Matt Kerr said:
For some reason I cannot get PDF’s to open–the first 3 links
The links are good, but the files are bad.
This is all three parts together (large file) http://lsc.cvsry.com/POC_Elevated_Benchwork.pdf
I think you have a good start Matt. We will be anticipating a build log soon! 
Hi Matt,
I live in a similar climate (Rhode Island) and have found that ladder roadbed works well. I only pound the supports in as far as they will go and don’t usually have frost heave issues. I’ve found that PVC stringers with PVC pipe supports work well.
Enjoy,
Dennis
Jon Radder said:
Matt Kerr said:
For some reason I cannot get PDF’s to open–the first 3 links
The links are good, but the files are bad.
This is all three parts together (large file) http://lsc.cvsry.com/POC_Elevated_Benchwork.pdf
Thanks for the rescue, Jon. Those links used to work. Perhaps we can blame the broken links on the “troubles” (Haven reference) over at mls?
Going with track power does NOT mean you can’t use aluminum. I’ve used code 250 code aluminum since 2001 with track power. It does corrode, and the corrosion won’t conduct electricity, but a lot of corrosion is the same. It is so much cheaper than brass, and you can switch to battery at any time.
The other problem with aluminum rail and electricity is that when the electricity passes from aluminum to another metal (like brass rail joiners) electrolysis happens. That’s bad! I use some heavy aluminum foil to line the joiner, and most of that problem has gone away.
Using conductive grease doesn’t work for me, as between sprinkling the lawn and rain, the grease washes away.
at this point i’m confused on which way to go on track. The cost point of aluminum is much nicer, someone recommended stainless and that is just outrageous. I think I better dig into the battery operation and see how that works and prices and see what I can find about that.
Can anyone point me toward the right direction for that?
Matt Kerr said:
at this point i’m confused on which way to go on track. The cost point of aluminum is much nicer, someone recommended stainless and that is just outrageous. I think I better dig into the battery operation and see how that works and prices and see what I can find about that.
Can anyone point me toward the right direction for that?
Matt, there are many providers of R/C equipment, some of whom are members of our community, here. It comes down to preference, I guess. If you have a majority of Aristocraft locomotives, then the Revolution system makes sense, if not, then you are much freer to choose from what is available.
A lot of us started with a Power Car, essentially a boxcar that has a battery and an Electronic Speed Control (ESC) in it. Remember that abbreviation, ESC, as you will see it a lot. I had been part of the battery mafia for about 6 years before I figured out what it meant. 
Doing it this way will allow you to get into battery ops with minimal expense, and you will be able to use the same power car to run all of you locomotives that have been altered to accept battery control. This is simple to do, there are several articles on this site that will show you how to do it, and you might get lucky and find one that is specific for you locomotive, though the work is pretty generic. If you are lucky enough to have a club nearby, there is always someone who can show you how. It is really pretty simple. Having a power car will allow you to run you locomotive on anyone’s layout, which is a big plus, too.
Once you decide that battery/RC is for you (you may not, but I doubt it), then you can decide which locomotives you want to install their own batteries and ESC. (Poor grammer, to be sure, but I have a kidney stone, so I really don’t care, tocay.) Anyway, it is not necessary to install ESC’s and batteries in all of your locomotives at the same time. If you are just starting out in this hobby, the problem is not a problem… He** I’m going to stop now, I can’t think…
Have fun, this is a hobby, after all.
One more thing, a recommendation… Contact these guys. Jonathan Bliesie or Tony Walsham. Both will steer you down the right path.
Matt Kerr said:
at this point i’m confused on which way to go on track. The cost point of aluminum is much nicer, someone recommended stainless and that is just outrageous. I think I better dig into the battery operation and see how that works and prices and see what I can find about that.
Can anyone point me toward the right direction for that?
Matt
Once again there are many opinions and many different ways
Here is where we are at.
Alum rail and battery power–no idea what control system yet
ladder system with electrical pvc
questions:
- What goes on top of the ladders. The article says track can be affixed directly to the ladder, ok but what about ballast. Do i need to put a layer of screen in between to hold the ballast up–or what is the consensus. Or do some people forgo ballasting altogether.
The original goal was to reach the front yard–where i would have a loop around a small portion of the front yard and maybe a small yard for sweitching, Problem is it means a 48 inch vertical climb.
Meaning:
200ft of track at 2% grade
133ft at 3%
100ft at 4%
I plan to run smaller trains–so 4% isn’t really a problem for me, (Besides, I don’t have any larger engines to pull much anyways at this point) But eventually as the empire builds I would like to have other people over to visit and run what we will call the “mountain division”. Would 4% be “ok” for others to run on or would that be a turn off. Are there any engines that won’t handle a 4% grade
Another question–of course, larger is better, but to allow the largest engine out there to navigate the railroad, what is the minimum radius I should stick to.
Thanks for the help!!
Ballast is more for looks than actually doing anything, and tends to cause problems like washing away, piling up where ya dont want it and getting into switches and needing to be cleaned out…If ya really want ballast go with a PT 2X style construction and put dams down the side of each piece of wood to hold it…otherwise let it go au natural…
I like the look of ballast but don’t disagree with Bart’s statement. Using ballast adds significantly to the amount of maintenance. That being said all but about 50 feet of my railroad is ballasted.
Some of that ballasted track is mounted on PVC ladder. The earth is built up over the ladder with ballast on top. I’ll see if I can find the thread where I re-did Coal Dump Curve using ladder and post a link here.
4% is probably OK for most locos out there. The grade may limit the train length some. I have a curving grade that even with my best efforts to reduce the grade still approaches 6% in spots.
Here is the thread. Lots of extraneous information. Ladder photos begin on page 3.
http://www.largescalecentral.com/forums/topic/15149/easing-the-grade-on-coal-dump-cu
Matt Kerr said:
Here is where we are at.
Alum rail and battery power–no idea what control system yet
ladder system with electrical pvc
questions:
- What goes on top of the ladders. The article says track can be affixed directly to the ladder, ok but what about ballast. Do i need to put a layer of screen in between to hold the ballast up–or what is the consensus. Or do some people forgo ballasting altogether.
Put the track right on the ladder. Step by step on our layout starting on http://www.rhb-grischun.ca/html/ground_level_2.html
1:1 railroads in the mountains try to balance “cut and fill” operations. In our case that means earth/gravel mix to within 4" of the ladder, then 2" of coarse crusher followed by crusher fines, the actual ballast is/ will be a mix of chicken grit.
PS on the track and power. Started out with Code 215 brass, then that source dried up and I switched to c215 nickel silver (Llagas Creek). Control is ZIMO DCC with a mix of additional components from various sources to get the results I want.
Matt Kerr said:
Another question–of course, larger is better, but to allow the largest engine out there to navigate the railroad, what is the minimum radius I should stick to.
Thanks for the help!!
Matt,
The simple answer is as wide as you can.
The complicated answer is what are you planning on running now and into the future. I can say that there are some equipment that has a 4 ft minimum radius (8 ft diameter). Some will tell you that equipment can run on smaller radius and it can, but that is what the Manufacturer recommends.
That said, do what you can and enjoy what you’ve done.
not sure what i will have in the future–but i want others to be able to come and enjoy the railraod. So I want to plan for that if I can. Would “most” equipment run on 8?
Again, thanks guys–I really appreciate the help!
Matt Kerr said:
not sure what i will have in the future–but i want others to be able to come and enjoy the railraod. So I want to plan for that if I can. Would “most” equipment run on 8?
Again, thanks guys–I really appreciate the help!
10ft (5ft radius) is better if you can swing it.
Its always best to use the widest radius that you can fit into your landscape, Matt.
I would a huge majority of stuff will fit on an 8 ft diameter curve. However, like HJ and Steve said, if you can go wider then do it. But dont let that be a “hang-up” on building your railroad. You can enjoy it with smaller radius too.
Jake Smith said:
I would a huge majority of stuff will fit on an 8 ft diameter curve. However, like HJ and Steve said, if you can go wider then do it. But dont let that be a “hang-up” on building your railroad. You can enjoy it with smaller radius too.
This is true. The first thing is to get some track down, then adjust your fire as necessary.