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A Beginner's Site in Southern AZ

141K views 724 replies 39 participants last post by  fyrekop 
#1 ·
Since it was suggested by SD90WLMT AKA Dirk that there would be interest in another Southern AZ site I'm giving this a shot. In the past I've had HO and N gauge trains but since moving to AZ from CA I finally have room for G scale. Thanks to the guys at the Train Stop in Tucson I received a Aristocraft Live Steam Mikado for Christmas several years ago and that really started this project. As I'm a total newbie to the scale, MLS members have been a great help and inspiration. My site is about 70' x 35' and wraps around a mesquite tree that has some of the wife's roses planted around it. I'm not into kneeling on gravel all the time so two walls were required to raise the site about 20" above grade and separate the tree and roses from my "toys". Track planning has been done with 2 of the commercial software packages available and track spacing is based upon suggestions from MLS members to questions posted in the Beginner's Forum. I'm planning on staying with 1:29 and 1:24 scale, but again at suggestions from MLS folks I'm going to build big enough to handle 1:20.3 in case there are visitors that want to run their own equipment.
The project has gone from "When I win the lottery" size to "Darn that's a lot of bricks to carry."
200 bricks for around the tree and roses then 1600 (10+ pallets) for that 20" wall. Add 14 dump truck loads of dirt, trench in 2 power drops (1 20 amp the other 15 amp) and a water supply. That's were I'm at so far. As soon as I figure out how to add photos to this site I'll do so. I'm sure I'll get plenty of feedback, along with chuckles, guffaws, and shaking heads from members. Alll suggestions are appreciated, although some will be taken with a grain of salt, I'm sure.
 
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#2 ·
Welcome to the moving dirt corps. We have all been there and the results are worth it. My RRs in Colorado and Virginia required moving material. My quasi temporary RR in Sun City sits on a patio. It comes out when we arrive and goes in when we leave. Nancy and I hope to get down to southern AZ in April sometime. It would be nice to meet you and John. We've already had the pleasure of meeting Dirk. When we know our plans I'll let you guys know and I hope we can meet up. Chuck PICTURES, PICTURES!!!
 
#3 ·
Welcome to the running thread corp as well!
Pics... Get a freebie act at Photobucket or the photo hosting site of your choice, upload your pics there, post link here. Then you can learn to embed them...

On my old layout I had too many rocks, now I don't think I have enough! I find mine at the end of a 4 X 4 road....

Good to see ... will be good to see ....your growing Empire too.

John
 
#4 ·
Have
n't been down in the Tucson area in years....heading out this morning to Adobe RR park to the swap meet, but I understand the limits of a Sun City patio railroad. Good for testing, honing track laying skills and keeping out of the way of hummingbirds. I'm going to start on a back yard project this summer in Flagstaff (about 60x120 feet), but the area is already fully landscaped, so it has to be elevated and has to be gardener friendly....sigh.
 
#6 ·
Good morning Alan, glad your here!!!!! THX!

I use ''Flicker'' to host My pix - then send 'em here for y'all to inspect!! Your choice like John said...

Let's see now Greg, John is west of me about 40 minutes or so, me thinks? Just outside of Tucson..
Alan is down below in Sierra Vista way, watching the snow melt off the mountains, an hour plus from Me..

A growing LS community right here is Very Sunny today AZ!!

Hoping to glue a final stretch of ballast AND lay,..... a 'token' RAIL today just fer fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have fun guys!! Dirk
 
#12 ·
Thanks for the tech help. Now if I can just get it to work. :) Now quick description of the photos that Andrew was kind enough to post correctly.
#1- site from east to west. There is about a 8" drop from the west to the east side. Already have the wall in place around the tree and roses.
#2 - looking north from the patio. I was limited to the west side due to leach-field pipes and to the east by new fruit trees
#3 - Marking stakes and string for outer wall and 3' walkway around the tree.
#4 - Scraping up several tons of gravel. Gravel was moved to other places in the yard rather than bury it which helped to offset future landscaping costs
 
#15 ·
Dirk walked me through how to put in the photos and even I can do it now. :)

I started the wall around the tree since yard drains from west to east which is a major consideration during the monsoons. The first course of block is in and leveled and extends out to the pathway opening. Marking stakes and string indicate where the wall will go.



Some time, and 1400 blocks, later the wall was done but I had to take down a section for the trucks to haul in the dirt.



After the driver made sure I had removed enough wall, he backed in and the real fun began.

 
#16 ·
Those trucks hold a lot of dirt




Then the dirt has to be moved from the big pile to fill in around the tree and out to the edges while the driver is going to get the next load. How many shovel loads does it take to move and level 200 cubic feet of dirt?
I have no idea. Work smarter not harder. :)



After 12 or 13 loads my helper showed up to start compacting the dirt.



After final load of dirt was delivered, the wall was rebuilt and back fill done. That was by the shovel full and I lost count after 25 or 30.



Fill in place and now letting nature aka rain and snow continue to compact the dirt. At the left end of the wall is the frame for my power station. To the left of framework is a water faucet disguised as a "rock". Rock was made using hydraulic cement method that I found on another thread in MLS. Flagstone pathway out to tree and roses has been started in the lower right.

 
#18 ·
Posted By chuck n on 16 Mar 2013 03:53 PM
Ed, I was out at the Adobe Mt. Swap meet this morning. I bought a windmill from Stan and had a great time running my Aristo Mallet with the adult beverage cars. Too bad we didn't make contact. Cheers, Chuck
That was You I talked to.


Later that day I was trying to think of who it was I was talking to at the swap meet and couldn't connect you with a MLS name.


JJ
 
#20 ·
Now that distractions like having the house painted, daughter getting a new house that needed to be painted before she could move in (I'm thinking of starting a moving company so I can get paid for a sore back) I've been able to do some work on the train site before it gets too warm in the afternoons. As part of initial planning I determined that power drop from the closest existing 20 amp plug might be an issue. To solve that problem I dug a 50' trench from the 50 amp RV breaker box, added a 20 amp breaker, and conduit for large wire romex out to the site. Since the trench was already dug I tapped into a water line and put in a faucet, just in case I added a water feature later on. Not wanting the haul power supplies, boosters and other electronics out to the site, I built a Power Station to hold it all out of the weather. Materials included exterior grade Hardie-Board as sidings.




Power line in and 1" PVC out to track through bottom shelf



1" PVC from Power Station into train site. Estimate I'll need 4 or 5 sets of #10 wire for blocks, accessories, and low voltage cable



Shelves in place about 12" high



Sides up awaiting metal roof plus rock collection



And so it grows :)
 
#21 ·
"And so it grows"...!!! Yep

To think of all the work we do to make a railroad "grow" at home!!!

Infrastructure takes time to build also, but is just as important as a great looking bridge!! Planning does it's number on our minds, what else do I need????? ha!!

Mornings are a good time to be outside and work on layouts in the hot days and get watering done too!!

With a power station to run power from, you will have your first pieces of track running in no time!! Cool!!!!! I could bring a non-converted loco by to run..... :-} ( NIB type )

I'm working against time currently. I want to beat the summer rains, in about 4-5 weeks......

Wife & I were in your area shopping on Sat. Lots of pipe for water and power lines came home in the car!!

Stay cool Alan!!!

Dirk
 
#22 ·
That is some beginning you have there. I wonder though with that kind of wall should you have planned for drainage?
Plus another concern will be settling. Given time it is amazing how much dirt can settle no matter how much it is tamped down. How about Rocks for mountains and cliffs? Trains need bridges and tunnels to traverse.
You are certainly off to a incredible start.
Happy RRing
 
#23 ·
Alan:


It is looking good, can't wait to see some pictures of track and trains running. It won't be long now.


Todd:

I don't think that drainage for Alan will be too much of a problem. His RR is elevated so he won't get slope wash flooding. A problem that plagued John (Totalwrecker), until he raised his roadbed. Unlike here in Virginia and the Cape where rain can last for hours and days at a time, the rain out there is short, rarely lasting longer than an hour or so.

When I build my first outdoor RR in Denver almost 30 years ago, I didn't think about drainage and I never had any problems. Armed with that knowledge, when I built my layout in Virginia I didn't plan for drainage. Big mistake! After every heavy rain I have to sweep leaves, pine needles, twigs, etc. off the track before I can run. The track is in the path of two downspouts off the roof.

Chuck
 
#24 ·
I'm think'n the depth of the raised area will absorb most rain in the amounts we can get dumped on us here, and keep it off the tracks!

As for summer monsoons tho - they can let loose a bucket full in a hurry, and that might be something to watch for and build ditches as needed.

I do not have soft ground under my layout, so it requires me think'n ahead to see where water will flow and collect, so
I can add culverts under track and make places for the running rivers to move away, rather than collect. And over flow or flood.....

Added detail for the scenery master to play with...
Added work to build a layout...

The rains will be here soon enough tho!!

Dirk ....
 
#25 ·
Dirk, that was my thoughts. It is like a big flower pot. If the "dirt" is more sand than clay, which it looks like in pictures it should be fine. If there is a problem, Alan make the center several inches lower than the track. The water would then drain to the center, down and out. Leaving the track high and dry. Chuck
 
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