Layout Progress as of 3/8/2009

Over the last few days I continued working on the laminated spline roadbed that will be used on the layout. As mentioned in a recent post, the helix will serve as a temporary return loop while the track is being laid on the lower level. This means I had to install risers on the helix base so the spline roadbed could continue from the layout to the helix base and back uninterrupted. I made risers out of a mix & match variety of wood scraps. Her are the risers installed on the helix base with the risers throughout the Emerson area visible in the background:



With all of the risers in place, I went ahead and installed a short strip of 1/8" thick spline into the end of the dropdown gate/bridge that crosses the entrance into the train room. Although I am using 3/16" thick splines for my roadbed, the slot cut into the deck of the bridge accommodates a 1/8" thick spline since that was what I planned on using at the time the bridge was constructed. This short piece of spline--the "key spline"--will provide a gluing surface for the first "real" spline that gets installed:



Here is the first 3/16" thick spline temporarily clamped into place onto the key spline. Note that the 3/16" thick spline (the lighter color) is actually 3/4" tall and rests on the ledge made of scrap 1x2. The key spline (the darker color) is shorter since the 3/4" plywood that it is inserted into is not quite 3/4" thick. The important part is making sure the top of the roadbed is all at the same height. Once the spline roadbed is finished here, it will be screwed in to the ledge:



The first spline temporarily clamped in place around the entire Emerson area from the dropdown bridge/gate to the helix base:







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