Luis Daniel Lopes luis_lopes

Hi all.

I have come to a halt on my layout, because I am full of doubts, and I hope that you could help me clear my mind.

I made the benchwork for my around the walls shelf layout using 1 x 2 (sort of) lumber, and placed a nice subroadbed made out of plywood. But I am having second thoughts about this.

 

629017_n.jpg 

Now that Tim Moran helped me to get a nice track plan and operations I need to start laying track and play with trains:

I want to raise the track: What is the best way to do it? Raise the subroadbed using risers? Or using 3cm foam as road bed?

Why do I want this? I want to have some scenic dividers between scenes. (depressions and elevations).

What are your thoughts?

Thanks in advance for all your help.

Luís Daniel Lopes
Lisbon, Portugal

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Neil Erickson NeilEr

Foam

One word of advice son, plastics. Or foam rather. Put it down right over your plywood and lay the track either directly on it or on some cork depending on your prototype. Some have even carved the ballast banks right into the foam as well along with drainage and undulations in the terrain. 

My favorite part. Please keep posting your progress, thoughts, and (in my case) failures as well. 

Neil E

Neil Erickson, Hawai’i 

My Blogs

Reply 0
ctxmf74

"I want to raise the

Quote:

"I want to raise the track: What is the best way to do it?" 

  It really depends on how much you want to raise it and what kind of tools and skills you have.  For just a slight amount of rise I'd just glue a layer of cork or other sheet roadbed material over the plywood where the tracks need to be raised.  For a bit larger rise I'd cut the plywood cookie cutter style along the edges of the roadbed  and raise it up with graduated risers. On a narrow layout like that I can't see a large difference in elevation being desirable so some combination of these two methods might give enough elevation difference.  If you don't have the tools or woodworking skills to raise the plywood surface you might look into Woodland Scenic foam risers, they come cut to various grades  and you just glue them over the track plan where you want risers. The downside is your turnouts are way up above the plywood surface so harder to add switch machines or other under the table throw mechanisims.....DaveB

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Luis Daniel Lopes luis_lopes

Cookie cutter!

Hi all.

Thank you for your replies. I am going with teh cookie cutter style of benckwork. A bit more work, but I think it is better and more rigid than the foam.

A bit more work, but I think It will be better in the long run!

Thanks for the time you took reading and sharing your ideas!

 

Luís Daniel Lopes
Lisbon, Portugal

Reply 0
ctxmf74

Re: thanks

Quote:

     You are welcome Luis.  A benefit of the cookie cutter method is it will create a nice transition vertical curve as the plywood bends to start up the grade. Can you unscrew the top to make the cuts or will you have to do them in place? .......DaveB

 

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Luis Daniel Lopes luis_lopes

Let's see...

what happens. I already started to rise the sub road bed.

mage(1).jpeg 

Luís Daniel Lopes
Lisbon, Portugal

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