We have finally had enough of our new beagle digging up the track and turning street lights and telephone poles into chew toys. Add to that, I am not getting younger and prefer to run live steam over anything else these days. This will be a small railroad, built off the side of our deck and standing over the rock garden where the old railway was. Its roughly going to be 7’ by 7 foot with a triangular track plan. Logging and or mining will be the theme. Going to use my Roundhouse Super Sammie as the motive power. I am using the design and track plan that a gentleman posted on one of the UK garden railway forums. But will make a few changes to the scenery to suit my desires and the use of live steam over track power. His tunnel was made of foam, not a good idea with live steam. I bought the lumber tonight and will start on the benchwork next week. I can make the track dead level for live steam operation and the height on mine will be set at the top of my deck railing so we can sit and enjoy watching trains run. The pics of are his layout, not mine, but I am using the same track plan and basis of design for the table. Live plants and a water feature will be in my design. Mike

Wow you work fast and it looks like Kitty approves.

I was going to suggest squeezing in another short siding somewhere so you have another spot to park a car or 2 but it looks like you have lots of action in that small space. Nice job.

I swear nobody reads the post, only looks at pictures, that is HIS railway I am going to copy it to some extant. I am fast, but not that fast when it comes to building with wood. Hope to start my benchwork next week, the wood is stacked in the side yard now. Mike

I read it, but did not need to comment since it was not your rr (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)

What is your min radius?

Greg

Greg Elmassian said:

I read it, but did not need to comment since it was not your rr (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)

What is your min radius?

Greg

You just commented?

You should have read it twice before commenting Greg.

Yes, I asked a question, see the second sentence.

Roos… I did read it twice to make sure the question I asked was not answered.

But, officially, no comment. (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-sealed.gif)

Greg

LMAO! Min radius is LGB R1. I could rework the track plan for R2, but that would cost a whole bunch more $$ in wood and track that I do not have. I am only short a couple pieces of track and 1 turnout. All of which I can pickup with my instore credit at my favorite G scale shop. My Sammie will handle the curves and LGB turnouts with no problems, as will the LGB logging cars I plan to use. The idea is something small I can detail up nicely and enjoy with little in the way of $$ spent. Mike

That’s one tidy plan, will be following this one

Mike Toney said:

I swear nobody reads the post, only looks at pictures, that is HIS railway …

(http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)I thought all these squiggly line thingys existed solely to fill the space between pictures and served no other purpose.(http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

Nice Pizza layout . . didn’t know cats cared for pizza. . . . (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

Must be a UK thing with cats, its where the original layout exhisted at one time. I am anxious to get started on construction! Mike

Well it looks like I should start wearing my glasses more often then I care to admit but thanks for calling me out…

The plan looks like a good one.

Thanks Todd, I am planning to try to make the pond area a bit deeper so I can put a small pump in, then feed the pond with small stream and waterfall from inside the track plan. I have a nice wood log cabin I got at the Urbana IL show that I put solar powered lighting in from a broken Tiki torch, gives the nice flickering effect of kerosene lighting inside the cabin. Going to work that into the plan somewhere. Mike

LGB has a 3 leg wye that would give you a second short siding at the bottom of the pix.

Do you mean instead of the LH turnout? Hard to see but it looks like you could not even fit a 1 footer there off the switch.

What about a RH switch instead of the straight before the existing switch, that should give almost a 2 foot siding, although you need some curve to fit it in.

Greg

I don’t want to really cram any more track work into the exhisting plan right now. But expanding along the front of my deck railing is a possiblity in the future. I am going to keep it so I can run UK or USA trains. Just going to down size to a smaller UK style Roundhouse engine that I can fit a Slomo devise to. I am putting my Pearse Countess with the two Brandbright coaches and Merlin Major for sale/trade, see add in for sale area. So motive power would be Sammie for logging and Katie for a UK look mining operation with LGB tipper cars that I have. Maybe put the mining area or logging area down a long spur along the front of my deck. Or a small village is a possiblity. Mike

Here is a pic from the middle of the afternoon today. So far so good!

Another progress picture, I am going to go one more coarse higher with the bricks(if I have enough). I do not have enough track to finish the inside track plan just yet, not till next week when I have to take my wife back to Indianapolis for another checkup. I can stop at the G scale shop on my way home. Mike

Question, won’t that plastic act as a water retainer? Wouldn’t a geo-fabric barrier work better? It would allow rain water to seep thru while still retaining any soil or crushed stone.

I want some water retention as there will be dirt and live plants eventualy. I will put putting a couple drain ports in, one in the middle and one on the right side. Just haven’t got that far. I am a bit concerned about the weight of all the bricks, so I might build up a raised treated wood roadbed to fasten the track to. That will lighten the load on the table. The normal rock and dirt will add enough weight. I didn’t go with a fabric as i did not want the water keeping the wood bottom soaking wet all the time, even though its treated wood. Mike

I share Victor’s concern, the picture shows a 4" deep plastic tub… Would think you might want the plastic sides not quite that deep… I think it will be hard to control moisture buildup, but you can monitor it.

What happens when it rains? I think you could get root rot.

Greg