# Need Help



## traingeekboy (Aug 19, 2011)

Well ok I don't need help, but I am in a strange predicament. 

First off... I know I am sort of in the wrong forum. I model Ho /OO scales outdoors. The problem is, poeple who do those scales aren't interested in outdoor model railroading. It's just not their thing. They want a static perfect world under incandescent lights. I have tried posting pics on numerous forums to show the beginning of my layout and hardly anyone responds, so I know I am sort of out there without a support group. 

I thought maybe you guys would tolerate me despite my size issues. 

So here is the layout under construction. 







 


I have a small collection of 70's 80's european trains from when I was a kid. Recently I bought a Jouef French steamer that will run along side all my other european trains. It is a model from the 70's so it doesn't exactly run well. More like stop or really go. But I like the shape. 





Despite my scale issue I am definitely in the garden, the front yard to be precise, and I am definitely modelling european trains. 

Also... I have owned G scale trains. Right now I am partially employed/unemployed. Funds are low. All the bench work is made out of wood scrounged from alleys; this includes most of the hardware. It's amazing how many screws you can find in old wood.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

So what's the question? 
Went back and re-read where you don't want help, but want to be part of the outdoor fraternity. 
Well sure you can sit in, but I'm not sure you'll have too much to contribute. 
Trickery isn't your friend, I'll remember your approach... 

Debris and non-uv protection will be your problems. 

Happy Rails 

John


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Welcome! 

Not sure whether you are in North America or not. I do know that some folks in Canada have built outdoor OO and possibly N scale layouts. These people were members of BRMNA (The British Railway Modellers of North America). You may want to search using *BRMNA* online for their web site. I have saved a number of my OO and HO trains, but I no longer run them since I became interested in large scale. I still belong to BRMNA, however. 

Just a note about your Jouef locomotive. It looks like it was produced about the same time as a Jouef Liberation class Mikado I used to own. My locomotive was also a poor performer. Since all power and power pick-up were in its tender, it ran best as a tender alone. The drive rodding and valve gear seem to be fairly sloppy on Jouef steam locomotives. My experience was that the valve gear would catch and lock, locking the drive wheels, and the locomotive would simply slide along as its tender pushed it. I have had similar problems with the Hornby 2-10-0 Evening Star, but never as bad as with the Jouef Mike. 

Anyway, your layout seems to be making good progress. You may need to find a UV inhibitor to coat your ties with, and most HO gauge track is not designed for outdoor use. You may also need to consider how you will allow for rail expansion and contraction. I'm not sure how severely swings in temperature will affect the small rail. 

Best, 
David Meashey


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## traingeekboy (Aug 19, 2011)

Well To the first response. I am a member of a few different forums. Most forums people share their progress, talk about stuff they can't talk to normal people about, look at how people dealt with various issues. Model railroading is very niche oriented. People in x scale divide themselves into groups of x prototype, then divide into group of X time period, then x roadname. So really the help I need is just to hang out with model railroaders who like to model outdoors. That's it!

I just want to hang out read and post photo's of my victories against empty train spaces.


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## traingeekboy (Aug 19, 2011)

Now that is the kind of response I was seeking!!! Garden railroading is definitely a British invention, and if not invention, the Brits took it to the limit. 

I will go and harass the BRMNA folks as they be more interested in what I am doing and I may be more interested in what they are doing. 

There's a guy on youtube who does his layout with out Uv protection, but I am in Colorado. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWSqUSO9vrQ we have less shade and closer sunlight. I will ponder this problem. 

As to the Jouef, yes it's the same design. Pretty thing, but flawed in design. I hadn't considered the drive rod issue. I was thinking of hiding a diesel inside a coach for reliability. 


Thanks David


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## traingeekboy (Aug 19, 2011)

Good points on the UV. I searched the web and found that peco Ho scale works in the garden. I would never have learned this without harassing the G scalers.


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

UV on the track may not be your only problem, especially in Colorado. The plastic and paints used in "G" cars and engines is usually UV protected. You may want to leave an expendable car outside for a while to see whether the plastic and paint hold up, or become brittle and fade.

I have heard of some of the less expensive "G" cars warping if left out in the sun or in a closed car on a hot day. 


Chuck


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## traingeekboy (Aug 19, 2011)

My layout is fairly simple. It's just going to be a couple ovals for running with a few cross overs. It's also in the front yard of all places. I figure I won't leave anything on the layout when I'm not there. 

Maybe I need to run an expendable train for a while and see how it holds up from running in sunlight. I am not even to the track laying stage yet, and I'm discovering new issues I will have to deal with. 


Worst case scenario I'll have to paint my car roofs with an extra layer of light colored paint.

I'm starting to think I need to go find a how to beginners section here.


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Post your questions in the "Beginners Forum" here on MLS. You will probably get more responses, as that is a more general forum.

If you are in the greater Denver area, make contact with the Denver Garden Railway Society. They are a great group and their meetings were very informative when I was starting.

Chuck


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## traingeekboy (Aug 19, 2011)

Thanks Chuck! More good info.


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

There are usually flyers for the DGRS at Caboose hobbies and I would guess that Mizell would have them also. The DGRS has a layout at the Colorado Railroad Museum, in Golden, and I believe that on most weekends there are members out there running. They have both a track powered layout and a live steam loop.

Chuck 

I think that there are garden railway clubs in other parts of Colorado, I'm just not familiar with them and I have lived in Virginia since 1993.

PS Your are going to need a snow plow, I want to see an HO rotary throwing snow, or at least a wedge plow pushing it.

That is something that we can do in "G".


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## Paulus (May 31, 2008)

I think you find just what you need on the OO Gauge Gardenrailway Forum
http://www.selbygardenrailway.co.uk/sgrforum/index.php?sid=a0612da53a47034142bd83a4503e5578And, doing European theme and a garden railway this might be an interesting forum also: Continental Garden Trains (though, you might be the first with this scale on the forum). 

I have some Peco and Roco track laying in my garden for test a complete year now (from sunny days to snowfall) and both are still in perfect condition. I tested this because I'm planning a small round with Gn material (G scale trains on H0 (16 mm) track, like mining or forrest railroads).


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## traingeekboy (Aug 19, 2011)

Paulus, Thanks for the link I went and joined that forum. 

While on another forum I met a man in texas who has an amazing layout. He gave me a link and I felt like it was worth seeing for everyone even if it is a bit small at 1/32 n20. He advised me to handlay my track. I'm not sure if I'm up for that time wise. 

Here is the link. Scroll down it's really worth the time. 

http://www.freerails.com/view_topic.php?id=1222&forum_id=17&page=68


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## traingeekboy (Aug 19, 2011)

Chuck, 
You are completely right! I may need one of these  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwNulZLSFnI 

Somehow I think in small scales that this blower wouldn't really work.


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## Spule 4 (Jan 2, 2008)

Handlaying HO track goes quicker than one thinks, and is dirt cheap.


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## traingeekboy (Aug 19, 2011)

The HO scale interloper has returned. I have looked into the hand laying cost issue and discovered that ME stock rails are more expensive than Atlas c100. So I got the idea that 
I could lay flex and if it cracks or melts I can then relay the rails on wood ties and spike it afterward. 

Do you large scale folks do that at all with damaged track?


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Rarely, because of all the effort involved. 

The track is the foundation of your layout, and if it is not in good shape, nothing will work right. Remember that you will work twice as hard as we do getting your trackwork smooth enough. 

I'd buy the right stuff first and concentrate on a roadbed that will keep unwanted vertical and horizontal transitions to a minimum. 

Greg


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## Phippsburg Eric (Jan 10, 2008)

I would think that if you painted the track...espeically the ties or sleepers...you would be able to protect them from the UV, use a light color and they would stay cooler too. 

I did an HO scale inclined railway outside when I was a teenager. great fun and worked pretty well too. 

--eric in Maine


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## blueregal (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By chuck n on 19 Aug 2011 02:38 PM 
There are usually flyers for the DGRS at Caboose hobbies and I would guess that Mizell would have them also. The DGRS has a layout at the Colorado Railroad Museum, in Golden, and I believe that on most weekends there are members out there running. They have both a track powered layout and a live steam loop.

Chuck 

I think that there are garden railway clubs in other parts of Colorado, I'm just not familiar with them and I have lived in Virginia since 1993.

PS Your are going to need a snow plow, I want to see an HO rotary throwing snow, or at least a wedge plow pushing it.

That is something that we can do in "G".









Contact Del Tapparo, he is with the Northern Colorado Garden RR ASSOC. He is on here also and runs G-Scale Graphics too. The group is based out of Ft. Collins I believe!! Regal


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