traingeekboy

Maybe you can attach posts the tree trunks sort of semi temporarily and just use trees as uprights? I use my metal fence posts to strap wood posts to in that way. The ply on the beam sounds like what I am doing moe or less. Can't wait to see more.

Good idea with the free stuff group. I may have to try that here. We have a thing called freecycle. Same concept.

Do you have pictures of it in use on a layout? Thanks

Meh... I considered it for a bit. But the comments you have both made support going for ready made track. Besides even real railroads use sectional track on occasion. I am scaling my expectations down a bit from two mainlines to one. I figure a good oval just to get going should be awesome. I can always alter things later by adding a second line running inside the first. I think that just getting trains running needs to be my first priority. Then I can look at hand laying as an option. Then again, I sort of want to scratch build some catenary for my electrics. I think catenary would distract viewers from other non existent things like scenery. My sister borrowed my level and I can't get the work I need done till she finishes re-finishing her kitchen. I recall handing it to her and thinking oh brother i'm never gonna see this again!!! RE: videos... I used to be a professional video maker so that side of things is a no brainer for me. I learned about garden railways from youtube so here are some inspirational links below: ok, time to outside and use the last rays of daylight for some train building.

I completely admire his work, but I know I am not up to the task of creating something that requires that amount of labor. It looks like the scenery is carved insulation foam that has been painted with acrylic paint and then sprinkled with dirt and gravel of all sizes shapes and colors. Basically how it would be done indoors only with glues that won't dissolve. I think most everything is scratch built even the track. He is urging me to handlay my track on my layout. I may have to give it a shot. But it's actually more expensive than flex track from what I have found.

I met this guy on a Us forum that caters mostly to N scalers. I was asking about Uv issues and he posted that he just hand lays all his track. Then he gave me this link to his layout on another forum. It's amazing! http://www.freerails.com/view_topic.php?id=1222&forum_id=17&page=68

I'll let you know it works when I try it on this layout. Although I will not have any grades/inclines on my layout. It's all flat running.

Wow That HST is awesome. who makes it? I agree on the sound, that alone is enough to make me want one for my layout some day. Why the hinged covers all over the layout, does the wildlife like to nibble on track?

I love your layout. this is my kind of layout with lots of trains to run and lots of plants growing up around the platforms.

Thanks for the welcome guys, Mick I can't say exactly what happened to cause the UK interest. I some how stumbled on to the hornby forum and started looking at layouts there. I was curious to do European N scale. Then one day this guy posted a link to a simple O scale garden layout. I linked off of that and found OO scale layouts. I think it was watching the brambly railway video that did it. Just had to go outdoors. or else it was jules garden railway steam engines, not sure what. All that steam running at high speed. US modellers are obsessed with scale speed. I like slow speed for shunting, but C'mon guys lets let er stretch those legs! I dunno I was firmly fixed on the idea of Us models, but I have FS and SNCF from when I was a kid. I was born in Italy so I'm a mixed breed critter. I have memories of steam in Italy in the 60's. I also rode the Zephyr as a kid in the US. I've always been sort of a confused model railroader. To top it off, I'm a stones throw from a great deal of Colorado narrow gauge lines since I live in Denver. So yeah, I never really quite got the British outline. It is not what I am used to. Those funny little wagons. Weird looking diesels, not like US monsters and not like those frilly continental electrics either. The more I looked at peoples layouts online the more I started to see a great deal of beauty in things like jintys or Princess royale class. Even with funds low I'm bidding on my first uk Loco right now, an LMS jinty toi go with my red coaches. I am afraid I'm slipping into british outline. But... I also wouldn't mind getting a bachmann On30 shay and some cars just to mix it up. I think my biggest pleasure in discovering garden layouts is that outdoor guys are a different breed. They just run stuff. To an outdoor railroader the real question seems to be, "Is it a train, will it run on my track, Lets do it!" So I'm going to settle in here and see what everyone else is running and show some of what I'm running. roy, i promise as soon as I get some track on those planks I'm gonna make a video.

Here in the US people use a light coating of either sewing machine oil or a product called Goo Gone. The problem with abrasive pads is that they rough up the surface of the rail. A rougher surface is more likely to oxidize and create resistance between rail and wheel. On my n scale indoor layouts I've used q-tips soaked in alcohol to clean the rails and then used an almost non existent amount of oil on the rail heads. I plan to do the same for my outdoor layout. I would think oil would prevent water from freezing on the rail heads as well. SO perhaps your frost issues may not occur. Having said that, I have no experience with outdoor layouts yet; I could find out I'm completely wrong on all of this.

Before someone pointed me to this forum I pestered numerous forums for any info on garden railways. On a G scale forum they advised having the track be UV resistant due to sun damage. I have heard peco track is UV resistant, But since I am in the USA Atlas is cheaper. I'm on a tight budget and 16 pcs of Flex track for just one oval ends up at over 60.00$ I expect I'm in for a good 200.00 in track for two ovals, switches (points), and some long spurs for storage. Any ideas? Experiences with various track brands on your layouts? etc. Thanks

I'm sure it's a pain, but I bet the bird is really having fun. They are very intelligent creatures. You should take video of it. It's a very unique railway problem and must be documented.

Wow your train room looks great! I wish I had an odd sloped space like that. I am wondering if maybe the beams will bow and warp. I do T shaped pieces with ply on top and a verticle beam underneath to prevent warping. You might want to consider having a vertical beam underneath the current ones. It would be somewhat like the engineered wood that people use in house construction. I can't wait to see more progress.

HI all, Traingeekboy here. I figured instead of posting in the introduction forum and then posting here, I'd just make up one big thread. I got my first train set HO scale atlas with a docksider 040 at age 2. I have no idea what dad was thinking, the word is I was already fixated on trains by that point. I still have the cars from that set; plastic varney 60's stuff. Since then I have desired a layout. Many different sets and unfinished layouts later, I stumbled upon some you tube videos: brambly railway; Jules garden railway; selby railway. I had seen British garden layouts in books in the past but it didn't click for me. Seeing those running railroads changed everything. I had to build one!!! The N scale layout is abandoned for now, the old 70's Lima FS and SNCF trains were unearthed and I set to building. Big problem there, I'm only half employed so have little money to spare for fun-ness, so I started collecting scrap lumber from alleys and trash dumpsters. My entire layout is made from found lumber. It makes me have to think differently, because I have to use what I have or I have to hit the alleys in search of something close to what I have. It's amazing what people throw away and even more amazing the kind of expensive metal hardware they are to lazy to recycle. The layout plan is to build a really super fun two track roundy roundy in my front yard. Yes, the front yard! I hope the track doesn't get stolen. I may have top glue it with liquid nails. The area is 19' x 9' 6" give or take an inch. I got linked to outdoor layouts because I was on a british outline forum, I'm in the USA. I suspect that when I find a decently priced steamer on ebay I'll be getting some LMS running on the layout. I have already bought some OO LMS coaches by lima. I also own a small collection of continental stuff that is HO scale. PLans are in the works for a couple On30 items to add variety as well. SO my layout is basically, anything that runs on HO track is my kind of train. I'll shut up now and post some pics. My recent acquisition a Jouef 4-8-2 passenger steamer. Word is they run like crap. I suppose some tinkering will be required. Stage one is the plastic covered station platform area. I still need to put wood stain on it to protect it, so it's got a plastic drape for now. Stage two. My first corner section. It took me a bit to figure out how I wanted to do it. Then after planning and planning, I said to heck with it and just built something. ha ha Stage three. The straight section along the fence. Different approach for construction. I fastened posts to the existing fence with pipe clamps and then built off of that. Stage four. This is the section that connects the previous sections. It is a lift bridge. Never done one before, I hope it works. Well, that's my layout. I still need to round the other end. I already braced a beam to the old fence for it, so when the urge hits me, it should be done. Hope you like it.