Laying track

[Dick B]

I'm new to garden railroading and I'm wondering about laying track.  Is there a way to secure track rather then do trenching.  Something that is inexpensive (if there is such a thing) Thank you for any assistance.

[daan]

Hi Dick,

I guess you'ld have better results on the garden railway forum. This is 0 gauge here, Garden railway is G and involves laying track outside. I did have a garden layout though in my former house and dug in street tiles (cut in half) under the tracks. First the track is laid out, I used those long toothpicks to mark the route. Then remove the track and shovel out a trench following the toothpick route, as wide as half a tile, about 4 inches deep (those tiles where 2 inches thick) then fill the trench to 3/4 with sand and lay the tiles, controlling now and then if they are level and on the same height. Be sure to solidify the sand and secure the tile with a rubber hammer. After the route is made from the tiles, lay out the tracks and drill holes in the tiles where you want to secure the track, then screw the tracks in place using a plug.

It's a very solid solution, but you can't lay it out in just a few hours, also changes are not easily made. The LGB tracks are stable enough to just lay them in your garden and secure them with long nails or hooks without needing to make a base. Those tracks are temporary and can be changed and layed out in a short time. They don't last long however and plants can easily grow between the tracks. If you plan on a permanent layout in your garden, take some time, effort and money to invest in a good trackbase. It pays off in a long term good working railroad. It's not that expensive, any concrete blocks will do as base and in my area those streettiles are sometimes for free if someone redecorates the garden. In 0 gauge we must invest money on the layout table, in the garden it's wise to prevent plants to grow between the tracks and give the tracks a solid base.

Another tip is to make the trench a bit wider and install plastic tubing (those electropipes used in houses) beside your track. It can be handy to route the power cables you might need on the layout.