Thought I’d post a picture or two (after I figure out how to do it efficiently) of my adventure at trestle building. I think the picture below is of my stack of bents…22 in all which will be assembled 6" apart to span about 10 1/2 feet. I’ll post more as I learn how things work on this site.
Richard
That’s going to be one of my Spring projects.
Looking forward to the progress. Keep us posted!
Terry
Ok…hopefully a few more pictures of the progress of the trestle build…to current.
Impressive!
Very nice! I would recommend putting pavers, or something under each of those bents, just to prevent any rot.
Those are some mighty fine looking bents. What kind of wood did you use? I agree with Bruce that you need something under them to prevent rot. your structure looks very strong so it probably more or less supports itself which means you could put a layer of gravel under the bents to aid in water drainage.
Keep up the good work.
looking good…
Excellent Richard. Glad to see you over here.
Good work!
I second the bed of stone to help with drainage.
Thanks everyone! I am very pleased with the progress so far. I will be installing pavers under each bent along with gravel for drainage. The pavers have been cut to an appropriate width and now I just need to do some excavating.
Todd, the wood is cedar from a few fence boards that I ripped on a table saw. After assembly I dipped each bent in an oil based wood preserver/stain.
The only thing I’m not too sure about is how to attaché the bent to the paver…My one thought was to drill a few holes in the paver and loop a nylon tie around the bottom of the bent essentially strapping it down. I’d entertain any thoughts on the matter.
I hope to get out today to begin sinking the pavers in the ground.
Thanks,
Ricahrd
Richard,
I don’t think there is any real need to attach the paver to the bent. I have some flat rocks under mine and just use gravity to keep them in place. If you really want to, you might try some silicone glue or liquid nails.
That makes sense Bruce…by the time the track is connected, etc. there probably won’t be much movement to worry about.
If you really want to glue it down, use the liquid nails landscaping adhesive.
Terry
Bruce Chandler said:
Very nice! I would recommend putting pavers, or something under each of those bents, just to prevent any rot.
Richard, I used 3/8 inch gravel, about an inch and a half deep to put my bents on. It worked quite well. After four years, when I removed the trestle because of a change in plan, once I dusted the wood off, it looked pristine. The wood was cedar, btw. The gravel looked much more natural than pavers, too.
I think that gravel provides better drainage than pavers would, too.
Looking forward to seeing the final product.
My bents are set on a poured cement base that is covered in broken shale. I collected the broken shale from a hillside not far from where I live. The bents are ceder and treated with wood preservative. The weight of the trestle, and the track on it, hold everything in place. I didn’t even attach the track to the trestle, that way the track can expand and contract with temperature changes.
Spent the day installing the pavers and trying to keep everything from settling too much. I decided to install some PVC pipe with holes drilled in them and then covered with landscape fabric as sort of a French drain. There isn’t much water around but in the event of a heavy rainfall perhaps will help a bit. After things settle for a day or two I’ll add gravel around the entire base to set everything in place. I suppose I can shim where needed…if needed. Need to finish the stringers and then the track. Getting closer.
Looks good Richard! Would love to see some pictures of your entire railroad.
Chuck
Richard Mynderup said:
How did that giant boulder get there? Was that there originally or did you have it placed there?
David Maynard said:
My bents are set on a poured cement base that is covered in broken shale. I collected the broken shale from a hillside not far from where I live. The bents are ceder and treated with wood preservative. The weight of the trestle, and the track on it, hold everything in place. I didn’t even attach the track to the trestle, that way the track can expand and contract with temperature changes.
That should do the trick. 