Layout Update

So it has been a month since my last post, but that doesn't mean I have been idle on the train layout.

A big area of work was the two bridges that span the river. In my previous post I talked about scratch building one. Since then I constructed abutments, painted the bridge, and installed it. For my scratch build bridge I installed it so that the deck was level with the ground and secured the cork road bed to it using caulk. I am planning ballasting this bridge.
I had to raise the abutments for the Atlas prefab bridge, the one in the front of the picture, to the level of the cork roadbed since it had the track pre-installed. It also has more detail for the bridge ties so I will not try to ballast this one.

Track laying has also begun. I started by painting the cork road bed with grey acrylic paint. I thinned the paint with water to make it spread a little easier; it doesn't have to be opaque, just enough to give the cork a grey tint. The idea is that I can just apply a light coat of ballast and any cork that happens to show through will not be as noticeable against the grey ballast. Since the roadbed for the main line was still incomplete due to the missing bridges, I started with the yard at the front of the layout. The yard turnouts are controlled manually by ground throws placed next to the turnouts. They are much easier to install than hooking wiring up a switch machine.

The next step is to install the crossovers and the Tortoise switch machines that will control them. I am taking the trouble to install switch machines here because the two turnouts are connected by legs so it doesn't do any good to switch one without switching the other. Using the machines lets me insure that they are always consistently aligned.