How I widened the raised bed at Bulkeley

Having recently revised the layout of the trackwork at Bulkeley Station, I realised that the siding which I had moved closer to the front of the raised bed was now looking somewhat precarious.

Rather than trying to revise the track layout again, I decided a better approach was to widen the raised bed. This would not only provide more support for the siding, there would also be potential for development of infrastructure alongside the siding.

The first job was to remove the sandstone cladding from the retaining wall of the raised bed. This was achieved with the energetic application of a hammer and brick bolster.

I decided that, rather than removing the existing retaining wall, I would simply build another alongside it.

A shallow trench (approx. 6-8" (15-20cm) deep) was dug into the lawn along the line of the new retaining wall. To keep things simple, its width was dictated by the width of the spade blade.

I placed a layer of rubble, approximately two inches (5cm) deep into the bottom of the trench ......

.... and then bashed it into submission with a sledge hammer.

I then put together 3 measures of gravel, 3 measures of builders' sand and one measure of cement ......

...... and mixed them thoroughly with a shovel. Shovelfuls of the mix was turned over repeatedly to ensure the components were fully integrated.

Water was put into a hollow in the middle of the mix ......

.... and folded in. This process was repeated a couple more times until a stiff mix of concrete was achieved. NOTE: Only small amounts of water were added at intervals as it is quite easy to accidentally make the mix too sloppy. Too much water weakens the mix.

The mix was then shovelled into the trench, bringing it level with the top of the trench.

A mortar mix was then prepared - 3 parts builders' sand to 1 part cement.

Once mixed dry, water was added as previously .......

...... in equal proportions to concrete plasticiser. The plasticiser is not essential, but it does help improve the creaminess of the mortar and helps it to stay workable for longer.

A concrete breeze block was then squidged into the concrete foundation, using a spirit level to ensure it was horizontal. It was then removed and a layer of mortar placed in the depression it had made before the block was replaced and its horizontality checked again.

Further blocks were laid alongside it .........

..... with a layer of mortar slapped on to the intermediate edge ......

...... before the new block was pushed against its neighbour. The excess mortar was then removed with the point of a trowel.

This process was repeated, including the addition of a course or two of bricks to bring the retaining wall roughly to the height of the original.

 The wall was then covered with fabric and and a layer of plastic to protect it from frost and rain, both of which had been forecast over the ensuing few days.

 The wall was left for four days (maybe half that time if it had been in summer), before the coverings were removed and a row of sandstone chunks concreted to the upper edge of the wall.

Soil was then shovelled into the gap between the old and new walls ......

 ..... to bring it up to level.

Another mix of mortar was prepared, 3:1 sand and cement.

A sprinkling of red and brown cement dyes were added to the mix.

Equal quantities of water and PVA were added to the mix .......

 

...... before being mixed into a stiff mortar.

 Diluted PVA was then painted on to the wall ..........

.... before dollops of mortar were thrown on to the wall with a large trowel.

Irregular slabs of sandstone were then pushed into the mortar and wiggled to help ensure they made a good bond.

Once a few blocks had been put into place, the excess mortar ......

..... was then tidied up with a stiff paintbrush using a combination of stippling and wiping to ensure the gaps were filled and smoothed off.

The wall was then covered and left for three or four days for the mortar to reach its 'green' state - half way towards fully hardening.

Any excess mortar which had attached itself to the faces of the sandstone blocks .......

..... was removed with ......

 .... a wire brush.

 Before .........

..... and after.

More stubborn patches of mortar were removed with a wire brush attachment on an electric drill.

The next stage in the process is to plant out the new bed and to think of how the new area of real estate will be developed. There might even be room for a goods shed or a coal storage shed similar to those found on the Southwold Railway.

How I laid the track and landscaped behind the workshop

In this post I describe in a nutshell how I create my trackbed, lay my track, ballast it and landscape the garden around it. It also demonstrates that the approach I use to creating my trackbed is durable and also readily adaptable, should changes need to be made. I'm not saying my approaches are the best or only way of doing things, but I for one am always interested in seeing how others go about the garden railway modelling process. So, I hope you might find it of interest.

As you can see from the plan of the railway, part of the line passes behind the sheds (top left corner).

 

This section of the railway has become neglected over the past fifteen years since the track was laid. After all, it's out of sight and so out of mind. After dismantling the sheds and replacing them with a brand, spanking new bespoke workshop (see How I constructed the workshop), I turned my attention to the track behind it. Over the years, the trackbed had sunk by a few centimetres in the middle as the blocks settled .......

...... and so I decided it was time this part of the railway received some attention.

The first job was to lift the track. This was easily accomplished as it was held down at intervals by screws screwed into plastic rawlplugs. Some of the screws had corroded and so the holes in the sleepers into which they were inserted were enlarged to allow the heads to pass through.

The blocks were then lifted. As they were not concreted in place, this was a relatively easy process. A shallow trench (approx 8" (20cm) deep, was dug along the line of the edge of the trackbed.......

...... and garden canes tapped into place at around three foot (one metre) intervals to show the height of the new trackbed. A long builders' spirit level was used to ensure each cane was level with its neighbour and with the existing trackbed at either end.

A six inch (15cm) foundation layer of  'crush and run' (aka crusher run, quarry process (QP) or dense grade aggregate (DGA) ie pulverized stone and stone dust) was then put into the trench and pummelled flat (with the heel of my boot).

A layer of concrete (three parts sand to one part cement) was then trowelled on top of the crusher run and a course of bricks laid on top, to within a breeze-block's width (4" or 10cm) of the top of the canes - plus another 10mm for the thickness of a layer of mortar.

At the leftmost end of the section, where the copper mine branch diverges, two course of bricks were laid as the ground sloped away slightly more.

 The concrete was left for around five days to set and then the breeze blocks were laid on top on a 10mm (ish) layer of concrete. Soil was then in-filled behind the blocks to bring the garden back up to its original level (the workshop was slightly lower as the ground slopes away from the rear to the front).

Rather than concreting the blocks together, a dry mix of sand and cement was brushed into the gaps between them to discourage weed growth. The trackbed was left for three days .......

...... and then the track was relaid. Plastic rawlplugs were inserted into holes drilled in the blocks at roughly 3' (1m) intervals and the track fixed down with stainless steel screws (I'm learning from prior experience). Expansion gaps of approx 5mm were left between the lengths of rail as the temperature when the track was laid was only around 5C.

Paving slabs were laid on sand (for ease of levelling) beside the new trackbed as this area can become muddy during wet weather.

As the leftmost section had now become more visible owing to reducing the height of the hedge which formerly hid the ramshackle sheds from view, I decided to landscape it. Chunks of local sandstone were selected and dug in beside the breeze blocks to act as the sides of cuttings.

Soil was then loosely piled up behind them.

The sandstone blocks were then fixed into place with concrete (forced in between the blocks with a trowel and rubber-gloved hands). The track was then ballasted with a 3:1 mix of horticultural potting grit and cement, brushed into place while dry and then watered with the rose of a watering can.

When the concrete had set, more soil was dug in behind the sandstone blocks to bring it up the the height of the surrounding landscape.

Once the soil has settled, it will be planted with shade-loving plants as this area does not see a lot of sunlight. As you can see, moss grows freely on the rocks in my garden and so before long it will be difficult to see where the new joins the old.

Although this is only a small section of the complete layout, I am pleased that I have been able to expose and landscape what was a hidden and somewhat neglected corner of the garden.

In time, I hope I will be able to use this part of the garden for photos and video clips, though I will have to position the camera carefully to avoid the adjacent fence, workshop and from this angle, the house in the distance.

 Other related posts you might find of interest:

• How I cast two overbridges from concrete
• How I ballast my track
• How I created the copper mine branchline