Gargraves track question

[AKKevinT]

I recently purchased approximately 150' -175' of used Gargraves Phantom Rail flexible track. (The price was great so I decided not to pass it up.) I have never used Gargraves track and have four questions on setting the track.

1. What techniques can I use to mate track ends in when laying out curves?
2. What is the minimum radius the track can be curved to?
3. What techniques work best for curving the track smoothly?
4. What techniques work best to straighten out track?

I am using part of the track to make a portable layout to take to the childrens floor of our local hospital. I hope to have it completed before Thanksgiving so thank you for sharing information to help get me started or referrals made to website(s) with good how-to information.

Kevin T.

[Anonymous]

1. Use a Dremel with a 426 cut-off wheel to cut the two long ends of curved track. Better, cut-off the last six inches of track and you will have fewer kinks caused by the last few inches of curved track wanting to straighten. If you don't have a Dremel tool use a hobby style hack saw; Zona if one vendor of these.
2. Gargraves is probably best used if the radius is 18" or more. It can be bent tighter but I believe that tight radius tends to make it very difficult to join ends in a curve. Also, if you want to bend it tight, start the curve with a larger radius and have your tightest radius in the center of the curve, then proceed to a larger radius as the curve joins the straight track section.
3. Make what is known as a fixture. Different materials are used but you basically create a pattern in the radius you desire, attach it with screws to a sheet of plywood and bend your track against the pattern. You can make a pattern out of 1/4 inch plywood, masonite, etc. A very simple and effective technique is to take Lionel tubular 031 track sections (2 or 3) join them, then attach them upside down to the plywood. The Gargraves will slide under the ties on the Lionel track and will then meet the Lionel rails which form a continuous arc against which you bend the Gargraves. Once you become proficient at bending straight Gargraves with the fixture, you will progress to bending on the layout to match a track plan laid out on the roadbed.
4. Straightening track basically requires use of a flat surface, again plywood. For small kinks or bends you can usually straighten by eye. One of the characteristics of Gargraves "straight" track is that it is often not very straight.

Good luck with your project.

[AKKevinT]

Goulftours,

Thank you for sharing your ideas and suggestions. I appreciate you taking the time to reply to my inquiry.

This wekend I will have time to put your suggestions into practice. I particularly like your idea on using the Lionel track as a template for curving tthe Gargraves track.

Thanks again for your help!

[Anonymous]

A couple of suggestions about installing Gargraves. Hold it down with #4 screws. Use an appropriate sized drill bit to drill a pilot hole first (the Gargraves wood ties split easily without a pilot hole. A good cosmetic tip is to paint the screw heads black and countersink them (and see painting Gargraves tip below). Have some Carpenter's wood glue handy; if you split a cross tie simply put some wood glue on the split surface and pinch the tie together, holding it for a few seconds; the split will disappear.

To wire Gargraves, a good idea is to use wire lugs which are pressed into the bottom of the center and outside rails (with the wires attached, of course). If you want to hide the wire, drill appropriately sized holes in the train table (?) below where the lugs will be located.

If you intend to solder wire to Gargraves to power the track, remember that the black center rail (assuming you are using the Phantom variety of Gargraves), defies soldering. So, you will have to remove a small portion of the black coating to reach shiny metal and solder to the shiny metal. A careful use of the Dremel tool with the cut-off wheel will take care of this task nicely.

Also, a very good look with Gargraves is achieved if you spray paint the track and rail prior to installation with any cheap flat black spray enamel. The idea here is to get rid of the shiny metal and also to create more prototypical color in the cross ties. Simply spray the tops and sides of each section of Gargraves and promptly wipe the tops of the rails with a rag while the paint is still wet. This tip came from a very successful layout designer/fabricator who often builds layouts for $50,000+. And he uses $2.97 spray paint from Home Depot, Lowe's, and any other place handy.

So, if you have the time (and it won't take much), before you bend any track, have a can of cheap flat black enamel spray paint handy and spray the track, wipe the tops of the rail and, voila, prototypical rail and cross ties which lends a very good appearance to your project. Ditto painting the heads of the track screws black (phillips head screws preferred). Ditto courtersinking the screws. The only essential element from above is drilling the pilot hole for screws. Thee or four screws are all that are necessary for a straight section; more for the curves.

Good Luck; and thank you for thinking to say "thanks."

[AKKevinT]

Golftours

More excellent suggestions and tips. Thank you again! I will pickup the #4's after work and I have a bunch of flat black spray paint clutering up my shop.

Kevin