I'm building a DCC "test layout" out of odds-n-ends in terms of track and I'm trying to decide how to transition from Kato UniTrack to Atlas flextrack that sits directly on the "table" (foam base). Since the Kato track has a built-in roadbed and the Atlas does not, there's a height differential that needs some kind of (hopefully smooth) transition, like a "ramp". It seems to me other modelers have had to deal with this kind of situation, for example, when transitioning from mainline track to a siding that's lower than the main line, but I haven't been able to find much of anything about how this is accomplished. Has anybody else tried (maybe even successfully) to do this? What kinds of (hopefully simple) suggestions does anybody have? Thanks!
I think most people don't put the track directly down on the foam without a roadbed simliar to what you have on the Kato. Most people either use cork roadbed, the woodland scenics foam roadbed, or some other type. If you use one of those roadbed types, they should be fairly simliar in height to the builtin roadbed on the Kato. Or... you could perhaps fashion your own roadbed out of the pink/blue construction foam. You'd do it with a heated knife (messy) or a fancy wire foam cutter (heated wire that cuts through the foam). If you're off by a little, you could shim it... depending on the height.. with anything from paper to cardboard.
My guess is that if you install the usual cork roadbed, the difference in height will not be much. To bridge that height difference, perhaps, you could use a part of a Woodland Scenic foam slope.
