# An idea for a temporary garden railroad



## jjwtrainman (Mar 11, 2011)

My living situation has changed in the last couple of years to the point that I no longer regularly have a yard. I've dabbled in the other scales, but they just don't cut it for me quite like large scale. I even tried to build a modular layout meant for indoor use, but that died out at the end of last summer. I've finally decided to face facts, I don't have a single spot where I can live. I'm not in financial trouble, I'm simply on the move. So I started thinking, wouldn't it be nice to have a garden railroad that I can take with whenever I have to go someplace else?

My idea is the combination of several previous ideas from other modelers:

--WC Greene from the freerails forum had an odd little railroad called the Mogollon railroad. It was sectional and was built out of weatherproof materials for outside use.

--Many of our friends across the pond in Ol' England have built their garden railways on a raised surface. Some designs have been attractive, others have been better in a practical sense than in an artful sense.

--Some modelers here in the US use composite and plastic 2x4's for their roadbed to make a smooth, yet stable, platform for their trains.

--And to our hobbyists in smaller scales, there's been a lot of innovation in the modular railways niche and has almost grown into a hobby all it's own. The standards for Freemo are quite solid.


So using those ideas as inspiration, I've realized that a temporary railroad had to be in pieces that fit together well, must be made out of weather-resistant materials, the design must be flexible enough that it takes into account varying terrain height, and such a railroad must be simple in design and easy to take down.

So then, here's my idea via Paint:










First, build a PVC board or Composite board for module frames. I'm sure you can go up to about 8ft safely and still support a locomotive. Alternatively, for long spans, you might et away with a stainless steel frame using L-girders.

The top of the frame can be covered with one or several layers of foam insulation board, primed and painted as well as carved, to provide a realistic looking roadbed that'll last in most climates.

The modules are bolted together and the track can be laid on the foam, ballast could be glued in if someone wants ballast. Then the modules could be bolted to L-girder legs made of aluminum and/or stainless steel which are driven into the ground like a post. Being somewhat thin, the L-girders will be less affected by the frost heave as long as the legs extend to solid ground beneath the frost line (or, in my case, I just put the railroad away for the winter and keep a section running for indoor use)

Overall, the materials are weather resistant, easy to cut and use, plus they're relatively inexpensive when dealing with a smaller railroad. One sheet of foam board, 2" thick, might be $30, but it could support as much as 64 feet of track (6" wide modules). Not only that, but you could also backfill and place plants if you wish. I wouldn't do that in my situation because it would be money out the window, but at least I can have a railroad in a backyard even on a rental property.

Well, that's my idea for the week. What do you think?

--James


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

I was thinking of doing something similar because I will be moving to a new property in the next few years and don't want to do anything very permanent where I am at the moment. I need a raised track for live steam.
I was thinking of making steel frame modules about a foot wide and maybe 5~6ft long that bolt together end to end and each having tube pockets to sit on legs. The legs will just be rural steel pence posts (star pickets, whatever you guys call them) driven into the ground until all level. I have a device to pull them from the ground when I need to relocate. The track modules can be easily lifted off and taken inside during seasons when not in use. Most of mine will be curved sections. The legs will flex to some degree but if all modules are firmly bolted together the upper support for the track will become one piece and should prove to be fairly stable. 

I have been playing around with different design ideas for construction. The main problem is with curves which will overhang too much if the post spacing is far apart. Also using structural L profile steel will need rolling to a curve.
Ideally the modules need to be designed so they stack together taking up minimum space for storage and in a way so the track is not damaged.

Andrew


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## jjwtrainman (Mar 11, 2011)

Garratt,

Steel sounds great, just be sure to paint it. As for moving the modules, all I can say is to keep the module shape as standard as possible. Pick a radius and stick with it if you can. I would also recommend that the modules are also bolted to the posts if you have high wind. Those modules can take the shape of an aircraft wing, and will fly just like one in a bad storm. 

As for the curves themselves, I found out about this thing called 'mini-mo' which are lightly constructed Freemo modules.

Here's the link to their construction:

http://www.wesleysteiner.com/mr/Modules/Free-moN/Ottertail/Journal/Journal.html

Imagine substituting the plywood for PVC or composite board, and adding a couple more coasts of paint to the fascia. The modules would be light and could be shaped anyway you want. The only downside I can see is that you'd need at least 4" of foam to support G scale trains, which are quite a bit more heavy than HO scale. But at a foot wide, you could still make 16 feet of modules with one 2" thick insulation board.

Good luck and keep us posted!

--James


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## BigRedOne (Dec 13, 2012)

I'd look at options for making the horizontal beams from metal, too.

Be careful of foam if you're running live steam, some foams burn fiercely and emit dangerous fumes.


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## rdamurphy (Jan 3, 2008)

I've considered that also.

Might I suggest using heavy duty door hinges to join the modules together. Simply screw the hinges onto both sides of the joint, with the hinge pin in the center, and you can pop the hinge pin out to separate the modules and simply drop it back in - to get perfect alignment.

Robert


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## rdamurphy (Jan 3, 2008)

Also, you might consider hinged "saw horses" for supports. Basically, they're simply a four legged saw horse hinged at the top, as wide as your benchwork. Height is adjusted by using chains to join the two sides. The further apart the legs, the lower the height.

Kind of hard to describe...

Robert


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