A Railway in the Making.

[John Candy]

It is six years since I started with Gauge 3 and in all that time a large stack of track has cluttered up a corner of the garage!

Too many distractions and the construction of stock has deflected attention from the task of line construction (combined with the fact that I could not decide on where to start and what method of construction to employ).

It is intended the line shall be be suitable for both live steam and battery-electric operation and a venue for Society Get-Togethers in a region (East Anglia) where there is currently no such facility.

I have decided that the minimum radius will be 20 ft on the running lines, 12 ft in sidings, with all turnouts and slips a minimum of 12 ft radius.
The basic layout will be a continuous run of around 180ft plus at least one branch which will provide end-to-end running of at least 300 ft. The track which I already have is of the GRS / Tenmille flat-bottom type and, since it is unused and amounts to at least 300 ft, I have no intention of changing, although I may use the Cliff Barker / Society type for the branches which will require additional 'mileage'.

I still have to determine the precise route around the garden which has several large trees and a pond as potential obstacles, as well as a gradient in one direction.

I anticipate it will start at a height of about 18 inches above ground level at one side and that the elevation above ground level will increase and decrease as required to maintain a level track for the best results with live steam operation.

I am under no illusions : This will be a major undertaking and I shall very likely be coming back here to seek views on the best methods of dealing with various aspects.

I hope to have it operational (at least in part) by Summer 2011.

Meanwhile, suggestions and comments are welcomed!

[cabbage]

I have built a railway and I am about to start earthworks on my second one.

The main thing to do is to survey your site to within a millimetre of it's life!!! Establish a DATUM POINT. This can be a scratch on a wall or a nail in a fence. From this point all other points are measured. When you draw it out on A3 graph paper the shape of your plot and heights of the points will be shown. Then when you are happy that the A3 sheet matches everything -laminate it. This is now your master. Curves can be drawn on it with markers and generally doodled on safely.

The next step is (Alas) to take out your spade and dig a few holes in marked positions. You will not need to go deeper than 60cm this will tell you more about how you will have to support your tracks than anything else. If you hit glossy clay within the 60cm hole -you are laughing. If you don't hit a layer of clay within the 60cm go to 75cm and (hopefully) you will find it.

If you have a shallow clay then you can chose any of the common methods of track support; brick piers, polypropylene pipes stuck in concrete, treated posts in Metposts... If you have deep clay, (i.e. over 75cm), then your options are limited. You will have to bore holes and pour concrete to make a secure foundation.

My layout will be at (roughly) ground level and my curves have to be a far tighter radius due to my location, I live in the Peak District -a place where large flat expanses are quite frankly non-existent. I am going to use a modified wooden post in Metpost system to support my track. If you want to use poly pipes in concrete I have a design for a simple auger that two people can use or if you want to use the metpost system then I would advise you to use a 7lb sledgehammer. I can "hoik" a 7lb sledge all day -but a 14lb one I have to puff with...



I haven't got all the track made -but I have enough made for a simple out and back. I would like to have this "running" by the new year.

regards

ralph

[John Candy]

Ralph,
Thanks for those useful tips.
It had been my intention to use a combination of poly pipe, brick piers and cast concrete and steel viaducts (I have an auger which I bought a few weeks back in readiness).
The subsoil may cause me problems : The area is 'fenland' which is basically a very fertile peaty type of loam but I live on what passes for a hill in these parts (formerly islands before the fens were drained in the 1600's). I am not sure what lies under the surface since the house itself was built in 1985 on the site of a pond. The house is supported by a grid of huge circular concrete piles which go down up to 40 ft and are covered with a raft of concrete beams. What was used to fill the rest of the pond is anybody's guess.
My neighbour is a retired civil engineer and was the the Cambridgeshire County bridge inspector (he watched the house being built and in fact his wife's family owned the land on which the house is built) so I am hoping for advice from that direction : He is currently building an 'OO' layout for his grandchildren so I can use as bribes, if necessary, my cupboards full of the remnants of my 4mm models!
Regards,
John