Ok, my benchwork is ready, I’ve got some foam, it’s time to buy some track and start building structures etc. I’m going to have questions, so I’ll ask for forgiveness from the rest of you now.
I have two to start out with.
In my trackplan, I have a small yard. I was looking at pictures of other layouts, and I noticed that usually in a yard the track looks more “even” with the ground, not sticking up on roadbed. How is this accomplished? I don’t want to have different rail code sizes or anything, but could this be done with sheet cork or what? Any help someone?
This is from another thread that was never answered. How long is the BLI Hudson, and would it fit on a 90’ Turntable?
Typically yard roadbed is lower than the main. I use 1/8 inch cork sheet I get at Office Depot for a small fortune. But here in the Florida Keys I haven’t much choice. I am sure you can get it else where cheaper in the rest of the country. I cover the entire yard with the cork sheet. I have also used N scale cork roadbed in my HO yards.
As far as the length of the BLI Hudson? No idea but mine fits on my Walthers 90 ’ TT just fine with a little room to spare.
Yep thats the only minor problem with differant track heights. As Jeff said make the transion over a long distance if possible and not on a T/O if you can help it. I had a T/O on the transition and it gave me fits for ever.
Terry[8D]
I filled in between the yard WS foam roadbeds with my version of ground goop. It allowed my to have good texture and lots of small variations in smoothness with a few bumps and valleys.
Yards are usually ballasted level, even with the tie tops, so that the yard crew can walk around and do their jobs safely. Individual tracks don’t sit on individual roadbed sections the way through/main line tracks do.
Also, yards accumulate a lot more trash and grunge than main tracks.
As others have indicated, it’s easiest to use 1/8" sheet cork for a yard, decreasing the amount of transition necessary to go from the mainline roadbed elevation to yard level.
To make the actual transition one can use several methods. My choice is applying a thin layer of Scuptamold over an area maybe 6"-8" wide, so the the slope (only around 1/8" to at most 3/16") is gradual and solid. An alternative is to layer a series of thin cardboard strips one atop the other, the first being 1" wide and increasing in width by an inch or two until the height difference is matched at both ends. The final top coat can be made of a thin covering of plaster or Scuptamold.
Hi NYCentral1,
A few years ago I asked the same question you asked and was told to bring the whole yard up to the level of the mainline using sheets of cork. That’s a very expensive proposition. Then, at a large train show in Massachusetts, I met a representative from a company called Homabed. Their web is www.homabed.com.
What they have to solve your problem is called a “shim”. Unfortunately, their website isn’t the greatest but you can call them to get clarification. The shims I bought are thick at one end, actually a little higher than my mainline set on cork roadbed and taper down to flat or 0 degrees at the other end. In other words, you place them at the beginning of a yard or siding turnout and the shim allows your track to gradually slope down from the mainline height to the flat grade. A few of these at each end of your yard will do the trick and they’re inexpensive compared to the alternatives. I used them on every turnout off the mainline and at both ends of my yard to get “down to grade”. Trust me, you’ll be very happy with Homabed’s solution.
By the way, if the height of the thick end of the shim is higher than your mainline, just lie the shim next to a piece of cork and cut it shorter so that it is the exact height of your roadbed. Cutting the shim shorter presents no problems.
Don’t hesitate to email me if you have further questions.
As far as buildings are concerned, check out JL INNOVATIVE, David is very helpfull and has a nice assortment of trackside structures that are high quality and not a wallet buster!