How to support a long gentle sloping track

[Sheffie]

My planned layout features a 30mm climb over 4 curves and 2 straight pieces. I don't know how I'm going to support the track. I'm talking about 4 Kato R315-45 curves and two S248 straights. Will it be enough to support each end of each piece, or should I build a support to go under the track every 50mm, or what? I don't want to use the over-engineered solution (a single J-shaped piece of plywood under everything) if I can possibly avoid it, because that would have to somehow be shaved infinitely thin at the bottom end—or else I'd need to cut away the base-board.

 

What do people do in these situations?

[Kiha66]

Woodland scenics makes foam risers which support track on a grade of 2, 3 or 4%.  I've used them before and they are very helpful, although a slight easement at the ends of the 4% ones is a good idea.

 

Heres the 2% set as an example.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BLERNY/ref=psdc_166620011_t1_B000BLI6RM

[TRod]

Go to your local craft shop, foam shop, hardware shop and look at what they have.

You need to chose something you are comfortable to work with.

Hard foam can easily be sawn with a wood saw to shape. Can be a bit crude but works good and cheap. Use a coping saw to cut curves, use short straight pieces to create curves. Cover it all up with scenery.

Buy some balsa and make your own piers for each track join.

Try something new and learn a new skill.

TR.

[railsquid]

The Woodland Scenics risers will be the simplest.

 

I was planning to use them but reminded myself I had lots of bits of spare extruded styrene blocks, foamboard etc. so ended up making something myself, the track actually sits on carefully graded "steps" made out of cardboard of 1mm/2mm thickness, partially visible here:

 

incline-construction by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

Quote

Will it be enough to support each end of each piece, or should I build a support to go under the track every 50mm, or what? I

 

I did, at one point, have a section of elevated Kato track with one entire track section suspended in the air, held in place only by the adjacent track pieces. You can see it in this video, curved section at the back. Not something I'd recommend, it would flex quite alarmingly with heavier trains, though nothing ever fell off.

 

 

(Apologies for referencing my own stuff again)

Edited January 20, 2019 by railsquid

[Sheffie]

Thanks, all. It looks like the woodland scenics ramp is a strong contender, although I may also be able to make something from scratch. 

 

Thanks for the image, railsquid. Don’t apologize for posting your own stuff! I’m not likely to see that any other way :)

 

It looks like you’re making a wide track bed out of ballast that completely hides the Kato base? I would not have thought of doing it that way myself. 

Edited January 20, 2019 by Sheffie

[railsquid]

On 1/21/2019 at 5:01 AM, Sheffie said:

It looks like you’re making a wide track bed out of ballast that completely hides the Kato base? I would not have thought of doing it that way myself. 

 

It's Tomix track, but same principle. I "embed" it in strips of 3mm foamboard, which indeed hides the base and makes it easier to add wider ballast strips on each side.

 

Found another view:

Kato 923 "Dr Yellow" by Rail Squid, on Flickr

[Sheffie]

I’ve ordered the flexible wedges from woodland scenics and I’m hoping I can get a 4% gradient by stacking one on top of another. Probably this will require some work with long T pins to secure everything. I know I could buy 4% wedges directly but that would double the cost and I wouldn’t be using the whole set of 8 anyway 

Edited January 27, 2019 by Sheffie

[Takahama Trainwatcher]

Nice track geometry, Railsquid.