Hi Everyone,
once again I have a question and I'm hoping the people here on Big Blue can help. Well, I've decided to scrap my idea of a 4'x16' steel mill (as I couldn't get it to fit into the rest of the layout as I had planed) Anyway, I've re-designed my new layout with a steel mill facility sprauling 16' wide, but only 25" long. Here is the hickup I've ran into, and I'm hoping you guys can help out. O.K., my benchwork tables are now 30" long by 8' wide. I'm looking at placing a divider near the back of the tables so I can run a double main line behind the steel mill (I don't want to have my road trains interfere with the switching operations at the steel mill). I've set aside 5" along the back (4" for the tracks, and 1" for the divider itself). The problem is, what is the best way to attach a divider? I'm using 1/2" sheets of foam insulation on top of my plywood tables (I've found it's easier to use 1/2" sheets rather than 1" thick sheets for making pits, etc). I'd like to attach my divider pictures to 2 1/2" styrofoam sheets, (essentially making the divider 1 inch thick) and then sticking it to the table (however, I don't want the divider to fall over time and potentially landing on my structures and rolling stock. I've tried looking for ideas in Model Railroader, but I've come up empty handed :? If anybody has any suggestions, I'm more than willing to listen. As always, any help would be greatly appreciated

Maybe I should have listened to the wife and drawn templates to make sure everything would have fit right on the first layout, but I prefer to work without any plans

Using foamboard for a backdrop I would make long pins for the foam to slide over. you would need some heavy music wire and have to pre drill the base a size smaller than the wire, then use needle nose pliers held close to the base to force it into the hole. You can buy construction flags that are on stiff music wire at most big hardware stores. This wire would work and the flags are approx. 18 inches. You would have to be sure the wire holes were perfectly vertical, then slide the foam down over the wire.
Charlie

If this is going to be permanent, I would use an adhesive called "Projects" available at Home Depot (comes in a tube-type applicator, like silicone). It'll glue just about anything together PERMANENTLY. Just be sure to brace the divider so it's perpendicular to the base while the glue dries.

Since you have a plywood table underneath, I think you have a few things to consider:

1) Regardless of what material you use, cut down to the plywood table, and install brackets/braces directly on the wood. They will be much more stable this way.

2) Add a small curve (if possible) to the backdrop. Laminating the two pieces of 1/2" foam in a slight curve will make it much more rigid. The curve will give it stability in three dimensions instead of just 2.

3) Use something else - you can get styrene in a decent thickness from public transit (bus-side advertising) often for cheap. This will take up less real estate on your layout. 4" for two staging tracks is pretty tight, especially if there is a "fiddle yard" component. It is also very close to the edge of the layout in the event of a derailment.

4) How much open backdrop will there be? With a steel mill complex, I would imagine that you will have a number of flats, shallow buildings, as well as the backdrop. If these components are all integrated, the backdrop should be strong.

5) How will you access the staging?


Andrew