Lazy 8 RR

[dwbeckett]

Zak:
Every now and then we've all got to "pay the piper."  Looks like you've done quite a bit in a relatively short time.  Now you need to give the boss her little tasks.

Talk about paying the piper I have Two RR's on hold, The outdoor ONBR due to plumbing malfunction we have been out of that house since may third. the indoor DNRR in Reno till SHE gets her sunroom with a swim spa and all of the new house projects done 1 big and 3 or 4 small to go. YES  I do sneek in some track planning when she's not looking and some display shelf building just to get rid of some of the box's on the garage floor.

[ttrigg]

Zak:
Every now and then we've all got to "pay the piper."  Looks like you've done quite a bit in a relatively short time.  Now you need to give the boss her little tasks.

[zakowitz]

Howdy....

         The boss likes the final result, but she has put a hold on all further construction until her demands for a new patio are met... I just don't get it...to squelch creative genius like that....I think I will be able to sneak in some new rolling stock once in a while.

 

                                                          Regards,

 

                                                           Zak

PS...I wonder if she would go for a patio/command center combo?...nah...better not press my luck.  :)

            

[Anonymous]

"It's growing!!"  What does the boss say? I am hoping she wants more trains

And I remember the 1st photo and nopw look at it!!!! Love it!

[vsmith]

Hi Zack, that looking good!

The second track will be a good excuss for more trains, right?

[zakowitz]

Hello,

     We finished laying the track for the lower level this weekend. This should conclude our construction until maybe later this summer or fall. At that time we will most likely extend a route to the fence and run a dog bone loop around the back yard perimeter. Here are some pictures.....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7392037@N05/540110932/

    I am sorry but I haven't had time to figure out how to organize the pictures on Flick'r, so they include a glob of jumbled up pictures from our breaking ground in March to the present.

     Hope all of you have a wonderful summer. Your comments of course are most welcome.....

 

                                      Regards,

                                        Zak

[dwbeckett]

Keep it up and I'm going to kick the contractors out of my Oakley house, move back in to the bare floors and exposed wall studs just so I can work on my ONBR. Yes I'm setting on my A** doing nothing waiting to move back. I mite be lucky and get back in, in about a 4 weeks. BTY I have borrowed my wife's lap top, she lets me use it once or twice a week, She thinks I will mess it up.

[vsmith]

Thats a mighty beefy trestle, it aint going anywhere!

Nice job of it, are you going to stain it? or at the very least hit it with Thompsons waterseal, it will last alot longer that way.

[Anonymous]

Looks great Zak! One thing on a tunnel I did was to check the hight and got to excited.

[S&G Rute of the Silver River]

Simplistic, I like it! Now just add in a mallet and you have a wounderfull photo opertunity. and you should have about an inch of clearence so your fine.

[zakowitz]

Hello Once More......

      Here is my attempt to bridge the gap between the trestle ends. I went for the clunky sturdy look like I did in my trestle build.

                  http://www.flickr.com/photos/7392037@N05/

I think the sturdier the better with my 2 grandson's (3 and 5 years old) operating their equipment on my line. I have really appreciated all the comments you guys have made regarding this project. I will post again in a month or 2 after I get the gound level main line in.

                                             Regards,

                                                 Zak

                                                        

 

 

                                         

[S&G Rute of the Silver River]

Immaculent, and yes another Starbucks patren! I ain't much for a non-useful plant grower, but gime a plot of land and soon you'll have enyough vegtables to feed the crews of two aircraft carriers. Remember trains make wounderfull yard workers! Now I no longer need to cart stuf to the house in that wheelbarrow anymore. One mallet, and about eighty cars of logs, you get the compleation of chores and fun!

[John Busby]

Hi Zak

It would seem your gardening skills are about level with mine so let me know how you get on.

Looking very good get looking after the plants right and it can only get better with time shame I haven't mastered that bit yet

By the way spotted the cup mines white and two thanks

regards John

[aspinallar]

I really like your setup! I have a figure 8 too but folded to go 'round a corner. Trestles lead to a bridge.

To keep my ballast from falling out of the cracks in my cribbing, I sprayed the sides of the crbbing / ballast with Quikrete Bonding adhesive (diluted as it says on the bottle). It changed the color very slightly darker, but no one but me has noticed. I have done all 'round my layout. I should mention the adhesive goes on with a garden sprayer.  I imagine you could do the same on track that is sitting on concrete blocks as well. Apply the ballast, make it pretty, then spray away. The ballast won't move after that. After it dries, it will turn the ballast into a rubbery mix that sticks well. I use a broom to clean the twigs out of my layout, and nothing moves. Even a leaf-blower doesn't touch it.

Moving track afterwards is a pain, but do-able.

Don't forget to protect your track during spraying - or plan on a lot of scrubbing afterwards. I didn't protect mine and had to clean the adhesive off later. It is glue! I bet masking tape would work.

http://www.quikrete.com/ProductLines/ConcreteBondingAdhesive.asp

Got my quikrete at Home Depot. It smells like elmer's glue by the way.  I bought a gallon, but it needs to be diluted 1 part adhesive + 2 parts water - one gallon turns into 3. With 100 ft of track, I used about a gallon of the mix total. Lots leftover.

 Alan in PA

 

 

[zakowitz]

Hello Again Folks,

    I am still trying to decide how I want to attack the bridge I am gong to build between the 2 trestle ends of the Lazy Eight. In the mean time we planted some ground cover and a couple of small bushes at each end of the RR. Here are a couple of pictures:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7392037@N05/?deleted=469530223

I purchased a couple of Euonymus J.'Rokujo Variegata'. It is a evergreen plant that sort of looks like a miniature poplar that won't drop leaves in the fall. I also picked up a Daphne x Transatlantica 'Summer Ice'. It reminds me of a miniature hardwood tree of some sort. I planted some ground cover also along each side of the trestle and along the roadbed.

Well that is all for now. I still have a Honey Do List to work through before I can tackle my trestle spanning bridge, and I will send along some pictures of the bridge when it is completed.

                                               Regards,

                                                      Zak

[altterrain]

Great work so far Zak. I just saw your post on kitty litter. Kitty litter is just fired clay particles but is designed to absorb water and will eventually breakdown. If you like the look of it use a product like "OilDry" which is the same but fired at a higher temperature or even "Turface" which is fired at even higher temps and is designed to be a soil amendment. Beside those look into chicken grit (at feed stores) or paver base from the home box stores.

 -Brian

[spikejones52002]

A lot of great work.

Really enjoyed with your new trestle.

A lot of work that turnout great.

[ttrigg]

Hi Zak
Stop that your putting us all to shame

 Well we asked for it I cant even get loop of track layed  without getting sick. GOOD WORK

Did we ever ask for it!!!!!  Give the young lad a few hints, and he flys off the handle and builds an empire overnight.     (Just kidding Zak)  Looking good,

[S&G Rute of the Silver River]

The cat litter should be fine on its own. After all its handeled five years of being balest on the NWSM (ya, we found out when 4012 is making that noise, DON"T RUN IT!!!!!!!!) a good 3 gal of heavy motor oil gushed between the tracks.

[Anonymous]

I would say it would move but if it had a cut into (like a U shape) the brick and chicken grit added it should not. JMHO Skill saw with a brick/concreet saw will cut the U shape channels.

RR looking great!

[Train 284]

I just got around to reading this thread. Sorry it took so long...........

 

But the railroad looks awesome! Very very nice! The bridge is fantastic. Keep up the good work and keep those photos coming! 

[zakowitz]

John,

   The coaches are the extra short models with 4 wheel trucks. I picked up a starter set and 2 mail coaches on E-bay.

Anyone,

  I have a question for you guys. I have some of my track lying directly on landscaping brick, and I am considering using kitty litter as a finishing ballast.  It shouldn't move around much after it is wet. Have any of you folks heard of using it?

                                            Regards,

                                                Zak

  

[Tom The Brat]

Beautiful!

You can say your thumb is "groovy."

Just don't be like my family: My dad has an uncle, a grandfather and great grandfather (all passed away now) who were all missing their right thumbs. Apparently, great grandpa lost his thumb in a PTO. Decades later, someone asked grandpa, "How'd your dad loose his thumb?"

"Like this." Now father and son are missing thumbs.

"So how did your dad and your grandpa loose their thumbs?"

I'll let you fill in the rest of the story

Or was that grandfather, uncle and cousin? I get so confused!

[John Busby]

Hi Zak

Very nice.

Are those the extra short proper coaches with trucks or the not quite right 4wheel coaches

regards John

[kimbrit]

Nice pics, keep 'em coming.

[zakowitz]

Howdy Again,

    I have both ends of the trestle set now. Here are some pics.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7392037@N05/

I still have to build the bridge that will tie the trestle together, and the ends next to the circles have to be finished with some sort of bulkheadl or maybe a partial bent. The company CEO has some other projects for me, so it will be a while before I finish the bridge. Then we just have to buuild the main line that will circle around both flower beds at ground level. I am having a blast. Thanks for all or your comments!   Take care,            

                                                      Zak

P.S. Oh..........the Thumb is doing fine...it has a neeto grove in it.....

 

[dwbeckett]

Hi Zak

Stop that your putting us all to shame

Looking good the new cribbing looks much better

regards John

 Well we asked for it I cant even get loop of track layed  without getting sick. GOOD WORK

[John Busby]

Hi Zak

Stop that your putting us all to shame

Looking good the new cribbing looks much better

regards John

[MTCarpenter]

Very nice retaining wall and the trestle looks great so far.  Keep at it.