Standards

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North Pacific Coast Garden Railroad

Railroad Standards

I have developed or am in the process of developing standards for track, structures, layout base and scenery, human access, railroad utilities, plants and roadbed. See the Standards link in the left column for details.

Track Standards

I'm not a purest here and have a significant investment in LGB and Aristoctaft track so I plan on running code 332 rail on the main line. However, with the recent announcement that Aristocraft will be developing a line of Code 250 track and the cost of brass used in track construction, yards and the North end of the line may be constructed using lighter rail.

Standards relating to curve radius, length of passing sidings, minimum tunnel heights, etc. have not yet been developed. They will be posted here as developed.

Structures

The majority of the structures on this railroad will be scratch-built. One of the things I enjoy about model railroading is that it combines my interests in history, railroads, electronics, gardening, and woodworking. As I get older, I become less interested in remodeling and building 1:1 structures and find the movement to scale structures to be more enjoyable. Besides, scratch building requires a scale workshop, giving rise to justification of a life-long dictum, "He who dies with the most tools wins".

At this point I'm making my own scale lumber from 1:1 stock. Because the majority of the structures in the prototype are constructed from wood, I feel well equipped from the standpoint of tools and experience to take this on. Some kit-bashed structures are likely to appear on the layout when I fail to have the time, patience, or materials to scratch-build the structure.

Over time I will individualize the structures with details. As the 1890s to 1910s were the steam era, I plan on constructing a number of steam power plants to add credibility to my layout. Of course, the inside portion will be more detailed than the outside. I also intend to electrify as many structures as reasonable. Structure scale will be in the 1:20.3 range.

Layout Base and Scenery

Inside, the base will be constructed of typical model railroad benchwork. Given the industrial areas being modeled (dock, yards, maintenance facilities), the amount of plantings to be modeled will be minimal. The majority of this portion of the layout will be trackage and structures.

Outside trackage will be located at ground level. Terrain covered by the NPC was rough and hilly. It much easier to model this kind of terrain at ground level. Other than in Sausalito, the majority of towns served by the NPC were small towns during the time periods being modeled. This means more limited trackage, fewer structures and more plantings. I find this to be desirable in an outdoor layout as I enjoy working with plants.

Human Access

A 12x16 foot viewing area (patio) will be constructed at the base of the deck. From there a walkway will extend down the hill to the pond. This walkway will be constructed as a raised bed staircase. The walkway will allow humans to view portions of the layout up close and travel down to the pond without having to deal with a steep and sometimes slippery hill. It will also provide an area for utilities to be run in a manner that will protect them from future construction.

Railroad Utilities

A variety of utilities will be carried under the inside benchwork and inside the outside beds to provide services to the railroad. They break down as follows.

Engine Power - This layout will be radio controlled and battery powered. So there is no need to provide for track power on this layout.

Lighting - I plan to run low voltage lighting around the patio and down the walkway. Other lighting including all structure lighting will be solar powered.

AC Power - Four 120 volt 20A AC lines will exit the house and run down the walkway. They will be buried alongside of the beds, feeding weatherproof outlets. This will allow power tools and other electrical devices to be used without running long extension cords. The circuits will provide power for the following purposes.

	Power the lift pump for a water feature that will begin near the rear of the house and run along the landscape beds to a holding pond 1/2 way down the hill. This circuit will also provide power to weather protected outlets in the on the hill.
	Power one or two lift pumps on the right side of the pond. These water features will emulate streams crossed by the NPC and provide aeration for the large pond.
	Power the light pole at the bottom of the hill and water features on the left side of the pond.
	Provide a circuit for a cabin structure on the left shore of the pond to be constructed at a later time.

Irrigation - There will be a very significant investment in plantings for this layout. A drip irrigation system will be installed that keeps these plants properly watered. The drip system will serve the entire layout as well as other beds located around the house.

Plants

One of the reasons to build a garden railroad is to make use of nature's willingness to grow plants outdoors to provide much of the scenery. Plantings will be selected with the following goals in mind.

	Scale - It is my objective that the plants fit in with the scale setting. for that reason, plants will be selected on the basis of how well they model real vegetation, but in 1/24 scale. Miniature trees and other plants with small leafs and flowers will be selected.
	Weather hardiness - As there will be extensive garden to maintain, plants selected will be perennials. Priority will be given to plants that care for themselves.
	Microclimate - The site of this railroad has areas ranging from full sun to heavy shade. Plants will be selected and placed based on the amount of sunlight they expect to receive.
	Visual impact - I want this railroad to be a showpiece.

Roadbed

The roadbed approach is still somewhat up in the air. I'm trying to choose between concrete roadbed as modeled by Marty Cozad and a free standing gravel roadbed in a very shallow trench. I have a small concrete mixer and am certainly capable of installing concrete roadbed. But I also have a trailer and with a nearby landscape yard, Gravel is relatively cheap and can be hauled in quantity. Certainly gravel would be less work. But I want this railroad to be as low maintenance as possible once completed. Gravel chosen will be a toothy gravel of a size that fits in with scale. Weed barriers will be used to keep vegetation from growing in areas of heavily traveled track.