Garden Railway Forum

ge_rik wrote: ↑Thu Jul 09, 2020 1:28 pm Wow! That's some serious engineering, Graham. will the upper track descend to join the lower one before the lift-up bridge?

Rik

Yes Rik,
The pictures below show a string line that is the route the upper level will take about a 3-3.5% grade.
The bridge leaving up against the fence in the background will be put in so that I have a way of getting a line into the shed where a series of storage tracks under the HO layout will be built eventually.

The lower loop track has been installed and the loop is now continuous. A set of points were put in the middle as an entry to a peninsular that a proposed sugar mill will be built on. A cross over was installed before Stage 3 to allow trains to cross between the loops when both are finished. Blog has been updated showing more details and pictures.
Latest Posts
https://ringbalin-light-railway.blogspo ... st%20Posts
Construction Logs
https://ringbalin-light-railway.blogspo ... age-1.html

What panel material are you using for baseboard as it looks like wood?

tom_tom_go wrote: ↑Sat Jul 11, 2020 10:36 am What panel material are you using for baseboard as it looks like wood?

The framework is made out of recycled hardwood decking boards.

The baseboards are a Fibre Cement product called "Villaboard" in Australia it is used for lining bathrooms, they have been painted with a water based paving paint to get rid of the stark white colour.
I score it with a metal cutting blade in an angle grinder.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/james-hardi ... g_p0714174

Just catching up, lot of good solid work there. Particularly looking forward to seeing what you do regarding the sugar mill.

Looking good Graeme. Looking forward to seeing that video of the first train run round the loop. ....

Rik

It's been a while as I had to wait till my shoulder recovered from an overuse injury (SWMBO keeps banging on about old age) but I have now started taking the upper level, line that came down via the "High" trestle back up "Uphill" to where it started.

To save timber I cut a steel C purlin so it formed a ramp of sorts that carries the track up to a point where it curves and rises up to a bridge which after it crosses will again curve and rise till it gets back to the Upper Level.

I had to join 2 pieces of track part way through the curve and to stop a kink at the joint I soldered the joiners in place to give added strength (I have used this method in HO and it worked well).

I have some artificial turf offcuts and I have placed a piece against the "ramp" to hide it, I will contemplate using more if I can work it into the scenery.

At the moment all components have been "roughed in".

Pictures explain it better than I can, and as usual the blog will be updated in due course.

Blog has been updated

https://ringbalin-light-railway.blogspo ... -loop.html

That's coming together nicely. And broad curves to boot. (a joke in there somewhere, I'm sure)
Your anti-kinking measure looks a good move. Wish I'd have thought of that before laying my own line..
Blog looks great too, seems nicely laid out, I reckon.

Regards,
Aaron

The upper loop track is now continuous.

All that has to be done before I run a train is to put fibre cement baseboards under the track so that I can add scenery and catch any train that derails.
For the vertical scenery I am experimenting with using coloured acrylic house render over a shade cloth mesh base.
Blog has been updated
https://ringbalin-light-railway.blogspo ... -page.html

I have also commenced adding a passing siding so I can run trains both ways I plan on making the siding a station/freight area.
There is also a spur that will run off the lower level and behind the scenery so that I can load trains it is planned to eventually run it into the shed and under the HO layout for storage tracks.

Did a little bit of scenery on the upper loop from where it starts its climb to the end of the bridge.
I glued a fibre cement backing, using liquid nails landscape to the edge of the steel roadbed, then covered it with acrylic house render coloured with a "sandstone" oxide.

Once it is completely dry I will look at applying a black acrylic paint wash to highlight the texture

This is an idea I am toying with to add a sort of backdrop to the line.
It is artificial turf and as there is only about 200-300mm between the line and the edge I want something to catch a train if it derails so it doesn't drop the 900mm to the ground.

Thoughts??

Interesting, considering using this myself to form a grass bank.
Grant.

It looks good in that shot, but may not look so good if curves are needed?

As luck would have it I ended up with a piece of treated fence paling that curved in the heat we have had the past few days 33-34C.

So I took the opportunity to experiment with a support for the back drop around the curve, I intend to put a wire mesh frame work between the timber and the track and lay the turf over that. Any lumps and bumps can be cut out or just left to add to the impression of a hillside.

Steel uprights will be cut off level with the top of the timber.

All great ideas - good lateral thinking using the fake grass.

I have used the odd piece of artificial grass, in that odd place where I haven't planted, but want some green to control. In the UK you do need to manage it though, as seedlings will sprout through it.

Jimmyb wrote: ↑Wed Dec 02, 2020 11:50 am as seedlings will sprout through it.

Either that or you've solved the problem of how to propagate artifiical grass!!

Jimmyb wrote: ↑Wed Dec 02, 2020 11:50 am I have used the odd piece of artificial grass, in that odd place where I haven't planted, but want some green to control. In the UK you do need to manage it though, as seedlings will sprout through it.

Jimmy,
When I laid mine I used what is known as cracker dust which is a crushed rock, it contains fines as well as small pieces of rock. I mixed some cement powder in with it compacted it with a vibrating plate then lightly sprayed it with water, then laid the turf.
No problems with weed at all.

The render cutting and artificial turf bank has been completed.
I filled in a curve with fibre cement sheeting and applied concrete house render coloured with an oxide over it.
I put down a wire netting frame for the turf to sit on.
The turf was laid over the top of the timber and stapled to it the bottom is just held in by the weight of the turf, I did not glue it down so that water can drain through.
I did a clearance trail with my widest loco (a Bachmann "Connie") and wagon and the loco only just brushes the turf in the narrowest place so I am happy the clearance will not be a problem. If it does become an issue I will trim the turf with scissors.