Garden RGS Construction – Part 3

Building the Matterhorn “table” section

At the high end of the railroad, the elevation above the ground makes it prohibitive to build a retaining wall, so I am going to use a table to elevate the tracks.

Matterhorn table plan

Conventional construction of two 10-foot long, 2-feet wide sections. I’m using treated lumber for everything structural. I got “deck” screws designed for treated lumber: coated with something.

Assembling a frame
Table section in place

I used a string level to set the grade to 2.5%, which is a 3-inch rise in 10 feet.

Setting the grade
Hitting the bubble

I used Urethane foam post mix instead of cement. The way it tended to gush out into a hole because the bag was “floppy” was a problem. In the future, I’m going to get the Urethane in gallon bottles and mix what I need.

First two sections set

The angled sections were difficult, but having an accurate CAD drawing with accurate angles made it doable.

Getting the offset right

Labeling the cuts helped to keep all these similar angles and wood pieces straight. Even with all that, I cut one piece 1-inch too short and had to re-cut it.

Note the various angles

The last two curved sections are read to secure in place. I wised-up and used stakes pounded into the ground and screwed the table sections to them instead of “floppy” boards and clamps.

The three “curved” sections

I covered the frames with 1/4″ hardware cloth, stapled in place.

Hardware cloth installation

I ripped a treated two-by-four in half at a slight angle to form side-rails that will keep the soil and ballast on the table.

Side rails

I used a heavy, professional-grade ground barrier on top of the hardware cloth to provide drainage and keep the soil in place.

Ready for Track!

Next time: Building turnouts and track.

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