jonblakeney Posted February 4, 2014 Author Share Posted February 4, 2014 The width of the track bed is 250mm or 10" hopefully this is wide enough to stop any loco's from taking a dive to the ground in the event of derailments. (although, I will be buying a cheap bachmann dcc loco to check the track each time I run the railroad to make shure all is well along the right of way.) My expensive loco's wil be placed on the track only after a few laps are completed by the test train On completion the whole structure will be getting painted the same brown colour as the Ecodeck (which comes in a range of colours) ,it should then blend into the garden nicely. Stay tuned for more exciting updates gang,over and out. Jon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Now isn't that looking the business! Some great progress there Jon. Take your time laying the track and you should experience very few derailments. I can remember the same feeling of trepidation when I first started out. I used to dread turning up the power for fear of seeing one of the locos heading over the sides. It only happened on one occasion and it wasn't the loco but the rake of coaches that went over! Fortunately they landed on soft ground and were more or less undamaged. That particular mishap was caused by the coach couplings and had nothing to do with the track. It won't be long before you feel at ease with 2 or more trains running at once - just take your time and do it right from the outset, you won't regret it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonblakeney Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share Posted February 5, 2014 Hi Mick . Yeah the progress is promising,it shouldn't be to much longer before I'm getting up steam ,so to speak.When I start to lay track all care will be taken and no corners cut. I have learned many lessons from my indoor adventures over the years and only smooth running is aceptable I am now tossing up between double mains or a single line with two sidings,time will tell,still i might add another main as funds become available? More photo's will be added as progress happens. Jon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traingeekboy Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 It looks really good so far. I AM staying tuned, uh... lets see it's almost 11 am in the USA... ok, I'm going to be sitting here a while. Guess I'll make some coffee. I made my baseboards big enough for a dual line, but only had the one line in for the first go. I highly advise getting trains rolling ASAP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonblakeney Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 Yeah I hate having to wait ,but I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel I hope you have a lot of coffee because I probably won't be working on it till late next week I should have some more funds to use by Thursday . This post has reached the end of the post,so no more will be posted till posting resumes Thursday ish,post post post post n post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonblakeney Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 Except this one A consist with track (nail) cleaner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonblakeney Posted February 13, 2014 Author Share Posted February 13, 2014 Shock horror !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have just noticed sagging on the 2 metre lengths of track supports,and that's before the ply has been laid,and there is no way that I am planting any more posts at moment BUGGER,BUGGER,BUGGER I HAVE MADE A DECISION TO SWITCH TO STEEL ANGLE 50MMX50MMX 3MM. AT A COST OF $42.00 FOR 7.5 METRES(6 LENGTHS OR SO SHOULD DO IT ) Ishould have gone this way to start with but thought I might save cash with the Eco deck,WRONG !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. OH WELL LIVE AND LEARN THEY SAY. Now to find a use for the ecodeck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grockle Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Now to find a use for the ecodeck Time to put a Prawn on the Barbie and have a cool one Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonblakeney Posted February 15, 2014 Author Share Posted February 15, 2014 Sounds good to me . I should have some progress with the steel to show by next week if all goes as planned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 2 metres is a big distance, but your reports of sagging did surprise me, because your construction looks solid. I've now spotted your problem, and adding metal bracing may not necessarily solve it. You have built a series of "Beam Bridges" to carry your baseboard. Beam bridges sag. These days beam bridges are common, but they tend to be build of reenforced concrete, which isn't prone to sagging. Beam bridges have to be very rigid, because all their weight has to be carried by the supports at the end. If you purchase steel to brace your boards and then add them in between your posts then you will be adding more weight to your beam bridge and the sagging may persist. If you can add your steel angle so they cantilever between your posts, then you should get a very flat baseboard. A 2metre length of steel needs to be placed with it's middle over the post. The end of the steel should then meet the end of the next bar half way between the posts, and so on. Ideally you should join the steel lengths together, but if they are meeting a metre from each post they should be balanced. On straight sections things will go much better if you can work with longer lengths of 4 or 6 metres. Think it though and I'm sure you will be able to work out the optimal way to work with your 7.5m angle. Looking at your current set up I think you will have to move the green cross beams down (sorry, it looks like you have a lot of them) to make room for your steel angle. You will need to screw your steel to your baseboard on a regular basis. That reminds me, I didn't join my (aluminium) bars at there ends, I doubled up the number of screws into the baseboard at the joins and that did the trick. I have http://www.oogardenrailway.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=250' rel="external nofollow">written some notes here which may be of small interest. If you get your bracing right you'll have a flat baseboard for years. I have a 10 metre shelf on the right side of my garden that is still perfectly flat after 3 winters. The shelf on the left, which I didn't get right was sagging after 2 and I'll be replacing most of it this year, before it reaches its 4th birthday. Hope that's of help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonblakeney Posted February 16, 2014 Author Share Posted February 16, 2014 Hi Chris,I plan to use the steel angle as the replacement of the wood beams,not to brace what is allready built,ply wood will be screwed or riveted directly to the steel angle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 OK My aluminimum bars are rigid enough to span between the supports which are 1.8 metres apart, I would think your steel will be fine. Just make sure your ply baseboards don't join up over the supports. Off set them by at least 300mm and you'll be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonblakeney Posted February 17, 2014 Author Share Posted February 17, 2014 Thanks mate ,great addvice ,that's the way I will d o it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonblakeney Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 After my sagging incident a change to 50mm x 50mm x 3mm steel angle is now my best friend. I am thinking of topping the steel with 5 mm hardy board,(looks like fibro but it isn't) you can score it with a stanley knife then snap along the score ,and it won't warp like ply wood,it's easy to drill through to hold the track down to. Has anybody else used this method as id'e like some feed back fellow train men? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanR Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 (edited) That steel angle looks just the job. With a frame like that I don't think it will matter where you join your boards. I've never come across Hardie board but there seems to plenty of info on the net about it. I'd be interested to know how you get on with it if you do use it. Edited February 26, 2014 by Guest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 I'm with Ian, that's just the job, and it isn't going to sag whatever you do with your baseboards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonblakeney Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 Wish I had gone this way in the first place ,oh well. I will try to get to the steel suppliers for some more steel this afternoon. Stay Posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonblakeney Posted February 26, 2014 Author Share Posted February 26, 2014 I stand corrected Ian,the product I plan to top it with is called Villa board, $13.00 per 4.2 meter's it's 230mm wide and 5mm thick. There is some photo's of today's progress, I think one month and I should be laying track I can't wait to get some trains a rolling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanR Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Here in the UK, Wickes, amongst others sell a product called Aquapanel, would seem to be similar to what you're using. I'm not sure if these products will accept pins or screws, I would be interested to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Blimey....I saw that first photo and thought you'd got some catenary erected! Those steel angle supports look the business to me. Doesn't look like you've got many more to install so I expect we'll be seeing some track in the not too distant future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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