I have some sidings that I want at ground level lower than the height of my cork roadbed. On previous layouts I have either sanded the cork to make a ramp from one level to the other or I have carved ramps from foam. Both methods were tedious. I know one guy who just lets the track be suspended in the air until it get to the lower level and then fills it in with extra ballast. Anyone have any good ideas on making this transition? Anyone sell transition cork pieces? Thoughts? - Nevin
Like you I sanded my main line cork to transition to my yard that is about 1/3 the thickness of the mainline cork.
I don’t know what you used to sand with but I used a hand held belt sander with 120 grit paper. I just kept moving back and forth as different lengths to achieve the gradual slope to the yard height.
I don’t know of anyone that makes a transition piece of cork.
Bill
I’ve used the wood shims that are sold at most home improvement stores for shimming door and window frames. These are usually sold in a package of 10 or so shims that are 8 inches long. The thick end can be cut short so it is equal thickness of your roadbed. The only disadvantage to shims is that they come only in straight pieces, so two may be needed side by side if your track is curved.
tapering cork roadbed is easy with the right tools. forget the sandpaper, it is too slow… check anywhere that sells carpentry tools for a Stanley Sureform model number 21-399. it is about 6 inches long by 1 1/2 wide and looks like a little grater. does a wonderful job of leveling cork roadbed and i use it to taper the cork down to nothing for sidings etc. it also comes in handy for smoothing wood joints and for rounding off the edges of lumber. it also does a great job of taking the “fuzz” off the edges of cut plywood. i have used the same one for years and can’t even imagine layout construction without it.
grizlump
I echo cacoles method with the wood door shims. They’re just about the width if HO roadbed. You can use them to make ramps and elevated walk ways around your buildings too.
[:D]
Hi
I took a sabre saw and cut about a foot down each side of the track.At the end that will be at table level cut across. bend this tongue down untill ties are level with the deck and secure it. Then taper road bed on each side of track. Mine was on an 18" curve. This was on 1/2" plywood deck.
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[tup]
Lee
It only takes a couple of minutes if you use a Stanley ‘Sureform’ tool, or even a B&D ‘Mouse’ sander with 60 grit material. Use tools, hand labor with loose sandpaper takes too long.
Jim
For the lower track, some people have used N scale roadbed, although you need to use two side by side to get it wide enough for HO track.
For the change in height, Woodland Scenics makes what I think they call “Incline Starters” in 2, 3 and 4% grades. The 2% ones go from 0 to 1/2" elevation over the space of two feet. Obviously you’re going to only use a small section of each; you can easily cut the foam incline so they match both roadbeds, plus it’s easily curved. IIRC there are 8 inclines in each box so you can do several sidings or spur tracks with just one box.
Has anyone tried just using spackle and knife ? I’ve done it for tapering situations and it’s worked fine. You can also easily sand and shape it (albeit with a little bit of dust).
Hi!
When I moved to the Houston area in 1980, most all new houses had wood shingle roofs. Thanks to Alica, Rita, Ike and a few hailstorms, most are now history. I put several new ones aside for just this purpose - to have a smooth transition from cork roadbed height to cork sheet or plywood base.
These shingles are still available at some lumber yards and very inexpensive. Typically they are about 12 inches long by 6, 8, or 10 inches, and have a perfect taper from about 3/8 inch to a fine edge. With a band saw or coping saw, you can cut them any way you need.
Trust me, these are perfect for the transitions as they are roughly about a 2 1/2 percent grade. The only problem some of you may have is availability in your area. Oh, these are not the thick “shake” shingles or the newfangled metal ones - these are just really cheap cedar pieces that were made for use on a model railroad.
Hey, ENJOY !
Mobilman44
I transition from roadbed on 1/2" plywood to 1/2" Homosote on 1/2" ply by simply elevating the Homosote so the track flows from the cork/ply with no gradient. This creates an abrupt elevation differential between the Homosote and the plywood subroadbed. I intend to use ground goop, red rosin paper, or some other scenic solution to smooth that differential on either side of the track.
The track part has worked out fine; I’ve yet to transition the scenery. But as a beginner, I figured it would be easier to transition the scenery than the track.
Rick Krall
Use cardboard shims, of graduating lengths, cut from light card stock (manilla folders). Cut the shim strips the same width as the ties. The longest shim is the length of the distance over which you want to transition from full roadbed to flat surface, say, 12". The next longest would be about 11 1/2". The third shim, about 11" and so on. Butt the ends of all shims up to the main roadbed, and as they stack one atop the other, they build up to the height of the main roadbed. Start with the longest trip first and add the rest, from longest to shortest, until the gradual downgrade is formed. Do what you will to transition the angled sides of the roadbed down to a flat surface, but I think the best way to do this was mentioned in a previous post - use ballast.
I’ve used this method, successfully, for years.
chicochip
I used cardboard shims for this transition and that worked. I also had to make a transition from level “ground” to a modified/kitbashed Atlas TT. Here I let the transition track dictate the grade then filled in with balsa shims. Later I’ll fill with ballast. Though both worked, I really like the idea of using the sureform tool to “sand” cork roadbed. I have a sureform but just never thought of it! Incidentally, the sureform is the tool to use in any foam carving. Works great-except for the foam mess. Here I learned a few tricks. 1) rub your hands, clothes with an anti-static clothes dryer sheet before you start carving. It eliminates the static and you won’t have foam bits stuck all over yourself. 2) Keep a shop-vac very handy as you carve!
A 18" or 24" wood shake works great and you can choose your width for your circumstance. Just cut as required.[:)]
Brent
Is there anything to be extra careful of when filing Midwest or similar brand cork roadbed with sureforms? Is it at all hard to prevent chipping or ripping of the cork or simply, a no concern operation? I’ve used sureforms many times in other uses…is the recommended model much finer toothed than most of their models? The various models I’ve used in the past are pretty “long in the teeth”. As soon as our snow melts I’ll head down to the local Hardware store and check out the recommended model # above. I was going to try a palm sander but wasn’t sure about which grit paper to try. Sounds like 60 grit’ll do it. I’m surprised that Midwest, etc. doesn’t make these little ramps for sale considering that they manufacture turn out pads, etc. They’d be a great convenience if they were priced reasonably.
I transition down with shims of the grey carboard (the type that comes off new under shirts, undershorts or dress shirts). Glued it down and nailed the track thru it to the homosote. You can not tell it is there once the ballast is down.
I did mine with a sheet of balsa from the hobby shop, the same thickness as the roadbed. I used an orbital sander and had a vacuum hose next to it to catch the dust.
I used #36 sandpaper wrapped around a block of wood - a 2’ long transition down to tabletop level took only a couple of minutes, with no dust blown all over the layout, like you’d get using power tools:
Wayne
nobody has mentioned the masking tape idea yet…
Just get a roll of masking tape, and lay a piece from the end of your roadbed to where you want the track to be at ground level. Then, simply lay successively shorter pieces of tape to create the taper (pun partially intended). It’ll take a few times or some experimenting to figure out exactly how long your initial piece should be, so that you can figure out the right amount to shorten each successive piece of tape by.
Definitely THE EASIEST method, without a doubt.
I’d have to say that using the cedar undercourse shingles is the best idea so far! What amazes me is the constant suggestions about power sanders on the layout!!! Track cleaning and dirt & dust removal from the layout have been top forum topics for eons!! Why would you want to add dust/dirt to the layout room[%-)]