Garden Railway Forum

I'm thinking of tidying up my line a bit this weekend by putting some edging around the raised sections. How have other people done this? I'm tempted by using reed rolls or something like that. Would this work? If people can show me photos aswell that would be great!

Cheers guys

Matt

You might find a log roll to be better.............................

I have been thinking along the same lines recently. I thought about split bamboo screening or split logs, or even marine ply plastered and scored to resemble blocks.

The log rolls have the virtue of being easy to treat (I would have said creosotable, but you can't do that these days..................)

It's amazing the difference a bit of old engine oil can make to the effectiveness (and colour!) of traditional (death and destruction) or modern (environmentally friendly) creosote. Just watch you don't spill or spray the stuff about like a racing driver with champaign!

Seriously, it WILL kill plants and small wildlife. It does larger animals very little good either, especially if they transfer it indoors on their shoes/paws!

Oh, and don't forget - it's highly flammable!

I intend to form CAMCRE, the campaign for real creosote. It is still available if you know where to look. And boy does it smell great! and best of all it works.

Log roll will last a lot longer than the reed or bamboo screening.

Gremlin:94158 wrote:Log roll will last a lot longer than the reed or bamboo screening.

I agree, however, my line is only every going to be 'temporary' as we rent and I have no idea how long we will be here. If the reed screening (which is free from work) can last 2 years after being treated in the wonderful illegal brown stuff, then I'd be very happy

Hello,

I used the reed type stuff on my old line, nailed into the concrete blocks with horseshoe nails. Here it is when new:



I was pretty pleased with it, especially once the sticks had mellowed a little in colour and the wires had rusted. The biggest problem was that by cutting it into shorter bits for the lower parts of the line (with a jigsaw as I recall) you lose the inherent strength that comes with it being woven and all the sticks fall out. It was easy enough to put them back in, and once there they stayed put, just a bit of a fiddle. If you went with them (I'd be tempted if they're free!) I think you might want to run a batton along your supports near ground level (maybe you already have one, can't remember?) otherwise it'd be a bit flimsy...

Cheers,

Andrew.

LnBmad wrote: ↑Sat Dec 21, 2013 7:41 am

Gremlin:94158 wrote:Log roll will last a lot longer than the reed or bamboo screening.

I agree, however, my line is only every going to be 'temporary' as we rent and I have no idea how long we will be here. If the reed screening (which is free from work) can last 2 years after being treated in the wonderful illegal brown stuff, then I'd be very happy

Thank you for this...

The reed screening can be bamboo or willow / hazel /chestnut (I use willow in a different application - to put a privacy screen atop a brick wall).
Its all ok but for facing a raised trackbed I'd go for log roll which is usually tanalised so will last for ages, creosote or not. It is sturdier, tidier, and
if you fit it cleverly you can take it with you for your next railway if you move

This particular edging roll won't rot, per-se. This lot is just screwed to the timber frame underneath.
Although on the next tramway, where I expect to build raised beds of up to double this height, I'd just find some old full-size corrugated roofing sheets - In that case, I'd be using besser blocks (also called breeze blocks or cinder blocks) for the structure, and fit the corrugated sheets with masonry wall plugs and screws.