# track laying questions



## bmwr71 (Jan 30, 2010)

A friend has asked me to do a layout outdoors. I am retired and it seems that everyone thinks that means I have nothing else to do and therefore I should spend my time making their dreams come true while they make money. At least this job will involve some steak diners and i can be bought.

I would like to get the real look and feel of some backwoods line, like a mining or logging railroad and plan that mostly Porters and small locomotives will be used. I plan on using sectional track as I wouldn't even bother doing hand laid for myself, let alone for a free job. I have seen some videos for the small scale indoor track that showed to make the ties look more realistic, they need to be less uniform, so they cut off the ends of some of the ties. Anyone agree or disagree with that for some Aristocraft or LGB track?

Another thing I have read about backwoods track is that some of it, especially the early stuff, was laid in dirt. I would like to get that look and even get some moss growing between the ties. But I wonder if using real dirt might cause some problem with say the electricity being conducted between the rails when the dirt is wet? Or any other problems that gravel would avoid? Or if there is something to use that looks like dirt but is better?

Doug


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## Homo Habilis (Jul 29, 2011)

Have you considered using "flex" track rather than sectional? My layout is indoors and I chose Sunset Valley products. In particular I used their *narrow gauge ties* and am quite pleased with the appearance for my 1930's logging railroad. I didn't cut any of the tie ends and once ballasted it is difficult (to my eye) to notice that level of detail. I used aluminum rail and painted them to look rusty.

Can't speak to the outdoor issues as I use R/C battery so I don't have any conductivity issues.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

bmwr71 said:


> A friend has asked me to do a layout outdoors. I am retired and it seems that everyone thinks that means I have nothing else to do and therefore I should spend my time making their dreams come true while they make money. At least this job will involve some steak diners and i can be bought.
> 
> I would like to get the real look and feel of some backwoods line, like a mining or logging railroad and plan that mostly Porters and small locomotives will be used. I plan on using sectional track as I wouldn't even bother doing hand laid for myself, let alone for a free job. I have seen some videos for the small scale indoor track that showed to make the ties look more realistic, they need to be less uniform, so they cut off the ends of some of the ties. Anyone agree or disagree with that for some Aristocraft or LGB track?
> 
> ...


Hand laying track gets old very quickly. I do concur that 6 ft lengths of flexible track, whether it is SVRR or LGB, makes a lot of sense.

After a year or so you'll get plenty of moss growing in the trackbed, so you don't have to worry about making it! No, it won't cause electrical problems unless the track is under water.
Dirt or crushed rock (rock dust, #9 fines) all looks like dirt if you don't clean it.

There are a couple of books on starting a garden railroad, and lots of online references. Kevin wrote this one which I recommend: Get Started in Garden Railroading,
https://kalmbachhobbystore.com/product/book/12415

This website is extremely informative:
https://familygardentrains.com/


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## kormsen (Oct 27, 2009)

bmwr71 said:


> ... that showed to make the ties look more realistic, they need to be less uniform, so they cut off the ends of some of the ties. Anyone agree or disagree with that for some Aristocraft or LGB track?
> ...


Don't do that!
the ties are hollow. if you cut off the ends they don't look solid any more.

you could cut away the strips underneath the rails, that hold the ties together, to have different spaces and some slightly inclined ties.

any dirt is ok. if you put enough, to cover some ties or parts of ties, it looks rugged as well.

for quick growth of moss, paint some yoghurt on the dirt.


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## bmwr71 (Jan 30, 2010)

I did think about the hollow tie ends and I guess one could cut a section out and glue the original tie end on and at least the tie end wouldn't be hollow. Or maybe the tie ends could be cut and then the ends filled with the two part plastic epoxy and painted. Or maybe it doesn't matter all that much. Perhaps removing a tie here and there and placing them under the rail in some angled way would give the primitive look??? Or maybe add to some tie ends??? But the factory track just looks so uniform it makes for the toy appearance. Think I will at least paint the ties and see if I can make those look like early untreated wood.

Doug


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

bmwr71 said:


> I did think about the hollow tie ends and I guess one could cut a section out and glue the original tie end on and at least the tie end wouldn't be hollow. Or maybe the tie ends could be cut and then the ends filled with the two part plastic epoxy and painted. Or maybe it doesn't matter all that much. Perhaps removing a tie here and there and placing them under the rail in some angled way would give the primitive look??? Or maybe add to some tie ends??? But the factory track just looks so uniform it makes for the toy appearance. Think I will at least paint the ties and see if I can make those look like early untreated wood.
> 
> Doug


 Doug, that's a lot of ties you are proposing to treat. The ends don't matter if the ties are in the dirt, as they should be?

I can tell you are striving for realism. The size of the rail matters - most manufacturers use code 332 (0.332" tall) brass, which is equivalent to 130# rail; more or less mainline standard. http://www.urbaneagle.com/data/RRrailsizes.html
A backwoods railroad would be lucky to have 90# rail, and 60# might be more common. 60# in F scale (1:20.3, correct for 45mm track) is 0.209", or code 209, which is only available as code 205 from Llagas Creek. Code 250 is more often used, as it is sturdy enough for model purposes and not as tall as code 332. It is available in brass, aluminium and maybe nickel silver. I used code 250 and sprayed it brown primer.

If you are using such rail, you need F scale ties, and Llagas Creek makes them as flex track (you will have to use their rail in the ties.) They can easily be made to look roughly laid by snipping the spacers between the ties.













Accucraft makes a similar type of track, and you don't have to assemble it yourself. But note this has tie plates which would be unusual on a backwoods RR.










Next issue?


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## bmwr71 (Jan 30, 2010)

I guess another thing might be to paint some of the ties a bit of a different color than the others. I am hesitant to go for lighter rail, even if that is appropriate as accidents happen, to me, they happen often. Unfortunately where this layout will be, the faucet will be behind it and I can imagine the Jolly Green Giant accidentally stepping on and bending some light rail.

What would be really cool is to be able to do one of those old railroads where the locomotive ran on logs.

Doug


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