Layouts and layout building

This is not meant to be a realistic model but instead, a Christmas Display.  The roof of my garage can be seen on all  three sides as it sets near a sharpe curve in the highway.  Thanks for your interest.

These 2x6's will be the main stay of the road bed.  I have been reading where styrofoam or something like it is cut and placed on top of the lumber but wonder how necessary this would be  I plan to place a  2x6 cut at a angle every foot along the roof to support the horizanital track bed.  Remember this is a Christmas Display, not a authentic re creation.  I believe there are also newer decking boards made fron synthetic materials which might be a possibility.

bogp40 wrote:

BigG wrote:   Possibly a dumb question, but how are you going to get the track with reasonable curve radius to go around the corners of that hip roof without blowing the visual effects by cantilevering much of the trackage in midair? My LHS has a G-scale model that just runs from 1 bumper to the other and back after a long pause at each end, thus eliminating the curves.   An interesting project!     Have fun...George  Exactly, what is the min radius for G scale?

Minimum radius is determined based on what your going to be running, just like in HO.

Minimum curve for the Aristocraft  SD45 is 8' diameter (or 4' radius). Its a big engine.

 

If it's just a Christmas display, why go through all the trouble of the grade and cutting access holes in the garage. You could fabricate some flat steel brackets to secure under the shingle of the hip. Instead of having PT 2x6s there all the rest of the year the frame can be removed and stored in the garage. 3/4" ply sections along w/ the radius corners can be used. This roadbed can have the track attached and just connect the rail joiners. You still could use the 2x6 for longer spans and have the track mounted on it as well.

I'm confused,( I think a 3% grade is about 3' in 100'  I could be wrong ), in scale that's do able, in real life you would require 300' of track, to raise 9' I really am not sure if my calculations are right, as I'm not sure of  % grade, but you either require a real deep yard, or a trick to bend 2" x 6" lumber into accurate curves or heaven forbid a helix, you might want to consider plywood, any way it sounds like a great project, good luck I wish I could put my road ,I am just starting, in the roof of my garage, but it's too expensive a project.

SD456789 wrote:

These 2x6's will be the main stay of the road bed.  I have been reading where styrofoam or something like it is cut and placed on top of the lumber but wonder how necessary this would be  I plan to place a  2x6 cut at a angle every foot along the roof to support the horizanital track bed.  Remember this is a Christmas Display, not a authentic re creation.  I believe there are also newer decking boards made fron synthetic materials which might be a possibility.

I still can't picture the overall project just yet......

It will cost more but composite decking would be more stable in outdoor conditions than std PT lumber. Even PT lumber will cup over time.

Issues with covering with foam is.....the white beaded stuff yellows from the ultra violet rays of the sun and over time it will literally fall apart on its own AFTER it becomes waterlogged and birds will love you for supplying nesting material. Pink/blue foam will have similar results except that it will resist water intrusion longer BUT will experience acelerated deterioration from the suns rays.

The suggestion was made about using fabricated metal brackets....it is a good one if combined with a stable decking material.

If cost is not an issue you could go with low grade stainless steel (there is something like 12 grades of stainless commonly available) for the brackets AND the decking.

rickster.ca wrote:

I'm confused,( I think a 3% grade is about 3' in 100'  I could be wrong ), in scale that's do able, in real life you would require 300' of track, to raise 9' I really am not sure if my calculations are right, as I'm not sure of  % grade, but you either require a real deep yard, or a trick to bend 2" x 6" lumber into accurate curves or heaven forbid a helix, you might want to consider plywood, any way it sounds like a great project, good luck I wish I could put my road ,I am just starting, in the roof of my garage, but it's too expensive a project.

The way I interpret his message, the increase in elevation will only be 3 1/2 feet, so that would be about 150 feet of track.  Maybe out to the curb and back would do it.

I do have a supply of 6"x1/8"x16' pieces of steel.  (about 5 ton) which after reading your suggestion, I could use.  Possibly the curves (9.5') could be obtained by cutting 1' pieces at angles and welding them together.  I do have both a 110 and 220 welder plus a torch for the cutting.  The steel came from a high school limestone track and was used to seperate the track from the grass on both sides.  I now plan to look at some other composite materials (decking) Saturday to see if this is a option.  Once I had the miter box set at the correct angle I could cut the decking boards at the correct marking to produce a 9.5' curve.  Thanks for the ideas.

SD456789, I have seen a G train hanging from a high ceiling using what appeared to be some kind of metal mesh roadbed. The roadbed was about 8" wide and had sides maybe 2" high. Hard to describe, but the mesh was like the pattern of a chain link fence, except the metal was flat, not round like the links in a chain. It was hung from the ceiling by wires about 8 feet apart, so obviously it was sturdy.

I realize you'd need some type of bracket instead of wires for support, but it's just an idea I had. Can't remember where I saw it, but there were customers walking beneath the train so obviously the store had confidence in the setup.

Just for what it's worth. 

I have completed the project.  The train is now running around the garage roof.  I operate it from inside the house about 30' away.  It works very well.  If I can figure out how to post some pictures I will.  A vidio would be even better.  I have run it for about two months now with no problems.  I only run it on quiet days.  The wind could be a problem.  I glued some house siding together and curved it around the track for protection from the rain.  The train only has six cars so it fits very well inside.   The gondola cars were used at Easter on the table which was 24' long to bring the turkey, potatoes, gravy, etc. to the family.  I have a picture of this on my desktop.  I understand that this is not in keeping with the historical accuracy of the Garden Railway System, but I have had many phone calls and comments on this project.   It is expecially nice at night with the headlight and two red lights on the back of the engine.  Each gondola car also has a small American Flag flying from it.

 Hi again, and congratulations on building a dream!  Sounds like something a magazine should be interested in; I know that I'd love to see some pictures. To post them, you need to go to a photo hosting site like "Photobucket" et al, and open a free account. It's relatively easy to do, and the site will guide you.

  Have fun,   George.

I took 9 pictures of the SD45 going around the track on top of the roof.   I now have them in photobucket but have not yet discovered how to get them into this site.   I will start on this again tomorrow.  Thanks for your help.

SD456789 wrote:

I took 9 pictures of the SD45 going around the track on top of the roof.   I now have them in photobucket but have not yet discovered how to get them into this site.   I will start on this again tomorrow.  Thanks for your help.

SD456789 wrote: