# Spring cleaning of the layouts etc.



## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

Perhaps this should be sort of a list of things most garden railroaders would never do but...

Early in the week I started with the caboose layout (all brass) which badly needed cleaning. The track is mounted on green outdoor carpeting over plywood about 3' above the ground.

I started with a LGB 50040 Track Cleaning Block but then went to a G Clean Track Cleaning Car (that has a LGB 50040 block in it). That worked pretty well but with all the grass stringy things from the surrounding trees the green layout had turned almost yellow.

Out came the leaf blower and it did a pretty good job of cleaning the rest of the layout.

Today I started on the main outside layout which was more challenging. The screened porch (where I run the trains from) was covered in dust & dirt plus a bunch of leaves had managed to get inside as well. A shop vac made a good start on the leaves and some of the dirt but everything still looked pretty dirty so the next step was to bring out the pressure washer - that cleaned up the porch.

The leaf blower got a lot of the tree trash off the deck with the buildings and track but everything still looked pretty dirty so I figured what the heck and started spraying everything with the pressure washer. 

I would not recommend it because obviously the plastic buildings were not designed to be pressure washed but I was surprised how much cleaner everything got and how relatively little damage was done to the buildings. All the buildings are 8 or more years old and many have started having a piece fall off here and there anyway so I figured that the pressure washer would give me a cleaner surface to glue stuff back together plus it got a lot of the black crud (mildew?) out of the outdoor carpeting. 

Part of my logic for using the pressure washer was that the track on this layout is stainless steel and the turnouts are nickel plated so I did not want to use any sort of abrasive cleaner on it. A side benefit was that the pressure of the water was actually able to cut some of the plants etc. where they were growing too close to the tracks (don't tell my wife). The pressure washer proved to be as effective as the leaf blower in blasting leaves from the tracks.

What's different about my layouts compared to most is that most garden railroaders go to a lot of work to bring dirt to their layout while I do everything possible to get dirt away from my "garden" layout.

How about you and your layouts? 

How do you handle spring cleaning?

Jerry


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## cape cod Todd (Jan 3, 2008)

Hey Jerry 
Getting my layout ready after a long winter involves a leaf blower since I am under so many trees. I also blast out the tunnels one of which is 15' long on a curve. Next I walk the line, close to 450', with a pole sander and a scotch brite pad attached to it and remove branches and pine cones. Usually 2-3 passes makes it conductive enough. Then I run a aristo track cleaner car pulled or pushed by a small engine ( by small I mean one that is easily and somewhat cheap to replace with few details to get damaged in case it takes a tumble off a bridge or trestle. Several loops with this later I put on a heavier engine, this year my new Heisler and walked it around the layout watching for spots that may have moved a bit or lost some ballast to let the track sag. Today a piece of track screwed to a 2x10 which warped a bit was derailing my pass train due to a severe change in level quickly from one side to the other. After some shiming it was ok. My buildings new and old will be heading out this weekend after the forecasted rain is over. 
I don't think I would take a pressure washer to my layout but I can see why you would. 
Happy warm summer days playing and working on the RR will soon be here.


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## Spule 4 (Jan 2, 2008)

Weeds.


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## Steve Stockham (Jan 2, 2008)

Spring cleaning on the KC&CRR begins with cutting away all of the dead plants and leaves, picking up trash that may have accumulated, re-staining the trestles and bridges (if needed), re-ballasting and levelling the track, pruning the evergreens and generally getting the mulch all cleaned out and re-layed (I'm ready to do the re-ballasting and then to start the pruning.) It will be another week or so before I'm ready to run trains on the layout. I won't begin new plantings for at least another two weeks but most of the layout is now perennials. Everything should be done by the third weekend in May which, coincidentally, happens to be the monthly meeting for the WAGRS club which we are hosting...


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Spring --- what?


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

Where to start:

Beginning of the season:

Do track work to fix niggling problems or make comptemplated revisions.

Re-assess and revise electronics if they are not operating properly.

Clean all the engines ' wheels/sliders. Check coupler heights on rolling stock and fix any red tags.

Clean out the rivers and lake of mud and debris. Remove and wash the rocks of dirt/slime. Trim back the ground cover and fix the holes and cracks that have developed in the river. Repaint the the rivers and major rock features and put the cleaned rocks back in the river.

Trim the ground cover and plants that crowd the rails and reballast the track. (Plants are kept trimmed all year.)

Fix and repaint the roads.

Put out the structures. Fix and paint as necessary. Put out the people and animals. Fix and paint as necessary.

During the week/day before open house:

Clean the track and make sure all turnouts and electronics function properly.

On day of an open house:

Ready the foggers in the hot tubs/hot springs/volcanos. Fill the rivers/lake. Put out the "fragile" details. Wheel out and plug in the controls. Put out the trains.

Enjoy! 

Then put it all away.


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## Spule 4 (Jan 2, 2008)

Today = moles!


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Rained some this winter, replaced some ballast. 
Before I run one pass of the Aristo cleaning car points out any too high ballast and cleans the stainless good enough and I'm good to go. I use a 4" synthetic soft paint brush to move ballast, I can leave it out and the critters won't eat it. 
Also check all switches and use graphite to lube the moving plastic parts. Clean out the throw area and back side of box.
John


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

Well it seems that herre in the dessert we have somewhat skipped spring and moved right on into to ealry summer. So I may have to postpone spring cleaniung


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## Fred (Jan 2, 2008)

Getting the pond up and running, picking up tons of leaves by hand as they are too big for the leaf blower (keeps getting jammed) and wedged in between the rocks, weeding, releveling & reballasting track, bringing out all (really not that many) buildings and finaaly bringing out the rolling stock (engines are kept inside until ready to be used). Of course the backyard lawn needs to be mowed as well. I figured it'll be May 1st before the trains are rolling.


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

Posted By Fred on 17 Apr 2010 08:57 AM 
Getting the pond up and running, picking up tons of leaves by hand as they are too big for the leaf blower (keeps getting jammed) and wedged in between the rocks, weeding, releveling & reballasting track, bringing out all (really not that many) buildings and finaaly bringing out the rolling stock (engines are kept inside until ready to be used). Of course the backyard lawn needs to be mowed as well. I figured it'll be May 1st before the trains are rolling. 


Ridgid makes a nice shopvac that turns into a leaf blower. ( motor comes off and you use the wans.) I also use it to pic up leaves and dead weed.

Palo Verdi trees turn a beatifull Yellow in spring but once they bloom out they make a horable mess. I pick it up with my shop vac.

JJ


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## fsfazekas (Feb 19, 2008)

Trying to reclaim the right of way from the growth over the wet "winter" here in northern CA.


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## Steve Stockham (Jan 2, 2008)

Update: It's been only 11 days since I last posted on this subject but I have been surprised (pleasantly so) to discover that I won't have to do the whole re-ballasting bit as it held up very well over the winter!







Likewise, all the perennials seem to be growing like gangbusters! This has left me with time to start modifying the trackwork for 2010. There are still a couple of places on my layout that have either too steep a grade or too tight a curve. The one last spot on my upper line that still has an 8 ft. curve is being widened to 12 ft. (I would prefer 15-20 but there_ are_ space limitations!) I'm still wrestling with the track design to allow continuous running over all of the layout but little by little we are getting there!


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## Chrisp (Jan 3, 2008)

Here's a spring cleaning tip - cleaning the accumulated gunk off your car wheels. I run live steam and battery power and consequently rarely clean my track, so along with dirt, sap, crushed ants. etc, some of my cars have accumulated up to a MM thick layer of packed gunk on the treads. After scrapping it off using Goop Off, rags and a razor blade, my cars run much smoother and I no longer have derailments at the inevitable low points and dips on my in-ground track.


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Yep a little PM goes a long way no matter what you use for power. Track/Battery/LS Later RJD


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