hello all.envision if you will a 4by8 layout with just a loop of track.on each end their is a tunnel,and of course the track farthest away in the background is completely covered by a mountain or large hill that runs the full 8 foot length.if one wanted to put an upper level over the existing mountain(1 or 2 tracks) what in your opinion would be the best way to do it?the track is laid on cork and the base is 5/8 plywood.benchwork is just butt end joints using 1by 4’s.i prefer not to take up the already laid track but could if i had to.i want the new upper level track to be directly above the track already in place.thanks in advance for your insight.terry…
You will probably have to cut away or remove much of your mountain. I would build a 1/2’ plywood subroadbed 6" above the current table top. The 6" is so you can reach in and rerail something on the lower level. Hold it up there with a series of risers of 1x1 or 1x2 spaced about every 12-16". Leave the back side of the mountain open except for the risers so you can reach the lower level track to fix things - or at the very least provide plenty of access holes.
my 2 cents
thanks for the info fwright.silly me! the mountain is not built yet,sorry for the error as i should of mentioned that in the original post.the track is down as stated.will have to decide on plywood and or foam as plywood is so expensive in this area.thanks again.terry…
Terry
Foam will have to be a lot thicker to provide the same structural support. I wouldn’t use anything less than 1.5 inch thick extruded foam (not bead board!) by itself. A sandwich of 1 inch foam glued to 1/4in plywood would also work. Anything less is likely going to sag between supports over time. And remember you have to have 6 inches between the lower track and the bottom of your foam/plywood to be able to fit your hand in. Add 2 inches of foam and now you are 8 inches above your lower level track. That’s why I recommended 1/2" plywood.
Will you be connecting the two track levels? If so, upper track support thickness is going to have a major impact on your grades, in addition to the shape of your mountain. The higher your mountain, the further forward the base must come to not be an unrealistic looking sheer cliff.
yours in planning
yes fw the upper level will be connected to the lower level.because of health and my age i don’t want to do any cookie cutting of the main sheet of plywood.will look into WS subterrain to get the LLevel track up to the higher level.i will go with the 1/2 plywood and the foam on top.plywood sure is expensive so i will have to save up for that as well as the foam.sure appreciate your insight.terry…