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 Posted - January 24 2015 : 9:06:38 PM
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So I've had this idea in my head for the last couple of years. It involves taking a G scale train, either a cheap New Bright type or maybe one of those radio control Lionels, and making a railroad in our flower beds. We have raised flower beds around our house, with railroad ties for the edges. If I were rich, I could easily put a bunch of track through out it and have a "garden" type layout. But I'm not rich, in fact far from it. Sooooo......
What about taking cheap 1x4 lumber, and ripping it on a table saw to make rails. Shorter sections could be chopped up to make ties. Nail/glue/paint/seal it all together in the shape of track and run some kind of battery powered train on it.
Am I crazy? No wait...I know the answer to that... ... but what about this idea? Any thoughts?
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Posted - January 24 2015 : 9:45:40 PM
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It could work. How long of a track are you thinking?
I bought a brass 4' circle, then later when I had more money I bought a case of 2400 mm (nearly 4' each) brass flex for my outside loop. I run Bachmann Big Haulers on it around the flower beds.
~ Dave
They're ALL toys
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Posted - January 24 2015 : 10:16:27 PM
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Many G scalers are getting into the Battery operated mode, makes it much simpler as the trackwork doesn't have to conduct the electricity, just the battery wiring to the engine does.
However, making your own rails? How are you going to make them consistently out of wood?  There's cheap, then there's cheap. You might could find a cheap source of G scale plastic track, and just use that. They haven't made it in awhile, though. But the Bachmann plastic track is out there for sale, on Ebay and other places. I think you'd spend far more time in making track, and trying to get it to gauge properly, than it's worth. Get a 2nd job, save that money, and buy some track, fergoshsakes. Yikes.
Jerry in VA
Edit, update - apparently Aristo makes aluminum track, and so does this company -
http://www.llagastrack.com/
The .250 inch high aluminum track, while smaller than the .325 height of regular G brass track, seems to work for the Bachmann and LGB engines OK. And it runs $21 for a 6 foot piece of flex-track, vs paying 6 per foot for brass. So you can save about 50% if you go with aluminum track. Some issues with long-term track power use, but if you're going to be using a battery, then no problem there. Might be worth looking into using aluminum track/rail instead of brass. Either way, I'd say a better way than trying to make wooden track yourself.
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
Edited by - AMC_Gremlin_GT on January 24 2015 10:44:47 PM
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Posted - January 24 2015 : 10:46:34 PM
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quote:What about taking cheap 1x4 lumber, and ripping it on a table saw to make rails. Shorter sections could be chopped up to make ties. Nail/glue/paint/seal it all together in the shape of track and run some kind of battery powered train on it.
Originally posted by burlington77Â -Â January 24 2015Â :Â 9:06:38 PM
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There have been full-size railroads with wooden rail so it's not without precedent or prototype. I once read about "Baker's Rawhide Railroad from Wallula to Wallawalla Washington." The rawhide was fastened to the top inside corner of the rail to keep it from splintering, but unbeknownst to Baker, but much beknownst to the wildlife, rawhide is edible. Mostly, he ended up protecting the edge of the rail with strap iron. You wouldn't need that, since your smaller trains are unlikely to splinter wood.
I think decay will be your biggest challenge. I think the biggest solution is, like the prototype, to keep it as well drained and dry as you can. Also, if the sealer is something that soaks in like a stain rather than something that coats like paint, it won't peel and get moisture under it.
I think this idea could work up into something pretty cool. If you get it running, it would be great to see the pictures and hear your practical experience of it.
Carpe Manana!
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Posted - January 25 2015 : 10:06:23 PM
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Thanks for the comments, guys.
RDC1: As for length, it's a lot. I was thinking a loop that runs two sides of the house or more. We're looking at 150 ft. or so.
AMC: There's cheap, then there's cheap, then there's hillbilly cheap. That's where I'm at.
I'll probably never get anywhere with this, but rest assured...if I do, you'll see it here.
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Posted - January 25 2015 : 10:51:22 PM
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hey I has a R/C Bachmann train avalible 
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Posted - January 25 2015 : 10:59:28 PM
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| My "local" as in 20 some miles away Menards has a Lionel set for 69.99. It's tempting.
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Posted - January 26 2015 : 07:42:09 AM
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B77:
A thing people used to do, 80 years ago, to get low-cost track, was to make the rails from metal strips, set on edge in saw-kerfs cut partway through the wooden ties. This was also the type of track sold in early commercial sets by Carlisle & Finch and others.
What worked in the 1930s Depression era could work just as well in the 2010s Depression era, why not? If you know of a place that ships or receives items on pallets, you can use steel bundle strap for the rail. Switches will need a little ingenuity, but I think I would try to make the Tru-Scale closing frog style.
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Posted - January 26 2015 : 08:50:09 AM
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| How would the expansion and contraction of wood affect the gauge of the track?
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Posted - January 26 2015 : 10:51:07 AM
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quote:How would the expansion and contraction of wood affect the gauge of the track?
Originally posted by tkruger - January 26 2015 : 08:50:09 AM
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No worse than any track laid on wood ties.
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