005 Mammoth Cave RR - Foam! Foam on the Range!

(singing)

Oh give me a home,
And a truckload of foam!
And track and some turnouts to lay.
Then seldom you'll see,
A much happier me!
And I'll be in the basement all day!

The Foam Fairy gave me a present!  I was very sad that I was going to have to go to Home Depot and spend about $100 on foam sheets for the layout as I was out of stock.  Then the Foam Fairy, without provocation, called me the other day and said he had tons of foam and would I like some.  I couldn't say yes fast enough!  Thank you my friend Steve Moore of K.I.S.S Method here in Salt Lake.  He had a big supply and gave me enough to build the layout.  If you aren't familiar with his products, check them out www.kissmethodinc.com.  I have all his planning templates and use them frequently.

After clearing out the family card table in the basement I laid the layout on the larger piece of foam.

Using a Sharpee, I outlined the layout for a cutting diagram.  With a very sharp razor knife I scored and broke the foam.

With the layout mounted I test fit the foam and it fits great.  It is very hard to cut foam with a straight edge.

Using an old piece of HO track I test fit the curves.  The drywall square and orange Sharpee marker laid in the straight sections of track on the lower level.  Little Katie was listening to Michael Jackson songs and I was dancing, which is very hard to do when you are laying track.

I test fit the straight track and then began forming the curves.  They are very tight at ten and a half inch radius, but the trains handle them well.  Gotta love On30!

@$%!@#$%@!!!!   I thought I had a LEFT HAND turnout but every On30 turnout in the box was a RIGHT HAND.  That sucks.  I IM's my buddy Jim Wanlass at Jamestown Trains to see if he had one laying around.  He didn't but he offered to build me one from scratch.  What a great offer, but I need to get the track down tomorrow, so I had to pass.  When I got through crying I just grabbed an HO scale #4 and put it down until I can get a Peco or ME turnout to fill in.

I cut and fit and filed and fit.  Pieces are being prepared.  This could take a long time as you have to have the track on a display layout run ABSOLUTELY PERFECTLY.  There are no shortcuts.  We'll do some more on the track tomorrow.  Want to get a running loop going!!!