Back To Work!

March 14, 2022April 5, 2022 barkmannLeave a comment

My First Day Back To Work!

After an extended time off, I’m finally back to work. And it’s good to be back! Now the money for new trains and other Barkyard related items will come pouring in! Just in time for USA Trains to start producing their F7A-B units again! And I threw a couple of GP38s in the order for good measure… Pent up demand I suppose.

It’s nice to not have to worry about spending the money again. I was laid off back in May of 2021, so the “reserves” were running low, so to speak. This opportunity just fell in my lap! And the timing was right. Providence and all that I suppose.

I was hoping to have the Barkyard self sufficient and operational by now. Life’s what happens while you’re busy making other plans I suppose.

Just when we got comfortable with Rocket and his special needs, just when we thought it was safe, Brigel is diagnosed with a heart arrhythmia. His right atrium is three times normal size, and his heart will eventually fail. And to top that off, his digestion is hit and miss as well lately. Some days he has no appetite. Other days he’s fine. Could be worse I suppose.

Thankfully this is a one hundred percent remote position, although I did have to travel to Lakeland PD for a Go Live after my short one day stint on Jury Duty here in Lake County the day before. Everyday is a winding road… And I took them home from Lakeland. All two lane and back roads. It didn’t take much longer than taking the super slabs and toll roads would have either. Less stress I suppose.

They sent a docking station and a 24″ monitor along with the laptop. I had another 24″ monitor dedicated to the surveillance system, but decided to double it up with the one they sent. I’ve been using my son’s spare 27″ monitor as a third with the server, but reallocated it to the security cameras. I ordered a new tactile keyboard and trackball dedicated to the work system. The only drawback is sharing my project bench space. It’s not so much shared as reallocated since I have to stash the projects out of the way. But it keeps me focused on work I suppose.

Data Central

I’ve renamed my office “Data Central”. What else would you call six computer screens staring at you 24/7? I exaggerate of course. Come close of business Friday, the work laptop gets stashed until start of business Monday morning, freeing up the project workbench for the weekend. I’ve already splashed the liquid cement I use to bond the 3D printed PLA pieces on the track ball, leaving discolorations on the right button. Now I stash it too. Learned my lesson I suppose.

Spring 2022 Infrastructure Improvements

March 10, 2022May 22, 2023 barkmannLeave a comment

We Had To Start Somewhere

So… Where do I start? It’s been a couple months now since yet another wooden stringer has rotted to the point where the pups have totally destroyed it. Not one. Not two. Not three. Five! Had we known then… This is the third go round to repair and replace the rotted wooden stringers we use for roadbed. Here are some shots of before and after repair, trying to avoid the inevitable state we’re in now.

Although we started treating all the slats on the new stringers with a rot preventative, it’s too late for all those original stringers, only three to four years old now. It’s been a LOT of work just to splice new sections in place of the bad and broken ones, let alone digging up and replacing entire stringers the first few go rounds.

When we researched our roadbed choices before we laid the first piece of track, our choices fell into two “camps”: Wood and Concrete. The biggest advantage to using concrete is its resistance to frost heave, something we don’t have to worry about here in central Florida, so we pressed ahead using wood. No mention of rot or annual maintenance and replacement to be found. We had to start somewhere, but had we known then…

While our situation doesn’t seem unique, we’ve not found any mention of “puppy proofing” against large scale bombardment by dogs.

Other Issues

Another place where the stringers have rotted away is the station platform along the edge of the patio. When we first put in the station siding along the planters, the top of the track sat about 4″ or so above the ground, but that’s the low spot. The patio slopes away from the garage for proper drainage, leaving a bit of a swale between it and the raised bed planters. We filled it with gravel, but we were constantly having to sweep the gravel off the patio and back into the swale.

We were already thinking brick arches along the edge, so a row of fired clay bricks with the three hollows were stacked along the edge of the patio to “simulate” brick arches, and rather poorly at that, but it solved our gravel problem. So the idea was always to have some sort of arched structures, culverts, or the like. After a number of failed attempts at keeping plants growing, a station, and platform roof structure, we eventually removed the planters.

That left us with just the station siding, station platform (4x8x16 concrete blocks), and those silly looking bricks.

Concrete Roadbed

We’ve re-evaluated our choice of wooden stringers as roadbed… Understatement? Probably. Short of another journey into decades old forum posts, concrete roadbed is the only other choice we’ve found. Now the challenge is how to make that work without loads and loads of dirt beneath to hold up the tracks on the grades. And how to incorporate dual mainlines. And how to handle curves. And a few other issues that remain undiscovered.

The short version is there are just as many unknowns with the concrete approach as we faced when we first started with wood. That initial arched culvert back in January didn’t address the idea of roadbed. In fact, it didn’t even address the idea of a casting molds. The main focus was a modular design that fit the build volume of the 3D printer. Modules would be assembled by fitting arch sections together with joiner sections using the liquid cement technique that works well for PLA.

But I tried to do too much, like adding detail inside the underside of the arch, where it will be at most 2″ off the ground and no one will see it. Working out the dimensions using a piece of 3″ PVC pipe to guide the dimensions meant going back to the drawing board to fit the design to real world constraints and deviating from the rivet counting details based on the Pennsylvania Railroad standards. That got pushed on the back burner to get other things accomplished.

Cut Stone Arches

When I was finally able to devote my attention to this again in March, I picked up where I left off with fitting those modular arches to the curved track sections, this time fitting all three types of sectional track we use and not just the 10′ diameter curves. And this time I added using PVC pipe as part of the mold for casting the arch section. The original PRR plans called out an 8′ diameter vaulted section, but I’m using “artistic license” to use a circular arch to adjust to the outside diameter of a 3″ PVC pipe, namely 3½” or 7′ at 1:24 scale.

Also new this go round is the roadbed section. In fact, I started by thinking about how to cast the roadbed in sections, and upside down, to get the profile I’m looking for… A “standard roadway” as it was called by the PRR. At first it was a 1×6 wide, but it looks like a 1×8 will more closely match the roadbed profile. The thought is to cast standard length sections that fit together in a keyed fashion for a majority of the tangent sections, custom fitting transition segments for making up the curves.

But then the problem becomes how to join these 1½” – 2″ thick sections together with a 6″ tall casting without having to mortar everything together. Or perhaps it does mean a mortar joint. Another problem is how to cast 16′ of arches all at once, or rather, how not to cast it all at once but in more manageable sections, like 4′. Maybe I can float the roadbed profile into the arch casting with a profile tool if the slump isn’t excessive.

Obviously a few “kinks” left to work out… But that’s another story for another time.

The Battle Continues

After repairing or outright replacing those five stringers, even more need replaced! It’s difficult to keep up now that I’m back to work and have only weekends to effect repairs. This says nothing about new additions or improvements so far. A phrase from the movie “Blade Runner” comes to mind, Accelerated Decrepitude. There is something in the soil that seems to promote and accelerate decay.

The soil is basically sand. Fine sand, with bits of dirt or organic matter that clings to anything that disturbs it. It’s everywhere. It was the motivating factor in building a plywood floor over it in the garage. Every time, and I mean EVERY time I worked on a project in the garage, I had to plan on showering before bed because my legs were filthy, covered in that fine dirt. It’s more like silt it’s so fine. I’m beginning to wonder if they dredged Lake Dora for fill in the historic district!

To battle the constant onslaught of rot and decay, we now treat EVERYTHING made of wood with copper naphthenate, a rot preventative. This treatment is required to be applied to cuts in pressure treated lumber by many local building codes. I learned too late that just because lumber says it’s pressure treated, it does not guarantee it won’t rot, especially if it’s been cut. It’s only a surface treatment, but as far as I can tell, it’s just “tinted” lumber, not “treated”. Long story short, we need to find a different material to construct our stringers.

More Stringers

So not only did it take another three stringers to finally replace all the rotted ones, the “triple decker” took yet another set of three stringers. What’s a triple decker? That’s what we call the new upper loop arrangement that passes over the lower loop and under the old upper loop at the bridge, making a third level between the ground and the bridge. Hence the name “triple decker”. The idea is to break up the monotony of trains always travelling the same direction.

A little background is in order. Ann asked if we could run the trains the opposite direction. Sure we can, but why? It’s boring. Another key factor is the pups always having to jump over or crawl under the old upper loop. With this new arrangement, the entire upper loop does not remain nearly two feet off the ground, it slowly descends toward a mid point not quit a foot off the ground. Plenty of opportunities for bridges and meets and future sidings.

We wanted something different… We got it. And we got more work to go along with it! And well worth it too. Those last three stringers make up a new connection between what used to be the downgrade stretch of the old upper loop and the opposite end of the old upper loop, what used to be the upgrade end, now the downgrade end. The old downgrade end of the old upper loop is now the upgrade end. That’s a lot of words. And a lot of handwaving. And a picture is worth a thousand of them…

Triple Decker Under Construction sans Bridge

New Upper Loop “Triple Decker” Arrangement

To put it another way, the traffic on the loop now runs in the opposite direction than it used to. And now that we have a new arrangement, it’s apparent the old terraced planter arrangement no longer fits. We need something new to take its place. A new arrangement perhaps? The idea is to have a long tunnel for the lower loop along the fence planters and the new upgrade portion of the new upper loop emerge from a cut though the reason for the tunnel. A mountain. A foothill. Some reason for the arrangement to exist. Some natural arrangement.

Naturally that means dirt, and a LOT of it. Truckloads of dirt. We’ve talked about this many times, but never acted on it. Moved a lot of dirt from here to there, and back again, like when we removed the pond. But that backfill took away most of what was left of the dirt. A small mound compared to the “mountains” of dirt we’ll need to provide the illusion of terrain. The key point here is illusion of terrain. We’ll come back to that…

“Mega Stringers”

With all that rework on the upper loop pretty much finished, we turned our attention to the long neglected lower loop. You’ll never guess what needed replaced… That’s right, more rotted stringers! So what’s new? Well, this time the elevation changes are part of what we need to address this time around. Part of what I’ve been planning for casting the cut stone arches is how to “turn the corners”, so to speak. The common theme is using a number of short, straight segments that fit the curve. For the casting, the length is 8″. What length 4×4 will work for the 20′ diameter curve of the lower loop?

Turns out the answer is it depends. If it’s just a single 4×4, then the answer is segment about a foot long, not much more than the 8″ for the castings. But, if it’s two 4x4s wide, side by side, then four feet works well. Well enough to cut an 8′ long 4×4 in half for the two pieces needed anyway. We’ve had the 4x4s just laying around since we dismantled the planters along the station siding by the patio. It will be nice to put them to use again.

Using 4x4s also addresses the issue of elevation change using a simple “cut and fill” method. That is to say, we dig out (cut) where the 4×4 will be too tall, then use what we dug out to build up (fill) where the 4×4 is not tall enough. We cut away the turf along the path of the lower loop where the 4x4s sit. To keep the 4x4s in place, we drilled holes from top to bottom, then “pinned” them using short lengths of rebar through those holes and driven into the ground, flush with the top of the 4×4. It works okay, but we’ll need to revisit the grade periodically.

Oh, and guess what else? We needed to replace yet another stringer! Surprise, surprise. That stringer sets the grade for one end of the 4×4 Mega Stringers. On the plus side, that work allowed us to pull the lower loop in closer to the upper loop so the big guy doesn’t keep tripping over it.

Ideas For The Future

Regardless of how the illusion of terrain is accomplished, the purpose is to provide a view block, mainly to disguise the fact the trains are running along two giant loops. The more we look at it, the more we realize how much more dirt it will take to make a believable scene. Following the lines of the new mega stringers, we imagine laying out a staircase of planters to achieve the objective, each a step higher from the last. Maybe a tunnel over the lower loop? No. That will encroach the already limited space between the lower loop and the side of the house.

Struggling with how to cap the long tunnel and still provide “quick” access to derailments and accidents, we try various arrangements of concrete blocks and caps, but worry about the strength of the caps and their ability to support foot traffic without cracking and breaking. The plan is to extend all the way to planters along the fence and use a series of “step ups” to achieve the elevation necessary.

Once again, we’re back to the idea of steps. Steps. Hmmm… Steps to a deck perhaps? What if we built a deck to take the place of all that dirt? A deck solves a number of problems plus it provides a larger space to relax and watch the trains. If we make the deck the height of the middle section of the triple decker, we’ll actually be surrounded by them! All that remains is to make it happen.

That’s another subject for another time. We’ll make another post, most likely posts, to track our progress. Enjoy!

Earth Moving Day

December 11, 2021December 20, 2021 barkmannLeave a comment

Finally Getting Dirt!

Not to be confused with finally getting dirty. I’ve wanted to get a load or two of fill dirt for the Barkyard for years now. More so lately to help restore the pleasing waterfall scene behind the bridge. How else will we rebuild Mount Crumpet? But seriously, there are now many more places that need fill, beyond having “terrain” for our pike.

I’ve been slowly filling in the ascent from ground level along the back corner of the fence by the golden rain tree, but the grade still isn’t tall enough to meet the bottoms of the track stringers. Unfortunately, even though the stringers aren’t making ground contact, the “splash erosion” effect has covered the stringers with dirt, causing them to rot almost as quickly as if they had been…

I’ve come to the realization that “pressure treated” is just a marketing gimmick and has nothing to do with rot resistance. I could have used regular lumber and had the same results. Only after I constructed the entire railroad using wooden stringers, whose slats are cut from pressure treated 2x4s, did I discover cutting them renders the treatment useless!

That’s another story, but part of why we’re moving earth today. I’m hoping to add more fill so I can cast concrete in place of those rotted stringers. Something needs to be done, and quickly! Not only does Brigel knock the track loose jumping over it every time chases a squirrel along that back fence, but he also finds the latest stretch of failing stringer, snapping it to pieces!

Even though I’ve placed one prop after another under the bad parts, just to keep the railroad in operation, I find more damage every time I look. Irreparable damage that can only be remedied with a replacement stringer. An eight foot long stringer that requires the better part of a 2×4 to construct.

I’ve used copper napthenate treatment to coat all the replacement stringers I’ve built to replace the rotted ones, but the outcome of that experiment won’t be apparent for years. Time to try something new, like casting concrete. The thought is to make a nice looking set of arched spans that carry that stretch of trackage along the back fence, complete with a bridge over Main Street crossing beneath, and disappearing into the distance beyond.

This will eventually meet up with the earthen embankment to carry the rails around the corner and climb closer to the upper loop, which brings us back to moving earth. Even with casting concrete, I still don’t have enough dirt to climb up to where the bridge over the (future) water feature river and associated trestle work will go.

Mind The Gap

But that’s not the only place we need dirt! The space behind the curves in that back corner, between them and the golden rain train, has been trampled down over and over again by the dogs jumping over that section of track as well. In fact, the first three yards carts were placed directly in the “hollow” there. Kind of ironic that our son Nick’s pup, Klaus, is the reason we have all this dirt to move in the first place.

In the same way our pups displaced all that dirt, Klaus had banked the dirt up against the fence over at Nick’s place. Not all at once, but slowly over time, chasing the ball and planting to stop before plowing through the fence. Nick pulled all that dirt back away from it, going on a month ago now, the dirt having covered over the bottom runner in most places. While it was originally a single pile the length of the fence, it’s already been plodded over by Klaus and transformed into three separate mounds of dirt!

The grade was to high there, and every good rain we’d get would run straight down into the front of Nick’s garage, flooding it. Now there’s a swale of sorts between the fence and the drive leading to the garage, effectively carrying the water around the garage. So that’s the reason we’re moving earth today. Nick wants to be rid of it, and we want it.

We need it. We need it to fill in where the stumps of the trees we had removed were ground have now rotted and the ground sunken and settled. We need it to fill in along the path where Ann had put all those stones and it washed away the sides. Every time it rains here, we watch a little more of the Barkyard wash away beneath the fence and down the driveway.

These are upcoming projects, we’ve just been waiting on it to cool off here. When it’s still in the mid eighties in December, it’s a bit too warm for me to be out there swinging a shovel! The plan is to get the earth moved here, then we’ll figure out where to move it from there.

Moving Earth

When I still had my truck, we’d load whatever into the bed on top of one of those hand crank belts that’s supposed to easily unload by slowly moving it to the edge to of the tailgate and then fall out. We used it to move quite a bit of gravel to fill in the drive before finally having it paved. The belt worked with small loads, meaning we had to unload half by hand with shovels until the belt would finally slide along the slick Masonite we placed beneath it in the bed.

Well, two things wrong with doing that this time. First, I no longer have my truck, which the device was fitted to. Second, Nick’s new truck has a much different tailgate, and it would take too much to rework it to fit. That’s when the idea of borrowing our neighbor’s trailer started floating around in a discussion after dinner one evening. At first, I thought they were joking, trying to get a reaction out of me.

Nope. A couple days later I brought up the subject again, asking if they were serious about the trailer idea, and found out they were! The caveat is whether the trailer is up to the task or not. I agreed to have a look over it the next day, which I did. The bed had a plank replaced and it had already rotted into nothing. The remaining planks were dry rotted on the surface, but I felt still had enough strength to support the load with the help of a chunk of plywood to cover the gap.

So we planned on starting bright and early nine o’clock Saturday morning. I would see about getting the tires filled with air and we’d go from there. Well, best laid plans. I started the compressor right before Nick arrived… Turns out the hose reel will only reach the closest tire, and even then just barely, with a questionable valve stem. Thankfully Nick bought Ann a battery powered inflator for her car, just in case of a flat. It works like a charm!

The next hurdle is the hitch, and of course, the ball on Nick’s hitch is too big. Thankfully we saved the one from my truck that had the different sized balls still attached, but it was over at Nick’s. He had to run home to get it, but it fits! He left it attached to the hitch on the trailer and I wheeled it up to the receiver as Nick pinned it in place.

We already know the lights are shorted because it blew the fuses in my truck last time we tried to use the trailer! This time we know better, so I’ll follow Nick in my car to afford the safety trailer lights would afford other drivers if they worked. If also helps to avoid an accident should something happen in transit.

We get to Nick’s and he backs the trailer down the side drive to the first pile of dirt closest to the now open gates. Open now that he moved his car out of the way! We spread a tarp over the bottom to help contain and cover the load. The first pile goes on quickly, but not without a few breaks for me to catch my breath. We pretty much filled the trailer up to the sides and realized we had much more dirt than we first thought!

Two loads was looking more like four loads at the very least, but this one is loaded and ready to go. Nick heads out and as I’m backing out, some idiot comes flying down the street so I don’t have enough time to get in front of him… So Nick just stops, forcing the idiot to have to stop and go around him. I’m chuckling now, and I’m sure Nick has a grin on his face too. That soon fades a we begin to unload though.

Moving Earth A Yard Cart…

That’s right. It took enough to load this trailer, throwing a shovel full at a time in, but now it’s emptied a yard cart full at a time. Even if we could have adapted the unloading belt contraption to the trailer, only part of the load would end up in the yard cart, and only after emptying half of it by hand just so we could turn the crank. At first, it’s the two of us shoveling into the yard cart, then me unloading it where it went.

After the first few loads went straight into the hollow by the golden rain tree, it became more difficult to unload because now even part of the yard cart load had to be shoveled into position inside the upper loop. I nearly destroyed the track and the stringer trying to dump the half full cart over it, even after building a ramp with the dirt to help clear them.

Thankfully the trailer is empty before having to deal with it again. As we’re sitting there and taking a break, the idea of removing the bridge and just wheeling the cart through there is thrown out there. That’s it! It only takes loosening four of the rail clamps and it will lift right out of the way. Anything to make this easier.

There are roughly seven full yard carts worth of dirt in this first load. We’ll see if that holds true of the next load. I had just pulled up to the curb out front of the house, after blocking the street to give Nick enough time to back the trailer into the drive, but now I have to turn around just to follow him again. And once again, someone is zooming down the street to try to keep me from getting out… What is it with these idiots? Looks to be the same car too!

This time Nick is backing all the way into the yard so he can close the gate and let the pups out. They were asking to come out the first time, but the last thing we wanted was to have to chase them if they got out. I was getting the tarp ready for the next load when they came racing over to me. Nick says it’s the quickest he’s seen them race to or through the door. Well of course! It’s grandpa!

I give them the love and attention they seek, with Lena standing straight up on me and nibbling on my beard. It’s only takes a moment and they’re happy. I grab my first shovel full and right as I’m ready to throw it in the trailer Lena jump up in it! She’s lucky I saw it and stopped short or she would have been covered in dirt!

Moving Earth A Shovel Full…

This time we fill the trailer up past the sides, mounding it up to try to keep it to three loads if possible. It gets to the point that I have to stop to catch my breath after what seems like every shovel full. It’s not quite that bad, and the pups are a natural reason to stop, to love with them and throw the ball. After we finish and tire the pups out, it’s back to the Barkyard with the second load.

This time Nick has a hard time getting the trailer back up the driveway. I’m blocking traffic for him again this time, but it’s giving him fits after several maneuvers to pull up and straighten out. I had suggested he could just pull in, right up to the carriage doors, and still have enough room to unload and open the gate. Once the trailer’s empty, it’s nothing at all to unhitch it and move it so he can turn the truck around and hitch back up.

I’m guessing he’s wishing he did after all the fuss he went through. I can tell he’s not very happy. Maybe it’s too much like work for the both of us at this point. The unloading the first yard cart has me winded, but ready to go place it/ After wheeling it over to the dirt ramp I made and trying to unload it there again, I am reminded we were going to lift the bridge out of the way. DUH.

I grab the tool for the cap screws on the rail clamps and get busy removing the bridge while Nick shovels another cart full of dirt. I wheel it over the track and stringer that runs along the front of the bridge, but decide I need another dirt ramp to ease the transition. Nick is off loading another cart while I’m spreading out the dirt and making that ramp.

This time Nick is able to roll it over the stringer an dump it while I pull some of it back and away from it. I’m definitely winded and need to take a break after this though, I tell Nick I might have one more load in me… Thinking we can get the rest in one more load and more more big push.

The next load has me once again dragging a few shovels away from the pile, then resting to catch my breath. A few more and another break. I reiterate I might have another load left in me. By now, Nick is sitting down to take a break while I handle unloading another cart.

We’re both getting slower and slower as it gets to be after noon. I lost count at eight carts, but there’s still more left on the trailer! Nick is out of steam and needs lunch before he can do any more, so he and Ann head out to grab us some lunch. I take the opportunity to set the fan on high and sit under it and cool down. It’s taking them longer than expected this time, but they finally make it back. It tastes even better than I imagined, so I must be hungry!

After Nick unloads the last of the dirt, he calls it quits. No more today. We’re done. While I’m disappointed we won’t be finished today, I’m more than happy to be done for now! He unhitches the trailer and tries to move it back where it where it sat, but I can tell he’s tired after multiple tries and he’s still not close. I take over for him and he heads out while I try spreading out the dirt inside the upper loop in the manner I first envisioned.

The Vision

We want to restore the pleasant view of the waterfall, but it’s going to take time to get a “self maintaining” water feature installed. Until then, we need a reason to have a waterfall. One that looks like a natural, abrupt change in elevation. The original idea was to build height in a terraced fashion, one 4×4 at a time. The first step roughly 3½” deep. The next 7″. Then 10½”, 14″, etc., eventually reaching the 20″ height of the trestles supporting each end of the bridge.

But I don’t think Ann quite understood where I was going with that and promptly planted a bunch of Azaleas along where the first step of the terrace was supposed to start. They’ve been there long enough that the dogs have killed off a couple over the years, but those remaining still grow and bloom like crazy. They’re part of the landscape now and removing them would remove the view block they provide for what’s behind them… DIRT!

So the modified version is still terraced, but lowering the target height by rearranging the track layout. The current upper loop arrangement has two tracks at about the same 20″ height off the ground. If we modify the arrangement such that one end passes over the other, then one end only has to clear the new lower loop by 8″. That gives us nearly an entire loop of 20′ diameter track to gain another 8″ clearance we’ll need to cross over the other end.

Essentially only one of the two tracks that ascend to the upper loop need to ascend as high off the ground as they do now. The other can level off and run beneath the other, but over the new lower loop beneath. It will be an eye catching arrangement, with the a bridge over a bridge over another bridge over the “river” below. I have some design work ahead me before that happens. The “Mount Crumpet” picture below shows the bridge removed and the two ascending tracks to the upper loop.

And I have some really bad trackwork that needs repaired before any of that. Add a new Main Street and more downtown buildings and it starts to push things out quite a ways into the future. I think we’ll start with getting that optimistic last load of dirt over here. That isn’t happening next weekend, and the following weekend is Christmas. I was hoping to get some semblance of a Christmas train working this year and Christmas decorations for downtown, but it’s looking more and more like I’ll be lucky to have any Barkyard decorations at all, 1:1 scale or otherwise!

We’ll keep this updated as we make progress. Stay tuned!

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Category: Infrastructure