# What to use for an elevated track in sandy Florida



## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

The trouble-and-strife (wife) is pressing me to spend more winter time in sunny Florida in our little condo. While I'm in striking distance of Andrew's new Tradewinds and Atlantic Railroad track, I discovered an unused traffic circle right outside our FL condo building's front door. It's where the old road ended - now there is an adjacent re-aligned road to the new bridge. Behind it is scrub/bushes on the county land between the old road and new. I'm told we don't own the circle, but we take responsibility for keeping it looking good.

The cricle is about 50' diameter, and has some landscaping - 4 palm trees in the middle, a row of bushes facing the condo, and mostly ornamental grass clumps at the back. There's easily room for a 15' x 25' loop of track with perhaps a passing siding. I don't want to do anything elaborate, as the county could decide to come and pave over the whole thing. In the middle, behind the bushes, I'd have the track about 6-12" above grade, so it wouldn't be visible from the condo parking lots. That would make it about 24" high at the back, (maybe - haven't checked) where I plan to operate from. (The condo board guys I talked to have all said go ahead.)

The question for you guys is: what to use for track bed? I think it needs to be elevated, and it doesn't need too much scenic-ing. The soil is sand, and we obviously get zero frost heaves. Hurricanes are possible, and in summer we get pop-up thunderstorms most days. What to use for supports? Maybe the spline system (two strips separated by wooden blocks) would be a good surface? At least it would drain!

I initially thought of 4x4 uprights in those cement bases resting on the sandy soil. Maybe that's overkill?

Anyone tried building an elevated layout on sand?


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## sandbarn (Feb 13, 2010)

Pete,
I live in an area that is sandy (very much like beach sand). Goes down 4 to 10 feet to clay. I don’t have any problem with high wind like you have, but we do get heavy rains (hard downpours from thunderstorms). No frost heave either (south central Texas). 
I plan to build elevated track also, using a technique very similar to what Richard Smiths’ Port Orford Coast RR used. (You can find a link to his great article here at MLS somewhere.) 4”x4”12’ pressure treated posts cut in half and buried about 2’6” deep. That will give me a table height of about 3’ 6” which should be a good height to be able to reach across at least 2’. I have several fence posts that are treated 4x4 around the lot that have been in the ground for 17 years and are still going strong so I think this technique should work just fine. I expect to start construction within about 2 to 3 weeks. If these posts last as long as my fence posts, I expect they will outlast me.








Good luck.
Lloyd


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Pete I'd say your Idea of the 4x4 post on the deck blocks would do the job and not all that expensive to build as long as it's not a large layout. I used this system when I added my 5 track covered staging yard that is 40 ft long. Later RJD


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## Richard Smith (Jan 2, 2008)

If your soil is usually moist I would recommend using deck blocks as suggested above for the legs. My benchwork legs are planted directly into the ground but although we get a lot of rainy days I have excellent drainage here and no frost line to worry about. 

As an alternative to PT if you can't find any that's good I would look into cypress as a substitute for the cedar I use for many things here. Cypress should be relatively plentiful in Florida and while I haven't had occasion to use it myself I've heard great things about it in moist areas. It is widely used for outdoor furniture as well. I don't know how expensive it would be down there. It's almost unseen around here. Anyway if there's one place not to skimp and save it's your railroad's base. Overkill is impossible there. 

Good luck in warmish Florida. I lived there in Jacksonville for a time as a child. I still remember the lukewarm rain and thunder that sounded like a WWI barrage. hehe!


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks guys. I figured the 4x4s might work. The circle is domed (as most are) so in the center I may be almost at ground level. 

there's one place not to skimp and save it's your railroad's base 
Richard, normally I'd agree with you, but in this case the whole thing may disappear one day, when the County decides to bulldoze the circle!


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