I just used the wood shim method myself when using cork roadbed to meet with the Cornerstone diesel fueling facility. The thickness of a flextrack tie was all I needed, but to avoid absorption issues later on as I ballast (with paper cardstock), the wood door shims were a better and sturdier answer. I used tape acrodd the bottoms to join two shims side by side for my application, then measured and cut the amount needed from the zero end about 1.25 inches in a gradual slope to meet the plastic base of the fueling pad. I first scored the wood with an xacto blade, then used an xacto fine-toothed saw to cut across the shim. The resulting wedge was from zero to about 1/8" over the 1.25 inch length. Of course, I used several shims for each end of the pad, but they are very inexpensive- either at Home Depot or Lowes. I used 3/4 inch nails to with the cork roadbed on top of the shim, then the shim, finally nailing into my 1/4 inch cork sheet and the plywood underneath. Alex acrylic adhesive will also work, depending on your preference.
Hi!
I've got some wood shingles (my roof was originally built with them) and they go from about 1/2 to 1/16th inch over a 12 inch length. While they could be used, I prefer something with even less of an incline.
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
For HO scale I used wood shims from Home Depot. One end is thicker than needed, but they can be trimmed to fit.
never had to do this yet, but if I had to I think I would keep all the yard track on cork roadbed, and have all the surounding aera bilt up to come level with the cork, and then transition the raised aera down away from the track so it won't be noticeable.
Go to a lumber yard and get a package of wedges. These are wood, about 8" long 1 1/2 inches wide, and taper from 1/4 inch to nothing. Cheap, easy to work with, and just the right size and taper. For 1.4 to 1/8", just cut the wedge short.
These are usually used to brace doors and windows into a house frame.
My little switching layouut is supposed to represent a branchline. This branchline I have decided, has 1/8" high roadbed for the "main". This roadbed is stacked gasket cork, which, one thickness is 1/16". I just use scraps of this cork to transition down to the bare tabletop. Gasket cork is very cheap, comes in rolls. You can find it in any auto parts supply store, Wal Mart, etc. There is also a gasket cork which is rubberized too. I like that the best as it is more durable and easier to cut without it tearing or crumbling.
Hi,
I'd love to take credit for it, but I suspect I read it somewhere - not sure. I found that keypunch cards really work out nicely, but of course they are pretty scarce. The last ones I saw in actual use were in the early '80s. In a pinch I used old business cards, but the longer cardstock works much better.
I've got 5 inclines to work (from 1/4 inch cork to 1/8 inch cork) in the near future, and unless I hear of something better, will use the ol "IBM cards".
mobilman44 Get a stack of cardstock (I actually have some keypunch cards - really shows my age) and cut down to about 8 by 2 and fan them out so they produce an 8 inch (or whatever works) incline and glue/paint them. Of course ballast and a white glue mixture will cover it nicely. Mobilman44
Get a stack of cardstock (I actually have some keypunch cards - really shows my age) and cut down to about 8 by 2 and fan them out so they produce an 8 inch (or whatever works) incline and glue/paint them. Of course ballast and a white glue mixture will cover it nicely.
Have you ever said "That is so ####### simple. Why didn't I think of that"?
I just did. I will never try to sand roadbed or foam risers again.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
If what you seek is just a lower level of track from the main then I'd explore the Woodland Scenics black foam roadbed that they intend for N scale. It is thinner than what they intend for HO but would still provide some sound deadening. And that would enable the table top to be a yet lower level of track, so you could have maine line, siding, yard - each at a slightly lower level. The transition can be cardstock (which reacts to moisture) but also explore the last inch or two of wood shims such as one sees at hardware stores, and also sheets of styrene -- even the "Your Name Here" plastic credit cards that come in the junk mail could be used for the transition.
Dave Nelson
What I've done on my layout is the following:
Mainline - 1mm thick styrene beneath the 3mm thick cork roadbed.
Yard tracks - 3mm cork roadbed (this is 'ground' level)
EDIT: The transition between the 4mm high mainline and the 3mm high yard tracks is just the track slightly in mid-air - the ballast will hold it once it's done (just like the prototype)
RIP track - cardboard strips (.25mm thick) cut in shortening lengths, stepping down - looked at from the side, they'd look like a staircase with long stairs. This provides a 'ramp' of sorts to get the track gradually down to plywood level.
Hope this helps,
tbdanny
The Location: Forests of the Pacific Northwest, OregonThe Year: 1948The Scale: On30The Blog: http://bvlcorr.tumblr.com
What is your table top made of???. Wood, foam or something else?
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Woodland Scenic makes road bed squares that work great for rail yards. The are 1 foot by 2 feet in size and come in HO and N scale thickness. I used them from my rail yard and I found it was a good idea to use N scale thickness as the farthest square, it keeps the parked cars from rolling forward.
There's been previous postings on this subject with lots of suggestions, and you should be able to find it in the archives.
My under construction HO layout is fixin to have this issue worked as I lay tracks from the sub-main (mounted on 1/4 inch high regular cork roadbed) to the loco terminal, industrial sidings, and yard tracks - all of which will be on 1/8 inch thick sheet cork. I'm not yet sure how I'm going to tackle the inclines, but will probably do the following......
Other folks swear by just sanding the cork roadbed so as to end up with an incline. And of course there were other methods suggested, so I too need to look up that old posting from last year.
ENJOY,
How does one make the transition from cork bed on the main line with just table top to yard spurs?