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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by rsn48 ... What came to mind was the expansion and contraction your wood might be subjected to in your garage, not so much the cold there as the heat. Foam could be a very good way to go as it won't move, but I'm wondering about the wood underneath.[/quote] [#ditto] I like to add a suggestion concerning the wood. Store the wood in the garage for at least 48 hours or more to give it time to adjust to the humidity in the garage before construction begins. I went with quater inch plywood under the foam and just the glue alone warped the wood and twisted the foam. I used a lot of weight to flatten it out while the glue set, but it's still a little tweaked. I came to the conclusion that the foam only needs wood for attachment points and for some support. The attachment points made from 3/4 plywood or dimensional lumber has to be glued to the foam, but the supports don't need to be. Of course you could mount the foam on 3/4" plywood which is less affected by moisture than 1/4", but it will add a lot of weight. If you move your layout indoors, again give it time to adjust to the humidity. But I wonder if taking the layout into a low humidity enviroment will change the way the sections will fit. Also, if your plan is to move the layout to another location, then you will want to keep it light and sectional. Trying to fit a finished layout through a doorway can be trouble. I highly recommend that you build the turntable and roundhouse on one section as a unit. Trying to fit them together separately is asking for trouble. A Diamond scale turntable is a craftsman kit. Take your time, make a copy of the instructions and read them over and over until you understand everything. Then ask for pointers on this forum from others who built this kit. I'm sure they would have done something different. As far as track code goes, since you are modeling the 1930's which used lighter rail than today, you could go with code 70 but watch your flanges on the steamers. Some tend to be a bit oversized and will hit the spike heads or tie plates. Brand is a personal choice and your choices are limited by the code you choose. Most people will tell you stick with the same brand of track and turnouts so they will match ( tie spacing, tie plates and thickness can vary between manufacturers) and I can't argue against that. Micro Engineering, Shinohara, Peco, and Walthers are popular and easy to obtain. However while surfing for India railway items I found the German manufacturer [url="http://www.internationalmodels.net/htm/elite-track.htm"]Tillig[/url]. It is only offered in code 83 and you have to import them but the track and turnouts look great. DCC? there is enough said in forums already. What Roundhouse to build? Depends on the longest loco you can fit on your turntable? Find a roundhouse kit with stalls the same length. I believe Walthers has the longest stalls, but if your TT bridge is shorter you have more choices. If the bridge is longer than the longest stall you can find then your TT is eating up space. Check the adds in ModelRailroader and the web for roundhouses. [img]http://home.ripway.com/2004-3/90183/roundhouse2.jpg[/img] I have a Heljan TT and 15 stall roundhouse. I built it on a 4 X 4 sheet of 2" foam (lead tracks still under construction). The main thing I didn't like about this kit is the floor. Click [url="http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/322-803"]HERE[/url] to see what I'm talking about. I filled in the "holes" with plaster. It is smaller than the Walthers new kit but I started it long before Walthers had any roundhouses. I also installed inspection pits, lots of extra work that made the going slow. The Walthers Roundhouse has pits included. I also found out later, in prototype, not all stalls had pits. Good luck and keep in touch!
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