Hi all,
When using (pink or blue) foam on top of a plywood base, how do you make elevation changes? I have done the cookie cutter type of benchwork before, but never used thhe foam. Would I carve the faom itself to go from one lever to another, or is there another solution?
Thanks for any info.
Senior Chaplain Gary Hosfelt
Pataskala, Ohio
You could use W/S foam riser kits, they have them in 2%, 3% and 4% .They basically are foam themselves, but can be easily bent to number of different radius.
Or you could use a foam cutter and cut your own, but this is more work, and cutting radiused risers is a trick!
TheK4Kid
[#ditto]
David B
The “traditional” blue or pink foam / plywood sandwich shelf layout doesn’t really lend itself as well to track at multiple elevations in the same scene.
However, this method of layout construction is wonderful for shelf layouts with only one mainline in the scene. You simply adjust the bracket height to control the primary track elevation.
That said, I am in the process of building a multiple deck layout via this method. The lower level has some areas where hidden trackage is dropping in elevation to get down to staging. To do this, I am using a hybrid of the foam and cookie cutter methods. To get the necessary elevation changes, I am essentially cookie cutting the foam and plywood sandwich. Then I will carve the foam to get smooth transitions in the terrain. For hidden track, it is traditional cookie cutter only. Why put the foam under hidden track anyway.
Of course, once I get to the upper levels, the construction will pretty much be the foam on plywood sandwich, lightweight and strong.
I’ve used the WS risers and carved foam. For the foam I carved the BOTTOM side so that I wouldn’t have to make it perfectly smooth. Also used plywood risers under foam, sort of like cookie cutter.
Also 1/8" plywood over wooden shingles (foam on top of ply) to make a compound grade.
Click through these images if you wish. Too many to post here.
Karl
Sorry, but they are NOT called “risers”. They are called “INCLINES”.
“Risers” will only lift your track horizontally (ie: at a 0% grade). They do not create a slope/grade/hill. To create a grade, you will need the “inclines” which are available in 2%, 3% and 4% grades.
Both “risers” and “inclines” are made from expanded foam (the white, beady stuff) with notches along both sides to allow them to be bent to form curves. This feature alone makes the WS inclines invaluable – far simpler to lay down the pre-formed inclines than to try to cut and shape foam to form a grade (beit on a curve or tangent). While a bit pricey, they do save time and aggrevation in calculating and building grades.
Don’t want to add any confusion, but without the grade afforded by risers, and not inclines, splined roadbed would not be able to impart changes in elevation to the track.
For the ramps that go between levels on my layout, I prefer to use a long piece of foam supported by wooden “trestles” underneath, just like standard cookie-cutter:
You can see the “ramp” to the left of center of the picture.
I tried cutting a ramp out of foam, but that didn’t work well, and the trestle technique is much easier.
Keep in mind if you plan on using a hot-wire or other ‘hot’ cutting tool, that unlike WS foam products, blue or pink foam insulation will give of a noxious / poisonous smoke that you shouldn’t be breathing. Probably you should only use “hot” cutting tools on it if you can do it outside or in a very well ventilated area.[xx(]
Mister Beasley,
Very interesting! I never saw it done this way before, but I like it!
may use that same technique on my layout.
Thanks for sharing!
TheK4Kid
I believe I am seeing “risers”. Would you call your grade support, as shown, “risers”, Mr. B?
Hmmm,
In that case I should have kicked the bucket a long time ago.
My other hobby is RC model sailplanes and large scale planes. Let’s see, I have cut around 200 sets of wings and about half as many fuselages, engine cowlings, etc out of pink, blue, grey, and white foam in my bsaement workshop. It is ventilated, and several buddies usually help me, and so far over 30 years, none of us has had any ill effects.
Last set of wings was for a 15 foot wingspan B-17 bomber along with the fuselage, fin, rudder, stabilizer and elevator and all the engine cowlings .
We cut a lot of foam!
No one got nausiated or ill.Isuppose if you stuck your nose down in the smoke and inhaled it like some people snort coke, then it might harm you after awhile.
We have een making foam model airplane parts since 1978 and no one has got sick or died yet.
If I wanted to I could cut foam inclines, but it’s actually easier to buy themalready cut.Making a set just like W/S would be a lot of work!
TheK4Kid
You also mention you’re used to cookie cutter. MisterBeasley shows an interesting method. You could also cut your plywood for transition up the grade and glue the foam.
don’t be such a tease , show us a photo !
I made a jig for my hot wire cutter. I screwed two pieces of 1/4" ply to a 1x2 at the correct angle to make a sort of trough a couple feet long, and used the ply sides to slide my foam cutter along to cut the proper grade. Then used the factory side of the foam as my finished surface. To curve the foam I cut alternating slots into the side of the strips to allow it to flex.
Thanks for all the great info. Gives me a lot to ponder and makes the planning stages so much easier.
You guys are the best!
Senior Chaplain Gary Hosfelt
I used a combination of the 2% WS inclines and 2" extruded foam on my layout, because I was going to have around an 18" difference in levels. It worked out just fine, as you don’t really have to cut the foam exactly, since it’s being used as a stacked base for the inclines. Those WS inclines are really great to work with, and they don’t seem to start out at a ‘sudden’ rise. They ARE a little pricey, but they’re worth the money in my book.
Here’s an ‘under construction’ shot of the inclines and the foam sub-base.
Tom
I use 2 layers of 1.5 inch foam on my shelf layout (no plywood). The upper layer is cookie cuttered for elevation changes. I support it with foam shims and blocks. The advantage of this is that you get very smooth transitions in height. Because there are two layers of foam and no wood, it is still easy to poke holes through for wires and linkages. Also because there are 2 layers, the bottom layer remains flat and is suitable for mounting switch machines underneath. And last, because there are two layers, the sound level is diminished.
Of course I am not making huge changes in elevation here, just little mostly prototypical ones. If I were making really significant changes (like maybe more than 4 inches or so) I would use Beasley’s technique for that part of it, namely go to one layer of foam and support the grade on wooden risers.
George
I like the term “trestles” for the under-layout wood work. Maybe it’s because I don’t have any “real” trestles on my layout. [:(] “Inclines” or “ramps” work for the climbing parts.
A long time ago, I read a layout-design suggestion that said you can give the impression of tracks going up and down through hilly scenery by simply keeping the tracks flat but making the scenery go up and down. Although my layout appears to be very hilly, the main line and yard are all on the same level. There are a couple of dead-end spurs that rise or fall from that level, and I dropped the turntable and roundhouse into a “valley,” but by and large the trains don’t have any hills to climb at all. Of course, the subways are below this main level, but they mostly stay down there.