Garden Railway Forum

I've just tidied my room, it is likely that I'll start work on the railway after Christmas as there are plants in the way of construction but here's how I wish to build the railway.


I chose to use slate as you can get good sized bags for less than £10

Where do you get moss spores from?

It seems a shame to cover up the slate! I have always loved the look of slate and wanted to use it but there isn't really alot of point in suffolk!

TonyW wrote:Where do you get moss spores from?

Don't know, I was hoping one of you guys could tell me (I'll see if I could shake them out of the moss).

Mr. Bond of the DVLR wrote:It seems a shame to cover up the slate! I have always loved the look of slate and wanted to use it but there isn't really alot of point in suffolk!

I need to cover up the slate as we are in a rented house & the only slate here is off farm buildings but i'll try soleburn (the only garden centre near by).

Hancockshire wrote:

TonyW wrote:Where do you get moss spores from?

Don't know, I was hoping one of you guys could tell me (I'll see if I could shake them out of the moss).

It grows

personally, i wouldnt suggest using nice slate as a base, thats hidden.
Perhaps make a wall from blocks, then embed the track in rowlands mix, which attracts moss groth.
http://www.mplr.co.uk/building/

andysleigh wrote:personally, i wouldnt suggest using nice slate as a base, thats hidden.
Perhaps make a wall from blocks, then embed the track in  rowlands mix, which attracts moss groth.
http://www.mplr.co.uk/building/

Not allowed

Hancockshire wrote:

andysleigh wrote:personally, i wouldnt suggest using nice slate as a base, thats hidden.
Perhaps make a wall from blocks, then embed the track in  rowlands mix, which attracts moss groth.
http://www.mplr.co.uk/building/

Not allowed

why not
all you basicaly have to do, is replace that wood with block, and the slate with soil, gravel, or cement.

I'd go with what Andy suggest... here are my reasons:

1. The wooden posts in the ground will not be very strong, and can rot after time meaning you will have to replace them.

2. Using concrete blocks, or bricks, cemented into place in a dug out trench is a cheap, and easy way of a trackbed, and pretty much bomb proof...

3. Slate is expensive for what you want to do with it.

The rowlands mix also encourages moss to grow, you cant make it grow from spores! You can get moss encourager from garden centres etc anyway I think (you can also use cheap yogurt, but that smells after a while!).

Personally, I'd dig a trench say, 8 inches wide, fill the bottom with sand, then put some bricks/blocks in place, then pour cement in and level it off so you have a nice smooth trackbed. Then simply use a drill with a masonary bit to drill holes where necessary, put a rawl plug in, the screw the track down through the sleeper. Then top it off with rowlands mix or similar as ballast if needed.

mhlr wrote: Personally, I'd dig a trench say, 8 inches wide, fill the bottom with sand, then put some bricks/blocks in place, then pour cement in and level it off so you have a nice smooth trackbed.

Don't use sand, it will expand en shrink during frost and will get your railway unlevel over the years. Use course gravel/stones topped with fine gravel for levelling. How do i know?   Had a large stock of sand and did not want to move and order gravel...

Use pondliner in the trench to prevent earth to mix with the stones and thuss creating the same problem as with sand.

andysleigh wrote:

Hancockshire wrote:

andysleigh wrote:personally, i wouldnt suggest using nice slate as a base, thats hidden.
Perhaps make a wall from blocks, then embed the track in  rowlands mix, which attracts moss groth.
http://www.mplr.co.uk/building/

Not allowed

why not
all you basicaly have to do, is replace that wood with block, and the slate with soil, gravel, or cement.

We live in a rented house & I want to experiment with different track laying techniques.

I had the same problem in durham. We didn't own the house, so I wasn't allowed to build my line with a permanent foundation.

Hancockshire wrote:We live in a rented house & I want to experiment with different track laying techniques.

Bad idea, if you get it wrong, you've wasted money, time and effort. Go with a tried and tested method that you know will work. But of course, your decision!

mhlr wrote:

Hancockshire wrote:We live in a rented house & I want to experiment with different track laying techniques.

Bad idea, if you get it wrong, you've wasted money, time and effort. Go with a tried and tested method that you know will work. But of course, your decision!

Ah, your right I'll just use wooden posts in the soil (to stop weeds gettin through, slate in between the posts).

I am due to start track laying tomorrow. The basework can all be removed in a few hours, but should be rot proof, and stay put for many years if left alone. It is built using recycled plastic.



It is re-usable if you move house. Note - no concrete / cement is used, the posts are just driven into the ground - there are enough to resist subsidence providing your garden is stable.

Colinw

I like that much, welcome to the forum Colin!

Welocme

Easy way and best way and quickest is to find moss growing locally...pop out in to the street and no doubt someone will have a conifer etc growing out over the pavement and no doubt there will be moss there or against someones wall.....if so this is local and use to growing on gravel as opposed to the nice stuff in a forest (which you should leave alone...lots of eco reasons!)

Get a flat shovel scrape off in a large mat.....cut and trim carefully to fit in our railway and place on a bed of natural or old yougert...half I recently did like this took hold

It does not like being too wet and if it does look dead after a few weeks...give a little tug..if held firm..its alive and will grow when its use to the conditions

Other way is the rowlands mix...but unless fixing down track I'd personally spread out a thin layer of yougert...looks odd for a day or two or 6! but soon goes and eventually moss will grow...but its a slow method

Crackingjob