Mark, nice looking plan, I think Lew is on the right path. If you use a support a 1/4" taller would give you a 1/2" clearance then you could use anything you wanted for road bed. Even if you just used a thin steel plate as it is the bottom clearance would be the same as you have now.
If you go with both a 1/4" along with a thin product you will be golden! If you need I have some used I think its 1/8th or 1/4" plexi glass I could cut your curve into with no problem.
Either way its looking good!
Thank you Andy, Marty, Mike. I was fiddling with it last evening some. I do think I will use some thinner, sturdy material for the crossover above. I may just glue the cork roadbed to that material and forego the Homasote at that point. I won't be using Homasote on the bridges that will be at the raise up access point a few feet away either. Mike, the thinner material doesn't even have to be cut on a curve, because I was going to extend the scenery out a bit on either end to hide the fact the track is crossing over itself there. Thank you everyone for all the good ideas.
In the last two weeks I got a little more done on the upper level. I decided to increase the height of the roadbed supports where the track goes over the lower level by 1/2 inch. That gives me plenty of clearance with this car that is taller than all the rest I own.
Since the highest point will be higher, that would make the grade longer (which I don't have room) or steeper. Well that problem was solved when I decided to not try to make the roadbed on the grade out of wood as I have done in the past. I knew I would have trouble making a smooth transition at the bottom of the grade with simple tools and limited skill. I decided to buy Woodland Scenics foam incline sections. Since they come in 2%, 3%, and 4% grades, I decided I could handle 4% as opposed to the 3.7% grade on the plan. If I had a large layout, they could get expensive, but with only two short grades, the cost wasn't a problem. Here are a photographs of the grade already glued down. The paper cutout of the SCARM plan sits right on top of it showing I got the curve pretty good.
I'm going to glue Homasote and cork beveled roadbed on top to give something solid for the track screws to grab. You can see I do have to do a little matching up at tht top of the grade at the last photograph.
Thank you for taking a look!!! Stay safe and healthy everyone!!
Mark, that'll work! 
Looking good, Mark!
Peter
Coming along nicely Mark! Grade looking good too!
You are making good progress Mark. Keep it up and keep us posted.
Mark, looks like you have a good plan! I am with Lew I think it will work just fine! Its nice to see you got it figured out! Keep up the nice work!
Looks good Mark. Sometimes its best to accept our limitations and call in (or buy from), the pros.
Bob
Lew, Peter, Lance, Jim, Mike, Bob, Thank you very much everyone!!
Yes, It has taken a while to figure it out, and there is more to figure out. I suppose everyone runs into that on a layout build. Fortunately this was fairly inexpensive to buy from the pros. If I had more disposable income, there are some other things I would buy too, but on the other hand, I don't necessarily need them. 
I like what you’ve done Mark, not only with the styrofoam for the grade, but you’re maximizing what you have on hand. Well done 👍🏻
Andy
Andy, Thank you!! It would be nice to buy all new top of the line wood products, but then I wouldn't have the cash to buy the rest of the track I need! It will all be covered with scenery, so as long as it is structurally sound, it doesn't matter if it is a mix match. I am rather OCD, but after 35 years married and raising 2 daughters, all far messier than me, I can live with the mix match! 
Hi Mark,
You may have already considered this, but on my last layout, I too used Woodland risers for a double mainline. After installing the risers I applied a few layers of plaster-cloth to increase its rigidity and it also gave much better support for laying and keeping the trackwork in place. It was cheap, easy and fun to apply. Just a thought.
Your progress is great! Keep having fun.
JohnJr
JohnJr,
Thank you for the suggestion. Yes, I can see how the plaster cloth would give something rigid to support the track. Your comment addresses the issue that I am facing since I made the decision to use foam to make my grades instead of wood.
My original plan was to put down a base of wood then put simple 2x4 risers on top of that for the grades and level upper track. I would then use a wood-Homasote-cork sandwich for the roadbed whether on level or a grade. I happily went on with that on the level area then felt overwhelmed at making the transitions from level to the grade. That is when I decided to use foam. That was fine until I realized I didn't have a good transition from the existing risers to the foam.
This photograph shows two mismatches. On the left, you see the top of the 4% grade which comes up to the top of the risers. When I shimmed up the Woodland Scenics grade with 1" blue foam, I forgot that the risers were cut to have 5/8" of plywood or MDF/OSB before putting down Homasote on top. That's the first mismatch.
On the right, you see the risers shimmed from 5" to 5 3/8" to give more room for trains to pass under my one overpass. Carrying that through, I would still need to shim the middle section of risers to 5 3/8". That means I need to raise the grade even further.
Here is where I temporarily placed sections of plywood down to make sure all my shimmed risers are level and at the same height. I will need to work from that overall height around to the grade I showed above.
So in effect, I have been spending some time spinning my wheels on this, but all is not lost. One thing is certain. Everything is nice and solid so far!
I have been thinking of adding more blue foam under or on top of the Woodland Scenics foam to make up the difference in height. Other suggestions are welcome.
Have a great week and stay safe and healthy!!
Great progress, Mark! I'm enjoying watching your layout materialize.
Firewood, Thank you!
Mark- once you have the top height locked in, you can shim the track coming on to the grade. Get a pack of shims from HD/ Lowes. They are cheap and easy to work with.
Bob
Bob, Great point!! I had some, but used them all up when I realized my metal brackets were slightly more than 90 degrees. I was at both stores last week looking for an obscure plumbing part, but never thought of looking for shims. 
I'll have to stop later in the week when I have to go out that way again.
I think those are the plastic wrapped packages of Cedar shims. You get a bunch, cheap. Wish you were close, I have a whole bunch of those left from various projects.
Jeff
Hey Mark, been a bit since I got my eyes and nose over the other topics to take a good look here. It looks great. I love how the grade foam is working. I sort of wondered about that myself seeing it done on a smaller scale(HO) and how it would work. Remember that the only mistakes you make are the ones you decide not to correct or don't notice. Even at that though if you can live with them, so be it. Now, if the entire train flies off the tracks(God forbid), then it's time to stop letting me help, not that I have yet, just saying.
Bob and Jeff, Unbeknownst to me when I last responded my wife had another load ready to take to the Goodwill store for them to haul to their warehouse in Pittsburgh for processing. I stopped in Home Depot on the way back and bought these. This sure beats the little packages of shims I have purchased before.
They should last through this project!! Thank you both!!
Dave, Trains flying off the tracks was my experience with N scale back in the '80s! Enough of that! 
I have seen a couple others here on the Forum using the Woodland Scenics on their O gauge layouts, so I thought I would give it a try. Thank you for commenting!!
Perfect Mark. When you're done with the layout you can either side the house or re-hang a bunch of doors. 
Bob
Well Bob, My house is brick and aluminum siding, so I won't be siding the house, but a lot of the doors are pretty beat...
Ha ha. Think that will be enough?
Jeff
Ha Ha!! I don't know if it will be enough. I make a lot of mistakes!!
So I was able to shim the middle section I showed yesterday with one shingle. It worked great!! Everything is level. Yes, I will have a lot left over!! Going outside to put some things in the shed, I was reminded I need to repair the outdoor Nativity after it blew down and broke the roof. I can use leftover shingles to make a more rustic look than what is on the broken roof now!!
With the cold weather, I have been able to make some progress. Using Homasote, cork, and track from the last attempt at my newest layout, I was able to get the track in underneath the overpass area. I left the top plywood section a little large at the inside of the curve for the sidings that will go to the right. I could cut it back some later if I see it isn't needed and in the way for scenery.
Here is the clearance for my highest car that is too modern for normal running.
Also side clearance for the longest car.
Over where the grade starts down, I did not want to try to pry the Woodland Scenics foam incline because I was sure I would damage it too much. Instead, I cut 1-inch blue foam to size and it fits very well. The foam was painted white several years ago for a Christmas layout. This is the third project that I have used this foam.
At the bottom of the grade, I had a problem. The foam now made it almost an inch higher than wanted. I thought of cutting foam down to a taper, but with a curve to consider also, I thought I would struggle. In comes those cedar shims, oh some of you pointed out they are shingles. You are right. I cut and glued a lot of them down to make a smooth taper down to the 0-inch level.
So far, so good.
Coming together nicely Mark!
👍
@Mark Boyce posted:With the cold weather, I have been able to make some progress. Using Homasote, cork, and track from the last attempt at my newest layout, I was able to get the track in underneath the overpass area. I left the top plywood section a little large at the inside of the curve for the sidings that will go to the right. I could cut it back some later if I see it isn't needed and in the way for scenery.
Here is the clearance for my highest car that is too modern for normal running.
Also side clearance for the longest car.
Ah yes, Mark, the most critical measurements of all
Thank you Lance, Pat, Kevin!!
Excellent point Kevin that it is the most critical measurement!! Also, I think it is one that is easy to overlook in the excitement of the build!!
@Mark Boyce posted:Thank you Lance, Pat, Kevin!!
Excellent point Kevin that it is the most critical measurement!! Also, I think it is one that is easy to overlook in the excitement of the build!!
And, depending on what kind of locomotives you run, don't forget pilot overhang on the outside of curves.
Absolutely Lance! For me, with 042 mainline minimum curve, my steam locomotives include two 2-8-0s, a 2-8-2, a 4-6-2, an 0-8-0, and a three-truck Shay. Not much overhang on those. I checked that out on the 042 loop I built last winter. However, some steamers really overhang. My diesels are two RS-3s, a GP7, and a BL-2.
Thank you, Firewood! Don't feel bad on that. I saw where one club with many experienced modelers ripped out scenery and changed the track just because the back of the cab roof of one of the members steam locomotives hit in a few places. It can happen to anyone.
My older son bought a Lionel scale, TMCC crane. It rubs on the otherwise perfectly adequate rockwork inside the portals to our tunnel. We need to do some supplementary carving. I didn't plan for such a big piece!
Palallin, I have seen the TMCC crane in action. It is a really neat product, but is certainly big! I guess I could say for the first time that it is good none of my daughters or sons-in-law are interested in trains to buy such a product. I actually thought of the crane when discussing raising the roof on the tunnel.
Here is part of my comment back on April 12th. ""Thank you, Lew!! The only thing I could think of that may be taller would be a wrecking crane. But if the prototype had any that were too tall, they would just go around the other way. ""
Now, I will still have to consider what I use to scenic the insides of the tunnel to not take up space. On the left hand approach, I am thinking of camouflaging the opening with buildings, but that won't work on the right hand approach.
Thank you for your comments!!
Whenever you need extra clearance for an overpass you can depress the bottom track by removing the Homasote and taper the track down, go under the over pass and taper back up..
If you need even more clearance use a saber saw and cut out the decking along each side of the lower track and push the grade down under and back up again.
Other things to do is to use a girder bridge for the upper track with only thin metal plate directly under the ties. No plywood or road bed at the actual short span overpass.
Several other ways to reduce the rate of climb. I go nutz reducing grades. Got the most recent grade down to +/- 1%
Tom, Thank you for the great suggestions. Depressing the bottom track is doing what the prototype had to do to accept double stack cars. That perhaps would have been the easier way to do it in my case. I'll do it if I ever get that crane car that Pallalin's son bought.
I was working on some roadbed last evening and realized I had better get the backdrop up. Today I got all these sections in place. Not all the pieces are attached the bracing. That is why a couple pieces lean a bit, but they aren't going anywhere. I left a gap next to the wall when I attached the 1x3 joists to the metal brackets. That way the hardboard backdrop sections just slide down into place with only a minimum of bracing. Those are mainly at the corners.
Well look what came today! A second Premier PS2 H9 I bought from a friend. This one is a little different in that it started out with Erie livery and the previous owner lettered it for WM. He left the cab roof black and the smokebox gray, but I like it in that it looks a little different from the factory painted #821 I already have.
I included this photograph to point out that with the cab roof vent up, it is a smidgeon higher than the tall C&O car. I think I will take Tom Tee's advice and remove the Homasote and taper it down a bit before I go any farther with this portion of the layout. Why not do it now? Thank you, Tom!!
Access to this requires an OGR Forum Supporting Membership
