Garden Railway Forum

Hi I'm in the process of pegging my layout shape in the garden but not sure if I should have my layout at ground level on breeze blocks or to have my layout raised off the ground a couple of feet. Any advice guys.

Can you have both raised and ground sections or a pit to prepare locos and stock?

tom_tom_go wrote: ↑Sun Dec 17, 2017 3:02 pm Can you have both raised and ground sections or a pit to prepare locos and stock?

I'm thinking of building a siding so I can prepare the loco ready for running. I can only have one or the other tom raised of ground level. The reason I'm asking is because my little jack Russell loves to raise its leg and pee.

Your back will thank you for having a raised line.

Little dogs can jump up on raised lines so makes no difference (even my Labrador has got up on my raised track so I am glad I built it so I could stand on it!)

Thanks Tom for helping me with my question raised bed it will be.

Looks like you've been persuaded, but my option would also be for a raised line. Not only does it save your back and your knees, it actually makes viewing your models a lot more satisfying - no need to lie on the ground to get lineside shots with eye and/or with camera. If you make raised beds then you can have the benefit of having your models running through a landscape and foliage as you would on a ground level line.

Rik

Hi Rik thanks for your reply. I'm going for the raised bed as the layout can meander through my different shrubs and and rockery area. Plus also its easy to view the locos and layout and friendlier on my back.

The RLR mark 1 was partly raised and partly ground (although on concrete foundation). Almost all the photographs and most viewing was on the raised section. As stated it is easier on knees/back although may be an age-thing. I am planning mark 2 on a new site in the same garden and its going to be 500ml raised with planting beds around. But now the question is what type of raised trackbed? Keep us posted please

RylstonLight wrote: ↑Sun Dec 17, 2017 6:06 pm As stated it is easier on knees/back although may be an age-thing.

I am younger than most of you I wager and having a bad back is not just down to getting old. Stress and a desk job can do wonders for your posture!

True. But I was thinking that I didn’t take things like that into account when younger. The years fly by, and hopefully a raised track bed lasts. Actually my back was worse when younger, but the knees cause the problem now.

If I were younger a ground level railway would be possible but with the job I do my back, knees and neck are a little shot so a raised layout is going to be built.

I guess a lot depends on the lay of the area your building on. I'm fortunate in having a slope that allows bar height at Leawarra to raise steam, then running into ground level for the scenic shots.
Grant.

You're lucky to have the choice of raised or ground level, and I'm sure you realise it. When I started, keeping to ground level in a fairly open, flat garden was the only way I could sell it to the Chief Planning Officer. She is fully 'on board' now it's maturing, but I still think a raised line would cause planning issues!

Shot back and knees here, so I will build a raised line as well (which in itself will be hard on the old body). The new house in Denmark is on a 1.68 acre plot so there is no shortage of space for it.

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.

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.

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

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..

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

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