Large Scale Central

Cedar in the garden railroad

Track and Trestles
#1

Hello. I am new here but have been playing with trains in the garden for about 30 years.

I have had cedar ( buildings and bridges) touching ground for at least 10 years now and don;t see any decaying. I am sure it could be due my environment. Sandy soil, dry summers and snow all winter.

I would like to use it for ties laying on decomposed granite.

Does anyone have experience over say 20 years, because the other cedar in the yard hasn’t been a problem for 10 years. What are my possible problems long term?

Thanks. This looks like a great place.

#2

Cedar is a good rot resistant wood. I can say that eventually it will rot, however, i think you will have a lot of life in the ties before you need to replace them.

I can tell you that my cedar fence posts started rotting enough after 20 years that I had to replace some, but that is not necessarily a exact comparison to your useage.

I would say that you have already tested the cedar in your backyard with the buildings you have. Expect about the same amount of life from your ties that you do your cedar buildings.

#3

I’d say its a safe bet you will get a long lifespan from those ties…a little trick…dtagger your construction so that everything isn;t exactly the smae age and you may not have to replace everything all at once…at least thats what I keep telling myself…

#4

Welcome to the forum David.

Just like the prototype, your tie life is directly related to your ballast.

Bedded in good deep ballast that drains fast between wettings the ties will last, if they

sit in wet compacted soil their life is somewhat shorter. Cedar and Redwood will resist

dry rot and decay but you have to use only the heart wood not the sapwood.

I have Redwood ties that have been in the ground nearly 15 years, bedded in crusher fines, and they are still solid and holding the spikes well. I used a larger cross section for these ties 1/2 inch wide by

3/4 inch deep to allow for more mass to resist the elements and give them a better bite into the ballast.

Good luck with your project.

Rick

What’s up with the fonts ???

#5

Welcome David

#6

The rougher the surface on redwood, the more likely they are to hold water and rot. I replaced half the balusters on my deck because the beveled tops were just rough sawn and not sanded.

You will probably need to plane the redwood board to the proper thickness before cutting them which will provide two smooth surfaces. If you cut the strips from those planed boards thicker than you need, and run both sides of them through the planer, you will have all four sides smooth. A good crosscut saw blade and a touch on a disk sander with fine paper should clean up the ends. It is usually the ends that will rot first. A little preservative on each would be a good thing. Just line them all up, and pass the brush down the line.

#7

Thanks for all the replies. Great information.

I did soak some ties in some stuff that is copper based I got at Home Depot. The ties look great. My son, a structural engineer, is telling me he doubts treating cedar or redwood would help it last any longer. He is also saying wood to wood contact is the worst because that is where water will hide. With ties I would like mine to look as rustic as possible even if they are slightly rotting and splitting after several years.

Thanks again. I am encouraged.

#8

A stain or water proofer with a UV blocker would probably be the only concern I would consider with your cedar.