Did you pull any weeds today?

[Atkinson_Railroad]

One of the joys in maintaining a miniature railroad is the connection to the earth, and physically crawling on the ground.

“What? … Who does that?”

I do.

Maybe you do too.

A problematic section of my right-of-way is where seedlings from an elm tree make their home.
They are yanked before given a chance to multiply… but it’s all in vain. The trees will eventually win, like most all of nature does.
It took about thirty minutes to remove the new trees. They are gone until next year when the event happens all over again.

Battling trees, battling drainage, battling the neighbor’s horse… it’s all in a day’s railroad work.

There is nothing embarrassing about performing “Maintenance”. It keeps a railroad operation in a state of ... (you fill in the blank).

Did you pull any weeds today?

John

[Bill Shields]

Constantly... but not on a railway

[Atkinson_Railroad]

I'll exclude your reply Bill.
You have no experience. And you've admited so. So...
Carry on.

And pull some weeds on your way.

John

[Greg_Lewis]

Trains shmains. No time for that.
•Replace 200 ft. of drip line to back field including squirrel-proof cover (6 trips to Lowes)
•Replace broken rotary sprinkler in front yard
•Replace thermostat in truck
•Check for bad temp sender in truck
•Check for possible fuel leak in truck
•Replace blown circuit board in kitchen cooktop
•Repair break in new drip line to back field
•Flush fresh water tank in camper
•Clean mud off boots
•Get hearing test (huh?)
•R&R truck radio
•Demo termite-eaten shed over well pressure tank and build new one
•Pull and lube sticky door handle & lock on side door
•Investigate alternative to fried control board for camper jacks
•Take truck in for alignment
•Fix front gate closer
•Call termite exterminator
•Install pads, drain hose, etc. in shop swap cooler
•Buy and replace computer backup HD
•Replace deep sink in laundry room, cut down cabinet to fit
•Get bids for house repainting
•Replace leaking air fitting on hose reel in backshop
•Replace bad sprinkler timer on side of barn

•Learn new song:
If you're happy and you know it, stay in bed!  
If you're happy and you know it, stay in bed!  
If you're happy and you know it, getting up will surely blow it!
If you're happy and you know it, stay in bed!  

[Charles T. McCullough]

•Learn new song:
If you're happy and you know it, stay in bed!
If you're happy and you know it, stay in bed!
If you're happy and you know it, getting up will surely blow it!
If you're happy and you know it, stay in bed!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!... for the best belly laugh I have had in a long time! Love it, love it, love it!

[rmac]

Trains shmains. No time for that.
•Replace 200 ft. of drip line to back field including squirrel-proof cover (6 trips to Lowes)
•Replace broken rotary sprinkler in front yard
•Replace thermostat in truck
•Check for bad temp sender in truck
•Check for possible fuel leak in truck
•Replace blown circuit board in kitchen cooktop
•Repair break in new drip line to back field
•Flush fresh water tank in camper
•Clean mud off boots
•Get hearing test (huh?)
•R&R truck radio
•Demo termite-eaten shed over well pressure tank and build new one
•Pull and lube sticky door handle & lock on side door
•Investigate alternative to fried control board for camper jacks
•Take truck in for alignment
•Fix front gate closer
•Call termite exterminator
•Install pads, drain hose, etc. in shop swap cooler
•Buy and replace computer backup HD
•Replace deep sink in laundry room, cut down cabinet to fit
•Get bids for house repainting
•Replace leaking air fitting on hose reel in backshop

So then what did you do after lunch?

[Greg_Lewis]

So then what did you do after lunch?

I took a nap and stayed in bed.

[Bill Shields]

So my 3/8 mile of gravel driveway is significantly different than the equivalent length of railroad ballast?

Ok...I do not have to work around rails, but my drive is a lot wider than the typical club track.

A weed is a weed is a weed, and small trees are the same, no matter where they grow.

Club run weekends, I do pull weeds, but nowhere near the number seen on our farm.

[makinsmoke]

Hi John,
Have you thought about putting weed barrier down on the base before you lay track and ballast?

Maybe take off some ballast, put down barrier then reballast?

[Steggy]

“I don’t pull weeds. I smoke ’em.”

—Well-known outlaw country musician

[Bill Shields]

Weed barriers only stop what comes up from underneath
What blows in or is dropped from trees or birds, will still sprout.

[Charles T. McCullough]

Had a "Master Gardener" in our club for a few years. He had a garden RR that was to envy. And many a club member wife did!

At a meet at his house one time, one of the wives was overcome with the weedless gardens of beautiful flowers and she breathlessly asked him how many hours he spent weeding the large gardens. He reply was "Gallons and gallons of Round-Up."