Exploring the World of Model Railroading
Finally more time to work on the helix – blasted work keeping me away from them trains!! Actually, I also needed more materials, namely a piece of rubber, 1/4″ thick, for the first ramp base. Though, I think I’ll just use rubber fender washers instead to build up to 1/4″ thickness, then drive T-nuts through that and call it done. I’m tired of trying to figure out crazy ways of doing things.
As I wrote in an earlier post, I was going to use rubber door stops in combination with large washers and nuts to hold the threaded rods for the helix. After sleeping on it, I decided to go back to my original idea of using a piece of rubber as a base into which I would hammer a T-nut and run the rod through.
The time has finally come to trim the portals. After a short episode with benchwork adjustments (see previous day post) I figured there’s no need to wait anymore. Luckily, I did wait this long to add the trim, else I would’ve been removing it in order to lift the benchwork.
I was on my way to start mounting the threaded rods and building up the first loop of the helix, thinking I’m finally going to get a breakthrough. Not…so…fast. Even the best laid plans can bite you back in the ass when you are not paying attention.
A number of people had suggested I start with the helix because there’s no moving it, if things need to line up with the rest of the yards, as opposed to moving a few yard throat turnouts inch here or there. So I heeded that advice and we are on our way towards building the helix.
After painting the cork, what more is there left to do on the roadbed? It feels like all these mundane things you do inch you towards a milestone, and when it finally arrives you don’t really feel it, or you keep asking yourself: “Is there anything else left?” Left before starting the track work that is.
Moving at a snails pace, or more precisely at the pace the caulk dries, I finally completed laying the cork sheets down across the entire Staging deck. This took about a week, as I worked in stages, couple of hours each day after work, and letting it dry overnight.
