# Spring Cleanup. Leaves, needles, etc.



## railcandy (Dec 19, 2010)

I'm wondering what's the best & fastest way to remove spring debris from the outdoor layout ? Last year I _*hand picked*_ every leaf, needle, and twig from the tracks and ballest,
 
Has anyone had any luck with those blower vacs they sell at lawn & garden stores? or will they move the balleat under the tracks ?
 
all suggestions welcome.
 
Thanks;
Perry


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## Bob in Kalamazoo (Apr 2, 2009)

I use a blower vac on my railroad. Mostly in the fall before the leaves have been packed down by the snow. It seems to work well as long as I don't get it too close. I don't know how it would work in the spring. My railroad is covered in snow right now.
Bob


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## railcandy (Dec 19, 2010)

Yup Bob... I got the same problem.. the leaves can be picked up like a big mat after they've been packed under snow... It's all the small stuff, pieces of leaves, cedar needles that never get packed, etc that I've been hand picking.

Also.. it's not like I can just blow the stuff to the perimeter of the layout then pick it up off the lawn. the layout is surrounded by chain-link fence & out buildings on 3 sides.

I do like the blower idea but have you ever tried a vac ?

Thanks for your reply;
Perry


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## snowshoe (Jan 2, 2008)

I found a leaf blower to work best and is the easiest. I just remove all buildings when leaves start to fall. Once the leaves are done I blow them off the layout. The the buildings get put back for winter running. I try to keep up on all the maint in the fall that way come spring there is very little to do. I also run all winter long so the layout has to be maintained.


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## railcandy (Dec 19, 2010)

Yup Shawn.. Looks like maybe I should clean off the layout in November instead of spring.. I know many times we have snow here before all the leaves have dropped to the tracks.

I'll try November this fall but I still have this mess to deal with this spring LOL ! 

I'm counting 2 votes for the "Blower"

Thanks for your input;
Perry


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## Bob in Kalamazoo (Apr 2, 2009)

I've got a combination blower/vac. I use the vac on the tracks and in areas where I know I don't have anything likely to get sucked up. Otherwise I use the blower. I have occasionally sucked something up that I had to stop and hunt for in the pile of leaves. My vac chops up the leaves so if I do suck something up it might be too late to try and retrieve it. And like I said, by spring I just about have to pick everything left over by hand. The NMRA national convention is in Grand Rapids Michigan this year and my layout is on the tour so I'll have to get at the spring clean up as soon as the snow is gone. Lots of work to do before late July.
Bob


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## railcandy (Dec 19, 2010)

Hey Bob ...sounds like ya' got a great layout out there ! Hope to see some videos of the summer tour visiting your layout on Youtube !

Perry


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## dieseldude (Apr 21, 2009)

Perry- I'm on my second vac/blower. I originally bought an electric machine, but with all the large maple trees we have, it died after just two seasons. Probably because I tried vacuuming/grinding all of those leaves (even when they were damp). The poor little machine just didn't have the appetite for so many leaves. This past fall I smartened up and bought a gas machine. Much better results. I've also changed tactics a bit. Now I use the blower to move all of the leaves on to the grass, then use the riding mower to grind/mulch them. Much better results. The gas powered machine does a great job at moving pretty much all the debris- leaves, sticks, etc. from the layout. I haven't lost much ballast in the process. The blower makes cleaning around trestles, bridges, and tunnels easier, too. As was already stated, cleaning the bulk of the debris in the fall is a great jump on spring season. Maple trees also drop 'helicopters' with seeds in the spring. I have used the vac to grind those up and limit the amount of maple seedling trees on the layout. I must admit, the small maple seedling trees do look right in scale with my trains. I just wish they would stay that way!!! Hope this helps. 


-Kevin.


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## Dick Friedman (Aug 19, 2008)

I use a blower vac. I vacuum up the leaves because I have so many unchopped leaves just pile up. Blowing blows the ballast out of the track, but vacuuming works better for me. My blower/vac is electric. It has a four inch hose that dumps into a 32 gallon trash can. 

I have to pick up oranges, tangerines, peaches and apples at various times of the year. Today there were about half a dozen oranges on the ground, and many dozen still in the tree. Have tangerines like grapes in that tree. 

After all that is picked up, it continues to fall most of the year. Then have to cut back my microminiature roses, ajuga, Mexican false heather, Japanese maples, and of course weeks. 

A never ending story!


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## railcandy (Dec 19, 2010)

Well Kevin & Dick. that's 2 more votes for the blower vacs ! 4 votes all together. Looks like theres a big strong blower-vac in my future unless I start to hear "horror stories", like "the vac that ate the locomotive". 

Thank you both for your advice; 
Perry


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## Bob in Kalamazoo (Apr 2, 2009)

Posted By railcandy on 26 Feb 2012 05:44 PM 
Hey Bob ...sounds like ya' got a great layout out there ! Hope to see some videos of the summer tour visiting your layout on Youtube !

Perry
Perry,
I'm not sure how great my layout is. Most of the people on the committee who came and looked at it had never seen a garden railroad before and thought it would be a nice change from all of the HO and N scale layouts. I'm in the Kalamazoo area (about 40 miles south of Grand Rapids) and there is only one other garden layout on this part of the tour. I think there are at least two garden layouts in the Grand Rapids area. I never thought about trying to do a video during the tour. Not sure if I can handle that along with everything else. Hopefully I'll have some help.
Bob


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## curlyp (Sep 4, 2009)

I use the VAC on my craftsman Blower/Vac on most of the railroad. If I hold it a couple of inches above the track it doesn't lift the ballast. For minor touch ups I use the Rail Broom that is sold in MLS classifieds. I use 1/4" and smaller crushed rock for my ballast.

Paul 
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## jimtyp (Jan 2, 2008)

The problem I have with the blower/vac is it also blows or vacs the ballast :-( I always have to re-ballast in the Spring, but I'd like to keep as much as i can so I end up picking things up by hand.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

In previous discussions people have said they use skinny rakes like the flexible bamboo or newer plastic ones. Aproximately 6" wide. 
They rake the right of way. 
I use an old paintbrush to clear switches of sand and grit, got no leaves... 

John


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## railcandy (Dec 19, 2010)

Yup John.. I use one of the 6" spring metal rakes to aid in my hand cleaning of track every spring. I throw an old thick canvas drop cloth folded many times over the track, sit on it and move down the tracks about 10" at a time. I finish up the first 10" of track, slide the drop cloth & a tub forward and do the next 10" and so on. 

Jim in Colorado metions my biggest fear, scooping the ballast in the vac. so I'll take that as a "No Vote" but maybe Paul has the answer by holding the Vac just above the distance that sucks up the ballast ? 

Thanks for all your input ; 
Perry


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

I have a Ridgid Shop vac the turns into a leaf blower. It is on it's last leg. I will probably need something else this spring. I gave my sister one of those Claw Saws. For trimming branches. They also make a blower/ vacuum I am going to look into one of those this spring 

JJ


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Better to vacuum than blow, blowing lifts animal fecal matter and other toxins that you might breathe in. If Valley Fever is in your area be extra careful. 
John


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## Trains (Jan 2, 2008)

I use a vac in the fall to get most of the leaves. I also have a B/D battery blower that work pretty good. 
It dosen't blow as hard as the electric ones. So the ballast stays in place. 

Don


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## railcandy (Dec 19, 2010)

Thanks Don & John..... Yup, It looks like a good handheld blower vac is on the shopping list before the trees shed this fall. This will be the 3rd year on this outdoor layout and in hind sight, I should have built it under blue sky instead of tucking it in a corner under all those trees.. 

Oh well.. Live & Learn. I only rent here; 
Perry 

PS: John, What is "valley fever" ? ? ?


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Perry;


Probably not strong enough for outdoors, but I remember seeing a flatcar with a Dustbuster mounted on it during the layout tours for the 1997 national garden railway convention. This combination was used on a shelf layout indoors.


Another possible mechanical helper is the car with the powered circular brush. A quick flip through my issue of Garden Railways did not turn up the manufacturer's name, but I have seen the product offered in past issues.
My own approach to the problem was only marginally successful. The car worked fine for twigs and leaves, but my major issue was with pine needles.










Best of luck,
David Meashey


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## wchasr (Jan 2, 2008)

I purchased the rotary brush system (Can't remember if I got it on Ebay or thru the classifieds here?) but have yet to install it on a car. I also purchased an electric Boat Bilge Blower (12 volt) and a cheap electronic controller to be paired up with some Ni-cad battery packs from my RC car days but lack the appropriate "nozzle" so far so ti too is not an assembled car. That's my plan at this point for Fall cleanup. 

Chas


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## railcandy (Dec 19, 2010)

Chas... you'll have to post a pic or video when you get that cleaning car all done ! I'd love to see it .


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