im about to start on a new layout, and this is going to be my first layout that i can’t use the “cookie-cutter” method for plywood subroadbed. i’ve heard of “spline roadbed” and i want to know what it is…
any help would be fantastic… Thanks!
Ask and you shall get er done…
http://s145079212.onlinehome.us/rr/howto/splines/index.shtml
Regards,
Ryan
thanks! i have a question… what do you do about turnouts? do you just slap on a few more splines to the side? to make it wider until the diverging route is far enough ftom the main line to warrant its own route?
That is exactly what you do. add more spline until it’s wide enough to attach another splined board to the diverging route. Another way to do it is to attach the spline to a precut piece of plywood cut for a turnout to fit. Hand layed turnouts use this method because the turnouts are usually built on a piece of plywood or wide piece of lumber before attaching it to the layout. chuck
If you are going to handlay track, and want to use spline, homasote spline is great alternative. Use three 2" wide strips of 1/2 Homasote laid on edge and attached with drywall screws. No glue necessary. The major drawbacks are cutting the Homasote makes lots of grey fluffy dust rather than brown sawdust when you cut the spline and because its thicker its harder to use on curves less than 24" radius.
Dave H.
I have not done spline myself but…
here is another link that might answer your question:
http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3815
I am sooooooooooo happy I learned of spline roadbed in the last year or so while I was planning my current layout. I figure I can get all of my roadbed (about 132’ of mainline) done for about $12 worth of Masonite hardboard; $18 tops. And no waste! Before I found out about this method, the cost of plywood for cookie cutter roadbed was completely cost prohibitive.
There is lots of great info on these forums if you do a search for “spline” in the box near the bottom of the page.
Jamie
It looks like a cool way to get the most flexible roadbed with the least waste!
Are there any known drawbacks to using spline, other than having to be careful when clamping to make sure the top is even?
Is warping a problem? I wouldn’t think so with all the glue laminations involved, but maybe high humidity might be a concern.
Another question if I may.
Why hasn’t this method been covered in MR?
I’ve been reading MR since 1978, a subscriber for most of that time, yet I’ve never seen an article featuring this technique.
kcole4001,
Spline roadbed is covered in Kalmbach’s “How to Build Model Railroad Benchwork” by Linn H. Westcott. http://kalmbachcatalog.stores.yahoo.net/12175.html That book was originally printed way back in the 1960’s…perhaps earlier.
As for why it hasn’t been mentioned lately, um, it was in the March 2000 issue of “Model Railroader”, page 84, written by Joe Fugate (hmmm, that name sounds familiar…[;)]). It’s also been in several other magazines, like the June 2001 issue of “Model Railroading”, the January 1998 issue of Railmodel Journal, and the March 1982 issue of Rail Model Craftsman.
Paul A. Cutler III
Weather Or No Go New Haven
Just like everything else in model railroading, spline roadbed has both pros and cons. How well it will fit your needs will be determined by how well you can use its advantages and avoid (or engineer around) its disadvantages.
Pros:
- Forms natural easements.
- Can be very strong.
- Not mechanically difficult to erect.
Cons:
- Thicker than comparable cookie-cut roadbed.
- Requires rigid adherence to a track plan.
- Getting riser tops to exact position in three dimensions may become an adventure.
- Cutting and leveling creates a lot of sawdust - five times as much as cookie-cut plywood.
Spline roadbed was written up in Model Railroader some time prior to the fall of 1961. I built a layout with spline-laminate Homasote at about that time. Since I wasn’t happy with it, the next layout was flat homasote over cookie-cut plywood. (The problem is me, not spline roadbed. I didn’t microplan my tracks, so the spline roadbed wasn’t always where I needed it to be.)
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
I like Chucks analysis. I used 1/4" MDF ripped many times to form the 15/16" wide strips that I laminated to form my splines. I had to learn a bit as I went along, but it is fairly intuitive. The point I’d like to reinforce from Chuck’s reply is that you really do have to have a clear vision of what you are going to have as a track plan. It must be carefully worked out, mapped out on the floor or in CAD, and then fiddled with constantly as you build it to get your easements, grades, and curves.
One other tip you mustn’t ignore. Once it’s all in place and dry, go over it painstakingly with a surform file or a belt sander (easy does it with at device!!!) and do absolutely get your spline surface smooth and ridge-free. No shortcuts! Otherwise your tracks will not come out well when you lay them…you’ll have wobbles.
One advantage to Homasote spline. The surface comes out dead even and no sanding required. And you can spike directly into it.
Dave H.
I believe when they were dismantling the V&O, they found spline roadbed made from Homasote over 40 years ago that was in perfect condition. Jamie
Thanks for the info, guys. Very interesting.
Presumably the extra thickness make turnout activation more finicky, and perhaps it’s more trouble to route track feeders.
Could one cut away a section underneath the turnout points to gain easier access?
Hmmmmm I may be in for an adventure. I do have a track plan, but I was planning on doing most of the actual track positioning on the layout itself. I’ll probably place all of the curves to locate the splines, but as far as easements and connecting curves, I was planning on just letting the splines flow from one curve to the next. Seems like with splines you can easily move them around, but with cookie cutter, once it is cut the path is fixed. I am really looking forward to doing this now because it is probably going to turn out to be completely different from what I originally envisioned! Jamie
I suppose it could come out that way, Dave, but it would take an inordinate amount of attention to detail to line up the edges of all those spline elements so that their edges were all on the same plane. Personally, it makes more sense to eyeball the surface as you clamp them to let the glue dry, and then go back and plane the surface to ensure it is smooth. It is the method discussed here most often by those doing it. I can tell you that even when I took the time to line them up prior to clamping, there was still some planing I had to do.
On the subject of nailing, I would agree that homasote wins hands down. So, I just used latex caulk and forewent the nails entirely. Planing the surface to ensure it was smooth and even assured me that only the lightest film of caulk would be necesary to adhere the rail sections to the roadbed.
-Crandell
I suppose one could even prefabricate turnout spline sections, leaving some splines jutting out of each end to be keyed into the adjoining sections. Leaving interior voids in the turnout splines under the throw points would make room for the rod or other mechanism.
I have used laminated (glued & screwed) homasote on my present layout. One problem i encountered was caused by using a stick down roadbed. the track spikes i used weren’t long enough to get a good grip in the homasote and some track lifted off the sub roadbed and went out of alignment while i wasn’t watching.
Not at all, its very quick to do. I haven’t used it on my layout but have helped others use it on theirs and pretty much the limitation on how fast you can go is how many quick-clamps and drills with driver bits you have.
Dave H.