Meanwhile, a Layout Grows

In the midst of destroying new switches, I've also been making headway on my suitcase layout. The last bit of progress on this front was fashioning a pair of transition track sections for the bridge, which will feature flex track. Since then, I soldered all of the track sections together to ensure that no amount of paint or weathering washes will interfere with electrical conductivity. Then I cut the main base piece from half-inch-thick Gatorfoam:

You'll notice the notches in the rear two corners; these were made to clear the case lid hardware that prevents the lid from falling open or closed. Then I built up the roadbed and surrounding terrain with more layers of Gatorfoam—in T Gauge, it doesn't take many of them. Partway through the process, it looked like this:



Now you can also see the rounded corners in the front to accommodate the curved edges of the case. You might also be able to make out two curved, narrow strips of foam board separated from the rest of the top layer, toward the back and left; these will become the grades to raise and lower the track. I made the grades in a fairly straightforward fashion: first, I inserted a ruler under one end of the grade to set the section of foam board on an angle roughly matching the slope; then I sliced the section lengthwise with a razor saw, using the rest of the layer as a guide to make the shape.



When I finished shaping all of the layers, I laminated them together with extra-heavy-duty spray cement. After placing the track on the assembly, it looks like this:



Sharp-eyed readers may note a slight change in the shape of the outer loop of track along the back. I re-configured this portion to pull it further away from the inner loop; I did this because the inner loop will be visible, while the outer loop will be hidden, and I wanted to avoid an awkward scenery issue.

Here is the revised track plan, as rendered in AnyRail:



All of the curved track parts are R-004 (120mm radius) except the one marked with the asterisk, which is R-006 (145mm radius). The straights are all R-003 (60mm), save for the 180mm-long piece of flex along the front.

Compare the current layout to its previous version: the new one is smaller, although the plan is about the same. I've also made steeper grades on the new version for more visual drama.



Actually, I discovered while poking through my own archives that the current layout is really the third version—there was another one that predated the above. While the concept of the "alpha" plan was the same (a classic "twice-around"), the execution was not as pleasing, IMO.



Next steps include adding more layers of foam board to finish up the overall scenery contours. Then it's on to attaching and painting the track. More news as it happens...