The corner section includes a turntable pit which I installed before positioning the table into the corner of the room. The pit diameter is 120-ft, which is more than 19-inches in S-scale. I need a pit that large to accommodate an I-1 with a long tender. Behind the turntable I plan to construct a 6-stall round house. I do plan to add a curved section of backdrop to eliminate the square corner.
I was using Homasote as roadbed, principally under Southport yard with disappointing results. I've had to rebuilt much of the track because the Homasote was uneven and the plywood underneath was too thin. So, my latest benchwork practice uses thicker 3/4" plywood with cork roadbed. The corner section was built with Homasote over thin plywood. It was cut from a single sheet of Homasote so unevenness wasn't a problem. I added extra stiffeners under the plywood to prevent it from warping. But, from here on out, I'm done with Homasote.
With the engine terminal in the corner, it allows me plenty of space for the mainline track to curve toward the front edge of the layout affording me a generous 60-in. radius curve. At this location, two main tracks extend from the yard and will converge to a single track before it meets with the double track Erie mainline. I will attempt to simulate the Erie tracks though Elmira though replicating the multi-span bridge over the Chemung River and viaduct through downtown might present a challenge.
Southport is technically in the middle of the layout which means that the benchwork extends in both directions. For the time being I'll only work on this end of the layout enough to access the engine terminal. I'll advance the mainline south from Southport first and return to the Elmira end at a later date.
I was using Homasote as roadbed, principally under Southport yard with disappointing results. I've had to rebuilt much of the track because the Homasote was uneven and the plywood underneath was too thin. So, my latest benchwork practice uses thicker 3/4" plywood with cork roadbed. The corner section was built with Homasote over thin plywood. It was cut from a single sheet of Homasote so unevenness wasn't a problem. I added extra stiffeners under the plywood to prevent it from warping. But, from here on out, I'm done with Homasote.
With the engine terminal in the corner, it allows me plenty of space for the mainline track to curve toward the front edge of the layout affording me a generous 60-in. radius curve. At this location, two main tracks extend from the yard and will converge to a single track before it meets with the double track Erie mainline. I will attempt to simulate the Erie tracks though Elmira though replicating the multi-span bridge over the Chemung River and viaduct through downtown might present a challenge.
Southport is technically in the middle of the layout which means that the benchwork extends in both directions. For the time being I'll only work on this end of the layout enough to access the engine terminal. I'll advance the mainline south from Southport first and return to the Elmira end at a later date.
Here's a view of where the corner section connects to the rest of the layout.
Bob,
ReplyDeleteIt's great that you have come around the corner and expanding. Fun, eh? About that turntable, is that one of the Diamond Scale ones? I ask because Al Werner gave me one that I changed into 64' for my O Scale branch. Did you have to raise the pit wall at all?
Ben
Ben,
ReplyDeleteI'm actually scratch building the turntable using Pennsy drawings for their standard turntables. A bit of work, but modifying an HO table would have been a challenge for the size that I need. The real challenge was the pit. I used a router with a circle guide to cut laminated pieces of MDF to the various contours and then sanded it smooth to look like poured concrete. The table itself uses aluminum bar stock and will have fabricated styrene girders on the outer face. Pennsy turntables had an arched shaped structure mid span that supported the traction motor power cables.
Bob