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ACW railway question

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shandy:
Hi!

Here's a question for ACW/19th century US railroad experts: How do I best make trackbeds? On many photos, it looks like there weren't any, but a friend convinced me that it is impossible to lay railway tracks without bedding. However, the gravel beds normally seen on model railway layouts look somehow out of place to my eyes… but then I haven't seen enough images to be sure.

What do you think? This is not going to be a working layout, just some tt gauge tracks for the 15mm Peter Pig train...

Thanks for your help!

jon_1066:
I am no expert but would say you were right.  They definitely didnt seem to use gravel/ballast.  Everything I have seen has tamped earth surrounding the closely spaced sleepers.

These would have been quickly constructed and weren't high speed.

Cory:
Remind your friend that just because it is rarely wise to do so it is always possible to lay track without a bed beneath the ties. As has been pointed out though, low speeds, lighter cars, available materials, and exigencies of the circumstances sometimes made the optimum method the worst choice.

Also never underestimate how cheap and inexperienced folks were. I have seen lines that were laid in the 1880's without sufficient or even any bed material because the fellows controlling the purse strings were not the same as the ones carrying out the directions.

shandy:
Thanks guys, that's very interesting. Do you know where I could find more information or even images?

Also, how would you model it? Make some trackbeds with MDF covered in sand or structural paint? Or stop worrying and just plunk the tracks on the table?

Ramirez Noname:
Hi Shandy,

I'm no expert on ACW railroads, but if you do a quick google image search for "american civil war railroads" it brings up a mass of pictures.

As for modelling the tracks, I've used commercially available track and over ballasted with dried sharp sand as can be seen in this thread ...

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=25642.msg311653#msg311653

The track is mounted on Forex board (a sort of mounting board) with the dried sand held in place with watered down PVA  glue. The track is Peco 016.5 ready to run stuff.


Hope this helps.

RMZ

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