The
HO Timber Ridge layout,
as easy as A, B, C and D!
The HO Timber Ridge
layout -- as easy as it gets!
Glue four panels together and you're ready for track installation.
As with all Terrain for Trains layouts,
the HO Timber Ridge is formed from solid, sheet styrene (not foam)
with all hills, roads, rock outcroppings, roadbed and track plan
guide lines molded into the surface. The layout is shipped in
two cartons with two panels in each carton. The panels are clearly
labeled A, B, C, and D and the instruction sheets tell you exactly
how to assemble them. It couldn't be any easier!
The Timber Ridge preformed layout
serves as a "skin" that provides all the topography
for your model railroad. A variety of factory-installed support
risers are included, ready for you to install on the underside
of the layout, provciding support for the proper grade angles.
The risers also provide additional rigidity to the wide expanse
of the 4 foot by 2-1/2 foot sheets of styrene. If you wish, additional
supports can be added, using your choice of materials, from wood
blocks cut to the correct size, to rigid styrofoam blocks.
When your Timber Ridge layout arrives,
simply slide the panels from the cartons (photo below, left),
place them upside down, one at a time on the floor or a work table,
for installation of the risers. Then, turn the panels over and
place them on a flat surface measuring five feet by eight feet
or more (below, right). A 5'x9' ping-pong table makes a perfect
Timber Ridge support table. Glue the panels together as the instruction
sheets direct, then glue the track into place following the molded-in
guide lines and printed instructions. Place the optional H-4010
mountain at the end of the layout, set a few buildings in the
village and the industrial part of town (as shown above), and
you are on your way to creating a railroad empire. Trees and other
details can come later.
The layout can be painted either before or after installation
of the track. If you elect to lay the track first, be sure to
protect it with masking tape when you begin the painting stage.
The molding process used in the
creation of the Timber Ridge layout (thermo forming) is not as
precise as injection molding, so some "tweaking" of
the panels may be necessary for close alignment. Any minor gaps
between the panels are easily filled with modeling putties such
as Squandron Green or Bondo. DAP makes a latex caulking compond
that is easy to use and can be carved and painted after it dries.
Why four panels?
The Timber Ridge is shipped to your
home in the maximum allowable size for UPS and FedEx Ground. If
the panels were pre-assembled and mounted on a wood frame, they
would then need to be packed in a wood crate and shipped by truck
-- cost of shipping would range from $500 to over $1,000, depending
on the distance from Terrain for Train's plant in California.
For some detailing ideas, click
here.
Each panel weighs about eight pounds and
is clearly marked for easy and accurate placement.
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