> This takes up a large amount of ties. The
> museum has rails but not the ties for the
> entire project.

What rail section do you have on hand?

> Would it be more economical to do:

I agree with Mr. Ferguson and Mr. Landrio.
Put down a deep base of well-compacted ballast.
The ties are almost decorative. You can dispense
with them altogether and use some gauge rods
to help hold the gauge. Once there is concrete
surrounding the rails, where are they going to
go? You might want to lay in some rubber at
steel/concrete interface to deal with the
expansion and contraction.

If you skip the ties, use some oak blocks 2"
thick or so and maybe 1'x1' to spread the load
from the rails to the stone. It'll be a lot
cheaper than ties, and you'll save 4-5" on height
which you'd otherwise have to make up in concrete
if you want the floor to come out level with the
rails (which is a very good idea). Even with
a rail section of very low height (e.g. 5"), that
still leaves a 6"-8" deep slab which is more than
strong enough.

> Another consideration is wheather a slab
> would be better because journal oil, etc.
> would not seep out of boxes and through the
> gravel into the soil.

That's a very big consideration and it speaks
volumes in favor of a continuous slab surface.

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