Roving Garden Railway Blog

Ed and Terry are completing construction of the front and side gates. Joe is testing the railbus's  fit on the newly painted steel bridge. Next work party we'll have fasteners attached to keep the sides in place during travel.

We're thinking of painting it to look like a boxcar.

To make the load as lightweight as possible, some soil will be replaced by air spaces in useful boxes and foam board. We are using the following 1/4"-thick plastic parts with the help from TAP Plastics: 1. a big lengthwise storage box on bottom with a slide-out tray to house a mining tunnel, 2. four sides to hold the rubber liner in place (end side being glued here), 3. a gate (inside) cover, 4. two wheel well "shelf" covers for track, 5. an electric connection box under town buildings, and 6. a 3'-radius tunnel for our upper loop. All the plastic will be covered or decorated with scale scenery material, but the plastic gives us something to work from without using heavier materials for framework. Here you see all the pieces in place, but some are covered already. The liner is covering the foamboard and tucked between the plastic sides and the expanded metal sides. Resting on the top foamboard is a structure of recycled redwood for building a mountain that will stay in place on a bumpy ride. Behind that is the plastic box that will be covered inside and on portals with strip wood for a believable tunnel. Here we will place the Bidawee Cottage right above the tunnel. Notice track coming out of the upper tunnel. We want the mountain high enough to block the view, side to side, for a surprise  diorama on each side. The town will be lined up on the front box, beyond the curving steel bridge. We need welding done now, please, because John and Joe can't hold up this bridge forever. Wednesdays we party on. You are welcome. Call Nancy for details and directions: 925-408-9402.

Six conduits will take care of all the electric (DC low voltage) needs of the trailer. The front of the trailer under the town (left) will be a box to get power to the town buildings. All the conduits come together in that area to run over the trailer edge into the battery box which will rest on the tongue. Next we'll get the liner and plumbing in. We plan to meet next Wednesday. You are welcome to help.
Nancy 925-408-9402

Our next meeting will be Wednesday, February 24. Call Nancy for details and rain date at
925-408-9402. Or email nunorris@aol.com

Here's what under the liner will look like:
Liquid Nails glues the foam board together and to the plastic storage box. This will lighten the trailer load and provide a place to store the jack and tire iron.

The final foam board is being glued onto rails of foam over which the hills will run.


Inside the storage box is an 8' tray that pulls out onto the open gate whenever we need to access the tools.


At the end of the box we will display a portal from which will emerge a point-to-point G-scale mining engine automatically reversed with DC current from the battery on the rails. This will be the only track powered train.

Plans are still gelling!
On January 16th a team of 6 BAGRS members and a prospective member  met to work on the trailer, but we ended up brainstorming some improvements into the design for ease of maintenance and low cost of building.  Since then we asked for and got a donation of a truckload of foam board and the prospective member drew up professional scale drawings of the trailer to be sure that everything we're planning will actually fit on the trailer.  From one of the cross-sectional drawings I sketched what the trailer might look like when done and a birds-eye view showing the layout and track plan.

Our next meeting to install the foam board and plumbing for drainage will be the first week in February.  Call Nancy for more info 925-408-9402 or email nunorris@aol.com

Our trailer is resting comfortably at the end of my driveway in Pleasant Hill awaiting the garden railway construction.
January 16th you are invited to come any time or all day from 10 AM until 3 PM to begin fitting it for the garden and railway. Free lunch at noon! RSVP about what tools to bring. Otherwise just show up and help create our outreach trailer garden railway.

Here's a shot of two coats of preservative going on the bed.

Nancy     nunorris@aol.com     925-408-9402       Call if it looks like rain.

Hello BAGRS members,
Thought you might like an update.  I took photos on Monday of the trailer which has been welded with our after-market shelf over each wheel well, hinges on the outside of the shelf edge, four permanent upright posts, two removable center upright posts, chains to hold the rear gate level for a lower track, hydraulic braking system (any towing vehicle can use), and lastly, a new hydraulic jack arm to make room for the vertically mounted spare wheel, which will need a $17 cover, unless someone has a spare cover. Also note the four leveling devices. Not shown is the club to prevent theft.

The check has been sent to B&D Trailers and I am waiting for the call to pick it up. I have a space at the end of my driveway for it initially. As soon as I get it I will be organizing our first work party. You'll be welcome,
Nancy
nunorris@aol.com