Got to go outside today...

[AyTrane]

It got up to 30degrees today. I stopped by a local hobby shop I had never been to before and scored a box of 1' track for $3.89 a piece. This is much better than the $8+ price that HobbyTown was charging. So I headed home and went and did some temporary laying outside. I had brought all my track inside for the winter for maintenance, so I'm not able to run trains yet, but I should be able to after I do a little renovation to my pond.

I was just happy to be able to do something outside!

 

[UP2CSX]

Adam, one foot of track for $3.89 is a good deal but it sure puts the price of garden railroading into perspective. I've looks at some of the huger garden railroads on the web and often wondered just how much the track alone cost. I'm glad it's at least warm enough you can do something outside without checking for frostbite every 15 minutes.

 

[AyTrane]

It's an amazing deal; I had been paying near $8 a foot. Some of the garden railroads you see use stainless steel, and that stuff is even more ridiculously priced. It kind of makes you wonder how over priced HO track is!

 

[MrTrain]

I was paying 7.50 per foot , takes a lot of saving to lay track

 

[Southwest Chief]

I was paying 7.50 per foot , takes a lot of saving to lay track

Are you using Llagas Creek nickel silver rail? That's what it's up to now per foot on assembled 6 foot sections. Looks great, but yes you have to save up to get it.

 

[AyTrane]

Now I've been getting a lot of work done. I got the drainage runoff done for the pond, and the excess pond liner buried in the ground. Preliminary track work laid down. I have been taking a tooth brush and Isopropyl Alcohol and cleaning out all the rail joiners and track. I then put a small amount of conduction paste in the joints. I should have done this last year, but I didn't think about it. I still haven't decided where to put my siding, but I better get that done before I finish all the brushing. Then comes Ballast, and building a 3' bridge to span the gorge that the pond run-off created for me. Then comes the tunnel under the waterfall...and finishing the waterfall.

Should be a fun summer!

 

[UP2CSX]

Adam, all of the work of gardening combined with the technical problems of electric trains. At least you've still got a little time before the blazing Nebraska summer heat makes it a real ball to do track work.

 

[AyTrane]

Yeah, the humid summers are no fun here. The weather lately has been really strange, today it's sixty degrees, and in two days we are supposed to get a bunch of snow!

I was testing trains the other day and came across a clearance issue I have to deal with. Fortunately...like I said, it is nice today, so I'm getting a lot done.

Better get back to it!

 

[AyTrane]

I had Pennsy 863 running today.

I have the adult Koi in the pond now.

Water is barreling down the creek

Train heading up the grade to it's next adventure!