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January 13, 2005
I placed the track plan on the cork, and then started taping and cutting out the track plan. What I was left with was the printed track plan
taped to the cork so that I could trace the track locations.
I also marked where the turnouts' throwbars are going to be. All turnouts will be #6.
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January 25, 2005
I wanted to try something different this time around. I ripped 3/4" wide strips of 1/4" Masonite hardboard. Then I trimmed those and cut them to
shape to form the subroadbed for the track.
It was an interesting idea, but I'll never do that again. It is very time-consuming and hard work.
However, the reason why I did it was to provide for an exceptionally smooth surface upon which to lay the ties. I will be hand-laying the track,
and I have found that any irregularity in the subroadbed becomes hard to deal with by the time the ties and track are laid.
I was going to cut the subroadbed where it crosses the creeks, but that turned out to be very difficult also. I just did one.
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February 1, 2005
Since I am working with cork and wood, I decided that it might be a good idea to paint the entire surface so as to protect that wood from
moisture. I picked a base brown color, but it didn't really matter because it will all be covered with other paint in the future.
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February 5, 2005
Of the eight crossings over the two creeks, seven will be covered with fake plate girder bridges. These represent ballasted bridges, so I need to make them
first before I can put down the ties and the ballast. I have captured how I built these on the Plate
Girder Bridge page.
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For the one remaining bridge I had initially put two large drainage pipes down, but I changed my mind in favor of a skewed concrete culvert. The
next two photos show this culvert (unpainted). It was made out of 0.040" styrene. The measurements came from whatever it took to make it fit
within the creek. I painted the under side and the top, exposed edges with Floquil Concrete paint. After that was dry, I glued the bridge to the
module using 5-minute epoxy glue.
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I used Sculptamold to form the subroadbed edges along all the track, and around the inside edges of the creeks. Extra Sculptamold was put around the areas
where turnout ties need to go. When it is all sanded smooth, painted, and covered with ties and ballast, you should not be able to see any differences in
surface textures used.
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February 12, 2005
I sanded down the entire subroadbed surface, including the Sculptamold, cleaned it all up and repainted the entire surface with the same tan
paint.
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I drilled 1/4" holes in the middle of the subroadbed where the turnout controls are going to be. The actuator rod of the Tortoises will protrude through here and be
connected to the turnout's throwbar.
February 23, 2005
I am making steady progress with laying the ties (a little over 25% done). You'll notice that some of them are stained and others are not. This is because I
started with a collection of ties that were already stained. Normally I don't stain the ties beforehand.
April 5, 2005
I don't have much time to devote to the module, but I am squeezing out a couple of 15-minute sessions here and there. I am about 60% done with laying the
ties.
May 10, 2005
Finally, all the ties have been glued down. Some of the turnouts look white in the photo, because I started gluing a paper template in place to help
in laying the ties in the right spot. Anyway, this completes a milestone in the project. The next step is to sand the ties level (not much is needed), and
then to stain all of them. After vacuuming the module, I will start the ballasting process.
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May 25, 2005
I've completed the ballasting of the ties. Overall I am happy with the result. The rough edges along the subroadbed made it hard in some spots
to get a nice smooth ballast slope, but, oh well, it may give it more of a weathered, beaten-up look.
I've included a close-up photo below of part of the module.
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August 21, 2005
It's time for the track. Below is a photo of the first rail placed on the layout. This happened in the early part of June. It stayed like that for quite some
time because I just couldn't make time for working on the track. However, in the last few days I set some time aside for the module, and the track is moving
along. For more information about how I am building this track, see my Handlaying Code 40 Track article.
The next photo shows the progress to date. I am building the track in-place, which means that I can use full-length pieces of rail, where possible. As you
can see in the photo, I am getting ready to build the turnout's point rails. The frog has already been made, and is insulated from the other rail. The
Tortoise machine will provide the correct polarity depending on the turnout's position. The bottom line: I have 41 inches (1 meter) of fully functional track! :-)
The lights are on!
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