Large Scale Central

Adding water feature on the RC &TR Ridge RR

Gardening
#41

Thanks for the offer Steve…today I finally got brave enough to install the pond liner. With the help of my better half, son and a few of the neighbor kids we got the upper liner installed. Even got the big boulder back in place…next I have to order the seaming material to connect the upper liner to the lower…of course I do this on a Friday before New Years and in the middle of the afternoon after Oklahoma closes down…so I’ll have to wait to order next week…hopefully Tuesday. Here are some pictures from today’s exciting adventure…

Richard

This is the original look of the area before starting the pond project…

Original area before the pond build

Laid some carpet scraps to soften the edges of the retaining walls

Installing the fabric liner…

Tucking all the edges of the fabric underlayment…

Rubber liner installed and filling with water to smooth out all the areas.

What better to do on a late December day in Central Valley California but to wade in the pond and contemplate putting the big boulder back in place

The local wildlife rejoices!!

#42

Well, here we are in the middle to end of April and the water feature is really beginning take shape. Crews worked tirelessly the leading up to Easter and have been nipping away a little each week following. Plans are in place to order a bridge to go over the creek. The waterfall seen in the pictures is only temporary. The official waterfall which will start off the top of the tunnel to the left will begin tomorrow. Sub structure is the first plan of attack. Soon the mainline reconstruction will begin…

Richard

#43

Realized I better lay down some mainline track before the waterfall build so I know where to place the infrastructure of support…also did a little track clearance testing. Tallulah Ridge can be a daunting area for trains as it emerges from behind the waterfall.

Richard

#44

Little by little…(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)

#45

Great Looking water feature, lots of hard work

Dennis

#46

Looking Good!

#47

Dennis Rayon said:

Great Looking water feature, lots of hard work

Dennis

Agreed !

Nice work so far !!

#48

I could use a little free advice from experienced waterfall creators or anyone that has a good eye…I’m stuck at how to create my waterfall run so it looks natural but has the cool feature of the train going under the final fall as the water goes into the pond. Right now there is a lot of distance between where the spill way starts and ends…not sure how to create a support so it looks natural. Any thoughts or suggestions is most welcome…

Thanks - Richard

#49

If you run track power, invest in some stainless track around/under the water feature.

#50

Really nice video Todd!! Thanks for sharing. And thanks for the advice about using stainless steel track. My railroad is completely RC/Battery so there shouldn’t be any issues of the electrical kind.

Richard

#51

Hard to believe that August will be a year from when I started to plan and build this major water feature. But now it is in it’s final stages with just a little more rock to place as well as plantings to soften the rocky mountain. Very pleased with the outcome of the waterfall and pond. Everything is working beautifully.

#52

http://www.largescalecentral.com/filesharing/file/view/9348/waterfall-mov

#53

Final stages of the pond and waterfall feature include putting the trestle back in it’s place. Had to fix the base so everything matched as originally. Before permanently installing I need to pressure wash and repair some of the wood and then re-stain. Also got the chance to connect the two bridge pieces that will find a home over the creek.

Richard

#54

#55

I think I’ve got the embed video thing down now…

Been spending time tweaking little leaks here and there in the waterfall…I’m just making it up as I go…lot’s of learning for sure.

#56

Wow, that is quite an impressive and good looking waterfall. I love how it winds around and has multiple drops. Nice job!

#57

Looking reallly cool there Richard. really coming along and looks like by fall trains will be running.

#58

Started laying down new mainline ladder roadbed…hope to get it across the creek shortly…

More to come!!

Richard

#59

Once thing to remember and it goes contrary to EVERYTHING you ever learned - water can run uphill! I dunno, I learned all about gravity and everything in school, but when it came to a water feature I discovered that water has a mind of its own and apparently doesn’t respect the physical laws I learned in school. So, when the water doesn’t go the way that YOU think it should, it’s time to step back and see how you can convince it to go the “right” way. Good luck! (https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-foot-in-mouth.gif)

#60

Water does run uphill on my railroad.

The trains pass under a waterfall comprised a a slanted piece of flagstone. Some of the water that falls over the edge of the rock “wicks” up the underside and drips at the track. To avoid this, I’ve had to put a piece of angled aluminum “L” at the edge of the underside to serve as a damn to the water running uphill.