Phase 2 (eliminating the reversing curve; converting the outgoing line to a separate line; and connecting with the new line coming out of the left side closet) is 99% complete. Hard to make out from the pics, but the countersunk screws holes for the trestle support are filled with wood putty so I have to sand and re-stain those areas as well as a few of the vertical trestle tops.
Other than that, it's done.
After disconnecting the reversing curve switch at the far left side of the workbench, I just added a curved piece to the incoming line and left the outgoing line alone to plan on how to connect to the new track line. The span across the workbench from the new line coming out of the closet and connecting to that existing outgoing line is comprised of three sections of FT plus an O-72 switch for the siding which stages my LC 2.0+ Big Boy. Each section is comprised of about 5-6 FT pieces. I made a girder plate for each section out of 1/8" luan plywood to just a little beyond the width of the FT (about 3.5" wide). Rather than foam, I decided to try some auto sound deadening material I had and cut that into strips as long as each section and as wide as the girder plate and stuck that to the luan. I soldered wires between the FT pieces to eliminate any future connectivity issues and then screwed each FT section to its girder plate.
We'll see how the sound deadening material stacks up against the foam roadbed for noise reducing.
The curved section from the old reversing curve outgoing line to the new track was the hardest to make the girder plate. Once I figured out what curves (O-36) and additional pieces were needed to match up to the new line, I placed the entire curved FT section (about 5-6 pieces long) on a piece of the luan wide enough to cover the curve and traced the FT section onto the plywood and cut it out with a jigsaw.
The O-72 switch for the siding is about in the middle of the new line. In order to stiffen it up so it would not flex when a train ran over it, I cut a piece of luan about the length of the straight part of the switch and screwed the switch to it. I then connected all the track sections together and supported them with the new trestles I cut and assembled. I then cut a new luan piece about 4" longer that the switch and, from the underside, screwed that to the first luan piece under the switch and then screwed each end to the girder plates on either end of the switch so that the switch essentially is part of the girder plate structure and will not flex.
The trestle supports are made from 1" square pine stock stained to match. Each vertical piece is 8" tall and the cross pieces are 3.75" long. I used a level to level the new track to the existing main line (near the window) at each location where a trestle support was going to located and measured up to the height of the bottom of the girder plate and set the cross piece to that height minus 1/16" to allow for a strip of the sound deadening material to be inserted on top of each cross piece. Unfortunately, the workbench surface is not level, so each trestle support had to be individually measured and assembled. A 1.25" countersunk wood screw was inserted through the vertical on each side into the cross piece.
Overall, I didn't lose too much workbench space, so I'm pleased with the way it came out.
I'll start on Phase 3 (connecting the other end of the line coming out of the right hand closet to the main layout) this weekend. That will be more difficult because it needs a lift-out for the cellar door and it will probably need to be a curved lift-out.
