I am currently working on laying my programming track and had the idea of integrating an abandoned grain elevator with a siding. I am working on bashing a Rix Elevator and Bin kit and plan on adding a pole-buidling style shed on the siding. I have been looking for pictures of overgrown, unmaintained track in the 1:1 scale for inspiration. Before I finish my elevator, I wanted to see how some of you modelled overgrown or abandoned track. Feel free to share suggestions and/or pictures. FYI I'm modelling the northeast.
This could be an interesting topic. I have never done much more than some grass or low weeds around a minimally used spur track. BTW- The track in your photo looks to be in fair condition. Where is it? Why out of service?
I did something a little bit like what you're talking about back on my first layout. The idea was (with absolutely no prototypical evidence) that the mine tracks would get muddy/dirty/uncared for which would lead to something a bit like what came about here. This was done mostly with cinder ballast, real sifted dirt, some WS ground foam, and most importantly, silflor tufts. If I were attempting to do something along the lines of the picture you provided, I would probably go a similar route, with silflor tufts mixed with static grass, and tiny little scraps of supertrees' (for the more bushy bits of overgrowth). But then again, I don't really know much, so my advice would probably not be the one to follow I am very keen to see how you go about this.
I wish I knew more, I just found it on google images. Aside from the rust, they do appear to be relatively straight, etc, but it looks like off in the distance it has broken ties. If I had to guess they only look like they have been out of use for 15 years or so...
When I read you topic line, I thought of this video that I found about a year ago. Not sure if this is what you had in mind or not. Be sure to notice the section at 0.57 seconds. [video=youtube_share;DSUXSRsXsI8]http://youtu.be/DSUXSRsXsI8[/video] So much for perfect trackwork needed!
I remember that video! Thats pretty darn impressive that the person was actually able to switch on those tracks without derailing. I'm hoping the advantage I have is that I won't be running trains on this particular spur because it will only be used for programming. So I could go pretty decrepit.
I might be able to help with this, as I watched the MC/NYC/PC Joliet Branch go through this process. Sorry, no pictures, but I did stumble across some about two years ago. Don't remember where. OK, first you will need milkweeds. In your photo there are two plants in the foreground, between the rails. One in the center and one off to the right. Those are milkweeds. Don't know why, but they were around railroads before the Tom Thumb !!! The stuff inside them looks like milk, but DOES NOT taste like milk !!! Go ahead and try it !!! Next, you will need whatever plant produces cockleburrs. That's how Mom always knew I was "up on the tracks again" !!! Of course, general local weeds and saplings should be there as well. Also, think of where this line used to run. The PC branch ran along the border of Grandma's asparagus field. The trains or raiders would deposit seeds and these evil plants would grow very well in the cinders up to two miles away !!! Another thing that was abundant was strawberries. Don't know where they came from, but DAMN they were good !!! You mentioned a grain elevator. I remember a lone corn stalk standing by Spencer Grain in New Lenox. Had ears and everything !!! Somehow, animals left that one alone. That's another thing !!! Wildlife !!! Since those " big, noisy, metal things" aren't around anymore, deer,raccoons, pheasants, and everything else use the line as a 'highway". The line I'm talking about was in VERY poor shape. Cinders for ballast and rotted ties. I could literally pull spikes with my fingers when I was in 4th grade !!! Just a few ideas, hope it helps !!!
Milkweeds eh? I think they may be pretty easy to model. Maybe a peice of floral wire as the stem and WS fine turf for leaves. On another note:
A long abandoned siding is barely visible between the main and the buildings. It's more overgrown than what you show in your 1:1 photos, but it's an example of extreme neglect.
Heres' a photo or two that may be of use. This is a long-abandoned track running through a city park. So the foreground portion is "maintained" by the park personnel, but you can see in the background that... well, there haven't been any trains for quite some time. Maybe not exactly what you were looking for, which would be more wild growth and less zero-turn mower, but perhaps of some use. IMG_0735 by BGTwinDad, on Flickr IMG_0737 by BGTwinDad, on Flickr IMG_0736 by BGTwinDad, on Flickr
[/QUOTE] I love abandoned tracks and really old a messed up industrial tracks, modeled and real-world. I like what you've done here but those are so abandoned (which is way cool) they are easy to miss. Maybe an old dilapidated boxcar sitting on them that perhaps the farm since confiscated as a shed would be cool to draw more attention to them?
How about it? I had trouble even spotting it. I thought he was referring to the sidings in the background until I noticed the turnout in the lower left corner! Nice!
I've been redoing the scenery on my layout, and used static grass for the ends of these yard tracks. Still have more weeding up to do.
Abandoned ROWs can be anything from waist-high weeds to a thickly-forested narrow belt of tall trees and tangled underbrush running between cultured farm fields. Since you are going to be actively using the track, or part of it, you could model an abandoned road crossing near the beginning of the spur and the buildings (or just remaining foundation, for easier access) at the rear end. This would let you leave the rails in the crossing (plus very minimal vegetation so less to interfere with the electrical contact) and then "go wild" (pun) with lots of overgrowth on the back end of the siding -- I say siding because elevators usually had sidings not spurs. You could even remove one of the rails from the non-used part of the programming track. This is a neat idea for "hiding" the programming track, though I think modern DCC sets let you program on the main(?). I plan to put a spur near my engine facility that exits off the end of the layout and not connects to any on-layout trackage, to use as a wheel-cleaning station. It would be wired to a constant 12v DC source, with a momentary contact-on button. Put a alcohol-soaked paper towel on the rails, set the loco against the bumper with one set of wheels on the paper, and push button until wheels are clean. A loading dock or a sandhouse sitting next to the track gives it purpose when not in use.
Urban version of abandoned track, Philadelphia 2011 right behind the Rodin Museum. Track went to the Baldwin Loco works.
I have often thought of making a small section on my future layout with a biking trail that was a former ROW. What I am not sure about is if I want just a small section that used to be a former branchline, or if I want this to be a former mainline that ran parallel to another mainline, similar to what the MILW and NP did between Cle Elum and Easton, Wa.
