12-14-2009, 02:18 PM
Hah!
We finally discovered where the kids had left the digital camera the last time they borrowed it - between the couch and the wall. Not the first place I thought of looking ...
A couple of progress pictures from the new sections:
![[Image: DSCN5935.jpg]](http://i404.photobucket.com/albums/pp124/steinjr_1965/warehouse/DSCN5935.jpg)
Edge between two sections. I initially built "boxes" of thin (1/4") plywood and then glued the insulation styrofoam on top. That was a mistake. The end pieces need to be more robust than 1/4" plywood, and they need to go so high up on the sides that they cover the styrofoam, so styrofoam doesn't rub against each other when I take sections out or put them in again.
So I modified them by adding an end piece of 3/8" plywood om the outside (and cutting down one section to make up for the extra width of the other sections) , making the ends pieces be 5/8" thick.
Now end pieces are plenty robust for bolting sections together, banging them together when I get sections out or in, or for driving screw into the top of the end pieces to solder the tracks to before I cut the tracks across the boundary using a dremmel tool.
![[Image: DSCN5937.jpg]](http://i404.photobucket.com/albums/pp124/steinjr_1965/warehouse/DSCN5937.jpg)
First little incline is getting roughed in as well. I had initially planned for 2% incline, but my incline is fairly short, so I boosted it to 4% - only the engine and four or five cars will ever be on the incline at the same time anyways, and I wanted the scenic effect of there actually being a visible incline there.
I'll test how it works when I get some track laid on the next section, so I can test running trains up and down there.
But anyways - I am finally working on the layout again - feels good to get out there and start building again :-)
Smile,
Stein
We finally discovered where the kids had left the digital camera the last time they borrowed it - between the couch and the wall. Not the first place I thought of looking ...
A couple of progress pictures from the new sections:
Edge between two sections. I initially built "boxes" of thin (1/4") plywood and then glued the insulation styrofoam on top. That was a mistake. The end pieces need to be more robust than 1/4" plywood, and they need to go so high up on the sides that they cover the styrofoam, so styrofoam doesn't rub against each other when I take sections out or put them in again.
So I modified them by adding an end piece of 3/8" plywood om the outside (and cutting down one section to make up for the extra width of the other sections) , making the ends pieces be 5/8" thick.
Now end pieces are plenty robust for bolting sections together, banging them together when I get sections out or in, or for driving screw into the top of the end pieces to solder the tracks to before I cut the tracks across the boundary using a dremmel tool.
First little incline is getting roughed in as well. I had initially planned for 2% incline, but my incline is fairly short, so I boosted it to 4% - only the engine and four or five cars will ever be on the incline at the same time anyways, and I wanted the scenic effect of there actually being a visible incline there.
I'll test how it works when I get some track laid on the next section, so I can test running trains up and down there.
But anyways - I am finally working on the layout again - feels good to get out there and start building again :-)
Smile,
Stein