Category: Model-Railroad

September 28, 2012

I have continued to create Interstate 80 on my N-scale model railroad of Grinnell, IA. (Read the original post)

To finish the hill I created from foam on one side of the tracks, I covered the foam with two thin layers of spackling paste. To start the hill on the other side of the tracks, I glued together two layers of foam roughly cut to the shape of the hill. I verified the height of the bridge by placing a partially assembled piece between the two sides.

I shaped the hill on the inside of the track the same as I did with the first hill. However, I included space for an off-ramp going down the side of the hill.

To finish the new hill, I covered it with a thin layer of spackling paste and glued on both a main roadway and an off-ramp cut from thick styrene sheet. Since the off-ramp didn't have the right slope initially, I added some foam shims underneath.

The next step is to add some scenery and put the bridge in place.

Categories: Model-Railroad

Tags: scenery, structures

January 08, 2012

My N-scale model railroad of Grinnell, IA now features the beginnings of Interstate 80. Adding Interstate 80 to the layout provides a way to hide part of the track so viewers cannot see the entire loop. Shortly after I decided to include Interstate 80, I read the Step By Step article "How to build a highway overpass" in the December 2011 issue of Model Railroader. I am basing my design off of the article.

I began in the front-left corner of the layout by adding a hill. Below is a picture of the foam that forms the base of the hill with some cardboard standing in for the road. You can also see two of the new vehicles I got for Christmas (thanks Llewellyn).

After I had roughly shaped the hill, I built two abutments out of some styrene sheet. You can see one of them, unpainted, in the photo below. I also cut the road surface from styrene and glued it to the hill, weighing it down with soup cans while the glue dried.

The hill, road, and one of the abutments are now complete.

Next, I need to build the hill for the other side of the tracks.

Categories: Model-Railroad

Tags: scenery, structures

January 08, 2012

I built an "extension drawer" for my small N scale layout to give me additional space. The extension slides out like a drawer, then lifts up to become level with the stationary benchwork.

Below is a video of me collapsing the extension.

Categories: Model-Railroad

Tags: benchwork