# Anchoring Trestles



## hunteman (Dec 27, 2007)

I have built several 8' x 35" trestles for my elevated RR. My location is on an exposed ridge where we get significant winter winds (40-50+ mph). Two of my trestles have been blown over twice. The bottom of the trestle bents were buried in about 2" of crusher fines. I need ideas on how to anchor the trestles to prevent the wind damage. Any ideas?


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

I live in the Santa Ana Canyon that the Santa Ana winds are named for. I've had my trestle (about 14 feet long and just under 2 feet high) blow out from under the track. Now I leave bricks on the track on the trestle and a bridge from Oct - April.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

I've used rain gutter nails driven straight down with part of the head on the bottom sill. After a few seasons the sill and nail head were covered in sand, did that with my windmill too, should have done it with the waiting shed....









John


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## Daniel Peck (Mar 31, 2009)

the last one I built was 14 plus feet long and 28" tall made from steel and we used 1,000 lbs of concrete to set it in... I really donot think it will go anywere....


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## San Juan (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By toddalin on 06 Mar 2013 08:35 PM 
I live in the Santa Ana Canyon that the Santa Ana winds are named for.
Me too. I'm in Anaheim Hills


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

Posted By San Juan on 07 Mar 2013 07:59 PM 
Posted By toddalin on 06 Mar 2013 08:35 PM 
I live in the Santa Ana Canyon that the Santa Ana winds are named for.
Me too. I'm in Anaheim Hills









So why haven't you joined us for an OCGRS meeting? Next one is a potluck luncheon at 1:00 PM on March 17 in Yorba Linda.

Orange County Garden Railway Society Website


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

I've used those u-shaped spikes that hold down weed cloth on some of my buildings, have an L bracket at the bottom to poke them through. Has worked okay on my tall grain mill building.


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## San Juan (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By toddalin on 07 Mar 2013 10:11 PM 


So why haven't you joined us for an OCGRS meeting? Next one is a potluck luncheon at 1:00 PM on March 17 in Yorba Linda.

Orange County Garden Railway Society Website 

Cause my "Garden Railway" is in Colorado









My (indoor) HO and O scale layouts are here in the OC


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Because I wanted no weeds under my 35 foot, 18-42" tall trestle I placed a layer of concrete under the bents after the trestle was installed, The placement was placed with the intent of rough looking. So nothing was troweled or smooth, after the cement was placed I used small screened river gravel, taking small handfull and throwing it in the concrete, this proccess sticks the rocks to the surface, making it look fairly real to a mountainous area. The trestle was installed 3-7 inches off the ground to allow room for the cement.
I dug down (before cement placement) so I would have 4-6 inches of cement under the bents in a 1 squre foot area, In that area I placed a short piece of 1inch angle iron in the cement and place it around one of the bent legs. Taking a hose clamp I would clamp the angle and the bent leg together. Just one leg per bent every 3-4 ft apart. Important, do not bury the bent legs into the cement, I brought the cement right to the bottom of the wooden bents. Placing wooden bent legs into cement promotes rot, You have to get down close to even see my bents are not in the cement, after 5 years the trestle is still VERY ridgid. I never have grass or weeds coming up through the trestle, if you desire to have vegetation in the trestle pic one bent and pile a cement blob under it about 5-7 inches deep and place 1 angle to a bent there. It will look like a rock under the bent.
Dennis


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## cape cod Todd (Jan 3, 2008)

A friend that has a light weight building next to his pond ansd is subject to high winds used 2 of those things that screw into the ground for staking out dogs. His had a lever at the top where he could turn it one quarter to release the building since it hid a pump that he needed ot get to. 
You could use a few of those dog stake anchors and tie you trestle to it. Or use some garden stakes and tie or screw the trestle to them. 
good luck


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

Posted By San Juan on 08 Mar 2013 08:52 PM 
Posted By toddalin on 07 Mar 2013 10:11 PM 


So why haven't you joined us for an OCGRS meeting? Next one is a potluck luncheon at 1:00 PM on March 17 in Yorba Linda.

Orange County Garden Railway Society Website 

Cause my "Garden Railway" is in Colorado









My (indoor) HO and O scale layouts are here in the OC


Doesn't matter. Lots of members have no railway at all. 
Sometimes there really is no easy way to anchor the bents. Mine sit on glazed (so they don't wick water), double bull-nosed, "bricks" that are cemented into the bottom of the lake so the water can come up to the bents without wetting them. Actually placing weighted railcars on bridges in windy situations is prototypical.


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