Garden Railway Forum

Two weeks later and I've managed to get track laid from the trestle to the town of Hope...



... and then few more feet to the wye switch where the a spur to the right leads to the Yucca logging district.


The left side of the wye is now about 18 feet from the end of the line that curves around the head end of Squirrel Valley. I'm hoping to complete the track construction for this segment by next weekend to complete the mainline.

It looks like it's been there for years Dwayne.

tom_tom_go wrote: Mon Apr 16, 2018 7:22 am It looks like it's been there for years Dwayne.

Hi Dwayne,

Tom's right, it looks really settled. Fantastic progress and some very nicely engineered earthworks. Good luck with the next big push at the weekend.

Andrew

Coming along great Dwayne, looks like it will evolve to an even better line then the last one.

Thanks guys. I managed another six feet Thursday evening. Down to a 12 foot gap between the two ends. Weather went south last night and we're getting much needed rainfall which is postponing progress.

Looking really good, Dwayne. I like your natural earthworks - they do make the line look like part of the landscape.

Rik

Thanks Rik.

The weather cleared today after a cold, drizzly Saturday (we needed the rain badly to reduce our ongoing drought) and warmed enough to get back at it and finally construct and install the last 12 feet of track. A stiff belt of my favorite whiskey (Fireball) was consumed in lieu of a golden spike. The logging spur is all that remains to be constructed. No hurry on this track as it isn't essential for operations being an afterthought addition.

Looking very impressive Dwayne…the Mountain or is it a Hill…lol, will look brilliant when you have it planted or are you going to be utilising it for something else.

Lovely alignment Dwayne, it looks great. Geometrical poetry in fact!

Andrew

Rod, the hill is barely a hill at the moment. It will be built up a bit more so that once the periwinkle fills in it will have a fuller appearance.

Andrew, thanks. I try to keep the track lines flowing smoothly which is a benefit of hand laying.

Took the day off and spent time building more track... the first bit of the Yucca spur.

Agree with Rik you really have a way with the natural use of materials, that junction is a blinder and well worth another Fireball to celebrate.

If you don't know it's a scale railway, you would think it's real. Does the track keep in place this way when it rains?

Can you pay a visit to our new place Dwayne and build one for Anne and me.

Anne does a mean pulled Beef, Pork and Ham meat platter…..

Thanks everyone. And Rod, I'll keep the offer in mind if I ever find myself in your neck of the woods.

Pulled out the ladder this evening to get an bird's eye view photo of the layout. The "mill" at Maggie is a crude & temporary affair of concrete bricks painted with primer until an actual structure is constructed. Over at Hope, I reused the previously built mine portal which will have more detail added in time.


We're finally getting some rain around here which should help the groundcover get going. Periwinkle is most prominent in the background of the layout but a few stray pieces have taken root here and there. The patch behind the mill is mint, again from pieces that managed to get transferred when I moved the dirt from the previous layout. Just behind it is some Creeping Charlie which is really beginning to get going.

What a great space to build a railway.

It looks brilliant with the lush plant cover, you could be walking through your mini jungle and then stumble across the railway.

Really love your line Dwayne, all that greener is going to look brilliant.

Marvellous - looks like its been there for years!

Thanks guys. In person the layout has a very raw look that doesn't show in the photos. The reality is it will never be very detailed as I operate under the "10 Foot Rule".

Today I decided to add ballast to the track. I picked up a couple of bags of "chicken grit" (a product for poultry) which is nothing more than crushed granite. Cost is a bit pricey at $8.99USD for a 25# bag. The size works well for this purpose. Sticking with my backwoods, narrow gauge theme meant going light on applying it to the track. In time it should thin out and not be so fresh and pronounced as in the photos below.

Posed my little LGB with a few Hartland Loco Works flats to give a sense of scale. Top photo is looking down on Maggie, second photo is at Hope.

Looks good Dwayne. Is there going to be greenery in-between the tracks…