The Ledge Train - Part 2

For the last month I have been working on the design for the ledge train project. I've built some prototypes for the corner pieces and straight pieces to work out any issues before I go into full production mode. Each straight section will be about 3 feet long and mounted on a 1/2 inch x 3 inch piece of plywood. Each piece will have two sets of wires underneath that will carry the power to the track. On the ends will be connectors and dowels so that they can snap together.

Testing track layout

I also spent some time designing the bridge. I used Google Sketchup to layout the design based on 1/2 inch square pieces of wood. I'm going to go with poplar as it's strong and easy to paint. The only issue I have right now is how to get the train to turn onto the bridge. I may have to do some tweaking to the design to make it work right.

Bridge design in Google Sketchup

So I'm pretty excited about this project. Lisa and I have talked about expanding the display into October so we can have a fall and winter scene. I'm not sure that I can finish the project by October!