Evening steamites, I spent an enjoyable evening last night meandering through the archives. I then wrote a scintillating post, full of wit and sage thinking, on a variety of topics I found there, only to have my computer freeze as I got to the end of it. That oughta' learn me! So, herewith, a much shortened post on one of the subjects - where do you build your track; way down there or up about here? As I noted in my intro, my new line is scheduled for this spring, after the new fence goes in. I'll be building it up about here. Yes, I know all the best looking photos are all taken on ground level lines, but me and my brand new knees won't be doing any more yard-crawling, I think. Max. height will be about 38" at the end of the lot, about 30" at the tail of the yard. Up towards the house it will be elevated about a foot. I have the option in the future of doing just like the prototype, and filling around all those post and beam trestle sections, and extending the landscaped part of the garden to surround the railway. I figure that if I wait 'till I get all the walls built first, I could be dead before I ever get to run a train. Better this way I think, railway first, fancy landscaping, retaining walls, et al, later. The line will also be level, although I've designed in the possibility of a branch line at about 3% steady grade, should I get bored with the 'easy' driving on the flat. I'm putting the fence in with alternate 4x4 and 2x4 posts, 4' on center, so the fence supported parts will have solid supports a maximum of 4' apart. For the rest of it, I'm tempted to use deck blocks and 4x4s, and just adjust things every spring. The problem with this is that one of the things that I'd like to avoid is all the spring track levelling that seems to be a big part of opening the line in the spring. While I have to admit that I do like the look of a train on a ground level line (irrespective of all the arguments about point of view and perspective), on balance, I think things come out in favour of elevated. I run regularly at two ground level lines, one of which is built to what I consider to be the ultimate bullet proof method. The track base is 1x1/8" mild steel bar, bent to radius and profile and joined with lap joints. The hand laid track panels (code 148 rail) are screwed down to the steel base. It's the only one I've seen in the great white north, that doesn't need a whole lot of work, come spring. in fact, other than dressing the ballast, I don't think he's had to do anything to it in 3 years. The other is built on a spline roadbed made of the lath strips that they use to separate timbers when they're stacked for pressure treatment. The lath ends up pressure treated too, and is a throw away at the local garden supply place. It's considerably more flexible, and moves a lot more with winter frost action. Can't wait for spring, Peter Foley Hamilton, Ontario.
