I always enjoy your "outings" to other railroads, watching the work needing to be done and learning a little more with each video. Thanks for taking us all along. Be well, be safe!
It looks like good therapy and very satisfying. I used to work with a Scoutmaster who would remind the Scouts to "Hydrate or die". A bit dramatic but it sticks with you!
This is good stuff. Can you please direct me to some websites where I can find rails, joiners and the other necessary parts to get started. It would be much appreciated. Thank you.
It be fun to use one or two flat cars for carrying track supplies and lay on one and use your beautiful remote control engines to push you down track as you build ,screw track.......This was a fun,inspiration "Show"..Of course do you use a bench and pre assembly of 20 foot track panels ....and join each section with 1 foot long track sections....and deliver each panel by rail
Oh WoW....You had a neat Concept..... you ever thought to put a small garden bench ,about 2 feet long with a shelve to store tie plates screws solar panels for charging batteries...and mount this on steel wheels to act as a track gauge .and sit on bench and push yourself down track as you screw your track down with music headsets.........ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..yes
This something I always wanted to do I work for a railroad in New York just curious what scale is this and where do you get the locomotives and cars or do you build them yourself Thanks Pat
It is 7-1/4" gauge with mixed scales. There are a number of places to get cars and locomotives or you can build your own. The Backyard Railroading Group on Facebook is a good resource. m.facebook.com/groups/backyardrailroading/ You can also visit the Mill Brook Railroad. Information at www.Millbrookrailroad.com ...another good resource is www.discoverlivesteam.com
visit to other railroads would be cool. and would give you an idea what to do with your own... also why not do a video on how to get started in back yard railroading..
An 1/8" deep slot the width of the tie plate can be cut into the top surface of each tie before laying it on the ballast. That way every tie is the same, and gauge-widening for the curves can be pre-determined.
Very good work sir i know its harders than it looks in the video i appreciate how hard it was to get that track to work i model ho trains and i just got a bunch of brass track on wood with ballast i use 100 guage with nickel silvet on plastic the brass is hard to keep clean and i find it improssible to put nickel silver on the wood not fun at all
I like the wooden ties for the nostalgia, but what kind of wood are they, are they treated to prevent rotting, and how long do they last before replacement?? I would have to build a trestle in half my backyard, due to water retention when it rains.
@@MillBrookRailroad and that is what you see on railroads that messes the tracks up so bad is there low ground level in the mud and the rail just moves all over the place kudos to you sir for keeping them high and dry!
@@MillBrookRailroad Thanks for replying. Was going to build 1ft gauge, pland for a year, wife decided we're moving to Arizona. Don't have the wife or railroad LOL in Glendale Az.4:35am Wed. Going to get 4hrs sleep. Thanks again .
The rail is 6061-T6 aluminum and equivalent to 70-lb rail on a full size railroad. Most people run much larger rail than I do. Why aluminum? You want your rail to be softer than your wheels. Rail is much cheaper to replace.
My first question would be: what do you expect out of the railroad? Why 15" gauge specifically and why that particular locomotive but no specifics on what you want it to pull? Because I like it is a perfectly valid answer, but you need to know 15" gauge is more than twice the investment of 7.5" gauge. I want you to fully know what you're getting yourself into. What you're asking is a significant investment. Everything is a custom build and you're looking at mining rail instead of cheap hobbyist rail. If you're comfortable with that and your budget can stand it then 15" gauge makes sense. If your budget is much smaller (and let's face it, for most of us it is) then I would encourage you to consider 7.25 or 7.5" gauge. The parts are way less expensive and you can build a track with a garden tractor, a trailer, shovels, rakes and a lot of sweat.
@@MillBrookRailroad plan on not only hauling bassenger cars but also some flatbed for hauling firewood, looking at a wider track for a larger locomotive and to handle the weight
@@glennschlorf1285it is surprising how much you can handle on this track. I handle 1000-lb car loads on my railroad. I carried two tons a month over the rails between October and May for five years, then two years ago, I started hauling twice that during the colder months. That's on 5/8" aluminum rail, which is the smallest rail you can get, and using only three flat cars. I'm not counting all the logs and firewood I've hauled in the warmer months. The Stoddard Hill Farm Railway is built with 1" aluminum rail, which can handle much more weight per axle. There will be log trains in the SHFR before long. Have a look at some of my other videos. You'll see a fair amount of 500-lb carloads on 7-1/4" gauge cars on a 7-1/2" gauge track.
Tie plates are made with a rail "cant" (slope). The purpose of the cant is to work against the force (especially in a curve) that the wheel is applying to the rail head. If the tie plate were not canted, the wheel flange might exert enough force on the outside rail in a curve to pverturn the rail. The screws he is using might be sufficient to keep the rail from overturning (and low-speed light-weight equipment in small-scale systems affirm this assumption up to a point), bot 1:1 scale railroads could not survive their 100-ton loads and 70 mph running sans tie cant.
Thanks for the insight. I knew tie plates were important on heavy haul railroads. Good to see a better explanation for the cant than was explained to me in the past. Most of my track experience has been on 24" and narrower. There, the obvious benefits of tie plates are a little different. My personal observation is that it is much harder to hold gauge without them. They are not available for the 5/8" deep rail (approximately equivalent to 70-lb rail) that I use on my railroad and I really wish they were. I haul loads up to 200-lbs per axle all winter long and by springtime, the lighter rail is a mess. The 400 feet of my railroad with heavier rail on tie plates and rotten ties is always in much better shape than the rest of the road. Thus are the rade-offs when you build a railroad on a shoestring budget. It's still better than getting the truck stuck in the mud with a ton of wood pellets.
@@MillBrookRailroad Some additional info. on tie plates. A tie plate does a better job of distrbuting the load force from the base of the rail to the tie, and minimizes the crushing of the tie. I saw that your ties are unequal depth and width and you use the smaller dimension for the tie plate and rail support. Wise, because this design allows more depth for the ballast, improves drainage and offers some increased lateral stability. Just asking, but why all the wood chips/mulch? If anything it tends to limit drainage, and that may be some of the source of track surface trouble in winter. Track needs drainage, then more drainage, and, finally, even more drainage. Your approach to having a backyard rr is the cats meow!
@@glennfoster2423 I appreciate the kind words and I agree on the drainage. What you see in this video is one of the railroads I regularly help out on, not my own, so I don't have answers for you at this time. My own railroad, the Mill Brook Railroad, is built on a very minimal shoestring budget, mainly for lack of funds to do it any other way. I have super light rail and I haul heavier loads than most backyard railroads haul on heavier rail. Last year, I hauled about 17 tons of freight on my 1000 feet of track. The Mill Brook Railroad is used all winter long. I'll have to do a video explaining it.
The capability of your tailroad is a testament to the flanged wheel on rail technology. I sincerely applaud your endeavor. Size and gauge are not the only measures to success. Witness all the 2-foot gauge and larger constructions that hauled tremendous tonnages in Vermont and all over the West to build this country (and others). You take a back seat to none. I will never criticize you sweat and hard work--I grappled with 1:1 in all 4 seasons, daylight and night, good times and really bad--and I loved every minute. Ptess on my friend and make your railroad work for YOU. Solve them problems as they arise.
A PERTINENT QUESTION WHY ARE YOU LAYING THE TYES ON EDGE INSTEAD OF FLAT.???? THE WAY THEY ARE LAID ON EDGE ,I RECKON FOUR TYES LAID FIAT, WOULD DO THE SAME WORK AS FIVE LAID ON EDGE. THE RLWY LINE WOULD BE BUILT QUICKER, AND EASIER TO BUILD, PLUS MONEY SAVED ON PLATE'S AND SLEEPER'S (TYES). THE REAL ONE TO ONE DON'T LAY THEM ON EDGE DO THEY.!🙄🙄🙄🙄
I always enjoy your "outings" to other railroads, watching the work needing to be done and learning a little more with each video. Thanks for taking us all along. Be well, be safe!
There will be more. I have to dismantle a train shed at a railroad I haven't visited in a long time.
Definitely a labor of love!! We love all your hard work and dedication . When the day is done, you must enjoy a ride through the country!
It looks like good therapy and very satisfying. I used to work with a Scoutmaster who would remind the Scouts to "Hydrate or die". A bit dramatic but it sticks with you!
Very informative video Sir, well done!
I like this guy he explained everything and showing at ground level makes it more interesting he should be the spokesperson for the railroad
I agree. Cool, calm, collected, not yelling or overly excited.
Well done commentary.
Thanks for the kind words.
Really enjoying your videos and the work you're doing on your railroad. Keep it up. It's very satisfying seeing the progress you're making!
Great job on the track. I need to get me a couple ballast hoppers like these for my railroad
You can ask him to make you one, but they're not cheap. Www.Bantamodelworks.com
@@MillBrookRailroad Appreciate that, thanks
This is good stuff. Can you please direct me to some websites where I can find rails, joiners and the other necessary parts to get started. It would be much appreciated. Thank you.
www.discoverlivesteam.com
www.ibls.org
And the Backyard Railroading group on Facebook.
Very good job! Stéph.
It be fun to use one or two flat cars for carrying track supplies and lay on one and use your beautiful remote control engines to push you down track as you build ,screw track.......This was a fun,inspiration "Show"..Of course do you use a bench and pre assembly of 20 foot track panels ....and join each section with 1 foot long track sections....and deliver each panel by rail
I used to build track panels ahead of time. I build on the ground now. The curves come out better that way.
A change is as good as a rest. And helping out others is good all round 🙂 👍
Oh WoW....You had a neat Concept..... you ever thought to put a small garden bench ,about 2 feet long with a shelve to store tie plates screws solar panels for charging batteries...and mount this on steel wheels to act as a track gauge .and sit on bench and push yourself down track as you screw your track down with music headsets.........ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..yes
Nice railroad track.
Good episode, thanks 🚃
Cool info on Tie Clips.....
This something I always wanted to do I work for a railroad in New York just curious what scale is this and where do you get the locomotives and cars or do you build them yourself
Thanks Pat
It is 7-1/4" gauge with mixed scales. There are a number of places to get cars and locomotives or you can build your own.
The Backyard Railroading Group on Facebook is a good resource. m.facebook.com/groups/backyardrailroading/
You can also visit the Mill Brook Railroad. Information at www.Millbrookrailroad.com
...another good resource is www.discoverlivesteam.com
A Giant building rail :)
visit to other railroads would be cool. and would give you an idea what to do with your own... also why not do a video on how to get started in back yard railroading..
Thanks for the suggestion. I was thinking it might be a good thing to do and that's exactly what this is.
Oh yeah
....It be fun to temporarily install lasers on each corner of a flat car and use a cordless small jack hammer for ballast tamper
You pick up after yourself better than a real Railroad
An 1/8" deep slot the width of the tie plate can be cut into the top surface of each tie before laying it on the ballast. That way every tie is the same, and gauge-widening for the curves can be pre-determined.
It can, but it's not always practical. The gauge widening here was because it was narrower than 7-1/4".
Very good work sir i know its harders than it looks in the video i appreciate how hard it was to get that track to work i model ho trains and i just got a bunch of brass track on wood with ballast i use 100 guage with nickel silvet on plastic the brass is hard to keep clean and i find it improssible to put nickel silver on the wood not fun at all
I like the wooden ties for the nostalgia, but what kind of wood are they, are they treated to prevent rotting, and how long do they last before replacement?? I would have to build a trestle in half my backyard, due to water retention when it rains.
The ties are pressure treated. They last about 20-25 years if you have enough ballast under them to keep them high and dry.
@@MillBrookRailroad and that is what you see on railroads that messes the tracks up so bad is there low ground level in the mud and the rail just moves all over the place kudos to you sir for keeping them high and dry!
Doesn't look like it would really hold that well... I guess it does though... Interesting, thanks for posting...
It's surprising how heavy we can load cars. This track can handle well over 400 pounds per axle.
@@MillBrookRailroad Thanks for replying. Was going to build 1ft gauge, pland for a year, wife decided we're moving to Arizona. Don't have the wife or railroad LOL in Glendale Az.4:35am Wed. Going to get 4hrs sleep. Thanks again .
Hello this rail is for which steam locomotive and the wheels have to be how many inches wide to fit on that rail?
It is for all 7-1/4 inch gauge equipment. The wheel treads are usually 3/4 to an inch wide.
What brand of screws are you using and where do I get them? I like them being black. Thanks
You'll have to ask Bill at Banta Modelworks about that. This is on his track. Bantamodelworks.com
I wish I could build something like this
You probably could. It's not rocket science.
I can't believe the power in that little motor, or the length of time between charges....
How often do you have to go back and read tighten up the screws on the rail to tie
Only if there's a problem.
Should have brought your track crew long about a dozen chickens
YA where are the Supervisors if have a Question? OH! They away having Breakfast and planning the next Project.
Where you located at I think you said VT if so what part
Wondering about the rail itself, it's not Al is it? Galvanised?
The rail is 6061-T6 aluminum and equivalent to 70-lb rail on a full size railroad. Most people run much larger rail than I do.
Why aluminum? You want your rail to be softer than your wheels. Rail is much cheaper to replace.
Where do you get he tracks
I so want to build a 15" track spaced railroad... with a diesel powered locomotive in the style of an EMD 40 and a modern Locomotive
My first question would be: what do you expect out of the railroad? Why 15" gauge specifically and why that particular locomotive but no specifics on what you want it to pull?
Because I like it is a perfectly valid answer, but you need to know 15" gauge is more than twice the investment of 7.5" gauge. I want you to fully know what you're getting yourself into. What you're asking is a significant investment. Everything is a custom build and you're looking at mining rail instead of cheap hobbyist rail. If you're comfortable with that and your budget can stand it then 15" gauge makes sense. If your budget is much smaller (and let's face it, for most of us it is) then I would encourage you to consider 7.25 or 7.5" gauge. The parts are way less expensive and you can build a track with a garden tractor, a trailer, shovels, rakes and a lot of sweat.
@@MillBrookRailroad plan on not only hauling bassenger cars but also some flatbed for hauling firewood, looking at a wider track for a larger locomotive and to handle the weight
@@glennschlorf1285it is surprising how much you can handle on this track.
I handle 1000-lb car loads on my railroad. I carried two tons a month over the rails between October and May for five years, then two years ago, I started hauling twice that during the colder months. That's on 5/8" aluminum rail, which is the smallest rail you can get, and using only three flat cars. I'm not counting all the logs and firewood I've hauled in the warmer months.
The Stoddard Hill Farm Railway is built with 1" aluminum rail, which can handle much more weight per axle. There will be log trains in the SHFR before long.
Have a look at some of my other videos. You'll see a fair amount of 500-lb carloads on 7-1/4" gauge cars on a 7-1/2" gauge track.
@@MillBrookRailroad im just looking at wider rail width means wider cars and more stability... plus ID like to sit in my locomotives
Tie plates are made with a rail "cant" (slope). The purpose of the cant is to work against the force (especially in a curve) that the wheel is applying to the rail head. If the tie plate were not canted, the wheel flange might exert enough force on the outside rail in a curve to pverturn the rail. The screws he is using might be sufficient to keep the rail from overturning (and low-speed light-weight equipment in small-scale systems affirm this assumption up to a point), bot 1:1 scale railroads could not survive their 100-ton loads and 70 mph running sans tie cant.
Thanks for the insight. I knew tie plates were important on heavy haul railroads. Good to see a better explanation for the cant than was explained to me in the past. Most of my track experience has been on 24" and narrower. There, the obvious benefits of tie plates are a little different.
My personal observation is that it is much harder to hold gauge without them. They are not available for the 5/8" deep rail (approximately equivalent to 70-lb rail) that I use on my railroad and I really wish they were. I haul loads up to 200-lbs per axle all winter long and by springtime, the lighter rail is a mess. The 400 feet of my railroad with heavier rail on tie plates and rotten ties is always in much better shape than the rest of the road.
Thus are the rade-offs when you build a railroad on a shoestring budget. It's still better than getting the truck stuck in the mud with a ton of wood pellets.
@@MillBrookRailroad Some additional info. on tie plates. A tie plate does a better job of distrbuting the load force from the base of the rail to the tie, and minimizes the crushing of the tie.
I saw that your ties are unequal depth and width and you use the smaller dimension for the tie plate and rail support. Wise, because this design allows more depth for the ballast, improves drainage and offers some increased lateral stability. Just asking, but why all the wood chips/mulch? If anything it tends to limit drainage, and that may be some of the source of track surface trouble in winter.
Track needs drainage, then more drainage, and, finally, even more drainage.
Your approach to having a backyard rr is the cats meow!
@@glennfoster2423 I appreciate the kind words and I agree on the drainage. What you see in this video is one of the railroads I regularly help out on, not my own, so I don't have answers for you at this time.
My own railroad, the Mill Brook Railroad, is built on a very minimal shoestring budget, mainly for lack of funds to do it any other way. I have super light rail and I haul heavier loads than most backyard railroads haul on heavier rail. Last year, I hauled about 17 tons of freight on my 1000 feet of track. The Mill Brook Railroad is used all winter long. I'll have to do a video explaining it.
The capability of your tailroad is a testament to the flanged wheel on rail technology. I sincerely applaud your endeavor.
Size and gauge are not the only measures to success. Witness all the 2-foot gauge and larger constructions that hauled tremendous tonnages in Vermont and all over the West to build this country (and others).
You take a back seat to none. I will never criticize you sweat and hard work--I grappled with 1:1 in all 4 seasons, daylight and night, good times and really bad--and I loved every minute.
Ptess on my friend and make your railroad work for YOU. Solve them problems as they arise.
Just asking, why are you building the railroad tracks 4?
Just for the enjoyment of building it. The railroad gets used for testing customer equipment, hauling stuff around, and just for the fun of it.
Der ultimative Männertraum!!!!! Liebe Grüße!!! Weiter so!!!!!
What is the distance between the rails?
7-1/4"
You didn't make a V shape on the first one though...
I sometimes make mistakes.
is this G-14 gauge?
7-1/4" gauge.
👍👏👏👏👋🙋♂️
The way you move that gravel you must not be Union
Definitely not. Former landscaper. Former FFA.
A PERTINENT QUESTION WHY ARE YOU LAYING THE TYES ON EDGE INSTEAD OF FLAT.???? THE WAY THEY ARE LAID ON EDGE ,I RECKON FOUR TYES LAID FIAT, WOULD DO THE SAME WORK AS FIVE LAID ON EDGE. THE RLWY LINE WOULD BE BUILT QUICKER, AND EASIER TO BUILD, PLUS MONEY SAVED ON PLATE'S AND SLEEPER'S (TYES). THE REAL ONE TO ONE DON'T LAY THEM ON EDGE DO THEY.!🙄🙄🙄🙄