08-02-2012, 02:11 AM
Thanks guys! 
Ralph:
It's all going to be manual labor the hard way. I haven't done the math and figured out just how much dirt we need yet, but it's not as bad as it looks. The roadbed is all level, and the height above ground varies from 30cm in front of the deck to around 60cm at the far curve. There's also going to be a water feature somewhere in there, reducing the need for landfill in that area, and we plan to use some bigger rocks for cliffs and mountains along the center line (that's the part I dread...).
Dave and Reinhard:
We were recommended a raised trackbed to ease the maintenance later on, as well as providing a comfortable working height when firing up the engine. As the layout expands, there will also be some areas on ground level for variety.
As the layout becomes operational, we plan to redo all the surrounding areas as well, rip up the lawn and replace it with walkways and smaller flower beds. There will be a low stone wall all around the railroad area, with a planted ridge leading up to the tracks. At the slope side, we will probably dig into the slope and make a higher wall at some areas, to make it easier to reach the track and view the trains up close at a comfortable height.
The slope around the exposed posts will remain in some way or another. These posts are only temporary to provide continuous running, and will be replaced by a trestle.
Svein
Ralph:
It's all going to be manual labor the hard way. I haven't done the math and figured out just how much dirt we need yet, but it's not as bad as it looks. The roadbed is all level, and the height above ground varies from 30cm in front of the deck to around 60cm at the far curve. There's also going to be a water feature somewhere in there, reducing the need for landfill in that area, and we plan to use some bigger rocks for cliffs and mountains along the center line (that's the part I dread...).
Dave and Reinhard:
We were recommended a raised trackbed to ease the maintenance later on, as well as providing a comfortable working height when firing up the engine. As the layout expands, there will also be some areas on ground level for variety.
As the layout becomes operational, we plan to redo all the surrounding areas as well, rip up the lawn and replace it with walkways and smaller flower beds. There will be a low stone wall all around the railroad area, with a planted ridge leading up to the tracks. At the slope side, we will probably dig into the slope and make a higher wall at some areas, to make it easier to reach the track and view the trains up close at a comfortable height.
The slope around the exposed posts will remain in some way or another. These posts are only temporary to provide continuous running, and will be replaced by a trestle.
Svein