What to do with a tiny, barren wasteland?

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What to do with a tiny, barren wasteland?

Post by Old Man Aaron » Sun Apr 19, 2020 3:30 pm

'Evening, all.

Long story short, my folks and I put our money together and moved to another rental house back in August of 2019. Their plan is to save up over "a couple of years" for a house deposit, but the way the world is going, I'm not convinced that's entirely realistic for us. These new houses are crammed together like sardines, built like cardboard boxes, and priced like five-star hotels. I digress..

In any case, I find myself in need of some sort of tramway on which to test whatever with which I keep myself busy building. It'll also function as a test-bed for structures and scenery - When we buy a house (if I live that long! :D ) I'd like by then, to have a stockpile of weatherproof structures, track and detailing ready for use. I've spent so many years building things, testing by trial and (mostly!) error, I just want to get on with building something reliable to enjoy in the long-term.

21/08/2019
The slate here is pretty dismal, but at least (besides the slope towards the fence) it's mostly a blank slate. The tramway area is roughly 13' x 25'.
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I've plenty of track leftover from the Bad Old Days, (my first outdoor line) and a temporary setup along a closed industrial formation.
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A smattering of plants salvaged from the last garden also helps.
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20/11/19
A railway isn't the only thing planned for this side-yard, so the fence needs more privacy extensions. The fence itself also needs disguising. Some jasmine plants were bought to cover it, with chicken wire as something to climb on. The neighbors have started erecting a shed on their side, so I'll have to wait for them to render it's walls, before I can fit the last of the fence extensions, and the second, higher roll of chicken wire.. The owners of the house aren't concerned by any of this, as we have a spotless record in over 20 years of tenancy, and even though when we move, I'll be taking as much as my own added plants etc. as possible, we're still increasing the value of the property with this screening and future garden, at no expense to the owners. Worst (unlikely) case, if the owners don't like it, I figure anything I put in, I can pull out later.
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Some of the jasmines have been re-potted in some old buckets with drainage holes, to let their root systems (and therefore the rest of the plant) expand a little. Bricks, old and new, will be retained with some star pickets, and hold the earth away from the fence, when I get to leveling the yard.
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The timber under the gates has been packed up a bit, as the yard slopes not only toward the side fence, but also toward the gates. I still don't think the yard will be level enough, and will likely re-hang the gates a couple of inches higher, and so they open outwards rather than inwards.
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I'd never calculated volume for landscaping before, and chronic fatigue is a vicious b****, so I gave up and erred on the side of caution, ordering nine cubic meters of soil. Honestly, I was rather shocked when the truck turned up. :roll:
Accounting for settling, this was almost double what I really needed. But it was only $225-ish including delivery, so I'm not complaining.
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The navvies soon got stuck into moving the pile. They soon gave up, leaving their tools onsite, then headed to the pub, until I provide them a workable place to lay track..
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The garden cart was pressed into use, and I slowly chipped away at the pile over the next fortnight, moving a cart-load or six, then going inside to do work on things less exhausting for a few hours.. I had a bit of help some days later, for which I was grateful.
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02/12/19
The garden area is now mostly levelled. The opportunity was taken to try out a track plan. Still not sure if I'll include the buildings in this setup, or leave them around the back of the house to test their weather-proof-ness..
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The gas bottles (for the hot water system) need to remain accessible for the gas people and their bottle trolleys. Two removable bridge/ramp units will be made from marine plywood, to allow the trolleys to pass over the track - once I decide on a track layout.
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17/12/19
Before any further work however, my future house and workshop needs some long-overdue care, then moving into place.
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29/03/2020
Work on the tramway is halted, as the caravan maintenance/modification continues. What with this new-fangled plague though, I thought it prudent to visit the local landscaping supplier for everything I should soon need, in case this part of the world completely shuts down. This should be enough crusher dust, sand, drainage gravel, cement and bark mulch for the garden..
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19/04/20
Caravan's getting there, but it's a "crash" day for me, so I'm working on something easy instead. I prefer painted rails, and it's a hell of a lot less painful to do it at the bench, than it is laying on the ground. El-Cheapo Gloss Indian Red sticks strangely well enough without primer, and fades to a nice flat rusty brown over a few months. Painting pointwork on the ground is a nightmare, so those are done on the bench. The throws need painting and weathering before installing the points, anyway.
Image
Last edited by Old Man Aaron on Wed Jul 21, 2021 8:24 am, edited 3 times in total.
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Aaron - Scum Class Works

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Re: What to do with a tiny, barren wasteland?

Post by tom_tom_go » Sun Apr 19, 2020 4:08 pm

Looking forward to seeing this one develop.

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Re: What to do with a tiny, barren wasteland?

Post by ge_rik » Sun Apr 19, 2020 6:25 pm

Ditto ....
Always interesting toners a railway develop from the ground up

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Re: What to do with a tiny, barren wasteland?

Post by LNR » Mon Apr 20, 2020 3:50 am

Great start Aaron, couldn't help but notice the beaut model of a Queensland corner pub you have there. You've certainly got enough track and buildings to be able to see various ideas in real time as it were. Pity about the gas bottle access.
Will be watching further progress.
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Re: What to do with a tiny, barren wasteland?

Post by philipy » Mon Apr 20, 2020 6:42 am

Really nice to be able to start with a flat uninterupted space rather than having to wokr around whatever was there already. As the others have said, I'm looking forward to watching it grow.
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Re: What to do with a tiny, barren wasteland?

Post by Old Man Aaron » Wed Apr 29, 2020 8:44 pm

Thanks for the kind words. I'm pleased with how the pub's turning out. It's based on one that stood in Nambour, QLD until it burned in '61. The cane trains ran up the main street to the mill; The wide, overhanging stalks of cane brushing the verandah posts of the pub as they passed. I've been documenting the build, but I'm currently without the time/energy to re-post it on the forum. Anyone interested can find it here.

25/04/20
All the leaves, dirt etc. were washed from the points, and the throws masked off, etch-primed and sprayed with Dulux Metalshield flat white. The counterweights still need some red paint, yet.Image


28/04/20
After five months of work, the caravan has progressed to the point that it can be moved into the yard. Within another month, I should be moving in. In any case, I'm sick of working on the van, and the side yard has been neglected for far too long. Some track has been temporarily plonked down to help determine precise locations of some pavers to be dug in.Image


A water supply line was piggy-backed onto the garden tap out front. It's potable water, so it'll supply the sink in the van. A tee and another tap was added for the garden. The water line will continue under the path to the van, through the holes in some besser blocks. My first non-steam plumbing job is certainly amateurish, but at least it works and I can obfuscate it with plants.Image


Given I went to the trouble of re-timbering that second-hand curved point, it would be a shame to let it sit in storage for who knows how many years until we buy a permanent place. I'm not planning any extensions to this line (it is after all, a test track) but it certainly provides options..
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A crudely-modified image gives a better impression of what I'm thinking here. The track layout on the right has also changed a little.
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Last edited by Old Man Aaron on Wed Jul 21, 2021 8:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What to do with a tiny, barren wasteland?

Post by LNR » Thu Apr 30, 2020 1:15 am

Good one Aaron, I like your "modified image" I did the same thing when I started. Crudely done doesn't matter it gives you a good impression of how things will look. If you don't mind me asking, was there a reason you put the main sidings area on the right hand side where the access to the gas bottles is required as opposed to the left hand side?
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Re: What to do with a tiny, barren wasteland?

Post by philipy » Thu Apr 30, 2020 8:52 am

LNR wrote: โ†‘Thu Apr 30, 2020 1:15 am was there a reason you put the main sidings area on the right hand side where the access to the gas bottles is required as opposed to the left hand side?
Yes, I wondered that as well. From the other side of the world, here, it looks to be crying out to be flipped left to right?
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Re: What to do with a tiny, barren wasteland?

Post by Old Man Aaron » Thu Apr 30, 2020 9:51 am

You make a good point. If I'm honest, I haven't given the tramway much thought of late, being so busy with the caravan..

I suppose the current layout plan is a hold-over from an earlier plan to incorporate a street running section on the "empty" side. This screen-shot from SCARM shows the original concept. I later decided I couldn't be bothered with all that concreting, and figured I may as well make that side a simple, meandering section of track, weaving through bushland. I've several 5ft tall palms to be planted along here, to shelter ferns and shrubs from the harsh Queensland sun.
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A small halt was intended to be placed in front of the bottles, then lifted away for a few hours and replaced with a bridge/ramp unit of marine ply, when the bottles are exchanged every few months. Two or three small shops and cottages would be permanently-installed, just below where the bottles are shown in the screen-shot. Planting in that area would be necessarily small, being left in their plastic pots when planted in the ground, to limit their size and make the plants more easily-recovered when we eventually move out.

In any case, I'll have to think about flipping the layout over. Thanks for the suggestion, it would certainly make sense to do so..
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Re: What to do with a tiny, barren wasteland?

Post by Old Man Aaron » Mon May 11, 2020 4:33 am

03/05/20
After a delivery of another 2mยณ of drainage gravel, (What was I originally thinking with five bags?!) the pathway was laid out.
Scrap aluminium tube from the van, and a bubble level, make short work of smoothing this soft, sandy soil. I've also made a start on bringing the plants around to this side of the house, to help them acclimate to the moderate differences in sunlight exposure.Image


This chunk of wood that came in the soil (and what resembles a track alignment in front of it) gives me an idea..
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07/05/20
Lots of progress in the last few days. The trackbed areas have been roughly levelled and the dusty soil finally covered with a nice woody mulch, that should fade in time to resemble the "floor" of the bush. The track layout has been reworked to better suit the yard. The plants on hand have been plonked roughly where they'll be dug in - though I'll likely shuffle them 'round again, when some more plants are delivered on Thursday.. A level crossing will be concreted here.Image


The gates have been re-hung - they now open outwards, away from the garden. The neighbors' shed's a bit of a hold-up, waiting for them to fit the guttering - they have to come in our yard for that job. Once that's done, I can fit the remaining privacy extensions to the fence/gate, staple up the remaining chicken wire for the jasmine vines against the fence, then dig the plants in and start on trackbed in that area. Not all that bothered by the hold-up though, the caravan will still take precedence for another month..
Four skewers with little duct tape flags were also planted, to remind me where to plant the larger palms when the time comes - I'm currently using them as privacy screening outside my bedroom window around the back of the house, because the cheaply-made fences around here are too low.Image


Water's now hooked up to the van and the leaks chased up, so the pathway was finished. A small fern and mossy piece of wood salvaged from the last garden were then put in. Again, a concrete level crossing is to follow..Image
Last edited by Old Man Aaron on Wed Jul 21, 2021 8:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What to do with a tiny, barren wasteland?

Post by LNR » Mon May 11, 2020 9:39 am

Forging ahead there Aaron, the bark, gravel, and the pathway go together nicely. You've certainly cleaned up the area, bet your Mum and Dad are pleased.
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Re: What to do with a tiny, barren wasteland?

Post by Andrew » Mon May 11, 2020 12:53 pm

Oooh, I'm behind the times on this one - what fantastic progress!

The track plan looks great, I love the sweeping curves. I look forward to further progress - I always enjoy "first train" pictures...

All the best,

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Re: What to do with a tiny, barren wasteland?

Post by Old Man Aaron » Sun May 17, 2020 3:41 am

Cheers, fellers. Weirdly, those two weren't fussed by the state of the yard - if I'm honest, I was getting sick of seeing that mess.

17/05/20
Some more plants delivered, (always need more though) and in trying to use up that pile of gravel (yes, I over-ordered again) I got to starting on the gravel-filled trench roadbed as well.
Mum's a bit of a "tropical enthusiast" and has a number of Dracaena plants, that I've noticed to resemble scale palm trees if kept small. To that end, I've been watering and fertilising them for some months, cultivating the offshoots. I've been doing the same with her Jade plants, which make reasonable miniature "trees".

I left most of these in their pots when I planted them. This will limit their size and make it easier to take them with us when we move out.

I must say, I like where this is going..Image


Several feet away, the new workshop is slowly taking shape.Image


Regards,
Aaron
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Re: What to do with a tiny, barren wasteland?

Post by Jimmyb » Sun May 17, 2020 9:46 am

Aaron, love the plants, and I agree reference larger plants, keep them in pots to stunt their growth, top tip :thumbleft:

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Re: What to do with a tiny, barren wasteland?

Post by Old Man Aaron » Mon Jun 08, 2020 8:56 am

25/05/20
Trench-digging continues, with frequent trips to the back of the house, to dump the spoil. Wouldn't mind having some portable track and a few skip wagons right now..Image


08/06/20
The gravel roadbed is about done, as is the planting at this end. The van's not far off, either - should be living in it by this time next month.Image

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For now, I'm leaving most of the plant labels in place so I can keep track of what I've planted. Once they're more established and stable, I can do away with the labels.Image


After watching others do battle with it from this side of the world, for some years now, I finally found some of the dreaded MYOB/babies' tears at the nursery the other day. $15 a pot wasn't cheap though, so I bought two - one was broken into clumps and planted in a couple of BBQ trays to propagate. The other was planted whole, behind the van in full shade, and the surrounding area given a "top dressing" of good potting mix. I'd like to give it a good start so that it might thrive in spite of our sweltering, windy Summers.Image


Some more planting along the West (house) side. The plants in front of the gas bottles are in a plastic window-sill-type flowerbox, which sits in a gravel and brick pit. The edges are then covered over with mulch. Having forgotten to photograph it when I was building it, I'll get a photo when the box is removed next time a bottle is changed out. Still need to build a portable ramp for the bottle trollies, but until I lay track here, I can get away with plonking some marine ply down here when needed. Still waiting on the neighbors to fit their guttering, before the East side can progress much further.Image


Still need to plant these hardy shrubs to obfuscate the air-conditioners. I'll be keeping these trimmed and in their pots, for if and/or when the aircon units need access for any servicing.Image
Last edited by Old Man Aaron on Wed Jul 21, 2021 9:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What to do with a tiny, barren wasteland?

Post by philipy » Mon Jun 08, 2020 9:35 am

Coming on well Aaron.
I wouldn't worry about potting on the MYOB, just stick it in the ground and this time next year you'll be wondering why you ever succumbed to the temptation to buy it in the first place!
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Re: What to do with a tiny, barren wasteland?

Post by FWLR » Mon Jun 08, 2020 10:11 am

Love the plan and all that hard work your'e putting in Aaron. The plants look fabulous also. Those small plants that will look like trees is a brilliant idea.

Renting is a very big problem, we do unfortunately and it does restrict us in what we do. Like you, we have done a lot to the garden and if we need to move in the future, the flags and everything else we have done will be going with us....

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Re: What to do with a tiny, barren wasteland?

Post by Old Man Aaron » Sun Jul 19, 2020 11:19 am

philipy wrote: โ†‘Mon Jun 08, 2020 9:35 am Coming on well Aaron.
I wouldn't worry about potting on the MYOB, just stick it in the ground and this time next year you'll be wondering why you ever succumbed to the temptation to buy it in the first place!
I see what you mean, the stuff has tripled in size over five weeks..
FWLR wrote: โ†‘Mon Jun 08, 2020 10:11 am if we need to move in the future, the flags and everything else we have done will be going with us....
Aye, better than starting with nothing at the next place, but a whole lot of extra work, nevertheless.


13/07/20
After the final push to complete and move into the van, (always minor teething issues to iron out, though) I was able to return to the garden. This time round, I'm allowing some weeds to grow, rather than constantly chasing them. They help fill in the gaps and look after themselves. Anything too obtrusive (in the way or with large leaves) gets pulled, though. This toilet vent is also obtrusive, being adjacent to the future alignment. I have a suitable building with which to cover this, whilst allowing airflow to continue.Image


Had a bit of a sort-out before moving my things into the van, and found this forgotten slab hut I'd made some years ago. We'll see how it holds up in this fairly sheltered position - it's only made of tongue depressors and pine, coated in polyurethane..Image


19/07/20
Having moved into the van, I was finally able to move the larger palms around this side, sinking their pots into the ground to allow some chance of taking them with us one day. I was using them as privacy screening outside my bedroom window, to compensate for the substandard back fence. And with those palms in place, locations for a few buildings and further planting could then be determined.Image


The neighbors finally pulled their fingers out and fitted their guttering yesterday. I've only been waiting eight months to fit those remaining fence extensions...
Image


The planting in this corner was also about done. Still deciding where to plant the remaining BBQ trays.
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Predictably, the North face of the cutting under the van is prone to washing out, due to the rain running down the ends of the van.
This photo was taken after I'd cleaned it up; I'll have to make some sections of log cribbing for the problem spots.Image


The ground around the Northeast corner of the van is currently being levelled off. It's quite stable, I'm only doing this so it looks presentable when we move out..

I also realised that whilst this line is still primarily intended to be a test track, let's be honest: I will be having fellow modellers over to run trains.
And we all know there can never be enough siding space, even when there patently is.
To that end, a yard and running shed will be built on a low elevated section along the fence at left. Connection will of course be via the earlier-mentioned line alongside the van. I'm calling this "Phase Two", and will get to building it when the current work (Phase One) is running. I'll have to find spots to plant these excess shrubs..Image


With that, "Phase One" is about ready for the navvies to get their collective arses out of the pub and do their thing.Image
Last edited by Old Man Aaron on Wed Jul 21, 2021 9:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What to do with a tiny, barren wasteland?

Post by LNR » Sun Jul 19, 2020 1:26 pm

Sounds like your enjoying the grand plan Aaron, just a thought could you perhaps silicone rubber an aluminium weather strip across the roof of the van to lead most of the water off to the side somewhere?
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Re: What to do with a tiny, barren wasteland?

Post by Old Man Aaron » Tue Jul 21, 2020 3:05 pm

Enjoyment? Hadn't considered it, but you might be right; it's good to finally be getting on with such important work, after so long.. :thumbleft:

Re-directing the runoff, why didn't I think of that.. :roll: Looking at the van, there's three pairs of rivets plugging holes above the rear windows. A hinged stone guard was once mounted there. I could use those holes to mount a piece of channel as a gutter, and pipe the runoff to some water tanks I'll be installing in front of the van. Thanks for the idea!

First track the navvies have laid in years, today.
21/07/20
Starting from the middle of a curve isn't ideal, but because the garden is so small, there's little room for variation in track alignment. So it made sense to start with a spot I need to be accurately-placed.

A couple of spare besser block caps provided a solid foundation for the South crossing. Some large flat-blade screwdrivers make reasonable "stakes" to hold flex track in shape. Also quite good for packing gravel between sleepers. The cordless drill is nice to have this time round; really need to re-sharpen that masonry bit, though..Image


A battered 1980s Stainz, picked up for only $100 at a swap meet years ago, and crudely converted to battery power using leftover bits and a PWM speed controller through the roof, makes an ideal track tester. It's nice not to worry about chipping paint, or other damage with this loco. Poor old thing will get a proper rebuild with new bodywork one day..
Image


No derailments yet. Only using enough gravel to merely support the track - it'll be ballasted proper with a mix of crusher dust, sand, cement and oxide dye.
Not sure if the weather will allow more track work tomorrow, but it's nice to just watch the little Krauss trundle about this short section.Image


Cheap pavers are split in half with a hammer and cold chisel; simply to stretch money. These are spaced every 2-3ft, the track being screwed to them via wall plugs.
Image


It was getting dark, so this one's a bit blurry. A butane torch was indispensable for removing stuck rail joiners with (gently) vice grips.Image


Regards,
Aaron
Last edited by Old Man Aaron on Wed Jul 21, 2021 9:23 am, edited 2 times in total.
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