Petermac,
I decided at the last minute to stay with 5/8" OSB for the top of the baseboard, because wood prices dropped drastically here all of a sudden. Two weeks ago it would have cost me more to buy 5/16" OSB.  Go figure!

Since my baseboards do not attach to any walls I decided to stay with the thicker tops for rigidity and stability.

Wayne

Thanks Wayne - not querying your sanity at all :roll: - just didn't realise the foam was for secnery.  That's a neat idea but one that would cost a fortune here in France !! :pathead  I guess, like many things in the States, the board isn't too expensive.

As you say, foam board is so much easier to carve and sand than EPS - without all the "bubbles" that seem impossible to get rid of !!!

Over here, ply is one of the most expensive boards you can get - particularly if it's birch faced.  On the other hand, OSB  (often called Sterling Board in Europe) "seems" much harder but is a fair bit cheaper.

Having seen your framework, the topping won't be required to give any kind of strengthening effect - that's all so well built into the frames.  You didn't ever work for the railroad companies building those fantastic tressle bridges did you ? :roll::roll:

Really looking forward to seeing it as it progresses.

[user=6]Petermac[/user] wrote:

You didn't ever work for the railroad companies building those fantastic tressle bridges did you ?

Funny that you said that. I will be having several Trestle Bridges on my layout and have been wondering, which comes first, the bridge or the track laying? Sounds like a stupid question, but it's still bugging me. I'd like to be able to run the train sometime before spending a whole lot of time building bridges. So is there a way to somehow build a temporary bridge, or am I way off line? :It's a no no

Wayne

[user=22]Wayne Williams[/user] wrote:

[user=33]Lawrence[/user] wrote:

Wayne, had you considered bonding the foam to some 6mm plywood before fitting?

Lawrence,
Maybe I'm as dense as the foam, but what do you mean by "fitting"?


PS: Bought the foam today, so tomorrow, it's back in the garage with my work clothes on! :pedal

 

Wayne, I meant before you fit the board to your frames, or will you fit the board then bond the foam to it?

Wayne - you could build a trestle (or tressle if you're stupid like me :oops:) into a diorama for photography (and practice).  It would look great in one of those American mountain railroads we so admire.

There's a lot to be said for having a separate small "chunk" of railway to get the ballast right and the look of the scenery etc. :roll::roll:

Lawrence, OK now I understand, the OSB tops will be attached to the baseboard frames first then the foam will be bonded in place over the entire layout.


Petermac,
Building a diorama first is probably not a bad idea. But you still didn't answer my question. Does the Trestle have to be done and in place before the remaining track is laid?

Wayne

Well it's another evening and yes I am tired again. I managed to get a lot done today, but still probably need one more day to feel "satisfied".

Here's a look at the progress. The frames are stained and the tops are all cut out. They are not yet attached, can't do that until the whole lot has been moved into the train room. I actually have to disassemble the whole thing in order to get it through the door opening. :twisted:









Tomorrow is supposed to be golf again, but I'm too excited to get this moved into the train room, so golf will just have to wait!

Here's hoping it all fits in place like it's supposed to! :thud  :thud  :thud

Wayne

Incredible progress again Wayne !!  Wow - you certainly move - do you play golf the same way ? :shock::shock::shock:

Re the trestle bridge - I don't really think it matters what goes in first - the track or the bridge. :roll:  If you do the bridge first, you'll have to be certain it's level with the track approaches, if you do the track first, you've got to make sure your bridge design is exactly right to meet the track-bed.  Either way - having seen your scratchbuilds, I'm sure you'll walk it !!!:pathead:pathead:thumbs

You've even swept the garage floor before taking the photo…. disgustingly clean Wayne :shock: :lol::lol::lol:

To ensure that the track level remains constant and without any dips or bumps in it at the bridge join I build the "sub-roadbed" first and then build the bridgework around the "sub-roadbed". It is just the way I do it because I don't trust my woodworking skills enough to make the transition from embankment to bridge smoothly if I build the bridge as a totally separate item.

Sub-roadbed being the ply (or whatever you use) cut to the orientation of your bridge trackbed that you will put the roadbed (in my case cork) and then track and ballast on to.
In my diorama you can see the spline sub-roadbed constructed as one piece over the river Tiefi and then the plasticard bridge built up around the spline sub-roadbed.

A Trestle bridge will require a sub-roadbed of some kind I guess, depending upon how you plan to construct it. If the span is too large to be self supporting you could prop it up with something until you get the trestle built.


Sketch up some plans and do a cardboard mockup maybe.


Just my thoughts, hope it helps (or provides a discussion point)
cheers

Thanks for the comments and answers guys.

Oh yea, like I'd take a picture standing in four inches of saw dust! Oh course I swept the garage Marty, SWMBO mandates it! :cool wink

So I am right, it's a problem aligning the track and trestle, thought it might be. Not sure which way I will go yet, but I'm sure you will all find it interesting along the way.

Time to get some sleep, so I can disassemble some baseboards tomorrow.

Wayne :wow  :wow  :wow

:wowyour progress is amazing mate. At this rate your track will be laid ballasted and you will have a train running by Friday this week.

Love the design of the boards and i have always wanted a golf trolley cart thingy, oh that thing in the pic :oops:.

Phill

[user=19]Marty[/user] wrote:

A Trestle bridge will require a sub-roadbed of some kind I guess, depending upon how you plan to construct it. If the span is too large to be self supporting you could prop it up with something until you get the trestle built.

Doing a support of some kind is definitely a possibility. When I construct the trestle I could build it on a flat base. Once complete, hopefully the only thing remaining would be to shim it up into position. The base could then be covered with ground clutter and such.


Phill, I doubt if trains will be running anytime soon, though I would like that, because I don't even own a train! :shock: In about two weeks I intend to travel down to a train store, just over an hours drive from here, to purchase a starter set. Hopefully with two engines, a few cars, and the DCC controller. That will give me something to use as I lay the track. If it gets contaminated by debris during construction, then not much will be lost.

Well it's about time to get started moving all those baseboards into the train room. Gotta go to work!!!!!! :doublethumb

Wayne

Wayne if you are using setrack on your layout you can easily run a track over where a bridge is going to go and just rig up something tempory to support until you build the actual bridge. flexitrack would require something that will hold its shape

cheers brian

Wayne your baseboards look good. The stain was a good move. It's going  to be fun landscaping with all the changes in elevation. However it will be a real challenge.

Having read all the comments on Trestles it would seem to be a good idea to lay track with temporary support under trestles  thereby enabling you to run trains at an earlier date.

Paul W.

Temporary Trestles it is then. Thank You All!

More progress made today. All the baseboards have been moved from the garage to the train room, and everything fit perfectly. :doublethumb :doublethumb :doublethumb   :wow

Here is what it now looks like. I took these pictures a little late, spent most of the afternoon over in the train shop.  :Happy :Happy :Happy





I still need a few more screws installed, but they won't take too long tomorrow.

I am now the proud owner of a case of flex track and other odds and ends. Shouldn't brush off those odds and ends, the whole lot came to over $200.00.  :shock:

Wayne :Happy  :Happy  :Happy

well i have got to hand it to youWayne, thats a neat piece of joinery
can see how it all fits together,gonna be a nice sized laout.

:pathead:doublethumb:lol::lol::lol::lol::cool:

Well done Wayne, that is a significant step forward.
Did you get a loco or two and some wagons as well as your flexitrack?

[user=19]Marty[/user] wrote:

Did you get a loco or two and some wagons as well as your flexitrack?

I came so close to doing just that Marty, but alas it was not to be. The guy behind the counter was trying to sell me a DCC Loco (CSX Diesel) with a DC controller. I really liked the Loco, but finally had second thoughts about the DC controller with it. While the DC controller was quite cheap compared to a DCC system, it just seemed like I would be throwing away my money. So I said no and managed to walk out of the store.

The day will come though.

Wayne

Wayne

i dont know if you actually own any rolling stock at present but if you dont it does actually pay to have some so you can check your tracklaying with actual wagons and locos.

Im sure members here who own American outline stock can recommend wagons or locos that are notoriously a pain in the butt which are the best ones to test your track with.

cheers Brian

Wayne, did you buy Peco or Atlas track, I'm just thinking ahead here because the Atlas Code 55 stuff will only work with the low profile wheels. 
I found this out to my cost when I bought a couple of Atlas points, then realised it would cost me about £100+ to convert my locos, coaches and wagons to lo-pros.  The points went back :roll: