Raised layout or not

[Dwayne]

My layout is on a very slight slope. I made it a point to keep my mainline level. At one end the track is about 8 inches above ground level. On the other end the track is about 14 inches above the ground. Tallest elevation is the top of Hope Hill at about 48 inches. Much of the edge of my raised layout simply slopes to the ground which helps blend the layout into the yard.

[steamer68]

Thanks Dwayne for explaining your layout to me all the responses are helping a great deal.

[daan]

Even on a raised layout you can make it look like a ground level one, simply by planting shrubs and keep them on track level. In one of the books I have they have pictures of "pecorama" where a raised trackbed is hided in shrubs and bushes. it really looks like grass.
The other best part is that the trackbed keeps away from moisture, so you can use lighter materials like wood and roofing felt instead of bricks and concrete. That makes it easier to change your layout in the future..

[steamer68]

Thanks daan for layout advice I was toying with the idea of laying roofing felt to the raised layout boards to protect them.

[IrishPeter]

I am looking at the outdoor layout being raised about 24" at one end and ground level/shallow cutting at the other end thanks to the slope on the yard which is about 10% (1 in 10). During the local WBTS battle the Jubal Early's troops occupied a line just about where my back fence lies, which is almost the top of the ridge, during the initial stages of the battle. This was a common deployment of troops as it keeps losses down in the initial stages of a battle.

Cheers,
Peter in Va

[Lonsdaler]

Peter Butler seems to have manged to get the best of both worlds. His line is on a slight slope so you have a nice ground level run at the back and chest hight areas at the front to allow for steaming and nice ground level pictures.
When I finally get around to re building the most pointless of all the Welsh narrow gauge lines (the nefarious Pentremorgan Mountain Railway) this is what I will be aiming at.

Once the garden railway bug bit, I longed for a sloping garden Actually, our garden is raised above the field behind, and I have wondered about using the endwall (currently the local causeway) as a steam up area. That would put the track at waist height, but how to access it? Ah well, I can dream...

[philipy]

I was toying with the idea of laying roofing felt to the raised layout boards to protect them.

That is a good idea. Not only does it give the wood a bit of protection but it also looks more like ballast than wood does, and if you do add proper ballast you have a rough surface for it to stick to.

[Big Jim]

I was toying with the idea of laying roofing felt to the raised layout boards to protect them.

I have seen this done with a very large outdoor O gauge line. The boards were treated first and then wrapped in felt with the seam on one of the thin edges (opening pointing downwards). The ends were sealed with strips of felt and then daubed with bitumen paint. These boards were laid on to concrete topped walls and screwed into place. The boards seemed to last about 7 or 8 years before the felt needed replacing, although I think that if really good felt was used then it might last longer.
I would be tempted to try and find some pre-used floor boards for the wood if I was doing it now. Well seasoned and sometimes free for the asking (don't use rotten ones)

[tom_tom_go]

My layout uses treated gravel board timber with roofing felt and then this is covered with ballast.

Working well so far, been over five years at least and no issues with rot or bowed wood.

[steamer68]

Thanks to everyone for all your advice on topic I posted and my plan is to use treated timber with boards covered with roofing felt.