3. Old School from the Ground Up
Lest anyone might think I'd "cheat" by using Gatorfoam for the base, as I'm wont to do, I went the same route as I had for the Postage Stamp Central, and for the same two reasons: budgetary as well as first-gen ideology. In this case, the base comprises three sheets of lauan plywood assembled on a 2x3 box frame. Three layers of ply are required for the SNARF because the plan features elevated track as well as below-grade water.
Begun on 29 March 2019, the base went together very quickly; the base of the rolling lift bridge is posed in place, above.
After I finished and installed the bridge, I was able to lay the hidden loop of track, above; this allowed me to cut out the second level plywood sheet. Below, the hole will permit a smooth transition from lower to upper levels.
After I soldered all of the joiners on the loop of track and cleaned the rails, I installed the upper level on 9 April 2019, which essentially completed the base, below.
