I mentioned back in August 2018 that I was fed up with the railway (garden size has been a big factor plus the height is too low), however, it got a reprieve as Andrew's Russell visited for some work and the fitting of a SSP Slomo.
The lure of larger trains has occupied me for some time so finally I have decided to at least consider the idea but to push me on I knew the railway would need to be dismantled permanently. My father passed away recently very quickly (only 69, makes you wonder) so I need something to occupy me which at the moment is clearing the railway, restoring the garden to something that is appealing to future house buyers and moving on with something new.
The following dribble is more for my reference and reflections although they may be of interest, they don't require opinions or comment.
Using treated wood gravel boards for a raised railway worked for me, no evidence of wood rot (the darker faded wood is reclaimed from another railway so this stuff is even older than the wood I purchased:
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You don't need to use roofing flet though as you have found that weed control fabric is cheaper and easier to work with.
If you ever do anything like this again and plan to dismantle it use stainless steel screws always as it's been a pain in the bottom trying to recover wood to be reused with rusted screws!
Using screws (at least you used stainless steel screws for this) to create a level track bed although works brilliantly it's very time consuming to deploy so given what you have learned make sure you level the crap out of any future base before you lay track. Although you don't like screws being shown you know now you can counter sunk screws into sleepers and hide them with ballast.
SBR does work, however, you need a thin layer of ballast although with the pea shingle it gave a gloss finish. Crushed dust, coal, etc works perfectly though so more of that:
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Make the railway higher next time, raised flower beds would be ideal (next house purchase garden or land suitability is critical!)
If you can't build an end-to-end line with a continious run sneaked in somewhere for days when you just want to watch trains don't bother building a railway (you can then host steam ups again with a proper line).
Servos outside worked for you for signals and points as they are mounted under the railway and protected from the elements, however, run a bus power line alone the railway next time as batteries are a pain plus you then have the means to power lights for evening running which you want but never bothered to do.
Use metal angle when mounting servos though as plastic angle is not stable with outdoor temperature changes, repositioning servos isn't fun.
Cliff Barker fish plates make laying track easier so use them again, no dog legging!
Consider steam up area with better access for coal firing with the abililty to drop the fire if possible.
If you use loose ballast again the method for boxing in the railway needs improving.
Buy lineside buildings, etc as you know you can't be bothered to build them and using lollipop sticks doesn't last (although they weather nicely if you want stuff to look disused):
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Milo sniffing about in 2011:
Same place while dismantling the railway in 2019!
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Create more viewing spots like this, sunset and steam looks great:
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As you have built a railway now you don't need to be in a rush to build the next one and get trains running, take your time - it's far more relaxing...
