need help-N scale trackwork

[Anonymous]

i am trying to complete my second N scale layout. despite advice to the contrary, and due to limited finances, i am putting cork down on top of the "table" and my code 70 micro-engineering flex trax on top of the cork. sometimes it works, right now it isn't. even though i have used the track before, this is my first experience with cork. should i be leaving room for contraction and expansion with the cork? should i not worry about the track having small spaces between the connections and wait till it's time to solder these?
anyway, i thought i could pull this off and now i'm not so sure. would be very grateful for any assistance. thanks.[sigh][%-)]

[Anonymous]

I don't think it is the cork. I have always used cork under my track and have had no issues. My current layout is using Atlas track and have no issues. I haven't used micro-engineering.

What do you mean by it isn't working? If sections of track are going dead, then you need to look at the rail joiners or look at soldering the rails together. If you have a large layout, run a heavy gauge bus wire under your layout for track power and hook it up to your track with feeder wires to the rails every few feet.

[Anonymous]

What I mean by "it isn't working" are:
1) Not having worked with the cork before, I am not sure how to lay the cork on a curve without it "buckling." This is a case of "I don't know what it is that I don't know!"
2) I have a micro-engineering code 70 turnout toward the end of a curve but it is clearly part of the curve even though it is a "straight" section. Haven't figured out if this is a big mistake or if I just need to tweak something.
Thanks.

[egmurphy]

There's no need to allow for expansion or contraction with the cork roadbed. I'm surprised to hear that you have buckling problems, as I have pretty sharp curves on my layout and the cork went down fine. Maybe I can just describe what I did and see if anything you did is different.
1. Cut the cork roadbed in half along the pre-scored joint using a hobby knife.
2. I used sandpaper to smooth off the rough edge at the cut joint (doesn't affect cork laying, but will make ballasting easier).
3. Lay a bead of glue (I used Elmer's) alongside the centerline that you've marked on the plywood or foam. I smoothed this bead out with a flexible putty knife to spread it more evenly across the width of the piece of cork, but I'm not sure this was necessary. I did it to get more glue/cork contact and to avoid any chance of a gob of glue not flattening out completely under the cork.
4. Lay the cork down along the centerline. As I went along the strip of cork, I used push pins to hold it down and in line until it dries. I also used (sometimes) one of those small rollers made for smoothing the tape in drywall joints to roll the cork to help ensure that it was perfectly flat.
5. lay the matching other half of the cork.
6. After letting the cork dry overnight, I removed the push pins and gave it a light sanding with a sanding block just in case there were any slight high points or bumps.


Regarding the switch, using a switch in a curve is always a bit dicey. I have several of these as with a small space I had to do a lot of things I would have preferred not to do. Anyway, the most important thing to watch for is to ensure that the pieces of flex track that match up with the switch at either end do so with absolutely no kink. In my opinion (based on limited experience) it takes a bit of effort to get flextrack to hold the exact shape at the end of a curve. I'd recommend using a pin vise and small drill to drill holes in the last 3-5 ties and use a track nail in each one of those at least until the glue dries completely under your flex track.


Regards

Ed

[jhugart]

Buckling? I'm guessing the problem is that you didn't get the cork strip split. Or do you have really tight radius curves on your layout?

Here's what I do:

First, mark the centerline of your track.

Second, the cork comes in a strip that has a gap down the middle. Pull it into two, half-width strips. You'll notice that the gap was at an angle, so you have two similar strips.

Third, place one half-strip so that the flat edge (the old outside edge when it was joined to the other half-strip) is on the centerline. The beveled or angled edge should slope from the top of the strip to the tabletop. There shouldn't be any buckling problems with a half-strip. Tack the sucker down. (Eventually, you want to glue things, but for now, just practice the sequence.)

Fourth, Use the other half-strip and lay it down on the other side of the centerline, with its angled edge on the outside. You end up with a cross-section of cork being a trapezoid shape; what were the outside edges in the original form you bought the cork are now touching over the centerline, and the angled cut in the original cork strip became the beveled outside edges of the roadbed.

TIP: Put the end of one half-strip mid-way along the end of another half-strip. That is, stagger the ends of the cork half-strips, so you don't have the join on one side of the roadbed right at the place where there's a join from the other half of the roadbed.

If you have turnouts, you lay the cork half-strips for the outside of the the two routes. Then you lay one inner half-piece of cork for one route. Suppose it is for the straight route...lay it so it goes on top of the half-piece that becomes the outside of the diverging route. Using a knife, cut the cork so it is sheared off where the divering strip is underneath; you should then be able to pu***he cork into the seam. Do the same with the other inner strip.

Let us know if you have questions still.

[Anonymous]

Thanks very much to all who have made recommendations. I really appreciate the help. And I expect to be using this information very soon. Just as soon as I get all the junk off my table and a few extra (spare) strips of cork. Thanks again[;)]

[Anonymous]

Simple solution to the buckling problem. I soak the cork in hot water for 5 minutes. make sure that you have cut the sections in 1/2 and work with no more that 2 ft sections at a time. Follow the other advice in referance to setting it in place.The hot water gives the cork more flexability and will dry into the shape once you set it in place .