Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines
Builds, Repairs, Show Your Machines! => Live Steam Locomotives => Topic started by: jkbixby on April 09, 2019, 07:37:34 pm
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Nice job Larry. You have done an excellent job building your garden railway and a lovely way to relax.
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Well, Larry...hard part is over, and now the fun begins. Thanks for sharing this undertaking. The end result looks phenomenal. Great work, sir.
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Well done Larry, I'm very envious..... :)
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Great job Larry !
Thank you so much for bringing us along on your project here...
Although it has startled a slight urge to get a real steam train now, and not just the electric Marx tintrains already here 8)
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Larry that looks like a relaxing way to spend and whilst away some hours!
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Great Picture Larry! ;D
Definitely need to put a loop in the backyard and relax the same way 8)
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Well done Larry!
I am sooooooo Jealous.
👏👏👏👏👏
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Really beautiful work! Give yourself a pat on the back. Congratulations!
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Finally got all the track laid between rain showers (literally) and was finally able to run M'Lady with a goods train for about an hour all told - it was great! The track needs final leveling to deal with some expected subsidence but, in general, it's a going concern. I'm definitely looking forward to many hours in the backyard running trains this summer - just hope the grass comes back okay from the construction. And thanks for all the nice comments - they made this project more meaningful for me.
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Hi Larry your garden railway build is progressing nicely. Once the track is laid it will look the part.
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it looks great Larry, this is no small undertaking, and documenting it all for us to share in is appreciated.
thanks for taking us along on the ride with you.
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We've got the same wet forecast and nobody is able to get in the field. Only seen two farmers planting on the entire 20 hour drive to and from the other side of Michigan.
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I would have been done Nick if it hadn't rained hard almost every day. Our backyard is on a gentle hillside so normally drains okay but now is just soggy - and the forecast is at least 40% chance of rain for fourteen of the next fifteen days! Guess I'll buy a pair of waders!
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Missed this last update while I was away, you're nearly done Larry! ;)
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Looks great Larry!
Thanks for the update.
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Coming along nicely, Larry. Lots of hard work is making this a top notch railway. Keep it up, the end is near...
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Larry, your work is an inspiration to all. Great setup I've just now binge watched from start to composite board laid.
Will enjoy following future updates.
Rog
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The boards are Home Depot Veranda deck boards made from sawdust and resin (?) - they hold up well as the three year old ones match the new ones well. They come in 12' lengths so it was a workout on the miter saw and a pile of unusable sawdust left over.
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Looking at the picture I just had a horrible thought - the raccoons and squirrels have an easy lift off point for their attacks on the bird feeder........@@$$##$$! As you can see it was a major battle to defeat them before so now it looks like there's another major relocation in the future - and Maggie our cat was just getting used to hanging out in the sunroom for closeup birdwatching!
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Very nice! What is the composite deck material made from? PVC? Were the boards already cut to length or is that your handiwork?
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Some very nice progress there Larry...
Looks great (https://emoji.tapatalk-cdn.com/emoji482.png)
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Things are progressing slowly but given the weather and honey-do list I guess it's not going too bad. Got the deck boards screwed on and the gate built - still have to straighten up a couple of places that aren't level and come up with a way to stop the gate from going too far over. With my wife's help we got the old track disassembled and now can clean the rail a little before straightening or bending it as required and reinstalling the tie strips. I've pretty much decided to go with rail clamps which means the track will not be fastened down to the deck but allowed to come and go as the thermal expansion dictates but will have to come up with occasional restraints to keep it in the general area that it should be. Hopefully in the next week or so I should have some of the track laid and be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
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That's a cracking job you're doing there Larry. Wish I lived a bit closer to you. :)
Allan.
Come on over anytime - you're always welcome!
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That's a cracking job you're doing there Larry. Wish I lived a bit closer to you. :)
Allan.
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I've always wondered Benny if putting the target at the back of a deep cardboard box would work - the laser beam is still there, I just can't see it in the sunshine/daylight but should show up back in the dark abyss!
It can't hurt, Larry. Maybe staple the box to a white stick? Anything helps. I think it's still easier than trying to use a water level with no helper.
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I've always wondered Benny if putting the target at the back of a deep cardboard box would work - the laser beam is still there, I just can't see it in the sunshine/daylight but should show up back in the dark abyss!
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My indoor laser level works well if you wait until after dark but during the day it's colored glasses and white paper at 10-15 feet max - still it's better than my four foot level.
Larry, I have one of those lasers- tough to read for sure. May I recommend using a length of white pvc, marked in 1" increments above and below level. It is much easier to work with than level and paper. Still hard to read over 15' but easier to handle
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Thanks for the update Larry.
I think it looks fabulous!
What type of track will you be laying?
Regards and Happy Easter!
Charlie
I use Sunset Valley 45mm Narrow Gauge track and brass rail which seems to work out well for me both indoor and outside. Once I get the deck on the next thing to consider is how I'm going to fix the track to it. In the past I've used rail clamps on the rail joints and let the tie strips move but this time I might use rail joiners and screw the tie strips down solid. It should work both ways but in reality I'm not so sure - have to think about it and the way the weather is acting up I think I'm going to have plenty of time.
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looking really good Larry, thanks for the updates.
definitely a thread to follow.
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Thanks for the update Larry.
I think it looks fabulous!
What type of track will you be laying?
Regards and Happy Easter!
Charlie
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Dang, Larry. You've been hard at it. That raised bed will sure make things easier.
I feel bad, I have just finished pulling all the weeds on mine. Hopefully I'll be able to work a few hours this weekend. Maybe get the first stub line in...c'mon coffee do your thing
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Thanks for the update Larry :) Ready for nice weather here too...
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The weather hasn't been cooperating with heavy rains, a little snow, an EF2 tornado within 5 miles, more rain and finally high winds doing it's best to slow things down (and a fine job of it) but have made some progress. The basic framework is up and lightly painted to lose the raw wood look and a little start on the landscaping. Other than being dogsbody to the head groundskeeper I'll be starting to install the 200 pieces of 16" long composite deck board on top of the beams - ought to take a while! Hopefully when my son comes on Saturday I'll be ready to start reclaiming the rail and tie strips that were salvaged from the old railroad - won't know until then how much additional I'll have to get ordered.
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Good progress Larry.
Slow and steady wins the race.
Looking forward to the next update.
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Looks great Larry !
Have had the same daylight issues with my laser here, so usually turn my attention towards my trusty old gardenhose for assistance, when outside jobs needs to be precisely leveled.
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Enjoying this thread Larry.
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Wow, I'm very impressed by your handiwork! Looks great!
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Impressive work so far Larry! 8) Is that the Boss' chair? or your resting chair to admire your work?
If I ever take a trip through Ohio, I'll throw a little loco in the car and make a quick stop by for a run ;)
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Making some progress but it's fairly slow going trying to get everything lined up, plumb and square with the world. My indoor laser level works well if you wait until after dark but during the day it's colored glasses and white paper at 10-15 feet max - still it's better than my four foot level. It's supposed to rain for the next two or three days so perhaps I'll have time to recover from today's labors - it sure ain't like it used to be!
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I look forward to seeing how this progresses. Will be following along😀
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This will be a real treat, thanks for sharing Larry !
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very much looking forward to following this thread along with you Larry...thanks for including us in the journey.
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Clever solution Helen! ;)
Thanks Nick.. :) Helen.
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Always enjoyed seeing your Regners running on your layout - thought it showed lots of character and charm.
Thanks Larry.. :) Allan.
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Will enjoy this thread Larry.
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Mine is also small potatoes, but I'm so glad that I built it with elevated tracks. It's much more fun to see the trains pass by at eye level, which definitely outweighs any benefits of lineside structures and scenery (though I may eventually add a few buildings). It will have to be replaced/relocated if we move ahead with our eventual plan to add an extension to the house. I've been informed by an expert on construction that it will take 5 min (if that) for the contractor to remove the posts set in concrete.
Luckily I built the sunroom onto the house before I built the original layout - gave me something to do for a few months when I first retired.
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Good luck Larry.
Looking forward to following your build.
I am currently working on a portable Railway. Built on 30” Threaded Pipe Legs with leveling feet. A simple oval with Gauge 1 and Super O track. 8 feet of straight track on each side.
I have all the materials. Waiting for a friend to cut out the plywood road bed on his Bandsaw.
Nothing fancy. My entire small backyard is a pool. So, the only place to set it up is on the pool deck.
That must be a heck of a pool Charlie - looking forward to seeing your layout when you get it built. I thought about going dual gauge but that would mean some engines couldn't be run downstairs where the action is in the bad weather and winter so am sticking to straight 45 mm.
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Helen built ours on plastic shelves....Allan :)
Clever solution Helen! ;)
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Ground level railways are no good for olduns Larry. Helen built ours on plastic shelves....Allan :)
Always enjoyed seeing your Regners running on your layout - thought it showed lots of character and charm.
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Ground level railways are no good for olduns Larry. Helen built ours on plastic shelves....Allan :)
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Good luck Larry.
Looking forward to following your build.
I am currently working on a portable Railway. Built on 30” Threaded Pipe Legs with leveling feet. A simple oval with Gauge 1 and Super O track. 8 feet of straight track on each side.
I have all the materials. Waiting for a friend to cut out the plywood road bed on his Bandsaw.
Nothing fancy. My entire small backyard is a pool. So, the only place to set it up is on the pool deck.
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Mine is also small potatoes, but I'm so glad that I built it with elevated tracks. It's much more fun to see the trains pass by at eye level, which definitely outweighs any benefits of lineside structures and scenery (though I may eventually add a few buildings). It will have to be replaced/relocated if we move ahead with our eventual plan to add an extension to the house. I've been informed by an expert on construction that it will take 5 min (if that) for the contractor to remove the posts set in concrete.
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Take lots of pictures along the way Larry, this will be fun to watch :)
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Mine is small potatoes compared to yours Benny - I might have given something like that a shot twenty years ago but not now. While I'm working on mine I'll be watching your progress at the same time 'cause I know it'll turn out special.
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Larry, glad to see you are working on your railway! This is the critical point, the beginning... I'll be here working on mine alongside you. Cross country moral support, so to speak.
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Four years ago I built a little garden railway ........at ground level. It worked okay the first year, not so good the second, and fell into long periods of disuse after that. The track got frost heaved, covered in leaves and branches, and worst of all, stepped on. I've finally decided to elevate it to about thirty inches but am using a somewhat unconventional design as I didn't feel it would be right to encumber my wife and/or heirs with pipes buried in concrete to remove after I'm gone. This will be a rather long project so updates will only come once a week or so but it might serve as a warning to others of what not to do. The picture is of the entrance bridge structure base.
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