george356 Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 I agree with what Mick has said, Ian. I too look forward to the results of your tests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traingeekboy Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 Well Mick, I was curious about building details on your old layout, so I just spent some time reading a lot of old posts from your Selby line. I'd forgotten what a nice collection of stock you have. I can see why Bachmann is so popular with Brit modelers, the coaches look very good. I also noticed that your old layout looked really bare until all the surrounding plants had had time to create hillocks of foliage. And your breeze blocks looked really good after you'd built the soil up around them. I expect we'll be seeing the same effect on this new layout next year. It's something I've been thinking about a bit; how our layouts don't really come into their own until they are partly absorbed into their natural surroundings. With my layout that means training vines along the right of way so that there is lots of greenery as a backdrop. Even though I am not building much, the vines have built a lot in my absence. Your photos of baseboards and bitumen were very helpful. One question though, did you overlap the roofing felt edges? Seems like that would create quite a bump for trains to go over. Gotta run, I have some other layouts that i need to revisit on the site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted July 31, 2012 Author Share Posted July 31, 2012 Yes, a garden railway really can, and often does, become a major scenic part of the garden and just like a well tendered border the area around them takes some time to become well established. I've learned a few tips since my Selby layout and that's why I'm trying to stay close to ground level in front of the house. I'm hoping you'll see the tracks in that area and little else. On the old Selby baseboards I overlapped adjoining sections of roofing felt and then made a clean cut through both layers with a sharp craft knife so that I had a very tight butt join. I then painted over the join with bitumen adhesive to make sure it was watertight. Today's progress has been interrupted by intermittent rain and drizzle but I have been outside for an hour or so and cut another 3 aerated blocks to add to the viaduct as well as using the wood rasp to smooth around the interior arches. It's just started drizzling again as I was about to mix some mortar to put the 3 blocks in place so I thought I'd take a couple of photos of the current viaduct and its now more rounded arches. The photos show the viaduct from front and rear. I wasn't too sure that building a viaduct this way would be successful but to be honest I'm really over the moon with how easy it has been and how solid the whole structure is. It's also beginning to look very nice indeed. I've got plans for a second viaduct already! I'm considering making this first viaduct single-track to add some operational interest as I will then have a reason for standing a train on the curve whilst another train crosses the viaduct. If its good enough for Ribblehead then it's good enough for Worsley Dale! Other news is that I've decided on an outdoor station and have ordered the buildings in readiness for that. Again, another excuse to bring a train to a stand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted July 31, 2012 Author Share Posted July 31, 2012 Just managed to get the 3 additional blocks cemented in, 2 photos taken, and the covers quickly put on as the rain came down. I wish I hadn't rushed it now because these last 3 aren't quite level but at least I can alter that later when I form the arches and pillars. The second photo shows the curve of the viaduct as it heads towards the shed. Not many blocks to go now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george356 Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 Mick, that viaduct looks tip-top. Just goes to show that there is more than one way to skin a cat There just HAS to be a use for the block offcuts, they would make great buttresses if they were thinner front to back, get your saw out and you will get 2 or 3 from each arch piece. Griff and you are right about the railway becoming part of the landscape; that will be a problem for me I think as my plot is all gravel. I did it as a weed and grass supressant because the slope was making it too much of a chore to mow. All my planting is now in pots as I didn't want to pierce the membrane, but the blockwork and the viaduct have put paid to that resolution!! I have been looking at some dwarf conifers at a local landscape gardeners, there is a tree called 'Goldcrest' which grows to a maximum 4 foot in open ground; if I restrict the roots in a pot it should keep them well below that height I would think. They are a bargain at £2 each, I must grab half a dozen while he has them on cheap. I like your thinking about single track over a viaduct, it does give you something to do with the controller Are you going DC or DCC with it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ba14eagle Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 Without wishing to sound a bit of a sour puss, I was a bit unsure about this viaduct technique when I was reading the thread last night. However, I think the lyrics go something like Quote what a difference a day makes, just 24 little hours - this is looking like a majestic, engineering masterpiece. The background planting is going to make this feature stunning when you are up and running. Nice job Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fungus Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 mick said: I was thinking of adding felt only to the topmost part of the plywood as a form of added protection ...... Agreed, there should be no harm in that and as you say, it will add a bit of protection. The viaduct is looking great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted July 31, 2012 Author Share Posted July 31, 2012 ba14eagle said: Without wishing to sound a bit of a sour puss, I was a bit unsure about this viaduct technique when I was reading the thread last night... That's okay - I can understand that. I wasn't absolutely sure myself to be honest and when I read that George was putting the shuttering together for his concrete version on Cherry Parkway I almost changed my mind. I'm glad that I persevered with the idea for the simple fact that I've discovered that it's viable, but those last 3 blocks I cemented in late this afternoon are still bugging me when I look at the photos. I've been back outside and lifted the covers for a closer look and they don't look too bad so I'll just have to see tomorrow. I wish I'd left it all until later rather than trying to rush it before the rain came again. The bonus with using these blocks is that they are workable - you can easily cut and file them to shape as much as you want to. If it proves that they're not level enough I'll get the rasp out to them! george356 said: ...There just HAS to be a use for the block offcuts... ...Are you going DC or DCC with it?... I've been thinking about what to do with the offcuts. I seem to have an awful lot of them compared to the number of arches I've made??? I'm sure they'll come in handy somewhere. I have a fair number of sound locos George so this time the layout will be strictly DCC only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanerg6e Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Hey Mick I like that viaduct. It seems a much better way of doing it than Paul Barnard's way of using concrete and polystyrene to form the arches from Model Rail's Garden Expert dvd. I was down in Penrith yesterday pricing blocks for my extension. $4.50 each and they measure 600mm L x 200mm W x 50mm D. Concrete $6.20 for a 20kg bag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanR Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Every so often someone comes up with a really good idea and your method of constructing a viaduct is one of them, it looks great. I can imagine Thermalite viaducts appearing in gardens all over the world! Well done! Ian R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george356 Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Well, I, for one, am going to try the thermalite block method, and I'll tell you why. It appears to be a brilliant method of introducing a viaduct as an afterthought, where you have already fastened down decking boards, felt and indeed track. As long as you have a space under the decking you can excavate a trench underneath and fix a Mickviaduct in place without having to disturb your layout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 It's a great way of creating a viaduct, simple quick and sturdy. What more do you want. ...if you want to reduce your wastage then how about cutting the blocks into lengths and then arranging them like so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted August 1, 2012 Author Share Posted August 1, 2012 Thanks for all your positive comments (and praise ) - it's very much appreciated. I just hope I can complete the viaduct to such warm acclaim. Chris, I'm sure there are ways to reduce wastage but I believe it would be better and easier to assemble with as few joins as possible. I'm no expert when it comes to bricklaying (I wouldn't want my techniques publicised) so for me at least its the easier route all the time. Okay, I've added photo updates to my Worsley Dale gallery but here's a couple just so I can point a couple of things out. The first is that as remarked yesterday I didn't manage to get the 3 additional blocks level and you can see a small hump where the third and fourth blocks from the left side join. I'll be able to remove that with the rasp so it's not a problem. The arches of the offending blocks are also not vertical as a result but I can live with that. Here's a couple of low-level shots from front and rear - it's beginning to look impressive! So now my thoughts are turning to the top and the actual track base once everything's completed. I'm looking at that pile of offcuts and wondering if I can use them to create sidewalls with refuges to overhang the viaduct slightly with a central void within which the tracks can be placed. I may be able to get away without using plywood on the top of here which would be a bonus when it comes to drainage. Perhaps if I'd considered this at the beginning I could have made allowance for it and left the blocks standing proud at the top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted August 1, 2012 Author Share Posted August 1, 2012 Here's a quick mock-up of my thoughts for finishing the top surface of the viaduct using some of the offcuts of blocks. I like the idea of the overhang of the sidewalls at the top of the viaduct as it takes away that flat surface of the viaduct sides. Remember that in the following photo the blocks immediately before the viaduct will have a length of 18mm plywood on top of them and so the height of the viaduct sidewalls need to take this into account. This is just a small block offcut chopped directly down the centre and the recesses cut out with a hand saw. I'm not sure I could possibly cut the central track base section level enough for it to accept track directly but just imagine a length of fully ballasted track running along there! The sidewall might be a bit vulnerable to being knocked but what the heck - get out the maintenance gang! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted August 1, 2012 Author Share Posted August 1, 2012 Apologies for the number of posts and photos this morning - just trying to keep the thread updated at each step rather than trying to update all in one go. I've cut several of the aerated block offcuts roughly into 'L' shaped pieces that can sit on top of the viaduct. They'll need some fettling with the rasp to get them into shape but I'm not too bothered about defects in the top of the sidewalls as this is an 'old' viaduct and wear and tear over the years has to be expected. They are of course overscale and will be thinned down slightly should I decide to go ahead but they do need to stay thick enough to withstand any knocks. So what does it all look like with some track on top? Well here goes... Maybe just a little too wide for a single track viaduct and could it ever at any stage have accommodated double tracks? Possibly. The side walls would need moving out a bit but for the sake of argument we'll assume that the viaduct was originally double track but has now been reduced to just the one line (aka Ribblehead). And with a loco on top? - oh yes, now it looks the part There are more photos not published here in my Worsley Dale photo gallery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george356 Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Mick, I love the shadow line cast by the slight overhang, it really finishes off the look of the viaduct. Looking at a couple of the pieces you have cut, it appears that there is a rainwater gully at the bottom of the wall on the inside. You could probably enhance that a little by making a cut at the bottom with an old rip-saw with a wider set on the teeth and kill 2 birds with one stone (pun). It will go a little way to providing drainage and look good too. I really like this method, and will certainly use it on part of my layout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted August 1, 2012 Author Share Posted August 1, 2012 I've been giving a bit more thought, and trying out some new ideas, for adding the finishing touches to the top of the viaduct. That makes 3 possible ideas so I'll have to decide which way I prefer. The most time consuming is this one; small individual blocks of stone that require gluing/cementing together. It would look nice but would take longest. Secondly, a length of stone scribed with a craft knife to resemble single blocks of stone and seen in this particular photo with a small coping on top. Both methods utilise a lower block to create the overhang I 'm looking for. Nothing is cut to size. Both methods use rough cut pieces just to gauge the potential results. Looking at the photos whilst writing this I'm kind of swayed by the scribed block. I just have to cut a number of pieces all to the same dimensions but as I consider this top part one of the most prominent features then it's going to pay to do it right. Again, there are additional views in the Worsley Dale galley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george356 Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Mick, The scribed blocks look fantastic!! I like, like, like!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traingeekboy Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Looks great. I do have this soft spot for pouring a bridge, guess I like the idea of pouring something into a mold and having it magically appear. But your results are fast and the carving looks great too. Hmmm... another word i had no idea about: fettling. Had to look that one up. Looks like everyone is gearing up for construction. i see momentum building on a lot of layouts now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted August 2, 2012 Author Share Posted August 2, 2012 No major progress today but I have now completed adding all the blocks right up to the shed. I've just cemented the final two in position and added some bracing to give the end block a bit of additional support. There's a couple of arches still to round off when the cement dries but I'm fast losing the teeth on my rasp! Hopefully it will last long enough to complete the shaping of the final arches. Didn't someone warn that cutting these blocks ruined your saw? I'm really pleased I decided to use this method of aerated block construction because I've found it easy to create a curved viaduct. I'm not sure that my abilities would have got me through trying to create the same effect with poured concrete and it may have caused a strain on my relationship! This way everyone's happy The photo below shows the degree of curve in the viaduct itself - it's going to be great watching trains coming along there and it's almost the view I have from my kitchen window! I've added a few more images to my Worsley Dale gallery so I won't repeat them all here but I like these low level shots looking up at the viaduct - just needs some trains now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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