Can you have too much of a good thing?

[IrishPeter]

The 10 mile Garden Railway thread below has me thinking about adding a continuous run to my line.  However, I already have 48 yards of track down of the "floating on ballast" variety, and find that I can keep comfortably on top of the maintenance headaches that throws up, but I am wondering whether a loop - probably another 20-30 yards of track is going to be a case of biting off more than I can chew and turn maintenance into a chore.  

I have considered changing track laying method, but floating it on ballast seems to work best here - apart from a little tamping and levelling, it is fairly trouble free.  Of the alternatives - wood equals "a termite's breakfast" - they even get at the treated stuff eventually; concrete blocks eventually suffer frost damage, and second hand bricks are difficult to come by here in stick build territory.  Steel posts is the best alternative I can come up, but I like the look of ground level running, so I am not enamoured of the idea of making a change to the perpetual viaduct method!  

The good news is the loop has to go on the relatively level area that used to be a lawn that is not prone to turning into a set of rapids when it does rain here; the bad news is that it will be hard to disguise the loop, and I will need to make an additional level crossing, or two for wheel barrows, wheeled bins, etc.! The only other consideration is that even though I have a 3' retaining wall topped by 3'6" of fence how much of a railway presence do I want to have in the front yard? I do not want to attract the local scoats.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the matter?

Cheers,
Peter in AZ

[Peter Butler]

I'm becoming more and more convinced that you are subconsciously talking your way into a house move after all!
I thought Wales had problems with weather conditions until I read your posts. I now feel perfectly content with my own plot and willing to put up with the drizzle and rain, frosts and snow and even the occasional sunshine. Fortunately termites and monsoons are not on the menu.

[kandnwlr]

Having moved back into the cellar, I sometimes miss the garden. I have thought about a round trip to the bottom of it, but it´s 400m and then back. And of course, there´s the planning permish thing with the current Ms K&NWLR, so I´m sticking with two continuous loops in the cellar.

[IrishPeter]

I'm becoming more and more convinced that you are subconsciously talking your way into a house move after all!
I thought Wales had problems with weather conditions until I read your posts.   I now feel perfectly content with my own plot and willing to put up with the drizzle and rain, frosts and snow and even the occasional sunshine.    Fortunately termites and monsoons are not on the menu.

Moving is not on the cards.  I like the house, and it is conveniently located and we do not have earthquakes, dust storms or tornados.  The weather problems here are basically confined to July and August, but then I get them by the bucketful.  The questions are basically

a) Do I need a run longer than roughly 150'?
b) Do I need a continuous run when it has not been a priority so far?
c) Is it going to be tip the maintenance requirements over the edge from being a pleasure to being a pain?
d) Am I otherwise pushing my luck?

The answer to a) is need - no; would like - yes!  After that it is up for grabs, and I probably need to define my "needs and druthers" some more.  The main needs are a decent stretch of track, something that can be operated on a timetable with a fast clock, and is maintainable.  After that things are somewhat up for grabs.  The thought of 'hiding' the continuous run as a couple of industrial spurs when the line is used for end to end operation appeals, though. But then, would I use it?


Peter in AZ