# Raised railroad...



## doublereefed (Jan 3, 2008)

Planning...

Has anyone seen a better looking yet still functional alternative to these cinder block post bases?










Also, what's a typical height for a raised railroad... 30"? 36"? This is for a short point-to-loop RR, not a nice big sweeping curve made-for-Aster sort of affair. More along the lines of Regner geared locos, Crickets, and hopefully a slo-mo'd Lady Anne... (have the Lady Anne, not the slo-mo yet..) I'm also thinking fun with the grand-kids, wondering if 36" is too high off the ground for a 4 year old?

Thanks in advance,

-Richard


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## Tom Bowdler (Jan 3, 2008)

Think kitchen counter height,
Though the 4 year old may need a stool. If your ground slopes and the track is level then the distance will change anyway. Make the steamup area a comfortable height.
I used those deck blocks for the part of my track that isn't on the Eagle Wings frames. 3" pvc pipe fits nicely in the center (I cemented mine in place with post setting cement) and pvc trim board screwed longitudinally supports the track, quick and easy. My portable tracks have had 5' minimum radius and the locos you mention could probably get away with less.
I apologize for not sending the pics of the Shay I promised. We're away till end of July and I'll get them to you then.
Best,
Tom


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## Mike Flea (Apr 8, 2014)

Mine is 2ft high


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## doublereefed (Jan 3, 2008)

Thanks Tom, Mike. Mike, what is the PVC trim board you mention? Are they screwed to each PVC post, both sides, to make the horizontal supports? What do you use for decking?

I will have a 5' radii loop (elongated for sidings, stations, etc.), about 50' of straight.


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## weaverc (Jan 2, 2008)

Richard,
Take a look at Chapter 8, Page 85, Building A Raised Layout in the inexpensive book or download from Steam in the Garden titled Starting in Steam. It lays out most of the considerations for constructing a raised layout. 
http://www.steamup.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=207

By the way, I used the blocks you mentioned with great success. It allows you to shim posts when needed after settling or ground shifting.


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## Mike Flea (Apr 8, 2014)

Richard, I think you have me mixed up with another Mike.

The decking on the layout is 1" pressure treated Marine Grade plywood from Home Depot. I think I paid $39/sheet, and all the 2x4 framing is also pressure treated. The side by the fence is mounted to the fence, and 8"x8"x16" cinder blocks help support the deck. The loops at either end are supported by cinder blocks as well, but I also dropped 24" long 4x4 pieces into the stacks of 3, and ran 5" long galvanized decking screws through the plywood, into the 4x4's to keep it anchored. A little crude, but it works.


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## Bob in Mich (Mar 8, 2008)

Here is the way I did My Layout, The steamup bays are app 3ft hi the low is 2ft and the hi is 5ft.the plan for it was in Steam in the Garden. I think he lived by Tom Bowdler in New York, But has Moved


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## Geoffc (Dec 27, 2007)

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-12-Gauge-Black-Powder-Coated-E-Z-Spike-FPBS44/100655352?cm_mmc=Shopping%7cTHD%7cG%7c0%7cG-BASE-PLA-D22-BuildingMaterials%7c&gclid=Cj0KEQjw-qbLBRD79JWsjuXI784BEiQAftBCI4l6hSOmlFpxBXB5wwkigGjXlq8wLtkgOzWJJEQWj1waAtsa8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds


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## Scottychaos (Jan 2, 2008)

Geoffc said:


> http://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-12-Gauge-Black-Powder-Coated-E-Z-Spike-FPBS44/100655352?cm_mmc=Shopping%7cTHD%7cG%7c0%7cG-BASE-PLA-D22-BuildingMaterials%7c&gclid=Cj0KEQjw-qbLBRD79JWsjuXI784BEiQAftBCI4l6hSOmlFpxBXB5wwkigGjXlq8wLtkgOzWJJEQWj1waAtsa8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds


If you live in the northern US or Canada, I wouldnt use those spikes. Frost Heave is a major concern. Im building part of my garden RR raised, in Western NY, the key is to have the structure *on* the ground, but none of it *in* the ground. Im using deck blocks, best solution IMO.

If you live in a mild climate, then spike away.

Scot


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## weaverc (Jan 2, 2008)

Scottychaos said:


> the key is to have the structure *on* the ground, but none of it *in* the ground.



One interesting issue I once found was that in the ground was considered by the local building codes as a "permanent" structure requiring Home Owner Association approval and if electrified, a building permit with inspections. Whereas on the ground was considered a temporary structure and did not require a permit or association approval. Just something to think about if you have an HOA. It is why I used the cinder block supports.


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## BearFlattsRR (Nov 1, 2012)

Hey guys, 

I just finished building my raised layout... a little bit different from your standard outdoor railroad. I built it all with dimensional lumber using the "bench" top style framework. The legs are positioned on bricks leveled in the ground. On the top portion i dropped slats with about a 3 inch gap and stretched screen to provide for drainage and to reduce puddling. I laid the track how i'd like and filled it all in with a 1/4-1/2 minus mix. There's still some clean up work i have to do and I plan on painting the exposed wood to protect it against the UV here in Arizona. 

The height is right at 3 feet which i think is perfect- height dependent of course. 

I had a smaller variation of this style and it lasted me for years. 

Here are a few shots. 




Thanks, 
Matt


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## artgibson (Jan 2, 2008)

Man I like that. Looks great and really weather proof from what I can see.
Ive gotta retrieve my back yard from missus. Also need to lose about 10 years of age to be able to do the work.


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## Mike Flea (Apr 8, 2014)

Very nice Matt !


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## placitassteam (Jan 2, 2008)

I love seeing a raised railroad that is sceniced and not just a run around loop. Great job.


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Well it would be nice to be able to see the pics. Not a fan of PB and do not belong. Understand they are eliminating folks from sharing these on web sites. as I'm getting ready to do a above ground flayout I was interested in viewing this one. Oh well. later RJD


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## BearFlattsRR (Nov 1, 2012)

Well doggonnit! So much for photo bucket, the site has become more of a pain than anything else. 

Do you guys know of any other photo hosting sites that you can post the pictures into forums? 

OR- how do you attach photos here? is that a first class member ability only?

Matt


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## joanlluch (May 20, 2017)

I have been using Flick for a long time with complete success, and have been posting photos in several forums (also in this) with no issues.

To post a photo from Flicker onto a forum you only need to make sure your photo is labeled as "public" in Flick. Then from Flickr you clic on the "share" icon, select "BBCode" sharing mode (that's the default, so you don't ever have to click on it most of the time), copy the url that appears, and paste it here. It's pretty easy and I found it to work all the time.

Hope this helps.


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## Scottychaos (Jan 2, 2008)

I posted this seven years ago..still applies today:



Scottychaos said:


> (From 2010)
> 
> In addition to my MLS space, I used imageshack for many years..
> until my photos began to randomly disappear..
> ...


Update: With the recent debacle with our MLS storage space, I have now abandoned that as well for photo storage and my webpage hosting, and now im using *only* smugmug for photos. It's the only thing that has been reliable long-term.

Scot


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Well I'm not a fan for paying for something I can do free. So I just add the pics here from my pics album from my PC. Easy peze and free. Later RJD


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## Scottychaos (Jan 2, 2008)

aceinspp said:


> Well I'm not a fan for paying for something I can do free. So I just add the pics here from my pics album from my PC. Easy peze and free. Later RJD


Yeah..but the problem is..can you really do it for free? Long term? History says no, you cant.

For years I used Imageshack, for free, then my photos started disappearing.

So I switched to photobucket, for free, until some of my webpages exceeded bandwidth, then my photos disappeared.

1st Class MLS members used to pay for photo hosting as a perk of a $25 per year MLS membership, then it became "free" when the forum was sold...now that its free, about 25% of MLS 1st Class members have lost ALL their photos..and since we are no longer paying for it, nothing will be done about it. Those photos are gone forever.

Can you trust that the photos you upload into a thread now will stay there? I wouldnt..history shows the odds are not in your favor.

And now ALL free photobucket photos are gone..millions of them across the world. People have been using that for a decade, building up thousands of personal photos and posting them everywhere..now all gone.

Every "free" solution is failing..or likely will eventually fail.

This was all true 7 years ago when I switched to smugmug. $40 per year, 77 cents per week, keeps my photos up. My webpages keep their photos, my MLS threads keep their photos. Well worth it to me. 

Scot


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## doublereefed (Jan 3, 2008)

I've been using Shutterfly with success across several different sites, quite happy with it. Is there an eventual catch with Shutterfly?


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## John 842 (Oct 1, 2015)

aceinspp said:


> Well I'm not a fan for paying for something I can do free. So I just add the pics here from my pics album from my PC. Easy peze and free. Later RJD


Exactly.



Scottychaos said:


> Yeah..but the problem is..can you really do it for free? Long term? History says no, you cant.


Why would it not be free if the pics are stored on my computer and backup files?


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## Ger  (Jan 13, 2009)

I built a raised railroad as shown. I used deck blocks and pressure treated wood. OK after 4 years.

I use google photos and U Tube to save photos and videos. Google has pics I forgot about, and it is free.

Video is of my first spring run of 2017, testing track after winter shutdown

Gerald Pierce


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## Scottychaos (Jan 2, 2008)

John 842 said:


> Exactly.
> 
> 
> 
> Why would it not be free if the pics are stored on my computer and backup files?


Because they arent stored on your computer..
Whenever you post a photo anywhere online, the photo has to get uploaded somewhere else, off of your computer. The original copy stays on your computer, but the copy that appears online is not on your computer.

In this case, when you upload a photo into a MLS thread, the copy lives on a Vertical Scope server somewhere..can Vertical Scope be trusted to keep that photo live long-term? Recent history says no, they cant. It *might* be fine! But it might not..thats what we are talking about..free photo hosting has a history of being unreailable. Why? Because *someone* is paying for it! And if it isnt you, if you arent paying anything, whoever *is* paying can decide they want to stop paying..then your photos go away.

Scot


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## Chris Scott (Jan 2, 2008)

The Best Cloud Storage and File-Sharing Services of 2017
https://www.pcmag.com/roundup/306323/the-best-cloud-storage-providers-and-file-syncing-services

10 file-sharing options: Dropbox, Google Drive and more
http://www.computerworld.com/article/2505487/web-apps/web-apps-10-file-sharing-options-dropbox-google-drive-and-more.html

The Top 8 Free Online File Storage Sites
http://www.adweek.com/digital/top-15-free-online-file-storage-sites-2/


Yahoo, Google, etc. offer GByte blocks of free storage. Any of these provide/include file sharing as well.. All of these offer "help" on how these work.


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## Scottychaos (Jan 2, 2008)

Chris Scott said:


> The Best Cloud Storage and File-Sharing Services of 2017
> https://www.pcmag.com/roundup/306323/the-best-cloud-storage-providers-and-file-syncing-services
> 
> 10 file-sharing options: Dropbox, Google Drive and more
> ...


Very few of them allow hotlinking photos into forum posts, blogs, websites, etc.
You can "share" a photo anywhere, but only by posting the link..you cant make the photo appear in a post itself..you can only post the link, then people have to click on the link.

In this thread we are talking about "hotlinking" a photo, so the photo itself shows up in the thread..there are few remaining free hosts that still allow that. Photobucket did, but they took it away...many (such as google photos) never allowed it to begin with.

Scot


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## Scottychaos (Jan 2, 2008)

Not many free options left..still a few you could try though..just be aware, they could also kill your photos at anytime, without warning. Photobucket did it, and they were bigger than most of these:

https://www.ghacks.net/2017/07/02/photobucket-alternatives-for-third-party/

Scot


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## doublereefed (Jan 3, 2008)

Gerald,

Very nice looking railroad, nice looking structure you have built there. I'm pretty much headed in the same direction. Thanks for sharing...

Best,

-Richard


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Since they lost my pics and ruined my threads ... I have little affinity left here so I use their storage by ... Going Advanced or scrolling down to additional options and posting from my hard drive.
I add attachments and then open and paste them in my post as needed. 









Then I can add more or not...

My pike is raised so the I can sit on a folding chair and work each section. The ground slopes more than the railroad.

John


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