# Laying Track Outside Now



## hap (Jan 3, 2008)

This evening Grandsons came for awhile. We dug dirt from the "mountain" and made a trench for the tunnel thru it. Then laid temporary "Bridge"and track over corner of new pond.

Link for pond:
Track, Trestles, Bridges and Roadbed Forum/Topic: Pond is in garden rr

Then we got debrie out of rest of temporary track(laid on top of soil, now we have to start laying down Shingles and cement board and crusher fines), did some leveling in spots then we put on the PRR Atlantic R/C with 3 freight cars and ran it for a while. here are pics of it traversing "Bridge" 

Gson with train starting across("mountain" in background) 








part way across 








cars on end of bridge (waterfall in Backgound)


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## hap (Jan 3, 2008)

I laid down the shingles for most of the track today. My wife wants a RR bridge across the whole width of the pond instead of the corner. More work for me. I semi-leveled the ground under them and straightened the track in places. Will next spread crusher fines on top of the shingles and will finish leveling then. I have 2 short 1% grade on the whole layout except will have about a 2% grade on both ends of bridge. Also will have to put in drainage tubes along the deck under the track. I will use footing drain tube with the 'sock'. My 3 almost 4 year old Gson helped lay the shingles for awhile! Am taking Sat. & Sunday off so will get back to it Monday. Will take pics Monday.


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## placitassteam (Jan 2, 2008)

Good start. Aren't grandsons fun? I plan to put my 9 year old to work assembling a Ruby when he visits this summer.


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

"Got any great-grandkids?" 

"Naw, got one I'd say was fair-to-middelin', but I wouldn't give ya a plug nickle for the rest of 'em." 




Yea! A big bridge across the whole pond!


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## hap (Jan 3, 2008)

Laid crusher fines on shingles on part of RR today till I ran out of it . It was left over from laying walkways last fall. Will not be able to get more for a few weeks. pics of it 
Ballasted track portion 










whole track area 









turnout for Freight yard


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## blackburn49 (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By hap on 05/12/2008 8:15 PM

Laid crusher fines on shingles on part of RR today till I ran out of it . It was left over from laying walkways last fall. Will not be able to get more for a few weeks. pics of it

Ballasted track portion



















It's amazing how much material one of these garden railroads will consume. It appears that you have a nice _large_ area for your new layout, so you'll become one _big_ consumer.  What the heck--it's well worth it.


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## JerryAlbers (May 9, 2008)

Ok...here is something that may or may not have come up before. I live in the Arizona desert and my home is 100% solar electric powered. After years of collecting and restoring narrow gauge equipment in Colorado, I now want to play with G-scale in an outdoor layout. My question is.....my solar electric is 24volt. The electricity going into the house is inverted to 115 volt. Instead of buying a transformer for the track and converting my 110 from the house (which was inverted from 24 volt) back to DC power for the trains, is there a magic device that would let me tap into my 24 volt and "regulate" for power to runs trains on the track. (that was a mouthfull). Any suggestions or comments would be great 

Jerry


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

The Aristo-Craft trackside TE's will run very happily on 24 v. What is the actual peak voltage when you're fully charged?


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## JerryAlbers (May 9, 2008)

Peak power on a good sunny (not hot) day is about 29.4


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## hap (Jan 3, 2008)

Update May31,2008 
I now have a complete loop balasted and track laid ontop. I have not run wiring yet or final coat of ballast. also have to put the split jaw clamps on and aristo screws in some. The tunnel thru mountain is balasted but mountain is open yet plus bridge over pond not done but I can run trains R/C Battery TE Trackside in tender of Atlantic and 1 battery car RC TE Trackside for the circus train.Plus we have put in a flag pole in the garden. Here are some pics.Enjoy 

Facing west9the purple flowers are Licorice Anise 










facing South 









facing SE our vegetable garden in fore ground 











Facing east


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## hap (Jan 3, 2008)

Gsons were here yesterday and we built a heavy duty bridge for over the pond. It is made of Pressure trated 2x4 10 feet long with deck boards 11 inches long spaced on 12 inch marks. Now I have to build the north approach for the bridge and lay track on that side to the main line. Also electric underground wiring is run to 3 different outlets in the garden and 2 double outlets on north facer board of the deck. The bridge can have 2 tracks 
if I need another track.


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## hap (Jan 3, 2008)

bridge is over pond now and track laid except for future yard and tunnel under deck. still have to finish screwing in rail clamps where needed and then top dressing of ballast.added 1and1/2 lb weight to bman and 2 lbs to atlantic so now pulling 10 circus cars plus battery car they both go up the 3% grade to the bridge with no problem even at slow speed. will take pics tomorrow


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## hap (Jan 3, 2008)

pics of bridge and track. Bridge is not finished yet . still have to put 'sides' on it. was busy so pics are at 9:20PM EDT


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## Richard Smith (Jan 2, 2008)

Harold, 

Nice looking property you have there. You should have a lot of fun there with all that help you get from the grandkids.


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

29v might be pushing it for the TE.


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

Looks nice Hap! Jerry


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## stevedenver (Jan 6, 2008)

i really like your layout-nice work- 

interesting but not cluttered- 

I like the bench for sitting and watching things too-like the angled bridge- 

now since you had pm pics-you will need some lights and lighted structures 

great job


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## jimtyp (Jan 2, 2008)

Looking great Hap! Nice yard and layout. Looks like you have a real nice vegetable garden also! Thanks for the pics and the updates.


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## hap (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By stevedenver on 06/13/2008 10:45 AM
i really like your layout-nice work- 
interesting but not cluttered- 
I like the bench for sitting and watching things too-like the angled bridge- 
now since you had pm pics-you will need some lights and lighted structures 
great job


 

Steve I have 25 malibu lights to place in the garden. My son came over Friday and we finished the electrical wiring for the garden. Pond is now on one of the recepatcles. plus I have 5 bird house buildings that will be lighted


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## hap (Jan 3, 2008)

I have gdaughters here for 5 days so yesterday eve and this A.M. oldest one helped me put the Trolleys' track together with split jaw clamps. we built it in the garage cause of rain and this eve we took it out to the garden area and laid it on the ground. I then leveled the soil under it and then laid 2 layers of roofing shingles under it. the track is on the tab edge and the other edge will be the street thru the town. Will take pics tomorrow cause it rained just as we finished laying the shingles.


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## hap (Jan 3, 2008)

I laid out Malibu landscape lights this eve, Pics of trolley show them not in ground yet, finished installing them at 10:30 tonite. Here are pics of trolley- 

facing North 










Facing South


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## jimtyp (Jan 2, 2008)

Looking good! I wonder if you want to do something special with the track at the end of the walkway. Looks like a high people traffic area?


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## hap (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By jimtyp on 06/24/2008 9:15 AM
Looking good! I wonder if you want to do something special with the track at the end of the walkway. Looks like a high people traffic area?




I am extending the walkway to the trampoline and will have the track between the 'Stones' set into the crusher fines between the 'stones' same as I did on the south portion of track going thru the walkway. The 'stones' are higher then the track.


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## jimtyp (Jan 2, 2008)

Great idea!


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## hap (Jan 3, 2008)

Today I built a wood footbridge over the track on the west side where the switch is. (14 inch clearance from top of rail to bottom of cross supports) I also laid a stepping stone path to it from the walkway that goes thru the middle of the garden and also continued the Middle walkway (from where it had ended at the RR track on the North side) with the stepping stones to the trampoline that is north of the garden and also laid stepping stones to the vegetable garden from the Middle Walkway. We are getting more cedar mulch to cover the rest of the garden area tomorrow and will take new pics then. 
PS added 3 more bluegills to the pond Sunday that my son and I caught.


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## hap (Jan 3, 2008)

We hauled in my pickup 6 yards of cedar mulch today and spread it. Still have to get another load tomorrow to finish. Here are pics of the Garden RR area of the footbridge and pathways after mulching. 


west side 









east 









middle 










footbridge


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## hap (Jan 3, 2008)

finally built mt tunnel wood framing enclosure 11 inches high and 16and1/2 inches wide usable width(for dbl track and a road) x 69 inches long. I dug a 3 inch trench deeper then the track on each side fastened 2x10 to chunks of 4x4 post and added 2x4 and 3/4 on top the 2x10s and then filled in the trenches around the sides inside and out and then used 5/4 deck boards on top. I will cover it with ice and water shield for roofs and then build it up with dirt and then use broken concrete on that. sorry about the mess all 4 gkids were here today and scattered toys etc around. pics follow 

close up 









facing north thru tunnel 









facing ne 









facing s new retractable awning 18ftx10ft2in over deck


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## GaryY (Jan 2, 2008)

Interesting layout. Lot of great work. I like what you've done...thanks for sharing with us! 

Gary


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## hap (Jan 3, 2008)

We had company for 2 weeks, finally worked on the rr today. I put ice and water shield around sides and top of tunnel, filled along bottom edges with small stones then dug out old decoration stones that were alongside original deck that were mixed with dirt and filled along side of tunnel with that.( about 6 wheelborrow full) then wheel borrowed about 8 loads of of old sod I had removed from the garden RR area last fall . Here is a pic of the tunnel now, still have to haul a few more loads of sod yet to finnish it.


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