"Not to scale"

Now that I've got a serious track plan and I'm motivated to build it, comes the hard and tedious part: Making sure it will work.

There's a handy little note on the August 2005 Model Railroader article that contains the track plan I've settled on: "Not to scale."

Boy is that ever true. I measured it to see if I could just copy and reduce it. Don't think so. 4 feet in one direction doesn't seem to be consistent with 4 feet in another direction. Sigh.

So now I'm working on a first rough onto graph paper. Actually a photocopy of graph paper, outlined for the dimensions of the layout's perimeter. Trying to decide if I should get a full fledged draftsman's compass or not. And the part that I really dread: drawing turnouts to careful scale. I know some templates exist and I might end up getting one.

It also means that I probably won't get started on the benchwork quite as soon as I had planned. I really want to be confident of those dimensions before I start sawing and nailing and glueing.

Speaking of benchwork -- went over to Home Despot Depot the other day to price lumber.

I'm thinking for the first stage of benchwork I'll need about 80 feet of dimensional lumber (provisionally, 1 x 4). The best quality I could find is about $8 for an 8 foot piece -- and even then my son and I could see numerous pieces that were warped or otherwise out of shape.

Then I checked the price of high-quality plywood. My alternative is to have plywood ripped and then assembled into the framing, following an approach used in Model Railroader's Basic Model Railroad Benchwork book, tweaked some with ideas from the "Beer Line" framing system for sectional layouts.

It's less than half the price. So Plywood framing it is.

And speaking of pricing...

I have a package of several Shinohara flex track lengths. Not sure how many off the top of my head. And a whole bunch of cork roadbed. But I was pricing track today and Holy Heisler! My inner Scotsman is starting to rebel.

Then I spotted the web site for Central Valley tie strip and rail. At first glance it looks a lot less expensive, and not that much extra work. I might go that route, but only after some further investigation. If I do, though, I still expect to purchase turnouts fully made. That, too, will require some further invetigation.

(If anyone out there stumbles across this blog and has something to contribute in the way of advice on the subject, feel free to do so in the comments. Spammers, this does NOT mean you. Read the comment warning.)

All of that is down the road, though. First stop: the drawing supplies.