I started building the second generation Wildcat Valley Railway a few weeks ago. I had been thinking I’d work on it in my spare time and would get it done sometime in the not too distant future, but I had forgotten how much thought and work it takes to get something of this scale done. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy building a project like this, but it’s going to take a while!
I picked up two sheets of half inch plywood last week and have now begun work on the sub-roadbed in the first mountain area of the layout. I started in the most difficult area, the transition form the upper level to the mountain helix. I have used most of a full sheet of plywood, but I have all the lower level, as well as what is seen here in place, cut. All the lower track shown here will be hidden, so I’ve added some 3/4 inch high safety railing made from 1/8 Masonite. Damn that stuff is the messiest material to cut I’ve ever seen! The dust is very fine and goes everywhere.
Three Levels 
Hopefully all my calculations are correct in transferring the design from my XTrack CAD design and it will all come together as planned. All the radii are 30+ inches, except for the passing siding which will be around 29″. I takes a while to cut those big pieces and you have to plan so as not to waste a lot of material. I’m going to need to get some more 1 x 4’s before I can go any further, so I’m taking the rest of the night off.
