# Small elevated layout build



## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

After having enough of our new family beagle thinking everything is a chew toy and the right of way is his digging ground, We decided it was time to downsize a bit and elevate the railroad. Done on a shoe string budget, we only bought a few pieces of new treated wood, rest was left over from when we built a deck a couple years ago. Built like a large planters box, it is lined with plastic to shield the wood from constant moisture from the gravel and top soil that will eventualy back fill the layout. Yes there are drain ports in the plastic so it doesn't become a pond. And yes there are support 4x4 legs in the middle as well, just added after the first pic was taken. Trains ran for the first time today, first with one of my battery engines to test track work, then with live steam and my Super Sammie from Roundhouse. The log cabin is solar lighted, and the engine shed, depot and turnout lanterns are powered from a small path light transformer. Still lots to do, missing some track yet thru the middle and back into the engine shed. Mike


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## Tom Bowdler (Jan 3, 2008)

Nice progress Mike,
Glad to see you replaced most of the bricks, what are the boards directly under the track, composite decking?
In the horticultural vein some gravel is a good idea (watch the weight) but I would advise against top soil. Use a peat light mix instead, one recommended for containers, with mulch on top to prevent it splashing out of the frame in a heavy rain. Your planting depth will do well for ground covers and even some slow growing trees, evergreen and deciduous.
A former neighbor had a beagle. I don't remember it digging and chewing but its howling.....oh my.
Have fun,
Tom


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

I dont tollerate his howling, that gets stopped every time he tries it. Good idea on the peat mulch. Should I leave plants in thier container pots or plant them in the peat mulch? The boards are treated wood. I have zero budget to buy much of anything at the moment, so I was recycling wood from various past projects. Once I get the landscape built up to the track level, I will ballest the track. Need to find a local source of horticutural grit(crushed limestone) for ballest. Mike


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## Tomahawk & Western RR (Sep 22, 2015)

mike, will tom's countess make it around those tight curves?

it is a neat little layout nonetheless. keep up the good work!


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## Tom Bowdler (Jan 3, 2008)

Mike,
Your plants, especially ground covers would be best in the soil, their roots will help hold it in place. have a look around, ground covers are easily divided and perhaps some of your neighbors with established beds will share with you. 
Fill the area with a couple of inches of gravel then the peat lite mix, wet it down then refill. Place a layer of substantial mulch (shredded not chunks) which will help keep the soil in place in heavy rains then run trains. You'll be adding more as it settles over the summer so don't be in a big hurry to ballast except to cover the boards which hold the track.
A concern I have is the space under the layout which looks to be a few feet. Depending on the severity of your winters plant survival may be a concern. Most county Cooperative Extensions have a phone help line and you might check with them for advice on that matter.
Keep training that Beagle,
Tom


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

He is getting training on a daily basis. It can get as cold as 20-40 below wind chills, but the layout is in the lee of the house from the wind. I can also cover the layout in the winter to shield it from the worst of the cold. I have a ground cover that is now under the layout, that I plan to dig up and divide once I have the railway filled. Mike


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Looking good mate.


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

Yes Nate, Countess goes around the tight curves, the long coaches cannot so I pull the short coaches like the W&L uses. Mike


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Mike, is that the base of a ham radio antenna tower I see in the background?

Greg


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

Yes Greg, has my 2m/440 antenna on it along with a now defunct TV antenna at the top. I have rebuild my antenna set up and moved it to a roof mounted set up, new TV antenna with rotor, new Cushcraft 2M Ringo Ranger above that. I need to go up the tower and remove the small 2m/440 and my weather center before the tree engulfs it completely. My HF set up is an end fed wire antenna mounted in our attic up in the peak of the roof. Eliminates the lightning strike danger to my HF set up. Got my no code tech license just out of high school, then upgraded to General class with morse code a few years after that. Had to both recieve and send at 13 wpm for the test. Being a RMS Titanic buff, I sent the tester the initial distress call that was sent back on that fateful night. Back on track again, I am expanding the little raised layout. I have added two turnouts, one on each side that will allow me to diverge and roughly follow the old roadbed of my ground level set up that went under the tree, around the tower and back again. Only this time it will be elevated and cross inboard of the tree trunk instead of around it. I need the clearance to back my boat in with my truck at the end of the season and its really close to the edge when I cut the wheel. The table work would get into my "safe" zone a bit to much for comfort. I should have enough track on hand after todays purchase. Hope to get the wood to build the support set up in the next few weeks. This part of the railway will be more like other raised lines, with a planked table top of treated wood, then edged with a thin plank on each side so I can backfill with a thin layer of ballest. Not much to see yet, so no new pics. 73's Mike N9XLZ


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

Here are the pics again, since the old hosting service is crapped out! 










These were taken in early spring, the tree has nearly engulfed the crossing lights(had to trim it back), I have the bell on top of the crossing light pole now. Track work inside the initial layout is complete, buildings and turnout lanterns are all lighted at night. Will get some new pics once the glare of the afternoon sun gets off the layout today. Mike


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## MJSavage (Dec 27, 2007)

Great manageable size and the height is perfect!


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## ddrum31 (Aug 30, 2017)

Pretty cool!!!


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

Its been fun for a couple years now, but it will be replaced, hopefully in the spring with a much larger raised line to suit gauge one live steam as well as the LGB stuff. Height of the new line will be the same as this one and will butt up against one side of my deck so one may sit on the deck to tend to ones train whilst in the station. Mike the Aspie


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