Looks good

Looks good Loren.  I really enjoyed this phase of working with Homasote splines.  They're so easy to assemble, and that, combined with the fact that you're recreating your track schematic as you build, just made them kind of therapeutic to me.  I actually felt bad the day I finished them for my layout.  I wish every phase of layout construction was that much fun.

A couple of questions:

1. You don't use clamps?  Quik-Clamps were a huge help to me, allowing me to assemble the splines by hand, clamp them, reposition, clamp again, etc. and then drive a bunch of screws when I was happy with the positioning of everything.
2. I noticed in photo #3 that your middle spline piece for the siding seems to be lower than the two outer pieces.  Personally, I'd avoid doing that.  I can't think of a benefit of doing it that way, and if you later decide to hand-lay - even if you just hand-lay turnouts - it could work against you and impact where you could add them and their durability, since the spikes in those areas wouldn't have as much material to grip.

hey joe

I actually do use one clamp occaisionally if I think the screw won't cinch it up as tight as when it is clamped.   I just meant I didn't use 20 clamps like what you see with glued masonite or wood.

The siding picture is a little misleading.   Everything to the left of the main line (3splines) is lower.   I think it is a mirage that the middle spline is lower than both sides.   It is only lower than the main line splines....and possibly higher than the siding splines will be.   Wherever track is...I make sure the 3 splines under the ties are level.

Missed a good show Joe....me and the Iowa Scaled guys talked about you....were your ears ringing????lol

Spill it!

Spill the beans Loren! 

now now Joe

It was all good....trust me.....

All good?

Short conversation then, I take it? 

Looks good

Nice work, Loren; I've started my spline work as well, though at a much slower rate.

Thanks for the update!

Thanks Matt

Wouldn't have been possible without your cutting jig idea.   will keep posting.

In a word, NICE.

In a word, NICE.

Thanks,

For anyone thinking of starting or starting over....give homasote spline a look.    I don't have the history of it that Jeff Otto does, but he's been using this method for @30 years now and has had NO bad experience that I've heard.

Ballast Shoulders

Loren, did you post on how you cut your ballast shoulders?  If so, post up a link in you blog comments.

I cheated Matt,

My prototype had almost no raised profile at that time due to deferred maintenance.   Instead of using beveled shoulders, I just used flat ones.  Mostly, I sank them a little lower than the real roadbed height so I have a little leeway on how to model certain areas.   

I'll try to post a shot of the ICG main with sidings on each side that are all at the same level.