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Progress on the Triple O

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Posted by PVT Kanaka on Friday, May 22, 2015 12:15 AM

Quick update...

Last weekend I switched to a mortar mix intended for building walls.  It was about 50% successful.  The failures, though, were rocks I tried to stick on with the mortar at the bottom of my mixing trough, so maybe it was too little / to dry / too poorly mixed / whatever.  I'll take another crack this weekend.  I am going slowly, as the amphibious assault across our pond demonstrated if it can be crawled on or through, it will be.  I don't need a wall of lava rock tumbling on anyone!

The concrete dye was a bit red, but I think it'll blend in time or easily blend with a wash.

I am having trouble with the exposed vertical surfaces.  Construction adhesive doesn't seem to work, and the mortar mix just slides down the face.  I would appreciate suggestions.

 

A few other neat points...

  1. Spousal buy-in. I overheard CINCHOUSE use the first person plural and plural possessive in referring to this project.  Score.
  2. Use for old gear.  My "dead" locomotive has new life as our "work train" (i.e. I use it to test turns, tunnel fit, levelness, etc.), which our smallest engineer enjoys freewheeling around the track.
  3. Food storage on the railroad. If you leave a gondola full of basil in the sun, the gondola will smell nice, but the basil will be useless.

I'll post pictures when progress on the mountain warrants it.

Aloha,

Eric

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Posted by ttrigg on Tuesday, May 5, 2015 7:04 PM

A quick suggestion for your "trees". Give 'traveling potted trees' a thought. Whatever you use for your trees, potted plants are easier to take care of. I have an assortment of minature 'Cork Elms', Rosemary & Thyme (supported by copper wire armatures) potted trees. All three of these plant prefer intermittant direct sunlight. Solution: Put the trees into old fashion clay pots. Where the tree is supposed to grow, dig in a non-draining plastic flower pot large enough for about one inch of gravel on the bottom so that the clay post is at the same surface level. Now your tree is easily removable for feeding (I dunk mine in a tray full of Miricale-Grow for a 30 minute bath), trimmming (so much easier to sit in a char and turn the tree to trim the tree than all folded over on the GRR.) Since my plants require limited direct sunlight, I have three sets of them. One set in place and two sets on the covered patio. Replacement process; grab the outgoing tree at the base of the trunk and lift out, scoop by hand almost all the pea-gravel out of the plastic pot. Set incomming tree in position and backfill with the gravel just removed.

The pot helps stunt the growth of the trees much the same as with Bonsai trees. (I know I most probably spelt that wrong, apologies). Also allows branch trimming (monthly event) root trimming and repotting with fresh soil (an annual event). Deep bath watering (weekly) and fertilizer bath (monthly). 

Tom Trigg

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Posted by PVT Kanaka on Tuesday, May 5, 2015 12:56 AM

Ray,

Mortar and die are on hand.  Professional and family obligations brought work to a near stand still; however, we have sorted the rocks and all is staged to proceed.

Sorry, but no photos this time. Our photographer neglected to note company policy that no photos may be taken of siblings choosing to gandy dance in the buff, so our latest efforts will be stowed for future, private use to embarass a teenaged version of said gandy dancer!

We did make another nursery run.  Herbs are making good stand in for trees (and really making CINCHOUSE's cooking pop!).  Lower growing plants, however, are not doing as well.  My theory is the direct sunlight for most of the day may be frying them.  We are working with the local nursery to find suitable ground cover.  Overall, the greenery that did thrive is helping to make things look a bit more like a garden and less like an abandoned quarry.  A progress to date shot is in order.

Oh, no permanent structures yet.  I lack the time, none would survive the kids, and we have too much heavy landscaping yet to do.  They will be next year's project.  Maybe.

On the technical side, I did experiment with some quick disconnects from Radio Shack to make hooking up the power supplies easier.  Ultimately, I may move to heavier gauge wire and stereo jacks to make it really plug and play, but we are still determining how we want to control the trains (trackside?  lanai? ), so that can wait.

The tracks have been outside long enough to usually require some buffing when we first get the trains out (2-4 times a week!), and things usually run pretty well.  Curiously, the trains run better after the tracks have been powered up for 20 minutes or so.  I've identified a few areas that are problematic, and I'll probably start soldering key sections together.  A few cracked ties where the LGB track clips hold the sections together suggest I ought to use short pieces of wire soldered to each track to allow for thermal expansion.

I must have subscribed to GR at a great time, as most of my issues - power, track, tunnels, ground cover, etc. - have been feature articles at some point since beginning this project!

Aloha,

Eric

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Posted by PVT Kanaka on Thursday, April 23, 2015 11:36 PM

Ray,

Thanks.  I will pick up the mortar next week, and I will look for the pigments at that time.  It'll save me the paint and keep everyone a bit cleaner!

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Posted by Ray Dunakin on Thursday, April 23, 2015 7:44 PM

Mortar is definitely the best choice for cementing rocks together. The Liquid Nails doesn't work as well on irregular surfaces.

I don't know if they're available in Hawaii, but there are concrete pigments you can add to mortar to make it blend with the rocks. 

 Visit www.raydunakin.com to see pics of the rugged and rocky In-ko-pah Railroad!
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Posted by PVT Kanaka on Thursday, April 23, 2015 1:46 AM

Today we glued concrete slabs and hollow tile in place to form the cap of the tunnel walls and the core of the mountain.  It looks like an abandoned industrial site for the moment, but it already adds a sense of the trains "going somewhere."  This is what lies ahead:

  1. Sort our lava rocks to see how we can best use them.
  2. Stack the lava rocks.  I will probably use mortar to hold them in place rather than "Liquid Nails" for cost and aesthetic reasons.
  3. Soften the corners by gluing on debris, chiseling away at them, or planting things.  From reenacting, I've learned trying to hide something too hard can make it stand out.
  4. Fill exposed seams.
  5. Paint / wash exposed concrete.
  6. Fill voids with dirt and plant our mountain top forest!

I envision this will take a few weeks, working as best we can between professional and family obligations.  I am trying as much as possible to keep the job an "all hands affair," too, which is guiding my approach as much as my available time and funds.

My oldest daughter was the photographer today, so pictures will be forthcoming if they add to the narrative and have an absence of her trademark thumb.

Eric

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Posted by PVT Kanaka on Monday, April 20, 2015 2:42 AM

Aloha Everyone!

We have now trained our guns on our mountain / tunnel complex.  After learning the intricacies of workig with paint, glue, and enthusiastic children, I abandoned my plan of carefully washing the concrete and foam to blend harmoniously and chose, instead a brown that reasonably matched our lava rocks as base for all exposed concrete.  We then glued some rubble at the base and practiced our washed to provide some geometric and color transition (Out of sight...great place to practice!). The end result looks a bit like this:

Today we stacked, but did not glue, the tunnel "caps."  We also started to experiment with stone placement.  I am weighing the merits of using left-over bits of cinderblock to form a core around which to place the rocks, as is my geologic engineer:

 

The other challenge will be making the face of this look like something other than cinderblocks.  I have concrete rubble I can glue to the face to at least make it look rough.  Unfortunately, I did not leave enough distance between tracks to sink thinner pieces of rock to extend outward from the portals.  Foam will simply not stand up to the wear and tear on this line!

 

Finally, you'll note the "Easter Bunny" apparently rides a LGB rail bus....

Thanks agains for providing a venue to keep me honest on this project!

 

Eric

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Posted by Ray Dunakin on Thursday, April 16, 2015 3:22 PM

Nice progress, the layout is really taking shape! 

 Visit www.raydunakin.com to see pics of the rugged and rocky In-ko-pah Railroad!
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Posted by PVT Kanaka on Thursday, April 16, 2015 2:03 AM
Tunnel delayed when the labor crew was redirected to remove old carpeting....Updates to follow soon!
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Posted by PVT Kanaka on Monday, March 23, 2015 12:22 AM

A little progress this weekend working on the tunnel interior (See my post entitled "Working with Foam (Or go to Plan B?)").  I'll post the results of that first foray into foam craftsmanship there, with a final picture here.  I hope to have the tunnel capped by the end of this week.

 

Aloha,

Eric

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Posted by ttrigg on Wednesday, March 4, 2015 5:33 PM

Looking good my friend. So glad you have made this an entire family project. I have seen several layouts that have scenes of Star Wars and Cinderella done by the younger generation. Allowing the kids to add their bit just makes the whole thing so much better.

Tom Trigg

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Posted by PVT Kanaka on Tuesday, March 3, 2015 8:56 PM

Very quick update.  The camera died, so no photos!

 

  1. Track Plan.  This continues to evolve as we decide how we want to run things.  Mostly, this has to do with where the sidings will go.  The kids, who have put hollow tile to use as buildings, are leading the way.  The double dog bone will remain the basic shape.
  2. Plants.  The various herbs intended for the Boss' kitchen are starting to come in.  A few scalish-flowers are also looking nice.
  3. Mountain and Tunnel.  When my father-in-law showed up with hollow tile and rubble, that determined the means of construction!  I am transporting lava rock one hatchback full per day to form around the hollow-tile portal.

Oh, and the Triple O successfully delivered adult beverages from the lanai to the grill!  Design success!

 

Aloha,

Eric

 

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Posted by ttrigg on Monday, January 19, 2015 8:35 PM

Cheers all around. Glad you got the first train running. The real fun now begins, and I'm not talking about the fun of running the trains. No, the real fun comes when the Railroad C.O.O. (that's you) is confronted by a land management battle between CINCHOUSE and The Land Minions. Take care and enjoy.

Tom Trigg

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Posted by PVT Kanaka on Monday, January 19, 2015 7:20 PM

     I am pleased to report that as of 17 January, 1330 (Hawai'i Standard Time), about  year from the planned ground breaking, the Triple O came to life as an ex-DR Bahn 0-4-0T pulled an international somrgasboard of gondolas, a hopper,  and a battered caboose around the mainline.With the addition of a bog plant to the pond and the hasty repositioning of some jade plants, the inspection train even had a nominal garden to run through as it tooled along an otherwise barren landscape of small rocks. 

The mainline is in place.  An interior loop sits on top of the gravel, as I don't want to set it until we put in some landscape features, and I am hemming and hawing about where to put sidings.  We are able to run two trains at once, which is more than the family could want!  We will probably start transplanting some herbs and permanently planting the jade plants this week or next.  In the meantime, we are just enjoying rotating the trains through the garden (such as it is) and discussing the possibilities.

Thanks for the advice scattered over the course of the year, as I know you all guided me around some "mission kill" mistakes.  More questions to follow as this rolls into the next phase!

We are a long way from being the feature railroad of GR, but, by gum, we have garden railroad!

 

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Posted by PVT Kanaka on Sunday, January 4, 2015 12:37 AM
Thanks! We think they're pretty good looking, too!
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Posted by Ray Dunakin on Wednesday, December 31, 2014 12:35 PM
Cute kids! Glad you're making progress on the RR.
 Visit www.raydunakin.com to see pics of the rugged and rocky In-ko-pah Railroad!
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Posted by PVT Kanaka on Tuesday, December 30, 2014 8:24 PM

The bed is filled!  We'll let the rains help things settle and hold a "Gandy Dancing and Grill" party to lay down the track later this month or early next month.  In the meantime, I will research the best way to build a mountain and tunnel to visually split the "dog bone."

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Posted by ttrigg on Sunday, December 28, 2014 12:04 PM

Looking good.

Tom Trigg

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Posted by PVT Kanaka on Saturday, December 27, 2014 1:55 AM

Merry Christmas! 

 

Thanks again for the forbearance as I use this as a blog to keep me honest and progressing.  

The trains came out of their boxes for their annual run around the Christmas tree and out into the yard.  With my brother's track having sat in storage for 20+ years, it took some real elbow grease to get things running, but the crew (hopefully pictured) was game.  In the meantime, my neighbor started filling the garden, so, while the rolling stock will go back into boxes, this is temporary!  

In the meantime, my father-in-law builte a short trestle.  Not sure, how we will incorporate it, but we will!

As a hunorous aside, I found "ballast"  and "roadbed" have no practical meaning in a state with no railroads.  My neighbor sources beautiful scale gravel, and layed it down forward and aft, port to starboard across the entire garden.  Oh, well, it will allow for the flexibility I wanted, even if it means each plant will get its own planter box countersunk into what will be 5-6 inches of gravel. 

Since I figured out this picture thing, here is an idea of the track I have to work with:  

(Last) Temporary home of the Triple O

I am sure as heck looking forward to not having to constantly deal with the track shifting and derailing things every 10-20 minutes!

 

Some final thoughts....If I had known how this project was going to speak to my immediate and extended family, I would've started years ago.  Seeing my youngest gandy dancer in the almost filled garden with his Tonka Trucks "building a railroad" alone made this experience to date worthwhile!

 

Aloha,

Eric

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Posted by PVT Kanaka on Tuesday, December 9, 2014 2:03 AM

FYI, the work crew showed up today and reinforced the retaining wall.  Glad I hired someone with a bit more experience!  Fill should arrive this week, and then the crew will use a tamper to pack it down.  

On the fun side, we will be breaking out all the trains and track for their annual run around the Christmas tree and off into the yard this weekend!  No more boxes for them this year!

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Posted by PVT Kanaka on Tuesday, December 2, 2014 12:27 PM

Belated Happy Thanksgiving!  

Just a quick update, we did decide to get professional help to get the garden filled and tamped.  We just needed to get the project "over the hump."  In the meantime, we are going to be getting all the trains out for Christmas, which will allow for a full inventory of track and stage everything for track planning post-Holidays and ballasting.

Pictures via one website or another will follow as progress occurs!

Eric

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Posted by PVT Kanaka on Sunday, September 21, 2014 12:48 AM

OK, Photobucket 5,  Me 0.

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Posted by PVT Kanaka on Sunday, September 21, 2014 12:42 AM

OK, trying PhotoBucket with the latest picture showing the completed retaining wall. O note this is linked to FaceBook, so have fun viewing my Civil War reenactments if this failed!

As a back-up, I am trying Google Drive again. edit?usp=sharing

Per my post elsewhere, I am ready to fill.  I am looking for free stuff, but, in the interest of time and to ensure a good foundation, I may contract this portion.

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Posted by PVT Kanaka on Friday, September 5, 2014 3:08 AM

Quick update...A pause in some professional obligations and my father-in-law's availability coincided.  The retaining wall is up!  I'll post the photos later as I start to source the fill. 

At this stage:

  • I witnessed the power of error propagation.  Not enough to hold things back, but the wall has some..."character."
  • I learned to lay a brick.  Who knew that was in me?
  • My father-in-law asked for piece of track and rolling stock so he can start plotting bridges and buildings.  Maybe I should come up with a track plan.  The kids are fired up, too, and my goal to make this a family affair seems to be playing out.
Photos of the work to date to follow as will updates as they are merited.
Aloha!

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Posted by PVT Kanaka on Friday, August 15, 2014 2:26 AM

Nope.  Lawn mower space fell victim to other design constraints:  the avocado tree and a conservative estimate of what it'll take to have the tracks and passing siding. The weedwacker will have to do the job back there!

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Posted by ttrigg on Thursday, August 14, 2014 7:13 PM

I keep all the private stuff on OneDrive, used to have it on Google drive until my daughter wanted me to join google plus so she could talk to me. Then G+ started self posting the pix. did NOT care for that. I put only the pix I want to publicly share or insert into a post on Photobucket. Photobucket is free if you don't mind some advertising when you are on that page. 

It may be a bit too late to ask this question. Not looking like you left enough room between the wall and fence to get the lawn mower in there. Or are my eyeballs not as calibrated as they used to be?

Tom Trigg

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Posted by PVT Kanaka on Thursday, August 14, 2014 2:45 AM

Thanks again, Tom.  I'll try "Photobucket."  It sounds like a happy compromise between privacy and utility.  For experiment's sake, I've tried pasting the "shared link" in Google Drive below:

edit?usp=sharing

As you can see (?) the lines are not quite straight as an arrow, but this'll do.  I am calling it "character." Once we get the walls built and filled, the intention is to make the part closest to the viewer the start point for the garden.  The furthest point will likely be grassed back in after the tracks are laid, leaving it as free-lay area for the kids while I experiment elsewhere.

I'll post the next update as the retaining wall goes up

 

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