to go, I feel, in the area where I live, Central Florida. I use track power and hate cleaning Brass track all the time!!!!! Been using it for over a year now. My recent layouts are all done on a raised from ground level format though. 2 reasons!!!!   Bad back and I'm not a gardenner. I like scale/ real looks and all, but I want to run them trains the most. Good practical advise is always appriciated. Right Steve......

THE EMPIRE II LINE

Byron      

[John Busby]

Hi Stephen
You lot (the English that is) perfected "O"
in the garden so go for it.
Though my opinion (Bias alert) says go for that other very English of scales 16mm scale
It uses the same gauge and Course "O" scale track standards.
But that idea is of no use if you don't like narra gauge trains
regards John