Laying Track Outdoors
Puckdropper
sale... Soon, I had a piece of track for my G-gauge locomotive as test
track, and plans for a loop outside. To make a long story short, I'm
skipping right to the laying track part.
Laying track for an outdoor railroad is a lot more prep work than that of
an indoor layout. For an indoor layout, one merely has to attach track
to a flat-ish surface and connect power. (Nitpick: Yes, quality track
laying is much more difficult.) For an outdoor layout, "flat" is
something that must be created. My simple loop of track required taking
dirt out of the garden to level some of the worst spots, and tamping it
all down.
Since things will grow in flat empty dirt, step two involves laying down
a weed barrier and putting gravel on top of it. In my impatience to get
trains running, I had laid track on top of the dirt and added the gravel
later. I think this was a mistake. What I should have done was put the
gravel down first, tamped it all down level, and then laid track. (G
gauge track needs to be level side-to-side. Grades are fine, but you'll
run into trouble with some equipment if it's not level side-to-side.)
If it's dry tomorrow (rained today) and I have the time, I'm looking at
taking up the track, compacting the gravel underneath and leveling it
side-to-side, and relaying it. It's a lot of work, but I think it's
worth it.
Puckdropper
--
Wise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it.
To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm
eüphemism
I have never considered doing a train layout outdoors nor do I know
what is generally recommended, but if I had guessed how it was done, I
would have figured that the best plan would be to "cheat" and use a
concrete-board roadbed.
There are so many composite materials available now that can shrug off
moisture and ignore termites, wouldn't it make sense to use a
technique similar to traditional benchwork and substitute something
like Wonderboard as your underlayment? After you have your track in
place, you could build up the gravel or dirt or whatever and hide the
roadbed.
Edward A. Oates
at euph...@mindspring.com wrote on 5/16/07 5:46 AM:
I've been considering a similar outdoor layout for some time (my HO, video,
and music project keep stealing time), and looked carefully at the G gauge
layout at Epcot (in the Germany pavilion). Their "cheat" was to use 2x6
boards (treated for outdoor use) as roadbed which was then covered with
gravel in most places. That seems a lot more forgiving than concrete.
So, the leveling, tamping step is necessary, but with the use of wooden sub
roadbed, suitably spiked into the ground, a think a good, level track can be
laid and maintained as the ground shifts and settles.
--
Ed Oates
http://homepage.mac.com/edoates
DCC wiring information is at http://www.wiringfordcc.com
Puckdropper
news:1179319578.4...@p77g2000hsh.googlegroups.com:
>
>
> I have never considered doing a train layout outdoors nor do I know
> what is generally recommended, but if I had guessed how it was done, I
> would have figured that the best plan would be to "cheat" and use a
> concrete-board roadbed.
>
> There are so many composite materials available now that can shrug off
> moisture and ignore termites, wouldn't it make sense to use a
> technique similar to traditional benchwork and substitute something
> like Wonderboard as your underlayment? After you have your track in
> place, you could build up the gravel or dirt or whatever and hide the
> roadbed.
>
>
You most certainly could use the board if you want to, but I was
following the example of the real railroads with my track laying.
If you're looking at outdoor materials, do consider the UV factor. If
you leave most plastics out in the sun all day they'll get brittle and
crack.
eüphemism
<nowayedoates.t...@unearthlylink.net> wrote:
> in article 1179319578.436797.324...@p77g2000hsh.googlegroups.com, eüphemism
> at euphem...@mindspring.com wrote on 5/16/07 5:46 AM:
> DCC wiring information is athttp://www.wiringfordcc.com- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
The product I have in mind is called "Wonderboard" and it is
incredibly easy to work with. It is very easy to score and snap, it
is flexible and can be attached to supports using nails or screws. If
you've ever re-done a shower or bath enclosure, you might have used
it. There are similar products used in flooring applications. In a
sense, it is just like wood. Even treated wood will fall victim to
rot or moisture damage over tme. I don't know for sure, by I suspect
that the Wonderboard would last even longer.
There are other products that are wood substitutes used in making
exterior siding. That stuff supposedly lasts forever.
Ü
David Nebenzahl
> eüphemism <euph...@mindspring.com> wrote in
> news:1179319578.4...@p77g2000hsh.googlegroups.com:
>
>>I have never considered doing a train layout outdoors nor do I know
>>what is generally recommended, but if I had guessed how it was done, I
>>would have figured that the best plan would be to "cheat" and use a
>>concrete-board roadbed.
>>
>>There are so many composite materials available now that can shrug off
>>moisture and ignore termites, wouldn't it make sense to use a
>>technique similar to traditional benchwork and substitute something
>>like Wonderboard as your underlayment? After you have your track in
>>place, you could build up the gravel or dirt or whatever and hide the
>>roadbed.
>
> You most certainly could use the board if you want to, but I was
> following the example of the real railroads with my track laying.
>
> If you're looking at outdoor materials, do consider the UV factor. If
> you leave most plastics out in the sun all day they'll get brittle and
> crack.
I think that Wonderboard idea deserves a good look. (I hasten to say at
the outset that I have *zero* experience with laying garden RR track,
but I do have experience using Wonderboard as tile underlayment.)
As the person who raised the subject pointed out, the stuff is truly
weatherproof. And flat and fairly rigid.
Here's an idea: what if a guy were to roughly level his ROW (dirt,
gravel, etc.), tamp it down, cut Wonderboard strips for roadbed, then
butter them thickly with mortar and lay them down over the tamped dirt?
It would be a lot of work, but it seems to me you'd end up with a
wonderfully flat and level roadbed, heavy enough to be well-anchored to
the ground. That baby wouldn't be going anywhere, even in earthquake
country.
--
Any system of knowledge that is capable of listing films in order
of use of the word "fuck" is incapable of writing a good summary
and analysis of the Philippine-American War. And vice-versa.
This is an inviolable rule.
- Matthew White, referring to Wikipedia on his WikiWatch site
(http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/wikiwoo.htm)
Sir Ray
Heh, I haven't seen any, but there's gotta be an operating Large scale
model weed sprayer car, spray patterns/amount controlled via DCC, and
holding tanks fillable with Round-Up or equivalent...
Greg Procter
I think the wooden board system might well work where the layout is used
continually and someone is on hand to do light maintainance, but wood
outdoors has a limited lifespan for quite a high cost. Wood might last 5
years and where the layout generates a reasonable return this might be
justified compared to expensive labour costs to build a robust sub-bed,
but I think for a home layout 5 years is a short time and a reasonable
amount of free labour will result in a sub-bed that will last a
lifetime.
Regards,
Greg.P.
Greg Procter
I would use such materials on edge so that warping and sag wouldn't
affect track levels.
(two parallel strips on edge, separated by bolting/screwing to either
side of mounting stakes every couple of feet)
Greg.P.
NZ.
Greg Procter
LGB makes fillable tank wagons.
Brass tube drilled with small holes would make a spray bar.
Now wee need a connecting tube and a DCC servo/tap. (or just use the LGB
tap)
Regards,
Greg.P.
Edward A. Oates
Puckdropper at puckd...@yahoo.com wrote on 5/16/07 10:40 AM:
> eüphemism <euph...@mindspring.com> wrote in
> news:1179319578.4...@p77g2000hsh.googlegroups.com:
>
>>
>>
>> I have never considered doing a train layout outdoors nor do I know
>> what is generally recommended, but if I had guessed how it was done, I
>> would have figured that the best plan would be to "cheat" and use a
>> concrete-board roadbed.
>>
>> There are so many composite materials available now that can shrug off
>> moisture and ignore termites, wouldn't it make sense to use a
>> technique similar to traditional benchwork and substitute something
>> like Wonderboard as your underlayment? After you have your track in
>> place, you could build up the gravel or dirt or whatever and hide the
>> roadbed.
>>
>>
>
> You most certainly could use the board if you want to, but I was
> following the example of the real railroads with my track laying.
>
> If you're looking at outdoor materials, do consider the UV factor. If
> you leave most plastics out in the sun all day they'll get brittle and
> crack.
>
> Puckdropper
There's a pretty good book you may want to get:
"The Large Scale Model Railroading Handbook" by Robert Schleicher, Krause
Publications. If you (and I ;-) are actually going to invest the time in
building an outdoor layout, it is probably a good idea to read such a
handbook.
--
Ed Oates
Puckdropper
news:1179345741....@h2g2000hsg.googlegroups.com:
That shouldn't be hard to build, depending on how you want to spray... A
pump from a car washer fluid system at All Electronics is a couple
dollars... That should provide plenty of pressure. There's plenty of
spray tip nozzles available, and if you can't find one the right size it
doesn't appear to be hard to make your own. (I've never tried making a
spray nozzle, though. I could be missing something.)
Before building a weed sprayer, it would be best to test your favorite
weed killer on the track first. Assume it will get on your locomotive's
wheels and could reduce pick up.
Scratch building in G is so much easier than scratch building in HO...
(IME, YMMV, standard disclaimers apply, my opinion only, caution: reading
this post may be responsible for unforseen ailments, warning: scratch
building can lead to dangerous activities, I'm not responsible.)
wka...@mtholyoke.edu
about a 10 year period. Elevated parts are on dry stone wall, ground
level is on the ground.
Getting the roadbed to the right level and flatness was the most time
consuming part. I did what I could, then let it settle for a year, did
some tweaking and finally laid track. I put a weed barrier under the
track, but dirt gets in the ballast and a few weeds grow anyway, but
they're easy to pull, and roundup works on the more aggressive ones.
There are humps and dips and twists in the spring that need to be fixed.
That involves pulling ballast from under the high spots, or tamping more
under the low spots.
I never considered a rigid base under the track. Sure, it would be nice
at the start, but things move around outside if you have do deal with
freeze/thaw cycles. Re-leveling a long piece of roadbed seemed like more
work than leveling a few humps or dips. The joints between sections
seemed like they would be especially troublesome.
Some people do build elevated layouts, and they need some sort of
benchwork. Being outdoors, it's still going to move some. In that case,
I'd say plan for a way to make adjustments for any movement.
--
Bill Kaiser
wka...@mtholyoke.edu
There are three ways to do a job: good, cheap, and quick.
You can have any two.
A good, cheap job won't be quick.
A good, quick job won't be cheap.
A cheap, quick job won't be good.