How to build on a flat featurless grassy lawn?

[Anonymous]

I've been putting off my garden railway for lack of basic knowledge. I need to have the railway elevated, due to a bad back.

1. How high can I place track without it looking totally unrealistic?

2. The area is all grass. How do I maintain the grass in way of the trackage? I use a riding garden tractor. This would seem to exclude a continuous track run as the tractor would not be able to reach areas surrounded by track. I would have to use a weed wacker in those areas and around track supports. You know with a weed wacker, getting too close to a track can cause havoc.

3. I feel ideally that an elevation of 6" or less would be just about right for a realistic look. My lawn area covers about two acres and is perfectly FLAT. That is why I need the elevation to be as low as possible. Without any topographical features, the opportunity to use bridges, tunnels and ravines would seem to be impossible without actually building up the terrain with mounds of dirt and rocks.(remember the back problem).

I've looked through several books on how to build a garden railway, but haven't found the answers I seek. I hope someone with similar topography can help me out.

[pimanjc]

DDI,

Could you create a layout somewhat like this display at the HAGRS show in KC?

 This design should be able to work on a flat yard, but have plenty of interest with the trestle work and created mountains. 

As to the mower.... Create a weed barrier about a foot outside the layout and line it with brick, stone, pavers, or other landscaping effects.

JimC.

[Capt Bob Johnson]

I mow 5 acres in flat So DE (it don't get much flatter), and what I can't trim from the seat of the tractor gets roundup!

[Anonymous]

Sod cutter then level & lay "new grass". http://www.newgrass.com/

Enjoy!

William

Rene, you did not think I knew such things could be had huh?

[cabbage]

Well -I live in an area that is anything but flat. But somehow I have managed to find a place that is nearly so -only because it is on top of the hill... I intend to build my new railways on planks and posts about 60cm from the ground. This gives me a nice height to use whan sat on the grass -and I don't have to bend down too far. (Something that I am becomming acutely aware of nowadays!!!)

Grass cutting is done with a strimmer and a weed torch.

regards

ralph

[FJ and G]

there was a nice article by Peter Jones in this GRR issue titled "In Or On the Ground" or something to that effect. It addresses this very building aspect.

[EMPIRE II LINE]

Drop me a E-mail address, I'd be more than glad to share a few photos of what I have done, bad back also. My line is in a mobile home park from a low at concrete block height, 9" in the train room, to a high of about 22", out and around my home. [e-mail]  Byron

[kimbrit]

My RR has a raised area that is 9" above ground level and this area is the station/town/sidings/ loco serviceing area. Whilst not very high above the ground level it's amazing how much easier it is to handle things. The rest of the RR is all above ground level and varies from a couple of inches to 9" and is all laid on gravel - pea shingle in the UK. My track floats in the gravel and is very easy to maintain, I don't have to do grass cutting because I laid stone slabs all over the garden and the grass has gone! The hard work in this came from filling in the large raised area with soil from my neighbours building work, back breaking but worth it. Enjoy your RR.

Cheers,

Kim

[altterrain]

Ian Powell, a poster here, has a beautiful layout on the other side of the pond with short raised bed, trestles and bridges. Many ideas to be had. http://www.freewebs.com/powlee/

Recycled rubber mulch strips available at many home/hardware or online (like http://www.gardeners.com/) stores make a good, lightweight, long lasting mowing strip. 

 

-Brian 

[whiterab]

Have you considered a raised flower bed?

Our layout is on a slope so we raised one side using the garden blocks you can get at Lowes and then back filled behind the blocks.  Just a few feet really helps in not having to bend all the way to the ground to get cars on the track or landscaping the area.

The disadvantages are:

• Not cheap, takes a lot of blocks and a lot of dirt to fill in the area.
• Takes up a lot of room
• With a bad back, you will probably have to hire a landscape company to build the wall and to fill it.

The advantages are:

• Adding topology to your layout is easy. You can add a nice little river easily and use the excess dirt to make hills.
• Access to the rolling stock and buildings is a lot easier.
• Easy to keep the grass out of the layout.
• The layout is closer to eye level for viewing and photography. - Little kids love that.
• Solves a lot of drainage problems
• One more part of the lawn you don't have to mow