GardenRailways.com 45Who knew there was such peril lurking in the
shadows of a sprawling white pine? That’s
where Kent pointed out another problematic
patch of roadbed approaching his timber
trestle. Marc immediately recognized the
shortcomings of this section, and wisely
suggested how adding wood cribbing could
be a simple solution. Even better, Kevin
Strong’s “Cribbing at Three Lick Creek”
feature story in the December 2009 issue of
Garden Railways shows the step-by-step
process required to build and install this
type of structure.
But leave it to David and Kent to try
something else! In this case, the two teamed
up to cast a concrete abutment for the criti-
cal curve section. You can follow their
efforts in Episode 4 of Rehab My Railroad –
Outdoors, but only if you’re a subscriber to
MRVideoPlus.com video streaming service.
In fact, that’s where you’ll discover plenty of
other Rehab projects that aren’t covered in
the pages of any publication.7ȡ0Ț(Ȫ7Ȫ(ȫ7Ȥ(7Ȫ,ș*ȝ
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David formed a scale retaining
wall cut from 1 x 6 cedar
boards to help hold back the
runaway roadbed.
Keeping Marc’s advice in mind,
David confirmed that each
section of the wall was set
plumb and level.With the wall in place, David
then backfilled the roadbed
slope with plenty of densely
packed ballast.Finally, Kent used brown
camouflage spray paint to
give the roadbed a
weathered appearance.Kent shared that trouble
along the trestle began
with ballast eroding
under both approaches.- Marc suggested
installing wood cribbing
similar to what GR’s own
Kevin Strong built. - Once assembled,
installed, and backfilled
with ballast, the cribbing
effectively retains the
approaching a bridge
or trestle. - Along with wood
cribbing, adding a sturdy
cut stone or cast
concrete foundation
underneath the
approach helps further
solidify the trackwork.
A few big rocks does not a sturdy abutment make! David and Kent
wisely decided to form a more durable cast concrete approach.Cr
ibbingconstruction^ photosbyKevinStrong