Since rural track is generally elevated and small cities/yards have trackwork at "ground level," how do you do a transition between the two? i.e. if my track is coming in on the homabed road bed and is going into a yard, it would seem to look bad for the track on the roadbed to butt up against a sheet of homasote with a yard laid on it. Not sure if this is clear, but any suggestions would be appreciated.
You can use several things to shim the track between the two levels. One thing that comes to mind is shim shingles. You can also make your own by sanding a section of homabed down to a wedge. The difference between the two levels should be about a quarter inch, so a one foot section should work. You can also just connect the two together with a section or two of track and not nail it down for the length of the transition and then put a couple of shims under it at different points. Ballast will cover the shims so they won't show.
Elmer.
The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.
(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.
What isn't always obvious is that the main track through a small town is raised about 12"-18" above the adjacent streets. Sidings are typically lower - the main track gets fresh ballast and the siding doesn't (which can leads to some bumpy grade crossings if the road crosses both tracks.) What makes the tracks seem to be at ground level is the practice of providing tie-top level 'shoulders' of ballast or finer gravel for the convenience of switch tenders and car inspectors, and the level of adjacent passenger/baggage platforms.
Likewise, the mainline track that bypasses a yard is frequently several inches higher than the adjacent yard tracks. Only the yard access turnouts will be at main track level. (Yards are frequently called, "Bowls." One guess why!) The whole yard was built above the level of the 'native dirt' on which it rests, but many years of rain and use may have compacted it to local (outside the fence) ground level. If it hasn't been maintained, some of the rails may be below visible ground level, and some of the tracks may have sizeable bushes and saplings growing between and around the rails...
It's easier to adjust the visible ground level with scenic materials than it is to adjust the track level with wedges and shims.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
I would elevate the subroadbed and put the yard directly on it, or use a sheet of roadbed material. It's better to have the yard and main at the same height, even if the main is "raised" on roadbed. I use foam roadbed, for example, but I also use a foam sheet for yards.
If there is a slope on any siding, your rolling stock will either "run away" from the engine when uncoupled, or won't stay whre you put them.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Gidday, There's nothing so annoying as someone being clever after the event but thats where I think the cookie cutter method base board has an advantage.
Cheers, the Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
senior wombat if my track is coming in on the homabed road bed and is going into a yard, it would seem to look bad for the track on the roadbed to butt up against a sheet of homasote with a yard laid on it.
You're going from track that seems to be elevated by the height of the roadbed above the subroadbed, maybe 3/4", to track where the surroundings are basically level (assuming you'll make it level by simply using a large sheet of it for the yard. Now, it may look odd without being covered by scenery or ballast, but that's where you can smooth that transition, both visually and physically.
Starting about a foot or 18" before you get to the yard, taper the scenery. Yes, the "ground" will seem to drop over that span if you really stare at it. This assumes the track is all realtively level, but that brings up another point...
Most of the time, your urban area will be relatively level at least with the track. Otherwise, everything would roll to one end of the yard or even leave town completely. Not good. Then when the track leaves town, it's soon either climbing or dropping if your layout is anything but a flat prairie. Unless you have the luxury of way more space than most do, this starts happening almost as soon as you leave town. Essentially, you have a vertical curve of some sort as the track heads out of town. That also helps deal with the appearance that concerns you by the time you smooth things with however you do you basic scenic overlay. Not sure if this applies in your case, but it's definitely the case on my layout.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
You say you have Homabed roadbed. So do I. Homabed makes tapered pieces of Homabed that do exactly what you want. The slope is somewhat over 1.5%. The entire siding doesn't have to slope, only the transition section. I have no problem with uncouplings, even if the locos and cars are 6-axle E-8s and 85' cars.
Dante
Here's what I do...
This is a town...
This is just outside the same town. Roadbed in both places is at the same elevation. The track in the second photo is elevated more above the surrounding scenery because of cookie-cutter construction. All the roadbed, including the flat town area, is on risers. Wherever the scene isn't flat adjacent to the roadbed, I cut it away so there's room to add vertical relief.
Here are two more examples...
This is a yard where the track is not elevated above the terrain at all.
Right next to the yard it looks like this. Again the track elevation has not changed. I simply allowed for a bit a vertical scenery below track level. Here it's only about one inch worth. The track here is on HO cork roadbed on top of plywood. In the yard it's 1/2" Homasote on plywood. I adjusted the roadbed/riser level so the two would come together with the track at exactly the same level so I didn't have to ramp up or down on the main line.
Rob Spangler
Connecticut Valley Railroad A Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford
"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford
I glue down a section of roadbed (cork) about 4-6" long. Then I sand it down to the level I want with a belt sander. I usually extend the road bed a couple of inches past the diverging leg before sanding. If you make the transition too abrupt, it can lead to uncoupling issues.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
One of our club members glues brush bristles along his sidings that keep cars from rolling on a grade. Once again I am finding myself lacking in photos so I will snap a few tomorrow and upload them.
As someone that grew up in the railroad infested rurals of Pennsylvania and now dwells at the south end of the NEC, I'd actually say that the entire premise is flawed. Topography dictates all. Level of human development is irrelevant to "elevated" or "flat." They do what they need to do. I'm used to looking down at tracks along the flats next to rivers and creeks, where us car-roads are actually above track level and urban areas where entire yards are built on engineered terrain 15 feet higher than the local roads.
Rob it looks great! Thanks (and to all others who have helped). could you post a picture of where your country track joins the yard track? That is the area I am having trouble visualizing.
Thanks, Gary
senior wombatcould you post a picture of where your country track joins the yard track? That is the area I am having trouble visualizing.
Here are some photos of the transition area:
This is where the two thicknesses of roadbed meet. You can see cork on plwood at left and Homasote on plywood at right. I carved ditches into the Homasote here for a short distance to help blend the two around this interface. The risers are at a different height so the top surfaces end up the same. By the time this photo was taken scenery buried everything but what was directly below the track. Homasote extends under the ground cover on either side of the track.
Just a few feet away the yard sits on plain Homasote like this. The mainline (track with the dark ballast at rear) is the rear track in the first photo. I made the ballast on the main occupy a bit wider area to create something of an optical illusion the track sits somewhat higher but it's level wit the rest of the yard.