Building the Track Bed
for an Elevated Line

Several visitors have asked for information about building an elevated line. This section of "On Track in the Garden" has four pages and describes the construction method I used for my line.

The Association of 16mm Narrow Gauge Modellers publishes and circulates to its members an excellent "Beginners' Guide to 16mm Narrow Gauge Modelling" which includes descriptions of at least thirteen different ways of supporting the track. Choices of whether to use brick, stone, concrete, embankments and cuttings, existing walls and so on, will depend on the nature of the existing terrain, your own (and your family's) preferences, and on the resilience of your credit card!

Discussions on whether a ground level or an elevated line is best can get quite heated! A ground level line can integrate beautifully with the terrain using carefully chosen plants and shrubs, but may be vulnerable to damage from size 12 boots, garden machinery and debris. Nor is it a good option if you happen to suffer from backache. I chose an elevated line mainly because I prefer to watch and photograph live steam model trains at eye level rather than look down on them.