My Garden Railway Build - 1/1 Scale :-)

[armyairforce]

After 7pm, it was still 22 degrees, but I went back outside to start spreading gravel. The gravel was quite dusty, with a fine silt all over. I didn't want this washing onto the the weed membrane, as it was just going to provide somewhere for weeds to grow. So all the gravel was washed as I scooped it out of the bags, to get the worst of the silt off before spreading it around.

I balanced the wheelbarrow on the sleeper wall and loaded it up with washed gravel. This could then be wheeled along the top of the wall and onto the track bed.

 

[armyairforce]

By 9:30pm, I'd emptied three bags, the equivalent of one 850Kg bag. It looks like it has covered a large area, but it isn't packed down and isn't at full height yet, so still a long way to go.

 

[BigGRacing]

Still looking good though as it comes along!

 

[Jaz avalley]

You’ll need some good woodworking skills to mock up the front of an engine coming into view…wiggles eyebrows…
maybe the tail end of a wagon would be easier…..runs…….

 

[armyairforce]

June 22nd

Further gravel washing and spreading continued on the 22nd, filling the area across the end of the track, closest to the hawthorn hedge. This area ended up taking a full 850Kg bag to fill it.

June 23rd

I spent much of Friday the 23rd, decanting the three remaining bulk bags, into six other bags, giving me a total of nine at a little under 300Kg each. Nothing was done over the weekend, as I was at a Fly-In in Yorkshire on Saturday and a local Jeep event on Sunday.

June 26th

On Monday morning, I got the Dodge back out, re-assembled the crane and started transporting the gravel to the bottom of the garden. Eighteen trips in all. Reverse up the drive to the front, hook up the load, drive forwards to the back of the house and onto the lawn, then reverse down the lawn and drop the load by the railway. Then forwards up the lawn, reverse onto the drive and backwards to the front of the house to repeat again.

This took me until lunch time. I took seven bags to the build site and because I may have a little more than needed, dropped the last two at the back of the workshop. If I need them for the railway, I can move them, otherwise, they are in the right place for spreading on the drive.

Out of the seven bags dumped on the new lawn area, another two bags of gravel were washed, tipped into the wheel barrow, wheeled around to the fence section and tipped out. That was then spread around with a garden rake, used upside down, so the prongs didn't cut into the weed membrane. The rake was the easiest way to move the gravel around the sleepers and rails. Everywhere has at least a thin covering of gravel, but along the gate and three gaps between sleepers all need building up in height. That took me until late afternoon and then I packed up as I had to be out early evening.

 

[armyairforce]

June 28th

The 28th was a day of heavy showers. I was out spreading gravel again, but there were frequent pauses, hiding in the shed, waiting for rain to pass. The plant in the first picture is now shedding flowers into the gravel. Having blown them all away with a leaf blower, I covered the area with a plastic sheet. I need to cut this plant back at some point soon, but for now, the plastic will protect the area.

I partially opened the gate and that allowed me to access the track with the wheelbarrow. The remaining areas between the sleepers were slowly filled and raked out. Once up to the top of the sleepers, I was then able to barrow loads to the edge of the track and build that up to the wooded edging. When it comes time to do the earth embankment, I'll have to cover the gravel so I don't spill top soil on it. The conifer in the foreground also needs a little trimming.

 

[armyairforce]

The area along the gate was the last to be filled for the day, though it still needs building up a little more along the decorative sleepers to the side and far end. I still have one 300Kg load by the railway to finish this area. I'll hang on to the other 600Kg by the workshop for now, in case there is any settling that needs a top up. There's no hurry to spread that on the driveway.

By the end of the day, I'd emptied another four bags of gravel, around another 1200Kg and have most of the area filled to its final level. I've decided not to go with a top layer of silver/grey granite. I quite like the colour of the cream/brown/grey mix of the river gravel. It will also save me another £100. After the last of the gravel has been spread out, I'll be moving on to levelling the lawn area, ready for seeding. The final layer of decorative sleepers on the wall will probably be left until all the building works are complete.

 

[Rico]

Wow love how this is coming along!
If I were closer (like that side of the water) I’d get you a speeder or handcar for the scene.

 

[armyairforce]

June 30th

The Fuchsia was shedding flowers at the slightest breeze, so cutting it back was a priority to save the ballast from being covered, particularly with strong winds forecast. I started chopping away, cutting it back and down in height and in the end, had filled a half ton dumpy bag full of cuttings.

After sweeping up the bits on the plastic sheet, it was moved to around the conifer, as that also needed trimming. While the hedge trimmers were out, I also cut back the purple bush on the lawn, which while it was only trimmed a couple of months ago, had also sprouted eighteen inch long stems. Just as I finished that, the rain started and it just got heavier. That ended work for the day.

 

[armyairforce]

The trimming left the railway area much more tidy, but it will look so much better once the embankment is built and planted and is showing some colour.

July 1st/2nd

There was more rain on the 1st, but I managed to paint the inside edge of the lawn edging sleepers with bitumen before the rain came. Sunday the 2nd was better, though still a few showers. I started barrowing topsoil from the bulk bag by the workshop to the new lawn, then raking it out level.

The first layer was slowly walked over to pack it down before a second layer was added to bring it up to the final height. This gave me an indication of how much topsoil I'd need for the rest of the lawn. The rest of the day was spent trimming the laurel. On the morning of the 3rd, I ordered eight tons of topsoil to finish the lawn and the embankment. That should arrive on Wednesday morning.

 

[glenng6]

Stephen,
That's a project and a half you've got going on there. I can't wait to see it finished. Glenn

 

[glenng6]

Stephen,
I learned to drive a stick on a US Army jeep, very similar to yours. That was at Fort Carson, in Colorado. Approximately, Sept '68. My next stick will be a Z. Wanna race? Glenn

 

[armyairforce]

Stephen,
I learned to drive a stick on a US Army jeep, very similar to yours. That was at Fort Carson, in Colorado. Approximately, Sept '68. My next stick will be a Z. Wanna race? Glenn

I had a Jeep drag race last year - I won!

 

[dgrafix]

Nice track work! Any plans to expand it? Few more feet and you could stick a shorty loco on it

 

[armyairforce]

Nice track work! Any plans to expand it? Few more feet and you could stick a shorty loco on it

What you see is all there will be. It's just a garden feature to take up some land. I think it has cost around £640 for the 16.5 feet ( rail, sleepers, ballast and gate restoration ).

 

[glenng6]

I had a Jeep drag race last year - I won!

Good for you! Always feels good to win. Glenn

 

[armyairforce]

July 5th

At around 8:15am on Wednesday morning, a big truck turned up loaded with 8 tons of topsoil. Rather than a tipper truck, it had a crane and grab to unload it. I tried to rig a bulk bag to hold it open so the soil could be dumped into the bags, but the soil weight kept flattening the bag. So I gave up on that idea and just got the soil dumped on the drive.

I had a number of bulk bags from previous deliveries, though some were being used to cover the new lawn area to stop weed growth. I had an old plastic tarp with some holes that I spread out on the lawn area instead, so that I could use the bags for moving the topsoil.

 

[armyairforce]

By the end of the afternoon, I'd partially filled fifteen bulk bags with around 3~400Kg in each to be within the lifting ability of my Dodge, without overloading the rear springs. It was really tiring, so assuming I can move tomorrow, I'll get the Dodge out again and start transporting it to the back garden.

In other news, the two veggie planters are filling out well with carrots, cauliflowers, cabbage, potatoes and strawberries. I had a temporary net over the strawberries to keep the birds off, but finished a more practical netting frame today, with opening lids for easy access. I need another larger one for the other planter, but that's probably a rainy day project.

 

[armyairforce]

July 6th

No pictures for today. I had the Dodge out to move the soil, so it's nothing that you haven't already seen. I got eleven of the bags transported to the back garden, with nine of them dropped on the left side of the lawn and the earth ramp from the lower lawn. Two bags were dropped by the workshop as I was running out of space. I left the right side of the lawn empty, so that I can pull back the weed membrane to start spreading the soil. Once the right side of the lawn is levelled and the current bags are empty, I can drop the next load on the right side and work on the left.

 

[armyairforce]

July 7th

On the 7th, I started spreading soil. The nine bags on the lawn, have now all been emptied and raked out to flatten the surface. Around 3.5 tons at a guess. It's not level, as the height of the garden drops from left to right towards the railway, but it's moderately flat now.

It's not quite up to the final lawn height and I haven't filled the ramp from the lower lawn yet. I need to bag and transport more soil from the front garden before I can go further - Sunday's job.