Hello--
I have my 4' x 8' table built, and the Super-O tracks are all preliminarily laid out. I've purchased California Roadbed homasote that I plan to run under the track as the next step. A few procedural questions to those who've done this, if you wouldn't mind:
1) Do I run the homasote strips over the timber bridge, or just the track directly atop the bridge?
2) I will be wiring small light bulbs into each of the two scratch-built buildings. Am I better off using "traditional" 14w bulbs, or should I go with cooler-operating LED bulbs?
3) It's a single-line layout that essentially has track running the perimeter, with a figure-8 in the center. The only twist is a hidden loop at the base of what will be the mountain, and I will have it appear for about two track lengths before it runs back into the mountain before exiting out the other end. At any rate, there is about an 8.5% downward grade to accommodate this hidden loop, and my test runs show that the locomotive has no trouble making the drop with the throttle at 12v. (I will only ever run the train in one direction.) My plan is to isolate the entire decline section of the layout and running it at a set 12v using the D-U portion of my ZW. For the incline--which is never more than a 3.5% upward grade--I will run it at 16v using A-U. The incline/level section makes up about 2/3 of the entire layout. Do I need more than one contact point to power the track from the transformer? I seem to recall reading that one power connection for every 10 pieces of track is necessary to supply even power, or something like that.
4) Gantry Signal #452. Though I'm trying to keep everything postwar, the 153c contact seems to be too problematic, and I'm thinking about one of the MTH IR (motion sensor) units to trigger the 452 signal. That way, I can conveniently mount its ugly self inside the mountain loop, where the train will trigger the light to change from green to red just before it appears out of the mountain. Can anyone confirm that the MTH IR sensor is in fact compatible with the postwar 452, and if so, does it have a delay like the Lionel IR unit that's 2x as expensive as the readily-available MTH?
5) It seems that screws would make more sense than tacks/nails for affixing the track to the homasote roadbed, and it looks like #4 screws fit in the Super-O track holes. The "fluted"-head screws distort the brown plastic holes in the Super-O track if tightened too snugly. Am I better off using #4, 1/2" round-head sheet metal screws?
6) Is there anything else I should look for before tacking in the cardboard strips that the sheets of plaster will cover over? I've run the locomotive with 5 cars behind it quite a bit, and I have no clearance or derailing issues. I have a trap door at the bottom of the table where I will be able to access the inside of the mountain structure.
Any/all tips or suggestions appreciated! Thanks.
