RailRoadFan.com

Updates on building a miniature railway seem insignificant or irrelevant during an ongoing world pandemic.
Nonetheless progress re-setting up a 74-year-old railroad is taking place.

Building the sub grade began last year at this same time which included making a culvert utilizing broken concrete block from a building that existed on the property.
The earthwork had an entire year to settle and for grass and weeds to grow on the slopes.

Attached photos show early sub grade build up, recent ballast work and the construction of a (garden tractor) farm crossing using a couple pieces of 6X6 treated wood material.

The rudimentary, crudity, or primitiveness of wheel barrow and shovel construction methods are used throughout the project.
It takes longer to do things by hand, but at the end of the day I feel better for doing the physical activity.
It also alleviates the yard from getting all tore up from equipment tread marks.

I'll update this thread from time-to-time as incremental progress is further made.

For reference, here's the URL to the history behind the railroad:

http://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?boob ... n_Railroad

John

What a neat project. I look forward to more updates.

Same here, looking forward to updates.

Jetlink wrote:What a neat project. I look forward to more updates.

Brief Update.

There is a little more rise going over the culvert (a couple inches or so) I'm likely going to accept.
Going through the curve, the elevation changes slightly again but my objective of keeping the route as flat and level as possible is working out nicely.

With additional voids required to be filled in, LOTS, and LOTS of ballast tamping is on the schedule. So far, I'm pleased with how the track work is going.

I'm getting a kick out of comments from the neighbors. They are witnessing all this physical labor and work.
For me, I'm slightly curious as to how many hand held shovel loads exist in 10 yards of stone.
Maybe a math wizard among the on-looker's here could figure that out for me.

In the meantime, it's back to work.

John

Economy-of-means signal installation.

No complicated mechanical mechanism.

No line-wires.
No Wi-Fi connection.
No computer software.

Simple enough operating rule for five-year-old to understand.

SLOW DOWN, and Stop Ahead ; )

John

My 1939 issue of Railway Engineering and Maintenance Cyclopedia has been sitting on the kitchen table
for a few weeks now. Browsing its many pages during a lunch, or "meal", one particular photo continues to
stand out to me in the section devoted to track work. If you look carefully, you will notice a man with his head
down to the rail. (No, he's not listening for a train to arrive ; ) He's doing what I've been doing lately. Ha HA ; )

It's a long way down there sometimes... and just as far to get back up, but [it is] a useful gesture for checking on
how things are going with track leveling. I could spend time rigging a mirror arrangement at some point to save
my bones on all the traveling. "But" probably not.

More earth work, and more earth work.

No complaints about any of the shovels I've been using.

The $89.00 wheel borrow I have is somewhat [less than] however.
I threw a massive chunk of concrete into it recently... causing a good size fracture.
It still holds material.. but now there is no need to tip it upside down during storage for rain water drainage.

Next update, I'll share with you my results at casting concrete foundations for the various "heavy pipe" signals
my grandfather fabricated back in the '60s.

Re-building and setting up a Miniature Railroad /slash/ (Railway) during a world wide pandemic,

John

Looking good!