Garden Railways – August 2019

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MY RAILROAD

3 ș^5 Ȭ

It was no surprise that Marc had a keen

eye for spotting details that detracted

from the overall appearance of the rail-

road. One of the first issues he spotted

concerned the lone station on the line.

The structure was just fine, but how

Kent installed it in a downward sloping

manner wasn’t very realistic at all. Set-

ting things right would be as easy as

adding a basic foundation.

/ȝ9ȝ/%ȝ6Ȭ

Across from the slanted station is where the

crew found another common malady on the

main line. No matter how much or how often

they replaced the ballast (limestone traffic

bond) along this 8' run, even the lightest mist

of precipitation repeatedly caused the road-

bed shoulder to slough down the slope. A

severe, gravity-defying pitch was to blame,

so David jumped to the task of cutting cedar

boards used to assemble a simple retaining

wall along the roadbed.

5ȧ$Ȝ%ȝ'5ȝ7ș,Ȧ(Ȫ

44 GARDEN RAILWAYS FALL 2019

The author leads GR Founding Editor Marc Horovitz on a tour of the progress. Marc’s

keen insights inspired the crew to complete a few more rehab projects.

Adding a poured concrete

foundation or a pad under a

structure helps keep it level.

For a less resilient structure,

placing it on a paver stone, makes

it easy to remove for the winter.

Even large scale ballast won’t hold up

against the elements or the natural angle of

repose (1½:1 slope).

A slightly cocked installation or a

wide gap underneath a building

can be a huge distraction.