Hello. My name is Les Whitaker. I live near the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi, in MO. I am a retired tool and die maker who wants to build a garden RR. I understand the width between the rails is 2", though everyone says 45mm. I plan to build everything I possibly can, including tracks. I have much more time and tools than money. Just now I’m trying to decide between battery and remote control, or DC-powered trackage w. blocks. Of course I have a multitude of questions, but those two ought to suffice for this post. Any thoughts on pro or con of the two power sources, and building my own track would be appreciated. If anyone would also care to point me at sites that sell component parts, like motors, couplers, etc, I’d be very grateful. You can feel free to email me: hoofe@sbcglobal.net. I’m rather clumsy navigating lists.
Having been born and raised in Southern Illinois only 60 miles from St. Louis, I know the climatic conditions you’re going to be faced with. My recommendation would be to consider battery power so you don’t have to continually clean track, and it sounds like you have plenty of time to consider the available options.
One source of parts and kits that I have dealt with is Northeast Narrow Gauge in Wiscasset, Maine. Their web site is http://www.nemodel.com
The only other advice I would tender at this time is that you subscribe to Garden Railways magazine. I learned a lot from the magazine before I began construction, and I think it kept me from making a lot of mistakes.
Your not that far away. we are in Nebraska City , NE.
You’ll have to wade through all the info you’ll hear. But life is much simpler and cheaper going onboard battery/RC. Easier on building switchs, saves money on railclaps, power packs , figuring out where to put the panel. There is very simple ways to do it.
Radio/battery keeps you from A)wiring, B) having 100 outside, C) cleaning track, D) running when you want, and E) you can use any track (I use aluminum)…
I have a small railroad, and only radio battery, have had 20 trains at once running.
Small, Dave you crack me up, your layout is pretty large.
Les, I would go with RCS. It is a great system, and like Curmudgeon said it keeps you from wiring, having 100 outside, cleaning track, running when you want, and you can use any track.
I looked in to making my own track some time ago, and I found for me, at least, it was more cost effective to purchase Aristocraft track at the hobby shop. As a tool and die maker, though, you might have a good supply of metal suitable for rails. Take a look at this site: http://gscalechuffchuff.com/
You can go with traditional track power if you want, if you’re not in to the electronics side of the hobby RC is probably the best way to go. Some of these guys will have to let us know about their RC systems… What they use and how it works.
I built a long jig to hold the ties I cut from old skid wood.
I could not cut all the ties exact measurements. But 90% fit.
I hand layed tie plates and rails. Could not keep them in gage and placements. Then spiking was a real pain to get it right.
I did find that the best spiking pattern was = first rail / then second rail same tie . next tie first rail \ then second rail /. Next tie first rail / second rail \ continue the pattern.
it took a lot of time and patiance but i started to turn out some good 5 foot sections.
Then I made a jig to hold the ties in place. I decided that the tie plates were a pain and did not add anything but time and cost. I made a jig to run a rotter over the ties and cut a grove to place the rail in.
Getting the rotter to the correct depth was a pain. Then when I need more ties. I could not get the grove correct depth again or the same.
The rail alinement jig did help to aline and hold the rails as I spiked.
Then I ran into a problem making curves. Each curve is different.
So I turned to Aristo Craft. I purchased a lot when They were on sale.
a problem with Aristo and other plastic ties. The rail will pop out and the rail hold down (Spike like) breaks off.
I think Dave TOC has a small RR. Its nice and comfortable. Just right for a man of his,age.
BTW All of us have to clean track, many of us simply don’t clean the rail.
Thanks for the kind reply. I intend to build an 1890’s era RR. The first structure will be a model of an Ozark sawmill I actually hauled logs to. Of course, that’s after I have perhaps 10-20 feet of test track graded and laid. I’ll be building on a slope, so there will be a lot of cuts on one side of the grade. Wife and I want to put in a pond, so there’s that to be done so I can build a trestle across it. I want to find a source of motors/gears, as I want to build my engines and rolling stock. I haven’t spent a dime, yet, but I do think a subscription to garden RR is the first money I’ll lay down.
I am reasonably sure I’ll use battery power + RC, as that seems best, but I have to get familiar with prices on motors and gear trains. As I posted Marty, I’m going to subscribe to Garden RR right after the first of the year and try to get up to speed. Years ago wife and I had an 027 layout that I sold. All the old stuff. (Indoor, needless to say). Now, I want to be outside more. The only thing that might chill the battery/RC is price. I know wiring, and blocks and etc are a pain, but they’re doable on the cheap.
1.777" you say? Center to center of rails, or outside to outside, or inside to inside? I haven’t been able to determine that simple question after hours on the web. Of course, I could carry my calipers to a train shop and measure, but I am very weak where model trains are concerned. I’m leaning to battery/RC for the very reasons you mentioned.
Thanks for taking a moment to reply. I don’t have a source of metals. The wiring is no insurmountable problem, it’s just a lot of hard, boring work. I’m really sorta sick of hard, boring work. I hope I can afford the RC route.
Thanks for the insights on building track. Would a jig cut to depth help you reset your router each time? It’d be like a depth gauge, and plenty close enough where wood’s concerned. I’ll go look at railclamps.
Well, if I’m not confused, and if Dave (curmudgeon?) TOC is running 20 G gauge trains at once, it couldn’t be much over five acres, could it? And I forgot to ask about pneumatic switches. Those sound interesting! Never thought of that. What had slid across my mind was a compressed-air tank on a flatcar in front of the engine for cleaning the railbed. Much experimentation would have to be done, first.
I get “close enough” (Within about 1/32") by simply running a “master” piece and resetting the router to that height after adjusting it. Simply cut an extra tie and paint it or something to distinguish it from the other ones and use that to adjust your router.
Les, I have much in common with you however i do live on the other side of the world and i disagree with just about every one on everything so you will get a refreshing opposite point of view from me. I live on the Sunshine Coast in the Australian state of Queensland, about 20 minutes walk from the Coral Sea.
I make my track from a kit and i buy the rail from our club, they have there own die and LGB sleepers (ties) from overseas in Europe or from the importer, depending on how much time i have. I bend all my own track and am pretty proficient at it these days and for me this is the best way to go; for many reasons.
I don’t think much of DC and only slightly more of radio control, they are not what i want but that doesn’t mean it isn’t what others want. I am into DCC and i am keen on automating my layout, I have even designed and made my own electronic device to so do. i am also not interested in American stuff at all, more central European and that is the beauty of this hobby there is no right or wrong way of doing anythiing.
Well all the best to you and i hope you do ok with what you hope to achieve,
