My 10-year old 14’ curved trestle is on its last bents. I’m surprised that it lasted this long given my poor construction, racoons, and landscapers. I have searched out this forum for most of the pitfalls of trestle building. The plan is to double the number of bents and have them float/rest on top of concrete piers raised about 2-3 inches above grade, and brace them together them together. Should end up a free-standing structure. We live in the upper Sacramento Valley. No snow or frost heave, lots and lots of sunshine, been in the 100’s last two weeks. Where my over-engineering is wavering is the kind and quality of the wood.

Do I opt for dry Western Red Cedar out of Washington $$$ or fence boards from HD/Lowes?

Wood from the box stores is dripping wet. How much trouble will happen when it dries/moves?

What is preferred, Redwood or Cedar, or another wood?

Bill Gebhardt

I built mine out of cedar, but I am in Pennsylvania. So I am not sure if my experience will help you or not. The bottom ends of my trestle bents have rotted away. because I set them on the cement slab and covered the slab with a thin layer of ballast. I am planning on repairing my trestle, but using PVC board cut to size for the lower part of my bents. That way the bottom of the bents will not rot. The rest of my trestle is holding up really well, its been in service since 2007

You might consider a non wood alternative. Latest issue of Garden Railways Magazine has an article on trestle bents made from composite lumber.

Another wood approach is to use a marine low viscosity epoxy (such as West System, MAS or equivalent) and soak the bottom parts of the wood bents in epoxy.

Regardless of species, that will add considerable life to your wood. You do need to overcoat with something to protect from UV as epoxy is not UV resistant.

Regards

Jerry

even for indoors all the wood i use, is either cut and then stored for two or more years, or preferably from boards that were stored in the attic for years, then planed and cut to measure.

i hate warped models!

but my building speed favours that. (years of planning/dreaming, then years of building.) i’m not hasty…

in your case, where something has to be done now…

… i would look for an old picket fence to steal/scavenge some boards.

cut away parts with nails in it, plane to the desired thickness and cut.

the type of wood is not so important anymore, if you got boards that were outside for a decade or more, without rotting.

rot starts in the highest inch inside the ground. if the cement or stone foundations are a quarter of an inch above ground, it should be good for many years.

Hi Bill, been a while.

Might check out HD’s cedar decking, up here they have a full 1X6 Western Red Cedar they call decking(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-foot-in-mouth.gif) but it is kiln dry.

Should be able to find enough knot free material.

Might think about anchoring to your concrete piers instead of floating, much more solid.

Rick

Bill,

I’m a rookie/youngin’ but in my opinion I would say darn near any good “old” dried lumber will work considering your climate. Especially if you just soak it in old motor oil (like creosote) or paint , just seal it some how. They are upright bents with “no ground contact” so honestly spruce that is sealed will work just fine. However dried western red cedar is an excellent choice.

If you have Termites … Cedar is now preferred as they now are eating some redwoods.

As long as water runs off the cement footings, you should be fine. David’s ballast retained water and did him in…well da bents.

I prefer Kiln dried or well seasoned.

I use a 23 ga.pin nailer and Tite Bond III for assembly. The pinner speeds everything up.

Best of fortune during your build and the price of their fine advice is lots of pictures!(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

To all, thanks for your kind responses.

David, rotted bents did me in also since I buried them in wet concrete. I’m thinking of putting two small screws in the bottom of the mud sill to keep it off the concrete enough to stay dry, (overengineering?). The trestle is 25-30 feet from any view point so it shouldn’t be a distraction.

Jerry, I’m a little gun-shy of composite material in the garden. I have to replace some border 2x6 stuff that curled up. And we get a lot of sunshine/uv exposure here in the valley.

Korm, My problem is not planning/dreaming. My primary interest is woodworking and all the projects my friends, family, service clubs, churches, and grandkids schools lay upon me. I’m getting too old for the heavy-duty stuff and trying to concentrate on structures for the RR. But first the trestle. Rick in the next message put me on to HD’s fencing.

Rick, good hearing from you. I guess I got it stuck in my head that HD/Lowes fencing is junk cedar. Glad you straightened me out. Kiln dry no less, gotta get over there. How would you “anchor” to the piers w/o inviting some rot or deterioration? What little I have read on trestles, if well built with sway bracing, it should be close to a free standing structure but not necessarily racoon proof.

Rooster, good idea. Come time to build, I will be cutting each bent to fit and have a can of motor oil close by.

John, I’m a big fan of pinners and glue, probably the only right thing I did for the original trestle.

Bill Gebhardt

Don’t forget to take pics !

I like to use mahogany decking for my trestles. It is a bit pricey, at 12$ for a 1x3x8 tough to cut and watch out for the dust and fine splinters but boy is it hard as nails for outdoors. I had a bent supporting the end of a over hanging building that was buried about 4 inches in dirt. The pine building had rotted to the point of being replaced but the bent was still solid after about 8 years of being buried. In fact I buried it again to support the replacement building.

I replaced a trestle this Spring that had been built from pine and stained and after 11 years it was the termites holding hands that were keeping it standing.

Here is the new trestle held together with tightbond 3 and pin/brad nails.

(https://www.largescalecentral.com/filesharing/file/view/9614/trestlesized-jpg)https://www.largescalecentral.com/filesharing/file/view/9614/trestlesized-jpg

(https://www.largescalecentral.com/filesharing/file/view/9614/trestlesized-jpg)

using screws to fix the bents to the ground seems to be a good idea. but keep in mind, iron/steel “rots” (oxidates) too. i would use stainless or brass.

do you get pock wood/palisander up there? we use that for fence posts down here.

most of the posts, that were planted about 80 years ago (when the area was first settled) still show no rot on the inner, green woodcore. only the outer whiteish wood rots away.

edit: and it does not warp!

Korm … I’ve noticed that you have a Warped sense of humor … (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

Bill,

Being in Northern California you should be able to find Old Growth Redwood. My trestle is 11 years old made from Old Growth RW and fastened with Tite Bond 3 and Stainless Steel 18g. nails. I let the bents free float on the ballast. I have zero rot or delamination, good drainage is important. I’ve been collecting Old Growth RW for 50 years, I bet in the Chico area you’ll find some. Good luck.

That is some crazy backwoods rig you have there Dan and this photo must have been taken years ago because OSHA would not approve of the worker riding the track. (https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)

Todd,

“Danger” is my middle name,(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

Hey Bill, that is decking not fencing you need to look for.

A wood or composit block with a couple screws inserted part way in and set into/onto the top of your poured piers will serve as a good anchor. A couple horizontal timbers at the bottom of your bent will allow them to be screwed to the block. And that doesn’t have to be but every 2nd or 3rd bent to really give horizontal strength to the whole structure.

It doesn’t hurt the wood so much to get wet as it does to stay wet, not be able to dry between wettings. I have used a larger nut between the block and the horizontal bent member to run the screw down through. That way it is very secure and the bottom of the bent and block top can dry.

Yea, pictures required

Hey are you coming up to Octobers meet?

Rick

Rick, when and where is the Oct. meet?

Bill

Todd Haskins said:

I like to use mahogany decking for my trestles. It is a bit pricey, at 12$ for a 1x3x8 tough to cut and watch out for the dust and fine splinters but boy is it hard as nails for outdoors. I had a bent supporting the end of a over hanging building that was buried about 4 inches in dirt. The pine building had rotted to the point of being replaced but the bent was still solid after about 8 years of being buried. In fact I buried it again to support the replacement building.

I replaced a trestle this Spring that had been built from pine and stained and after 11 years it was the termites holding hands that were keeping it standing.

Here is the new trestle held together with tightbond 3 and pin/brad nails.

(https://www.largescalecentral.com/filesharing/file/view/9614/trestlesized-jpg)https://www.largescalecentral.com/filesharing/file/view/9614/trestlesized-jpg

(https://www.largescalecentral.com/filesharing/file/view/9614/trestlesized-jpg)

Bill Gebhardt said:

Rick, when and where is the Oct. meet?

Bill

It will be here at our place in Oregon on the 6th of OCT.

will send full information to members next couple weeks.

Rick