I want to transition from Midwest cork roadbed down to my foam sub-roadbed with my N scale track. What are some ideas on how to cut the cork down uniformly. Also, what should I allow for a minimum distance to allow for the drop down to the sub- roadbed?
For my HO scale layout I used wood shims purchased from the lumber yard. They come in bundles. I pick a shim that looks good and has a gentle slope and cut it at a point that is about the thickness of the cork. This is a pretty common and well used technique.
Good luck.
It’s a little tricky, because it needs to be done with care, but here’s how I make a nice taper to cork roadbed.
I leave the two halves of the cork unseparated. There’s little need for the angled edge produced when you separate the two halves as you normally do.
I apply aluminum foil duct tape to one side of the cork. This is the kind that’s thick aluminum foil with the peel-off backing.
I have a small belt sander. I hold onto what will be the standard thickness end, while applying pressure with either a flat board or my fingers. The board method helps make for long tapers, while the fingers are good for spot sanding high spots if you develop them while learning the way this works.
The belt sander turns so that the belt moves away from you. Be prepared to let things go, should they grab, but smooth, even pressure should avoid that. I can manage a taper along most of a length of cork now, which should be more than a long and easy enough vertical curve for most purposes.
After you finish, then gently peel off the foil backing. It’s there to hold things together when the cork gets very thin at the end away from you.
EDIT: One more tip on tapering cork as described here. For the longest tapers, most belt sanders will be too short. What I do is let the far end of the cork flop over the top of the end gurad/material brace at the far end of the belt sander. This lets you work the start of the taper that is closest to you. I usually start at the far. to-be-thin end and work my way towards me however far I need to go as I sand the taper in.
I always allow at least one full car length. More is better.
Mike, what type of belt sander do you use? My 4" X 24" would go through the whole layout if I tried to do what you do.
Do what the Austrailians do. Cut strips of card stock (30-40-50/1000?) the width of the cork roadbed at the base and lay one or two of these strips. Cut the next layers the width of the tapered roadbed at this height, plus slightly shorter and glue down a few more strips on the pile. Continue to the cork height. Some do 1/3-1/3-1/3rd and spackle over the pile. Once covered with aggregate, it all looks the same. No less than the longest wagon or the locomotive(s). Cheap with all the free card stock around the house, easy and a lot less hassle to use scissors than an expensive and uncontrollable meat grinder.
Joeldee/Berlin
I find it a lot easier to lower the cork into the foam than sanding down the cork.
Here the invisible man works with the steady hand of a surgeon.
A rasp can help.
I glue my cork in with caulk as it is also a good filler for any errant gouges.
Bruce,
That’s about what I have, a small table-top sander. Use a light touch, as it goes quick with just a little pressure.
I used a piece of #36 garnet paper, wrapped around a block of wood, to taper the HO scale cork dropping down off the main on the track leading away from the viewer. The tapered section is about 16" long, and was accomplished very easily in a couple of minutes. I scooped up the majority of the residue for use as ground cover elsewhere on the layout, then vacuumed up whatever was left - very little clean-up required, and all of it very localised.
My cork was affixed to 3/4" plywood subroadbed with yellow carpenter’s glue, but this method may not work as well if your cork is atop foam, as that’s a somewhat weaker bond.
Wayne
This subject comes up from time to time and I keep offering the simplest method of solving the problem. I wish I could take credit for it but I found it on this forum.
I used code 100 track but I suppose it would work with any.
Track is stiff enough that in the short span we are talking about it won’t sag down. Flex track obvioulsy bends horizontally but bending it vertically is another matter. I just laid the track from the HO roadbed to the layout top forming it’s own tranisition. Being that the tranistion was on a curve I needed to elevate the outside rail slightly. The next step is to ballast filling in the space under the ties.
Here’s a short video showing my transition. This is the first video I’ve posted with the new format so you will need to click on the link.
http://s172.photobucket.com/user/superbe/media/YARD/20120103171222.mp4.html
Try this and you will like it.
Bob
Thanks Wayne…great looking results.
Chefbob
I have a package of shims laying in a corner of my garage…great idea thanks.
Chefbob
I’m going to combine your idea of removing foam with using shims to make a perfect transition. The shims I have only match up in height to my cork roadbed about 1/1/2 inches from the end… I’ll sink the shim in a little further towards the “thick” end to give me a more lengthy transition. Thanks for the idea.
Chefbob
Bob,
So the supports shown in your video are strictly to elevate the outside of the curve? Straight transitions would supoort thenselves ? The ballast is simply for the sake of appearances?
Chefbob
Bob,
I like it, my first attempt will be to do nothing but run the track off the end of the roadbed, cool.
Thanks
Chefbob