New Spline

Since I've used up the recylcled spline I decided to create new roadbed in Average. I thought I might go over the process again. The construction has gotten a lot simpler since the PRR layout. The spline only has to hold a single track. Much easier than the four track beast required before.

Building a new spline meant cutting new styrofoam strips that I could laminate. I have some good size pieces of the 1/2" thick material so I used that. The "styrospline" is pretty easy to make. I use 2" high strips that I make with a homemade cutting tool...

Cutter Guide

The tool is an 8' long aluminum straight edge. It's used for guiding circular saws when ripping 4' x 8' plywood. I bought this one decades ago, but I think they may still be available. The straightedge has been modified by bolting on an 8' long piece of aluminum channel that serves as a stop. It's set at 2". I place this cutter guide on the styrofoam sheet so that the channel is up against the side. The sheet is cut by a razor blade mounted on a scrap piece of aluminum (mine is from a Xacto miterbox). I bent the piece so that it slides along the guide...

Blade Carriage

I make one pass with the blade and it cuts most of the way through. I then break the strip off from the rest of the sheet...

2" Strip

It only takes a few minutes to cut a 4' x 8' sheet. I had enough styrofoam to make about 120 linear feet of spline strips. That's 60 feet of single track spline...

Spline Strips

Laying up the spline is just as easy.  I decided to redo Owertown so I started the new spline just east of Owertown Road. I simply butted the new spline up against the old. The length of the first sections are offset to make sure the joints are staggered. Typically I make one about half as long as the other.....

Spline Butt Joint

The strips are laminated together with tacky glue. This glue stays sticky for quite a while and gives you time to adjust the strips. I use short drywall screws to clamp the strips together until the glue dries. The screws can be left in place or removed and reused....

"Clamps"

The spline is held in place by capturing it between 2 1/2" drywall screws. Using these screws I can hold the spline straight or set the direction and radius of the curves...

Forming Curve

It didn't take too long before I was around the curve and headed west into Average. The results in Owertown are quite a bit better than the recycled spline sections...

Owertown: New Spline

Owertown: Recycled Spline

Before I laid up the spline in Average I made sure my "drawing" was lined up and pinned down with thumbtacks...

Average

When everything was nice and straight I continued construction. I did not use the 2 1/2" screws in Average. The tracks are almost dead straight.and the vertical screws are not really necessary. Besides I need to work on the adjacent yard tracks. It helps if I can move things around....

Average: New Spline

The only "mainline" left to build is the Q Company roadbed from the mine. How do I create an elevated spline? The truth is I don't. I lay up the spline on the top of the benchwork. Once the spline is constructed I elevate the entire thing. It's backwards from conventional methods, but it works.

I start the Q Co spline at the location of the turnout for the powerhouse siding. Once again, I use a butt joint...

Powerhouse Siding

The powerhouse siding is actually the beginning of the Q Co.trackage.The powerhouse is over the same tracks that serve the mine. Empties going into the mine come out of the power house. Loads going into the powerhouse come out of the mine. So the spline will run from the siding all the way to East End.

There is a slight problem with laying up this particular spline. The Q Co tracks are the highest on the layout, level four, if you will. How can I build it on the benchwork with the other three levels already constructed? The solution is simple. I just build the spline like I would normally. At the loaction where all four levels cross I don't glue the joint. I just capture it between the screws. This way I can disassemble the spline, remove it and reinstall it where it actually belongs....

Slip Joint

The spline gets completed all the way to East End. Because the thing is so flexible I can make adjustments and set the curve radii. I use the tall screws to hold it in postion...

Q Company Roadbed

Once the glue sets and dries the spline will retain it's shape. All I need to do next is create vertical supports.

Regards,

Frank Musick

Building a dream layout on a nightmare budget

The Average Eastern Railroad