traingeekboy Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Looks like you are getting closer to laying track. My first thought was some of those angles look a little sharp. But I am pretty sure I ended up with a couple tight curves on my layout and have had no problems. Keep building, you can always adjust things later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george356 Posted July 26, 2012 Author Share Posted July 26, 2012 That looks like sunshine in some of those latest photos George Great progress made but do check on the angled curves to make sure they're not too sharp. It's always difficult to judge the angles from photos but you might need to add a small filler section of timber in order to make the curve gentler if it proves too severe for some of the more recent locos and coaches. Looks like you're going to be running well before I am! Looks like you are getting closer to laying track. My first thought was some of those angles look a little sharp. But I am pretty sure I ended up with a couple tight curves on my layout and have had no problems. Keep building, you can always adjust things later. Guys, you are right, when I was laying the blocks I thought "That looks about right", but now I have the decking down I think they ARE tight. I had thought of filler pieces, biscuit jointed to the existing decking. at least the extra real estate on the outside of the curve will accommodate a windmill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 ...at least the extra real estate on the outside of the curve will accommodate a windmill Now there's someone whose been spending too much time on this forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george356 Posted July 26, 2012 Author Share Posted July 26, 2012 A pat on the back from me for the work so far George! Thanks for the encouragement, Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doublecee Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 This is coming along great. My only reservation is those sharp corners. I would certainly look at softening that angle a fair bit otherwise you'll end up either zig zagging or de-railing Keep it up... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george356 Posted July 26, 2012 Author Share Posted July 26, 2012 This is coming along great. My only reservation is those sharp corners. I would certainly look at softening that angle a fair bit otherwise you'll end up either zig zagging or de-railing Keep it up... Aye, it's my next job I KNEW they were tight, but kept telling myself that it was OK. Self delusional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traingeekboy Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 It's an easy fix. Just replace the planks on the curves with wider ones and don't follow the angle of the brick. Yeah, you will need a windmill for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanerg6e Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 Yes it's sure is looking great George. I too thought that those curves looked a little tight. The one thing about garden railways that we can enjoy over our indoor counterparts is sweeping curves as the only hindrance is the boundary to our plots of land, oh yes and "she who must be obeyed" Looking forward to more photos of your railway progress. Roy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george356 Posted July 28, 2012 Author Share Posted July 28, 2012 Everyone seems to be either interested in building a viaduct or already in the process of building one. I am no exception. After considering a few methods (building one from pre caste concrete parts, building a wooden one and plastering it with concrete) I have decided to cast one in situ, using shutering and a former. As you all seem interested in photos this is how I built the formwork. 1. get 2 pieces of shuttering ply the size required and draw on it the arrangement of arches and piers and the height of the arches. In this picture I have drilled holes where the arches are to hold the 2 pieces together. http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7736.jpg' alt='URL>'> 2. Bolted together to keep in register http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7737.jpg' alt='URL>'> 3. as my viaduct is on a slope I have cut the bottom of the former at that angle so that I dont have to excavate too much soil. http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7738.jpg' alt='URL>'> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george356 Posted July 28, 2012 Author Share Posted July 28, 2012 The arches are going to be cast around some formers made from a 2inch thick partial sheet of Kingspan Therma insulation board. 1. Therma insulation board http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7733.jpg' alt='URL>'> 2. Cut into 5 inch wide strips as this is to be the size of the arches http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7734.jpg' alt='URL>'> 3. Now we need to make the arched top, this needs a pair of templates to make sure we get the insulation boards roughly the same shape http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7735.jpg' alt='URL>'> 4. These were cut from a scrap piece of 6mm ply and labelled up in case I need to use them again. One tip I have learned over the years, if you make a jig or a template to do a job, label it and keep it! http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7741.jpg' alt='URL>'> 5. A 5 inch wide piece of Therma clamped between the 2 templates and shaped using a coping saw. http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7740.jpg' alt='URL>'> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george356 Posted July 28, 2012 Author Share Posted July 28, 2012 This is how the arches turn out http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7739.jpg' alt='URL>'> Each arch former was wrapped in 2 inch wide parcel tape to aid the release from the concrete http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7742.jpg' alt='URL>'> Double sided carpet tape holds the Therma to the outer formwork http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7743.jpg' alt='URL>'> Building up 2 layers of Therma (4 inches - the width of the viaduct) http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7744.jpg' alt='URL>'> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traingeekboy Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 This is going to be very interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 This is exactly the kind of project the forum needs George. A clear photographic guide about how to construct a major piece of civil engineering. It's what garden railways are all about, devising your own solutions to create the structures you require. It will no doubt give great incentive to lots of other would be model railway civil engineers! I was in B&Q only yesterday looking at those same insulation panels as I was planning on using them myself. I would have preferred the standard polystyrene but it was only available in very large sheets and would have needed cutting in order to get them home in the car. I'd also planned on doubling up the 50mm widths to get the desired width viaduct. Keep up the great work and keep on posting the superb images. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george356 Posted July 29, 2012 Author Share Posted July 29, 2012 Like Mick yesterday I have had my work interrupted by heavy showers, so the previous pictures were as far as I got yesterday. This morning I used the holes I drilled right at the beginning (remember them?) to bolt the whole assembly together using 6 inch lengths of studding and M10 nuts. Several views of the formwork before I put it in place. http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7745.jpg' alt='URL>'> http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7746.jpg' alt='URL>'> http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7747.jpg' alt='URL>'> http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7748.jpg' alt='URL>'> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george356 Posted July 29, 2012 Author Share Posted July 29, 2012 I now position the formwork over the gap, trying to make sure that the arches are vertical using a spirit level. There are a couple of gaps to plug before I start pouring the concrete, I will probably just use clay to plug them. http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7749.jpg' alt='URL>'> http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7750.jpg' alt='URL>'> http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7751.jpg' alt='URL>'> I just get this into position and the rain begins again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george356 Posted July 29, 2012 Author Share Posted July 29, 2012 Final leg!! Sorry no pics of me actually pouring the mix, but my hands were filthy, I was on my own and it was starting to rain!! The first mix, for the piers, I made slightly sloppy so that it would find it's own level. I tamped the mix down with a length of 4"x2" so that there were no voids. http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7752.jpg' alt='URL>'> http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7753.jpg' alt='URL>'> http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7754.jpg' alt='URL>'> http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7755.jpg' alt='URL>'> Very little seepage here, and I just roughly blocked up the gaps. http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l616/george356/Garden%20Railway/DSC_7756.jpg' alt='URL>'> The piece of 4" x 2" in the picture is what I used to tamp the mix into the piers, you have to make sure that the mix fills the columns or you will have some patching to do later. I fully expect to have some patching to do later Just the nerve wracking bit to go now. It's covered over, just waiting for it to set up, about Tuesday/Wednesday, before I can take the shuttering off and see how I've done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traingeekboy Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 Great progress and an interesting project. Does it really take that long to set up before you can remove the forms? So now that you have a garden railway in the making, are you having fun yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george356 Posted July 29, 2012 Author Share Posted July 29, 2012 Thanks for the comment, Griff. As the cement is setting/curing without being exposed to the air i want it to be fully cured all the way through. I have nightmares where I take off the formwork and the lot collapses in a heap around my feet Fun? - You call this fun? This is REAL, HARDCORE railway modelling. This is to railway modelling what standing on a stepladder is to climbing Mount Everest Aye, it's fun really. I haven't laughed so much since I was a little boy. My neighbours think I am crackers, passers by have guessed that I am making either a swimming pool or a stage. When I tell them it's a garden railway they look at me, shake their heads and walk away muttering. I like it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 You've built a viaduct in the time it's taken me to nail 3 lengths of timber down! I don't know if I can wait until Tuesday or Wednesday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george356 Posted July 29, 2012 Author Share Posted July 29, 2012 You've built a viaduct in the time it's taken me to nail 3 lengths of timber down! I don't know if I can wait until Tuesday or Wednesday I get bursts of activity in between long stretches of sloth, Mick. I have to make full use of them I don't know whether I can wait that long, either. It's the untimate lucky dip; it's either worked magnificently or it is the greatest disaster since the Titanic. I have just been out to see how it's going, the top surface of the concrete is already set up. By lunchtime Tuesday it should be ready for the unveiling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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