Bighurt Has anybody used this? http://www.gardenrailwayproducts.com/index.html Care to comment? Thanks for any replies. Jeremy
Has anybody used this?
http://www.gardenrailwayproducts.com/index.html
Care to comment?
Thanks for any replies.
Jeremy
Here at the beach, frost is something that sometimes happens ATOP the grass, not IN the ground. I did use this product (which was originally offered by a company called Mainline Enterprises) for my backyard Seashore, Horry And Georgetown (SHAG RR). I use Sunset Valley Code 250 track, and the roadbed is atop the ground rather than raised. Minimum radius is 5', and turnouts are #6. Installation was in April of 2007, so I am approaching two years. This is my first outdoor railroad.
Advantages: Does assemble quickly, and can easily be done by one person. With my soil being sand, it was easy to drive the PVC pipe uprights and adjust/level the height of the roadbed. I spray-painted this roadbed PVC material with Krylon Fusion spray paint in grey to match the ballast and it has held that paint very well. The material cuts and drills easily, so pieces can be adjusted in size readily to fit any odd locations. It has avoided "washouts", and I'm certain that without this roadbed I would have had serious track stability problems in heavy rains. I also have a trestle from these folks, and it has also held up well overall.
Disadvantages: A roadbed can't be designed for every possible track that may be placed atop it (especially with turnouts), so some adjustment is still needed to fit the curvature of the turnout to the roadbed. The "troughs" that are machined into the top of the roadbed are said to be there to hold ballast in place, but that simply doesn't work - heavy rain simply washes the ballast out from between the rails (my ballast isn't cemented but is applied loose). The biggest problem experienced is that I have had the pieces of roadbed pull apart at the joints, sometimes by as much as half an inch. The "nylon" attachments just get pulled apart. I did initially have all the track screwed to the roadbed along the centerline, and I believe that it was the track expansion in the sun that created these forces. After that first summer, I removed the screws holding the track on the curves and allowed the track to "float" more and that has seemed to help some.
The system offers "switch stand blocks" which attach to the side of the turnout pieces. I use the brass switch stands from Sunset Valley and things seemed fine for my 1:20.3 operation. When I had some fellows come over to operate some larger scale locomotives on my track, I found that the switch stands would not clear the larger locomotives. The switch stands are placed well back on the provided blocks, so one should consider those clearances if you plan to operate larger equipment.
Yes, I believe that this roadbed could be removed fairly easily and re-used elsewhere.
Hope this helps in your consideration. Bill
right now all Ihave is a LGB Sante Fe starter set, but that was due to size restraints of my patio in Fla. The layout I have planned will have 8ft minimum diameter and I hope not to use to many together, my turnarounds I hope I can do with the 10ft diameter. My next purchase is leaning to a GP-40. Was not sure how large radius I would need, but I can't make many plans for the yard til I can see it again, as it is under about 5 feet of snow presently. Ed
I am using numbers from our ranch place which is on Douglas Bay, Lake Sakakawea, I wonder if it has a lower frostline due to the moisture in the soil due the proximity of the lake, when we have high water I have lake out my back door. It will be interesting to see what this years snowpack will run down the river and if we can keep our heads above water.
POWDIEI am 45 miles from Bighurt and our frost line runs at about 6 feet.
I am 45 miles from Bighurt and our frost line runs at about 6 feet.
Is that what your building inspector told you? I was told 4', but that was in no way regarding a train layout.
As it is I had considered frost heave and decided to leave it out of the equation, adding rebar to the bill increases not only initial cost but moving as well.
For now the trains will sit idle, it seams. Although I have dry pavement in a few spots from this weekends warm spell.
Rocky's (the inventor of what is now SJ roadbed) method for controlling frost heave was to drive rebar of the suitable size down thru the upright plastic pipe to a depth of more than a foot below frostline, then use a couple of screws thru the pipe, jaming against the rebar.
If local building inspector says you frostline is 3 feet, then you'd want to go a bit more than 4 feet into the ground with the rebar.
Mike,
Sounds a lot like this except using Tufboard instead of the PVC (Tufboard will bend to a 4 foot diameter) - http://www.grblogs.com/index.php/2008/12/13/ladder-track-support-systems?blog=25
-Brian
I just finished the first loop of my backyard layout using a "split jaw" method. Yuo are correct above, the items are very expensive for what is is. If you are familiar with that product, then you will understand my next comments.
I really wanted Split jaw because of the ease of design layout and above all grading. I simply Made my own straights from 3/4 x 1 1/4 PVC lumber from Home depot. Using a 7/8" spade bit to drill holes every 18".to accomodate 7/8" PVC pipe precut to 18-24" (this allowed 12"-18 depth to fight frost heaves) and 6-12" of excess above ground line.
Getting started I aligned two pre-drilled 12' long straights. Then took the spade bit thru the pre-drilled holes as deep into the soil as possible (like a pilot hole) at each end. This locates the PVC board. Then, Since I was doing a double mainline, I centered the parallel track, based on the 9' and 10' curves I was using. I tried to stay 6-6.5". This was relatively easy and I was very excited at the success.After the ends were driven in, then just go and do all the other 18" on center holes.
The first curve was next. Different story. The PVC board was not easy to bend and stay in at all. After trial and error I decided to heat with a Milwaukee Heat gun and bend curves. After a while I got good at it. I made a template from tracing 1/4 circle of each diameter on 36 x96 table top and screwing in one end, heating as you bend, and screwing every 8-10 inches as you progressed. Like I sad It was difficult at first but I got good at it quickly. It took most of a Summer weekend to do 12'straight, the first 90 dergree curves, and another 12' straight.
The next weekend I experimented with the grading prodedure. I wanted the reaodbed to be a minimum 6" above the lawn. I started at the highest point and worked in each direction. With a small prybar I simply slide the sub bed up to grade and leveled at 6". I continued until the entire straight section was level. After leveling I turned small level across the sub bed, Grabbed it with a visegrip and leveled across the rail. Although some high speed turns you may want a slight bank effect.
That it pretty much it! More labor but about 1/3 the cost of Split jaw!
Mike Foster
Somerville MA
I'm familiar with garrison, I myself live in Minot.
Get some large radius curves down, and I might just pay you a visit. Working weekend is fine with me. LOL
+35° water feature in work, as we speak.
Good Luck post pics, when you get some progress in the spring.
Garrison, between Minot and Bismarck. I have plenty of space, but we moved in November and have been focusing on getting the house organized. I have a lot of petrified wood laying around the yard that will make for interesting scenery, can't wait for spring, some junipers and maybe a water feature(with 5 feet of snow as soon as the sun comes, the water feature should be over the top)
What area? I have plenty O' Space for a layout at present, only cause I clear snow everyday....
Wife and I looked at the budget for next year and regardless of road bed the track will put us over the top. So looks like I will play collector one more year.
On the plus side wife approved the around the ceiling layout for my LGB, the USA trains will just have to stay in boxes...
If only there were a club in the area...
Cheers
well, I just recently moved to the great white ND, I was raised here but married a Tampa girl, so I spent a little time in Fla. I was in an apartment and had a nice patio layout. It was not a permanent set up so I wanted to be able to take it out easily. What I did, I liked. I used a premix bag of concrete, it was the sand mix. I piled where I wanted the track at and tamped it with a 2x4 scrap piece to level it. I put the track on it and let it get settled in a little, then I misted it with water to seal it. It held up for a year in Tampa, which others here could tell you is a lot of rain some time and a lot of heat other times. I moved to ND in October and have not done much for my layout due to the 4 feet of white stuff where I want to lay track, but I am not afraid to try redo my concrete bed. I figure if the ground moves due to frost it will do it in spring so the weather will be warming up, and after a long winter blast, even if I have to do a little track maintenance, I don't mind. Personally I am new to this hobby but I want to try a few of the track methods mentioned here. Always room for learning, I do better to learn by trial and error. I just like to be pointed in a direction first, good luck, EdTH
The layout at the Aristo-Craft headquarters is on the Mainline (now Split Jaw) roadbed; and they are supposedly quite happy with it! Due to personality clashes I didn't use it years ago, but really liked the system, particularly the way it could handle frost heave! In your part of the world that is important! Cost? When all is taken into account I don't believe it is any more expensive than doing it in any semblance of good construction practices! Over the long run it may even be a bit cheaper! Yes, the portability would be a factor to consider!
I used a few sections of it in a place where I could not manage to make the ladder roadbed into a R1 curve. The Split jaw roadbed worked very well--it's well thougt out and effective, just pricey
A buddy uses it. Its nice stuff but, as mentioned above, a bit pricey. I have a few threads below using ladder systems which are just as stable, just a bit more work and far less expensive.
You can't go wrong with the Aristo stainless track you're thinking of using.
Don't really know what about me matters for a layout, but I suppose my location matters.
The Great "White" North Dakota!
I had considered floating track like the big boys but part of the layout will encircle a Swing Set/Jungle Gym for my boys. That being said part of the layout will see moderate foot traffic, I considered doing this part on a concrete curb that would seperate the main lawn from the playground equipment, which would most likely have a base of bark. The remainder will be contained with in the flower beds although at present we don't really grow flowers.
I envisioned a simple dog bone loop with a single siding. I also considered using ART SS track utilizing the 15' or 20' diameter curved pieces. My outdoor equipment is composed of a pair of SD-40-2 and soon a pair of SD-70 MAC.
My motivation behind the split jaw roadbed beyond the ability to take it with is the ease of set up. With more experience in carpentry its easier for me to level a product than ground, IMO. Granted I wasn't planning any grades, although a nice Sullivan's Curve would be cool, but the ability to run trains would be great.
How do you keep the decomposed granite in place. With 5-6 months of the year buried under feet of snow, and heavy rains I don't want to look foward to washouts.
Thanks for the tips.
I have used the splt jaw road bed system and found it easy to use and does the job the only draw back it is a bit pricey. Ours has been outdoors for almost two years and still looking good. Good luck i dont think you will regret useing the split jaw road bed.
Given that we don't know anything about you I will give my personal suggestions. If you float your track on the ground or a fine landscaping medium such as decomposed granite you will only be out the price of the medium if you use one. The floating system is what I use, but than decomposed granite is our soil.
Hope this helps, Rob
The home we live in is not a lifetime home we will most likely be moving in the near (year or so) future. So we would like anything we build to be able to be reused. Rather than concrete roadbed, I had considered this product.
Get the Garden Railways newsletter delivered to your inbox twice a month