Began measuring & cutting the 8x4s for the ends of the layout today! Discovered that the room is, of course, not perfectly square as we'll have up to 1/2" gap depending on the corner. We determined that we wanted the center rail of the office side (vs. front door side) to be a good 3.5" from the wall, which would allow clearance of the girder bridge past the trim of the Dutch door.
We also calculated for 3.5" center rail to end wall at the apex of the curves. We then drew an arc with a radius consistent with an additional 3.5" from center rail (7" from wall) along the inside of the curve. There will be about 4" straight track entering that 8x4 plywood piece before the curve & we measured accordingly.
As I do not have the #4 turnouts yet I was unsure exactly how much shelf I wanted to leave on the front door side. I kept it simple & just finished the arc 180 degrees, knowing I can trim more precisely once I get the remaining pieces in stock. At about $55/sheet I'd rather be safe than sorry - can always cut more later.
I'm also happy to report that it seems I'll have plenty of structural rigidity in the open corners, at least based on a quick wiggle test. I'm pretty sure I'll use thick metal brackets mounted vertically above the shelf. Not sure I have the cojones to mount the plywood to the bottom of the brackets, though. Will probably top mount & anchor w/screw & washer or bolt & washer.
Also, I decided to not bother with the spurs after seeing the plywood sheet tentatively placed up high. There's no way to easily access back there & you can't really see anything anyhow. I'll keep the siding but will otherwise stick with my original plan of placing lighted buildings on top of 1" or so foam sheeting & decorating for the season. I've already got the north pole station on order, which will probably go in the lower right corner.
Thanks again to all who follow my progress and as always, any comments or suggestions are appreciated.
- Neal
