By
Larry Dick

I have reached a stage in my garden railroad career where trains are actually running around a main line, and enough trees and groundcover have sufficiently hidden most of the open space dirt. My next order of business was to build a freight yard to add some operational excitement to my railroad.

Not knowing anything about real railroad yard design, I modeled my yard based on how many turnouts and extra track I had laying around after the completion of the main line. My ignorance of prototypical railroad operations has allowed me to build a simple yard that still allows decent switching opportunities.

Upon completion of the yard, I became aware of the need to construct some sort of bumper at the terminus of each rail stub so that my boxcars don’t go careening off the track into the street to be eaten by the next passing SUV. What I devised was a simple bumper that is both inexpensive and easy to construct. I would like to share how I made these bumpers.

Step 1:
These bumpers are made out of 1/16" thick aluminum stock available from any home improvement center. If you prefer brass, use 1/32" stock as 1/16" brass is very difficult to bend correctly in a vise. I used a metal cutting band saw to cut the aluminum stock the width of the rail base. You could very easily use a razor saw, but it will take more time to cut. I use code 332 track so if your track is code 250, you will have to cut a thinner piece. See Figures 1 and 2.

Figures 1 and 2.

Step 2:
Next, from the piece of stock you cut in Step 1, cut off a piece 1 5/8 inch long and place a mark at ½ inch, then 5/8 inch, and ½ inch. See Figure 3

Figure 3.

Step 3:
Using a Dremel tool, grind a small circular notch in right side of the 1 5/8 metal strip you cut in Step 2. See Figure 4.

Figure 4

Step 4:
Place the strip in a vise with the notched side out and bend a right angle bending at the first ½ inch mark. See Figures 5 and 6.

Figures 5 and 6

Step 5:
Now take the bumper out of the vise and reposition it in the vise jaws (See Figure 7). Take a small pliers and bend the piece at the second mark down until there is an opening a little smaller than the height of the rail you are using (See Figure 8).

Figures 7 and 8

Step 6:
All there is to do is slip the bumper onto the end of the rail. It should fit snugly onto the rail so that no glue or bolt will be necessary (See Figures 9 and 10)

Figures 9 and 10

Oila ! You now have constructed a simple, but I think effective bumper for all of your spurs and yard stubs. You can paint the bumpers any color you want or leave it as is.

Is it elegant? Not really. Is it prototypical? No way. Can you make 20 or 30 of these bumpers for a fraction of the price it would cost to buy one commercially produced product? Most certainly.