Fixing Track To Baseboards In Garden

[les101975jud]

I am about to start constructing baseboards for my garden railway.  However, I have had to do a great deal of soul searching about baseboard construction.  In the end I have decided to opt for Plywood/OSB board well treated with something like bitumen and covered in roofing felt.  This has brought me to a new conundrum.  How do I fix the track to the roofing felt?  I would have preferred adhesive like evo-stik but I doubt this would work on mineralised felt.  I suppose one solution would be to pin it down but I am worried about how it might look and would it move/distort over time.  One further consideration is that I am planning to keep the track covered and out of the weather when it is not being used.  If so, could I do away with the roofing felt?  This would let me glue the track down and perhaps even use proper ballast.  Any comments/suggestions would be gratefully received.  Regards Les

[DCB]

Don't expect a long life from ply in the garden. I use 00 peco streamilne code 100 track laid on concrete bases with the track set in wet cement as ballast.   Don't let the cement touch the rails or it will short, not much but over a long distance more than enough to stop trains running.

Even 3/4" solid wood soaked in waste oil rotted out after a few years.

[lankyphil]

What gauge?

 

I'm currently constructing a G scale line, part laid on blocks, part laid on roofing felt covered decking boards.

 

The roofing felt is tacked onto the decking boards, the the track is laid. I drill a hole through the sleeper a little bit larger than the current odd pile of screws I've found in the "come-in-useful-one-day" box, then screw it down, but not tightly, so that the track can move a little, to allow for expansion/kids etc.

 

 

[Dorkingian]

You might be interested to look through the photos of my 00 garden railway (ignoring the initial shots before the real track was laid) to see how track pinned directly onto creosoted timber looks.  Seven years on, there is a bit of rot occurring, but I think the general appearance is far superior to roofing felt, and therefore worthwhile.

 

https://www.oogardenrailway.co.uk/index.php?/topic/354-the-dorking-garden-railway/

[les101975jud]

Many thanks for all your suggestions.  All very interesting.  Thank you. 

 

[john new]

To avoid adding another, similarly titled thread, I am adding my query into this one -

 

Has anyone used this, or similar, for their track bed?  

 

Recycled plastic planks - https://www.kedel.co.uk/mixed-plastic-lumber/BG2010080.html?keyword=&matchtype=&network=u&device=c&gclid=CjwKCAjwjqT5BRAPEiwAJlBuBQcgFYbA2LQXJNp6UnQr68034rY5fvVOl47WBNRdveFM2TdINCSZJBoCtqAQAvD_BwE

 

Edited August 4, 2020 by john new

[stephennicholson]

On 04/08/2020 at 13:09, john new said:

To avoid adding another, similarly titled thread, I am adding my query into this one -

 

Has anyone used this, or similar, for their track bed?  

 

Recycled plastic planks - https://www.kedel.co.uk/mixed-plastic-lumber/BG2010080.html?keyword=&matchtype=&network=u&device=c&gclid=CjwKCAjwjqT5BRAPEiwAJlBuBQcgFYbA2LQXJNp6UnQr68034rY5fvVOl47WBNRdveFM2TdINCSZJBoCtqAQAvD_BwE

 

We are about to use a similar from filcris.co.uk.   Useful to see another supplier to look at for our requirements.