Large Scale Central

Improvements/Maintenance

Track and Trestles
#1

Finally the sun came out after days of cold/rain. The snow is all gone and the weather today was perfect. I spent the last few rainy days building a bunch of trestles for Red Rock. Today I got to put them in. I also added a new siding to the engine house. At the end of one of my s curves I wanted to build the sides up more. I wanted to creat a step/shelf. It drops off one side and rises on the other. I got some rock and dirt and built up the side. Everything looks barren but as soon plants start growing everything should blend nice. Where I built up the side and added a little more height. Before

AFter

Engine house. Eventually im going to add a lot of detail to this area.

Overview of yard area.

New trestle (Talk about a pain in the a## doing a trestle on a curve) Before

After

#2

Shawn, the railroad is looking good… :slight_smile: New trestle looks great…

#3

Looks good Shawn. Hate to see your first trestle go.

#4

…winking…

#5
David Marconi said:
Looks good Shawn. Hate to see your first trestle go.
I like the new trestle too, but you should hang on to that back-woods trestle and find a place to use it. It was cool.

Looking good :slight_smile:

#6

I have to admit…I liked the old trestle too.
Shawn probably wants to slap the three of us upside the head :lol:
Ralph

#7
Ralph Berg said:
I have to admit...........I liked the old trestle too. Shawn probably wants to slap the three of us upside the head :lol: Ralph
. Thanks guys. I also liked the old trestle but no matter what I did I always had a grade/bump/tilt on the old one. I could not fix it. The new trestle got rid of that issue. The old trestle wont go to waste, it will be put to use.
#8

That’s down right “fancy”. Price of timber must have gone up for your railroad to be able to afford such extravgancies.

#9

You did such a good job on that curving trestle. I have to build one on my layout and I noticed yesterday the club is putting one on the new club layout too. Want some measurements? Just kidding!

#10

Well every body worrying about bridges now how about some ballast to keep the track in line and level. Later RJD

#11
R.J. DeBerg said:
Well every body worrying about bridges now how about some ballast to keep the track in line and level. Later RJD
Balast and releveling is the next step. I ordered the new frogs from aristo. Once I get them in and replace the old frogs I will be rebalasting. I hate to rebalast and then tear up the track in sections. When everything is were I want it the balast will be spread. Plus I have been having too much fun just running trains the last few days.
#12
Shawn said:
Plus I have been having too much fun just running trains the last few days.
As long as the trains are running good...........that's all that matters ;)
#13

All looks good there Shawn, seems everything survived the winter pretty well!

cale

#14
C. Nelson said:
All looks good there Shawn, seems everything survived the winter pretty well!

cale


Thanks Cal after all that snow I thought I would have had a lot more maint issues but it held up very well. It survived its second winter.

#15
Ric Golding said:
That's down right "fancy". Price of timber must have gone up for your railroad to be able to afford such extravgancies.
Ric, that's just the throw away stuff that the lumber company can't sell.
#16
R.J. DeBerg said:
Well every body worrying about bridges now how about some ballast to keep the track in line and level. Later RJD
I did that today....1/2 ton of crusher fines this time.....I usually lay 1/4 minus but I'm kinda diggin the fines look.
#17
David Russell said:
R.J. DeBerg said:
Well every body worrying about bridges now how about some ballast to keep the track in line and level. Later RJD
I did that today....1/2 ton of crusher fines this time.....I usually lay 1/4 minus but I'm kinda diggin the fines look.
The crusher fines work the best in holding down the track plus I feel they are more to scale.
#18

Shawn and David, Up here in CA crusher fines is not a common term. Would it be equivalent to 1/4" minus crush including everything down to sand or would be a washed product. Just wondering??? Have an idea how to process my own from an old gravel pit near by using 1/4" hardware cloth.

#19

Randy try decomposed granit, or the 1/4 minus but I think the 1/4 is a bit bigger then the decomposed granit.

#20

Randy,
We have had this conversation in the past a few times. Terminology varies I guess?? The 1/4 minus I talk about is limestone and about 1/4" diameter with no dust (a little) but I would add pelletized limestone (like for a water treatment system) mixed in for the glue. The crusher fines or “fines” is just crushed up limestone with plenty of dust and I avoided it in the beginning as it just didn’t look right at the rock yard. Bought 1/2 ton and I’m sold but I also have a very nice 1/4 minus base sitting on 3/4 minus and then some. Just a shit load of rock(limestone) after several years buried around a ladder roadbed. Does that make sense?