@NJCJOE posted:3/24/23 - The roadbed for the O gauge track has been cut out. I posted another thread on the Forum asking for other member's opinions on how to make the roadbed since this type of construction is new to me. I got a lot of good information. I ultimately decided to cut the roadbed out of birch plywood, following the curves and straights of the layout of the track.
I drew the layout of the roadbed on CAD. I then broke it up into sections where I thought it would lay out the most efficiently on the plywood sheets.
Then on the computer I took those sections and fit them together on 4'x8' sheets of plywood, arranging them for the best fit and minimizing plywood waste. It worked out that I need four sheets of plywood. Here is a drawing one of the layouts.
Next, I printed out full size drawings of the plywood layouts. I then cut out each paper piece of roadbed. These paper patterns were laid on top of the plywood sheets and traced with a marker.
Then it was time to fire up the jig saw. It did take a while to get all the pieces cut out.
The roadbed sections were taken downstairs and laid on top of the L-girder benchwork. It took some maneuvering to get everything correctly in place. I still have to do some minor trimming and also add some additional joists where needed.
Next will be the splices for the roadbed sections and the installation of the riser supports.
Wow Joe you’re a one man engineering firm. Very impressive.
Jay
