# My layout Construction using PVC



## Lmackattack (Sep 29, 2016)

Hello Gang... Just wanted to share the layout Im building. Its set on a property with a 6% slope. Because of this I decided to build the roadbed ladder frame up on Posts and then come back later to add in clay fill around it. The layout is 180' of mainline with 2 passing sidings. max track grade was kept at 2%. It will have 3 bridges and provision to add water in the middle. Not yet layed is a logging camp spur and a 3 track yard to park trains or cars that are not in use. Im building this with the help of a Friend for a family who hired us both.

They plan to run narrow gauge steam on DC power with the possibility of expanding into battery . Track is Piko , with R5 piko switches. I used RLD hobbies track bender to get the radius we want. track is screwed to the roadbed and we will be using split jaw connectors on every other joint.

Ladder frame is PVC planks screwed into PVC pipe that is secured into the ground with quickcrete. I back filled with clay and then added 2" of top soil. We will be waiting to add ballast as I want the ground to settle first.

Just ordered a G scale graphics DC wireless throttle for the layout.

Start to current day its taken about 2 months working on it over weekends only.

Thanks for looking


Trent Blasco


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

Wow, what quick progress! And the result is looking just wonderful!
Good for you Trent on gettin 'er done, and gettin' trains rolling!


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## Lmackattack (Sep 29, 2016)

Thanks Cliff. The post holes were dug with a gas auger. Pita around the trees because of roots. The PVC ladder frame went up quick. then came the back filling of the clay. the bob cat got it close but it was a few days if back breaking work getting it all where we needed it. Top soil was a breeze to spread as its light. total of 2-1/2 semi truck loads of materiel was brought in. Im hoping that the ground does not settle to much with the slope its on but time will tell. Im thinking of leaving the ballast off untill next spring but not sure if the homeowners will want it done before winter sets in?


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Looks very good Trent, I started with the ladder system, I really like it, I built up to it in many places.
Please keep us posted
Dennis


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## punkin (Jun 13, 2015)

Lmackattack said:


> Hello Gang... Just wanted to share the layout Im building. Its set on a property with a 6% slope. Because of this I decided to build the roadbed ladder frame up on Posts and then come back later to add in clay fill around it. The layout is 180' of mainline with 2 passing sidings. max track grade was kept at 2%. It will have 3 bridges and provision to add water in the middle. Not yet layed is a logging camp spur and a 3 track yard to park trains or cars that are not in use. Im building this with the help of a Friend for a family who hired us both.
> 
> They plan to run narrow gauge steam on DC power with the possibility of expanding into battery . Track is Piko , with R5 piko switches. I used RLD hobbies track bender to get the radius we want. track is screwed to the roadbed and we will be using split jaw connectors on every other joint.
> 
> ...


I see the pipe into the ground appears to be a PVC pipe but, what is the other flexible material? Where do you get this?

Thank you


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## FrankMatulewicz (Dec 27, 2007)

I think that is PVC trim boards. Home Depot, Lowes, Menards, etc.. sell them in varying widths. I think they're around 3/4" thick and come in 8' lengths.. I'm planning on doing something similar but with 1 1/4" pvc in the ground and 1" pvc, with a tee, inside of that. The 1" pvc will just slide into the 1 1/4" pvc and can them be adjusted for height. Saw cut an 2" deep relief cut across the top of the 1 1/4" bottom pipe (approx 1/8 wide ") and use a 1 1/2 S.S. auto screw hose clamp to tighten the top 1" pipe in place. Screws going through the tee will secure it to the frame pieces. The through tee ends need to reduced by a 1/4" on each side, I think, And pvc plugs installed using a mandrilled hole saw. 1/4" mandrill bit should work just fine to make these. The two part pvc pipe glue used on these pipes will secure the permanent fittings in place. I'm just not sure how deep to sink the 1 1/4" pipe in the ground. With the frost and heave cycles in Northern Indiana, I'm pretty sure that if it is not sunk down at least 3' it will eventually work it's way up, even with a small cement footing.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

That's a pretty cool idea to make it adjustable up and down... most people just cut off the excess, and down is the only way they can go!

Your state resources site should have frost depth tables to give you an idea. try not to cut the bottom at an angle/point as the earth squeezes it, it will force the pipe up... so even though harder to get into the ground, a blunt, flat cut at the bottom is best.

Greg


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## FrankMatulewicz (Dec 27, 2007)

Greg, A friend at camp has a small two man auger, actually it can be handled by one man but I like things easy. You can usually rent these at the big box stores. The first foot or so is hard going through gravel and roots but then easy peasy. Mostly sand below below that, in our part of Northern Indiana. He has a couple small auger heads for it and I think one of them is a 4"dia. With the PCV, I usually drill and "force" in four 16d nails forming a cross as viewed edge on from the bottom. Then about a foot of cement and back fill with whatever came out during augering. In our area they say we should go down 40" but I've never had a problem with only going down 36".
I like the spline roadbed idea since I've used that on HO layouts in the past, but with wood splines glued together. I planning on doing the PVC spline ladder for the narrow gauge mountain portion of my garden railroad or rather model railroad outside. On the 1/20.3 Standard gauge dual track roadbed I'm still undecided. At my home backyard I dug a 4 to 5" deep trench 8" wide, lined it with landscape fabric and packed in 3/8" limestone chip gravel in 2" layers until level to the top. The 8" wide is dictated by the size of the tamper I was using. Once it was level with surface the track was laid on and ballasted with crusher fines. I used a large plastic garden sprinkling can to wet it all down with a four to one mix of water and a cement adhesive with some powdered concrete stain mixed in to "taste" . This seemed to work really well and I only had to do some touch up ballasting after two years. Of course the subsurface soil in Chicago was mostly clay while I'll be dealing with sand in my current location. The dual gauge portion will be the first section being laid..


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## bottino (Feb 7, 2008)

I just moved, and will be building a new layout. My last two layouts were on the ground. Now I am getting so its hard to get down at ground level. I have been looking for plans for this type of elevated track. Yours is as I remembered reading about it, a long time ago. 

Can you or someone, point me to some articles on exactly how to do this. 

Thanks. 

Paul B


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

bottino said:


> I just moved, and will be building a new layout. My last two layouts were on the ground. Now I am getting so its hard to get down at ground level. I have been looking for plans for this type of elevated track. Yours is as I remembered reading about it, a long time ago.
> 
> Can you or someone, point me to some articles on exactly how to do this.
> 
> ...


Just google "site:mylargescale.com ladder roadbed" or "site:largescalecentral.com ladder roadbed" and a dozen threads will come up.


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## bottino (Feb 7, 2008)

Thanks Pete, that's what I was looking for.
Paul


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## bottino (Feb 7, 2008)

How did you anchor the pvc pipe in the ground?


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## fyrekop (Sep 20, 2011)

I used 3" diameter UV resistant conduit in concrete then used that as spaces for my trex side rails


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## wchasr (Jan 2, 2008)

I too did my original "loop" in the front yard similarly. It was placed in an existing flower bed and I mistakenly rototilled it up first. It has NEVER stopped settling. I do NOT plan on the expansion being rototilled. I will do just like you did. Place the PVC uprights back fill with something solid and then ballast.


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## [email protected] (Oct 24, 2019)

Frank, in using the ladder system are you trenching down any certain amount of inches or are you leaving the PVC trim on the surface of the yard? Assuming you are using levels etc. I'm down in Carmel, Indiana and will start construction in the next 3 weeks. thank you for your insight.


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## [email protected] (Oct 24, 2019)

FrankMatulewicz said:


> I think that is PVC trim boards. Home Depot, Lowes, Menards, etc.. sell them in varying widths. I think they're around 3/4" thick and come in 8' lengths.. I'm planning on doing something similar but with 1 1/4" pvc in the ground and 1" pvc, with a tee, inside of that. The 1" pvc will just slide into the 1 1/4" pvc and can them be adjusted for height. Saw cut an 2" deep relief cut across the top of the 1 1/4" bottom pipe (approx 1/8 wide ") and use a 1 1/2 S.S. auto screw hose clamp to tighten the top 1" pipe in place. Screws going through the tee will secure it to the frame pieces. The through tee ends need to reduced by a 1/4" on each side, I think, And pvc plugs installed using a mandrilled hole saw. 1/4" mandrill bit should work just fine to make these. The two part pvc pipe glue used on these pipes will secure the permanent fittings in place. I'm just not sure how deep to sink the 1 1/4" pipe in the ground. With the frost and heave cycles in Northern Indiana, I'm pretty sure that if it is not sunk down at least 3' it will eventually work it's way up, even with a small cement footing.


Frank, I was reading the articles of the ladder system and was curious as to how the use of the PVC pipe going down 3 feet below the frost line worked out. I live in Hamilton County, Indiana and a member of the Indiana Large Scale Railroaders and ready to start my outside G scale layout this spring. Of course after the virus issue is over with so I can go to Lowe's to but the PVC boards/pipes. How did your experience go with the placement of the PVC pipe and the inner 1 inch PVC pipe? I was think of sinking the PVC pipe down 2 feet and then building the ladder system. my yard angles down a bit on the side of the yard. I personally don't have a good comfort zone with floating track but I was curious of your experiences using this system and process. In advance thank you. Regards, Jeff Larkin


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

I did the ladder system in Mo. a great way to start, I would use the pipe that would give me 1.5" OD
Dennis


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