ThomasI

So, looks good!

Hello Mick! The weather is fine with me, until Tuesday it should be warm and sunny. The pillars are all erected and all cables laid in the ground, tomorrow the earth is poured up.

So, since the national holiday yesterday, the weather is nice again and so I could put the first pillars for the third bridge.

Hello Tony, Actually, he is not a hunting dog but he is very rabid in certain animals. He has already killed two rats and hunted another with significant injuries from the property. He tries to play abet with other dogs and cats and rabbits. He hunts chickens afterwards, but more for fun, he never catches one .. Yes, I'm watching the history of your ship, I'm really looking forward to the end result. Today I got a new Budd Metroliner, a part of which was allowed to pose for a photo. I'm not sure if I'm going to ship Amtrak logos or Pennsylvania Railroads ... Best regards Thomas

Hello Tony! The two bridges are each 3m long. Both with 6 bridge fields a 50cm. In the foreground two more bridges will come. Fortunately, Boston Terriers rarely bark. I suppose he chased some animal around and that fled under the layout, that would explain his great interest. Here, however, the autumn begins, so I expect no further great progress outside for this year. Regards Thomas

The finance department has sent a controller to inspect the structures. He is a really tough dog.

Hello Deano! The concrete bridge is a complete scratch-built made of plastic profiles, HPL plates and Styrodur. The superstructure of the steel bridge is made of 7 kits from a manufacturer called Kibri, the pillars are homemade from Styrodur. Regards Thomas

Second Norostatal Bridge is in place...

The stuff where you have these little globules after cutting everywhere you will never get rid of 😂 is called here Styropor (styrofoam). Styro is short for polystyrene. Por comes from pores, so aerated concrete here is also called "Porenbeton", Beton means concrete... The slightly denser and harder material that is also used in model making is what we call Styrodur. Dur comes from durable. Yes, this German term is based on the English word.😁 And everything that is even more stable and dense is called Hartschaum (hard foam) here, in the model construction scene, it's also called Forex. This is actually a brand name, but these were also Styropor and Styrodur originally. Polystyrol (polystyrene) is the name of all these materials.

Hehehe, today I used exactly the same material to insulate the underframe of my bridge against frost. In Germany this is called 'Styropor'.

The material for filling the terrain was delivered. The second bridge is waiting for the installation, I'm about to put the pillars and make the first placement of the next bridge.

Yes, outside, building a layout will lead to problems and work closer to those of the real railroad. Inside you do not have to move earth, you do not need foundations or have to deal with weather or living things on the track or plants in the catenary. Also, the smooth bottom floor as a reference point "level 0" is missing outdoors of course. Also you can catch a cold at work or get a sunburn, in the hobby cellar that happens rather seldom ... So after all the problems with wood, I've gotten away from using wood. High pressure laminates are an excellent substitute for plywood and its heavy weight is not so important in the garden. Otherwise, I am now a fan of rigid foam panels for wet rooms. These are the ones with which you for example the substructure for bathtubs or walls created in the bathroom. And of course styrofoam like Styrodur. Everything can be cut and glued very well. I seriously consider if I do not even make the construction of my layout with these indoor. At aerated concrete blocks, I've already thought, but by their higher weight, the foundation is more complex then I think. Regards Thomas

Hi Mick! Yes bridges are important for a garden layout that is not built as a "track on the plate just outside" (this is not meant to be judgmental) but to blend in with the garden as a landscape. Especially if you want to keep the track at a certain height or at least a little above ground level. One can not pile up railway embankments everywhere or simulate their existence with plants. As far as the dog is concerned, the bridges set the dog standard for all future dogs.😁 Regards Thomas

Hello Tony I did not find a better word for German 'Orkan' on the fly. Hurricane exists in German as well, called 'Hurrikan'. There are also real hurricanes in Germany, but are rare. 'Orkan' is just a very violent storm with a lot of rain and sometimes thunderstorms. Regards Thomas

Hi Mick! If you love bridges and viaducts, you'll find much to fall in love with on my layout. Because the dog has to reach all corners of the garden (says my husband), I am forced to build a variety of bridges that correspond to the size of the dog. That means it needs 35cm clear height and 30cm clear width under the bridge. Best Regards Thomas

The Thomas Society for bridge construction at work...

Because of the hurricane warning first everything secured. The bumblebees do not mind ... I wonder if I leave it at the Catenary with the erection of masts, because to stretch overhead line, which is filigree, but wind of 70mph endures, is hardly feasible ...

Hello Tony! I came back home from France this evening. Trains from American to Swiss snd English to German prototypes were used internationally mixed in the French G Gauge layout. Thomas

Today I visited a garden layout in France. It's gauge G but it's a good inspiration what plants can be used! It makes me think about to integrate water in my garden layout

Friday I will go to France again for 9 days. When the autumn is good weather, the first train turns with provisional turning loop could take place this year. Tonight I'm building segments for a bridge.

Hello everybody! I'm glad to hear that, Mick, but I have to say that without this forum and your advice and knowledge, I would not have gotten this far. In Germany I am still an absolute pioneer and exotic with 00 / H0 in the garden. Today, I have re-installed the switches with revised drive for the moving frog. In addition, I made again some progress in the curve behind the bush. Regards Thomas

At the Kato track I only soldered supply cables to every second track. Let's see if that works.

Some progress..

I also have a Roco Z21 and what I have to complain about it is the bad documentation and actually missing instructions. At least as she goes on sale in Germany and Austria. Roco does write something about self-explanatory symbolism and intuitive usability, but I do not find that self-explanatory and intuitive to use. That may perhaps be attributed to my ADHD and Asperger and also the fact that I prefer on tablet and smartphone Android, but I still have to fight with the Z21 and still I find it in a system of this price range a bit of an impertinence that you have to google yourself explanations and instructions in case of doubt.

The concrete sleeper track is Kato. I plan to use them outdoor only. Indoor I don't have single track lines. For double and multi-track routes, I like it better to Ballast it myself. Although you could also fill in the gaps between the tracks of Roco or Kato with gravel even on multi-track routes, but it would be very difficult to apply the right gravel color also. And to color the whole thing with airbrusch again I would like to save at least outdoor.