Grades on foam? How?

[Anonymous]

OK, last question for today!

On my layout, I will be using 1/2" plywood supported by brackets on the wall, then I want to use two layers of 2" foam board and finally track will be laid on cork roadbed. My question is this:

How do I create grades on the foam? Do I have to shave and shim or would it be easier to use the Woodland Scenics risers? I guess I could just build the grade into the plywood and foam board, but I'm concerned about getting dips in the track work.

So how do you all handle the situation?

[orsonroy]

My layout's a three level corkscrew design around the walls of my basement. Basic "benchwork" is 1/4" plywood and 2" foam attached to the drywall walls with 10x12 U-channel L-brackets.

Making simple grades (where the whole benchwork moves up or down) is easy: just plan ahead when you mark the guide lines for your brackets.

Making complex grades (where only one track line goes up/down, and the rest of the benchwork - including one or more tracks - stays at a constant level) is a bit trickier. I've tried two different methods for these sort of grades:
1) Woodland Scenics risers. Tey take all guesswork out of grades and transitions, but are expensive and difficult to integrate into scenery.
2) Cookie cutter method: lay your basic layer of plywood and 2" foam (I'd recommend only using one layer of 2" foam, except for those areas where you want the scenery to plunge more than 2"). Add enough brackets to support the benchwork, but keep them away from the grade areas. Using a sawsall, cut out the subroadbed area that you want to go up/down, leaving it attached to the benchwork at one end. Bend the freed up benchwork as required, and secure with brackets. You'll end up with a cheaper, slightly smoother transition than you'd get with the WS risers, but it's messier, less precise, and more work.

If you'd like to see a few photos of my benchwork, give me an email offlist, and I'll pass a few along!

[twhite]

Wes--my benchwork is pretty similar to yours, and I used the WS risers for grades. It worked out extremely well for me, even though I ended up double and triple-stacking as I built higher into the 'mountains'. My gradient runs between 2-2.4%, and using the WS graduated risers (and a little jockeying around to increase or decrease gradient) was a great timesaver. No problems, and it was quick and easy.
Tom

[Bikerdad]

Depends. What tools do you have? If you have a decent tablesaw, you can simply cut long "grade" wedgies out of sheets of foam. A circular saw (SkilSaw) and straightedge will do the trick also, just takes more skill to get clean straight cuts. You can also do the same thing using a straight edge and utility knife, simply scoring the foam and then snapping it off. If you need to make curves on grades, over at www.nscale.net there's a thread on "kerfing" foam for curves.

On the cheap side, if you're patient and careful, you can make ANY grade using the same foam you've already got, a 4' to 8' straightedge, a utility knife, and some extra blades. You can even "stack" your grades if you want.

[Anonymous]

I had similar problems with a grade and the WS risers solved it after having tried to do it myself with carving out foam and shims. The WS risers are very presice and a package for $8 does about 4 grades if u need that many. My 2 per cent grade seems ok now and it's on a curve; the WS risers are adaptable on curves, you fill in the spces under the track with polyfilla and sand & paint it before laying down your track. don

[MisterBeasley]

My layout uses no plywood, just 2-inch foam on a benchwork with 16-inch rafters. My grades are just supported at the rafters on T-risers made of 1x2 lumber, with a narrow piece of 2-inch foam for the base above the risers. This is relatively easy to build. I tried one grade by cutting foam and gluing it to the flat base, but that was much harder and I don't think the grade was as even.

[jeffshultz]

I've used both the Woodland Scenics risers and carved the foam for grades. Which technique I used was dependent on what I was doing. I'll start by explaining that I've got 2 sheets of the inch or so thick stuff stacked to make my subroadbed.

When I needed an industry in a hole I cut out the outline in the top sheet and then carved and scraped the incline down into the hole.

When I needed to go up from the second sheet to a yard about 1/2 inch above the 0' line, I used the Woodland Scenics product.

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone...all great suggestions! You are all so helpful!