A simple Gauge 1 garden line

[Simon]

That really does look good Steve, I now have enough of my granite stuff to make a start on mine - what a job!!

Interesting to see the marks on the side of your rail, I presume that this is cement dust splashed up by the rain? I have a similar thing on my track but it is dirt splashed up from the virgin earth embankments by the rain, I guess once everything is covered with greenery this will be less of a problem.

Onwards and upwards!

 

[Phill Dyson]

I have a similar thing on my track but it is dirt splashed up from the virgin earth embankments by the rain, I guess once everything is covered with greenery this will be less of a problem.

Onwards and upwards!

I had the same problems with my line when I used a concrete track base plus concrete dust from the ballast adding to the grime on my track, which was one of the reasons for me having to re-lay it on wood

Cheers Phill

 

[Steve Cook]

Hi Simon and Phill

I think its both a bit of splashed up dust and leftovers when applying the ballast itself - its a pain to try and remove all the dust before adding the water. I struggled to clean those bits off with water and a toothbrush after you both posted, but whilst applying the rusting solution to the sides of the rails this afternoon, the little black bits disappeared quite quickly

I'd post some pics up, but the line doesn't look any different from more than four feet away, despite spending most of yesterday and all of today working on it

According to the instructions on the rusting solution bottle (effectively diluted hydrochloric acid), the solution should be brushed on and left overnight - whereupon you should be greeted with rusty rails...fingers crossed and I'll post a pic up tomorrow....

Out of interest Phill, what size gaps to you aim to leave between your track sections? I've been leaving about 1.5mm when laying (at about the same temp as we have had today), but they open up to probably 2.5 mm or so in the winter. Haven't had anything fall off yet, but interested to see what you do with your masterpiece

Steve

 

[Phill Dyson]

Hi :wave:
I tend to leave roughly 2 to 3 mm gaps for expansion. The problem with concrete is it gives off dust permanently (one of the reasons some people frown on having railways in the garage), but what the hell us outdoor types are made of sterner stuff than that :laugh: , but it tends to be a mixture of concrete dust &tiny particles of soil thrown up by the wind & rain which has an annoying habit of landing on our nice clean track IMO , It's just a matter of cleaning your track before & during each running session
But the trouble was for me I found after a few hours intensive running things started slowing down even though the track still appeared clean, but on examining loco wheels they were covered in gritty dust , but once this was cleaned off everything would be fine for a few more hours, I also had far more problems with derailments (especially swb goods vehicles) on the concrete base than I do on the wooden base & I have a feeling this was in part caused by the concrete base being so solid that vibration was being caused between wheels & track when running at a reasonable turn of speed IMO, so for me the solution was to either spring everything or re-lay the whole lot on wood & roofing felt, so now my line is about 2 inches above ground on the ground level section means my track tends to stay clean now (although I still need to clean the track at the start of each session), but it will run all day once this has been done & the new base absorbs a lot of the shock of running & the ground cover plants I use have now crept up to track level now in most places so the line still appears to be ground level anyway

I hope my ramblings are of some benefit :lol:

Cheers Phill :wave:

 

[lancer1027]

Thats a nice insight to your railway Phill. Something i guess that i will experience when mine is operational

 

[Steve Cook]

I hope my ramblings are of some benefit :lol:

Absolutely Phill , thankyou
Interesting to hear that you had continued problems with a concrete base, I'm guessing that I'm likely to suffer a similar fate, even though my running is probably not going to be quite so intensive I'll have to bear in mind your previous comment regarding a matt varnish over the ballast - that might help. I'm hoping that at 18" above the ground I'll miss the worst of the mud splash...its bird thats going to be more difficult to stop :lol:

I'm less worried about my rail gaps now too

Its a lovely day here, shame I'm spending it in the shed adding the 'storage track' rather than running Still, edging ever closer to a fully functioning line....

Steve

 

[marsa69]

I tend to leave roughly 2 to 3 mm gaps for expansion

Have you thought about doing your expansion gaps just like the real thing? In other words cutting through the track in a diagonal manner so when the ends meet they will push out sideways instead of upwards

Mark

 

[rjr]

When I had 16.5mm nickel silver track outside I found that a credit card gave an ideal gap spacing, when track was laid on a cooler day, but the problem is if you lay track on a hot day, when it cools the gap gets bigger. So I guess there is no exact gap size quotable unless it is stated in conjunction with a temperature and material type ?

From an engineering point of view its the "coefficient of Linear Expansion" that is the key, or how much a given material expands per degree of temperature rise. :scratch:

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/linea ... -d_95.html

The angle cut is a good idea, if you create a sharp edge/corner though, you have to concentrate when going over it with a track rubber or its another injury to add to the model related ones

John

 

[Steve Cook]

I tend to leave roughly 2 to 3 mm gaps for expansion

Have you thought about doing your expansion gaps just like the real thing? In other words cutting through the track in a diagonal manner so when the ends meet they will push out sideways instead of upwards

Mark

Nowhere near brave enough to be considering that Mark

 

[marsa69]

You can do it where the existing joins are. Just make a diagonal cut across the join and it will have the desired effect and add a bit of extra 'clack' to the sound effects :lol:

 

[Steve Cook]

Some more progress on making the plank a bit longer this week, it now extends into the shed by four and a half feet so I've somewhere to run stock to (or hide in the event of rain!). Certainly won't win any awards for construction, but should stop any potential runaways...





Its bolted to the existing track base, but free floating in the shed in case I need to make any adjustment for expansion (or shed movement for that matter). It didn't really need a felt covering, but that helped to level up the trackbed, so down it went. Its not yet fully fixed as it makes access to the wiring more difficult, which is the next job on the list. When all thats in place, I can come up with a flap to stop the local cat population using my shed as an overnight shelter :lol:

A quick shot of the rails after three days of being covered with the rusting solution



They are a bit more rusty now, but I think another coat is in order...

Steve

 

[Steve Cook]

You can do it where the existing joins are. Just make a diagonal cut across the join and it will have the desired effect and add a bit of extra 'clack' to the sound effects :lol:

Call me a chicken then :laugh: Think my gaps are a bit big already :shock:

Anyway, out of interest, how would you stop the inner rail at each diagonal cut from narrowing the gauge in the case of expansion :scratch: Do you have to split the cut across a chair?

Steve

 

[marsa69]

I'm no civil engineer and this is from memory (we're buggered now I hear Private Ploffy shout) but the inner rail has a snub nose and held more securely near the join whereas the outer rail is allowed to expand more (if that makes sense :shock: ) I think trial and error is called for. Get a short lengths of track, nail it down to a bit of scrapboard, fix one end up aginst a block of timber and stick it out in the sun on a hot day and measure how far the rail expands. Or see if you can find a picture of one on t'interweb. Better still have you got any friends who are civil engineers :lol:

 

[Steve Cook]

..snip.... Better still have you got any friends who are civil engineers :lol:

I tracked one Captain Kernow down at Railex yesterday (cracking show btw) and asked him about the rail joins. Amongst references to pasties, boats and the use of strange words like 'gert', he told me that bullhead track was almost certainly joined using fishplates, the diagonal cut method being related to flatbottom rail. As a bullhead boy, he told me to 'stick where I was'

Plenty of clouds but no wet stuff over here, back in garden today then....

Steve

 

[Steve Cook]

Following a gentle nudge from Ian, thought I would post some photos of the miniscule progress on the garden line this year...

After the ton of earth had been spread under the track, I left it for a couple of months to see what the level of weed growth was going to be...rather large as it turned out! Figured the best way to limit any future problems was to cover the earth with newspaper (about three pages thick), then apply compost and wood chips over the top.



It does seem to have worked, I've had no weeds make their way above ground level since then. Following on from some advice from Phill, I bought some root powder and used the cuttings left over from trimming the existing lonicera nittida. A couple of bargain conifers also made it in to give some height behind the line.



I'm hovering around a 60% success rate with the cuttings. I lost a lot due to lack of watering when away for a few days, and I think some of the other cuttings were simply too large to survive given the lack of root structure. Subsequent cutting planting sessions have been with much smaller plants, the question is whether they will survive the winter now...



At the top end of the garden the Lonicera Nittida is doing well, it has pretty much reached the bottom of the track so will reward me with lots of cutting and trimming next year. It is also doing quite well gaining height behind the track, it may look like a cutting some day. The box is getting there, but is much slower as expected.





Retrospectively, I wish I had not used Honeysuckle behind the track, but just planted more Lonicera. The honeysuckle grows well, but prefers to overhang the line, rather than fill up the space - a note for future reference I think. The planter behind the top corner will probably get some flowers rather than vegetables next year, it always looks slightly depressing to have an empty corner when the runner beans have been removed. Jobs for winter are to sort out the platform, put the power board in the shed and finally get everything wired up for a good session next year.

Steve

 

[iploffy]

There you go  that was not to difficult or painfull was it now why aren't there any trains moving

Ian

 

[Phill Dyson]

It all looks to be establishing it's self very well  8)

Phill 

 

[iploffy]

it is very tastefully done isnt it

Ian

 

[Steve Cook]

There you go  that was not to difficult or painfull was it now why aren't there any trains moving

Ian

No Mister Ploffy Sir, will try harder next time.....

No trains moving as the controller is in bits at the moment - I'm adding some servos to it so it can be controlled from outside the shed, got frustrated watching the train for a bit, then having to run up the garden before it ploughed into the buffer stop....

Steve

 

[Steve Cook]

Ta for the comments guys, just wish nature could speed up a bit  ;D

This "Scenic Modelling" looks a lot like "Gardening" to me.... :scratch:

Not sure I'd call my efforts 'gardening' to be fair...I just plop plants in and try to remember to water them when its hot 
To be serious for a moment, its really not too hard - I'm not green fingered by any means, but plants can be quite forgiving. On a day like today, sun shining, gentle breeze, glass of favourite tipple at hand, pottering around trimming a few bits up and just looking at the line and the way it all changes in the sunlight is a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours. Definitely better when something is running on the rails though 

Steve