The Track
Getting off the drawing board and onto the baseboard.
I printed the XtrkCad design full size on many pieces of A4 paper and stuck it to the baseboard with undiluted PVA glue applied with a paint brush.
This is the top left corner of the track plan where the track curves around the turntable.
And this is the turntable
the front where the goods yard is
and the rear right corner (all seen from the operators well).
Underlay
I'm using Peco Streamline Flexitrack and points and AMI Instant Roadbed for underlay. AMI is a sticky malleable mastic that comes on a roll. One simply lays the roadbed on the baseboard according to the track plan. The track is laid on top of this and the roadbed holds it firmly in place, no glue or nails are required. (Note: as far as I can tell, AMI have gone out of business but you can still find it in the shops for the moment.)
I'll start by placing 2 points and then running flexitrack between.
The first step is working out where a point is going and drilling a 10mm hole for the point motor actuator pin
then vacuum all the dust up because it sticks to the AMI instant roadbed.
Lay the instant roadbed over the track plan
and cut the hole for the point motor pin with a scalpel (a drill just gets gummed up).
Lay the first point on the roadbed lining up the draw bar with the hole. Don't press it down yet. The roadbed holds the track quite securely enough at this stage.
Cut a strip of the waxed backing paper from the roadbed to put under the draw bar to stop it from sticking to the roadbed. You can use different material if you don't like the colour, AMI recommend black insulation tape.
Cutting and Joining
The usual rules apply for cutting and joining flexitrack
Remove the "baseplate" and cut the sleeper under each rail to make room for the joiner (fishplate)
Lay the track on the roadbed, pressing lightly to stick it in place. Mark the rails where you want to cut them with a scribe or similar etching tool.
I put a strip of backing paper under the rail while I was cutting it to stop the dust getting into the roadbed.
Inevitably, when laying track, there's a short gap to make up and you've always got another piece left over that is almost, but not quite, entirely the wrong length.
To avoid the kinking that sometimes occurs when joining flexible rail on a curve, I soldered the joiners in place before bending the next piece of track. I didn't even melt the sleepers. Well done, Me!
And here is my first loop completed.
Ballast
The final stage of track laying is to press the track into the roadbed and apply the ballast. The roadbed should squeeze up between the sleepers until it's almost level with the top but this can be hard work. I used a hair dryer to soften the roadbed and a block of wood to press the track down with.
Sorry I wasn't able to get photos of this process but I couldn't work and hold the camera at the same time.
Ballasting is easy with AMI instant roadbed because it's sticky so no glue is required to hold the ballast in place
You just pour a heap of ballast over the track, press it into the AMI Instant Roadbed with your fingers and sweep it along to the next bit.
I used an old makeup brush to sweep it and a mini dustpan to recover the excess afterwards.
Sometimes there are 'bald' patches left when you sweep the loose ballast away. These can be patched by pressing a smaller pile of ballast into them.
The trick is to press on a thick pile of ballast, otherwise the roadbed just picks up the dust from your fingers.
The Turntable
This is the turntable. It's a PECO kit. The bare plastic is a sort of cream colour so painting was essential but, having no idea what colour a turntable should be, I just painted the bridge a rust colour and the well a boring grey colour approximating concrete.
I've motorized it using a 3V motor & gearbox set from Dick Smith electronics attached directly to the base with self-tapping screws. I haven't worked out how to control it or index it (line up the bridge of the turntable with the rails leading from it). No hurry.