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| Posted: Wed Apr 11th, 2012 11:20 am |
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21st Post |
topcat2000
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The 930 is plastic RTR, but I had a loksounddecoder fitted and sound matched to an Alco. Supplied by Trainarama here in Aust, but manufactured in China. It needs a better speaker set up, but all in all, is pretty good looking and an exceptional runner. TREV Last edited on Wed Apr 11th, 2012 11:20 am by topcat2000
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South Australian Railways
Para Gardens Division
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"It's not as much fun if it works the first time."
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| Posted: Fri Apr 13th, 2012 03:12 pm |
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22nd Post |
topcat2000
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SOUTH AUSTRALIAN RAILWAYS
Para Gardens Division
For those who came in late – My layout is basically two tracks around my garden, the inner track about 100 feet (32 metres) long, and the outer track, which is partially complete, will be around 150 feet (45 Metres) long. Both tracks run through my garage, with switches to a 6 track storage area. Each storage track is around 16 feet (5 M) long.
Construction started around 18 months ago, in my garage, with a shelf across the back and another shelf with storage tracks down the side wall. The shelf is around 5 feet above the floor. I have currently around 100 pieces of rolling stock - box cars, flat cars, hoppers, passenger coaches etc, and these are left on the sidings when not in use. Locos get taken inside my house when not being used, and kept on an indoor switching layout I have in a spare bedroom. The layout is controlled by a DCC system from NCE, and most locos have been fitted with sound decoders.
After negotiation with the Minister of Finance and Properties, I was allocated an area around 60 feet long and 20 feet wide for the railway. This area slopes in two directions with the South East corner roughly 6 feet higher than the North West corner.
Construction I built elevated platforms from the garage, across to an old playhouse the kids used when they were quite young, and then into the garden proper. Because of the slope on my land, the platform eventually reaches ground level. Here the inner track swings away, crosses a bridge, and as the land continues to fall away, runs on a platform again, returning to the garage, thus completing the inner loop.
The outer loop continues on into a deep cutting, turning through 180 degrees, before winding its way back to rejoin the inner loop, and also return to the garage storage area.
To build the platform I used a timber product that had been treated with an arsenic based chemical preservative, that here in Aust we call “perma-pine”. This is a virtually rot proof and vermin proof soft timber, that is very easy to work with. I drove a stake about 12-18 inches into the ground, then bolted a cross support to the top of each stake. Once all the stakes were in place and levelled up, I began to fix the track base to the top of the the cross support. In parts I used oregon planking about 10 foot long, 5 inches wide and half inch thick. In other places, where I needed curved sections of track, I cut the base from marine ply. All the timber and ply was then given two coats of exterior paint.
I decided on a cutting rather than a tunnel, for the part of the track below ground level. Because of the length involved, a tunnel would make rescuing stranded or derailed trains difficult, but more importantly to me, a tunnel would be haven for spiders particularly, but also a number of other little nasties. We have a couple of spiders here that can inflict pretty nasty bites, that can occasionally cause deaths, so you can probably see why a tunnel did not have a lot of attraction to me.
I had to dig a trench up to a foot deep to ensure the track in the cutting remained close to flat and level with the rest of the layout. The next stage was to line the cutting with concrete to prevent any landslides or erosion of the cutting walls. This was a lot easier said than done. It took me several weekends to get this part completed. I badly under estimated the amount of cement I would need, and how hard it would be to stop the wet cement running down the sides into the bottom of the trench. I eventually had to resort to some timber form-work, using Masonite sheeting to get the job done. More oregan timber planks were cut to fit the bottom of the cutting, and also mounted to perma-pine stakes driven in to the ground. I wanted to keep the planks just above the new ground level, to prevent problems with damp timber, but also give my self a little space beneath for the track wiring to be run out of sight.
So far, the inner track has been laid, along with around half of the outer track. I have stopped construction at this stage, because the oregan planking has begun to warp, and cause problems with reliable running of trains.
I have enough good track laid, that I can sit back and watch the trains go by, while I have another beer. Unfortunately, that just means that the motivation to solve my problems is not quite as acute as if I had no trains running at all.
I do have a couple of ideas, and I will detail them in my next post.
TREV
Here is a couple of shots of my storage area
A stretch of plank ready for track
Another section of plank, this time with a marine ply top.
First weekend working on the cutting
This shot was taken during the second weekend working in the cut
And here is a low shot of the completed effort
Last edited on Fri Apr 13th, 2012 03:37 pm by topcat2000
____________________
South Australian Railways
Para Gardens Division
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"It's not as much fun if it works the first time."
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| Posted: Tue Apr 17th, 2012 01:01 am |
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23rd Post |
Faulcon1
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Yes I found out that even rot proof timber needs a coat of paint or three to survive outside. Mine has been treated with copper chrome arsenate and whilst it survived for a couple of years, once the rain and sun got to it the whole lot warped. Here we have sulpher crested cockatoos and they like to peck at the track work if no ones around. They would stand on the track an attempt to pull the track bonds off with their beaks. They didn't succeed in pulling the track bonds off but did rip the rails out of the plastic chairs. So I had to put in new short lengths of rails at frequent intervals.
Now I have hinged covers and the cocky problem is a thing of the past.
Roy.
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Having fun outside.
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| Posted: Tue Apr 17th, 2012 07:07 pm |
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24th Post |
W C Greene
Moderator
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Yep, we have grackels (mechanical birds) here and they just love to eat the mulberries on the trees and poop all over everything...purple poop! I am thinking about getting a falcon to live here, that would keep the buggers away!
Woodie
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It doesn't matter if you win or lose, its' how you rig the game.
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| Posted: Tue Apr 17th, 2012 07:47 pm |
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25th Post |
Faulcon1
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A former next door neighbour used to have a Mulberry tree and the Mynar birds used to eat the fruit and would then sit on their washing line and attempt to dye the washed whites purple.
Roy.
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Having fun outside.
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| Posted: Sun Apr 29th, 2012 08:36 am |
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26th Post |
| Posted: Sun Apr 29th, 2012 08:31 pm |
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27th Post |
rogerssantafe
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| Joined: | Sat Feb 11th, 2012 |
| Location: | Texas USA |
| Posts: | 48 |
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W C Greene wrote:
Yep, we have grackels (mechanical birds) here and they just love to eat the mulberries on the trees and poop all over everything...purple poop! I am thinking about getting a falcon to live here, that would keep the buggers away!
Woodie
Woodie,
When your falcon gets rid of your grackels send him out here to Caddo Mills to get rid of mine. Sometimes it resembles Hitchcock's "The Birds" out here.
Roger
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Roger
Post Oak & Otter Lake RR
Coyote Ridge RR
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| Posted: Sun Apr 29th, 2012 11:20 pm |
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28th Post |
W C Greene
Moderator
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Roger-I mentioned getting a falcon to a fellow the other day and he asked how an old Ford would get rid of the birds! LOL
Woodie
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It doesn't matter if you win or lose, its' how you rig the game.
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| Posted: Mon Apr 30th, 2012 12:03 am |
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29th Post |
rogerssantafe
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| Joined: | Sat Feb 11th, 2012 |
| Location: | Texas USA |
| Posts: | 48 |
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Woodie,
They would all fall off their perches laughing.
Roger
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Roger
Post Oak & Otter Lake RR
Coyote Ridge RR
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| Posted: Mon Apr 30th, 2012 02:09 pm |
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30th Post |
chasv
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those grackles were the noisest birds next to parrots i have seen
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Charles
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