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rail for bridge

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  • Member since
    December 2011
  • From: Northern Minnesota
  • 2,774 posts
Posted by NP2626 on Monday, December 1, 2014 5:44 AM

wickman
 
 
 
wickman
So are you telling me the track is actually Peco flex track off  the shelf and not individually placed wooded ties then single rails spiked down to the ties?

 

Yes, sorry Lynn I should have made myself clearer. It is Peco SL-100, Code 100 flex track straight from the packet. 
A link to NP2626 Deep Gulch trestle thread.....

Cheers, the Bear.

 

 

 

Thanks for the link, its a very interesting read, has anyone been able to find Pliobond?

 

I've only seen Pliobond available from Micro Engineering.  I didn't use Pliobond on my trestle (the one in the article).  Instead I used "Zap" and "Zap a Gap" CA.

NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"

Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association:  http://www.nprha.org/

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Posted by Medina1128 on Monday, December 1, 2014 6:49 AM

wickman
Thanks for the link, its a very interesting read, has anyone been able to find Pliobond?

Pliobond

 

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Posted by wickman on Monday, December 1, 2014 7:45 AM

Medina1128

 

 
wickman
Thanks for the link, its a very interesting read, has anyone been able to find Pliobond?

 

Pliobond

 

 

Thanks

  • Member since
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Posted by wickman on Monday, December 1, 2014 8:55 AM

Thanks np2626 for the info.

Guys can you s tell me what length of spikes I would need for hand laying the rails into wooden ties?

Thanks

Lynn

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  • From: Bedford, MA, USA
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Posted by MisterBeasley on Monday, December 1, 2014 8:59 AM

I use Atlas flex track for trestles, simply by cutting out the spacers and pushing the ties closer together.  I find it works better if I pull the ties all the way off, because otherwise I nick the underside of the rails and it's hard to slide the ties.

This one is Code 83:

This is Code 100:

This is Code 100 on a bridge:

At one point, I was looking for rail to put on my car float in place of the plastic rail that came with the kit.  My LHS guy said the best thing to do was just buy Atlas flex track and remove the ties.  Of course, that was before the price of flex track went up after the Great Track Shortage.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

  • Member since
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  • From: Northern Minnesota
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Posted by NP2626 on Monday, December 1, 2014 9:06 AM

wickman

Thanks np2626 for the info.

Guys can you s tell me what length of spikes I would need for hand laying the rails into wooden ties?

Thanks

Lynn

 

If your using Code 100, I would use spikes for Code 100.

NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"

Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association:  http://www.nprha.org/

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  • From: Canada
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Posted by wickman on Monday, December 1, 2014 9:29 AM

NP2626

 

 
wickman

Thanks np2626 for the info.

Guys can you s tell me what length of spikes I would need for hand laying the rails into wooden ties?

Thanks

Lynn

 

 

If your using Code 100, I would use spikes for Code 100.

 

And what length would I be asking for when I order over the phone?

  • Member since
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Posted by NP2626 on Monday, December 1, 2014 11:02 AM

wickman
 
NP2626

 

 
wickman

Thanks np2626 for the info.

Guys can you s tell me what length of spikes I would need for hand laying the rails into wooden ties?

Thanks

Lynn

 

 

If your using Code 100, I would use spikes for Code 100.

 

 

 

And what length would I be asking for when I order over the phone?

 

I have only seen spikes for Code 100 and Code 70, so I don't think there would be much confusion.  Tell them Code 100 and that should do it. 

NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"

Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association:  http://www.nprha.org/

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Posted by zstripe on Monday, December 1, 2014 11:22 AM

Wickman,

1/4 inch spikes should be fine....they do have longer.

Take Care! Big Smile

Frank

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  • From: Southwest US
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Posted by tomikawaTT on Monday, December 1, 2014 12:14 PM

One way to get flex track with bridge ties (longer, and of larger cross-section, than ordinary ties) might be to purchase Code 100 On30 track and compress the ties as Mr Beasley did.  It's easier to cut off a long tie than it is to stretch a short one.

Looking at a prototype photo of my prototype, the guard rails look like mine car rails, possibly code 40 for code 100 running rails - and they're only spiked every fifth tie!  More usual American practice would use code 70 or code 83 rails for guard rails.

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

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Posted by wickman on Monday, December 1, 2014 6:42 PM

Thanks Mister Beasley for the pics, they look great.

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Posted by wickman on Monday, December 1, 2014 6:43 PM

Thanks  Chuck

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Posted by wickman on Monday, December 1, 2014 6:44 PM

I got the ME 83 bridge flex track ordered as well as the spikes so I can go either way.

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  • From: Clinton, MO, US
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Posted by Medina1128 on Tuesday, December 9, 2014 3:48 PM

wickman

 

 
Medina1128

I hand made a trestle that spanned about 25". Micro Engineering makes flex-track especially made for bridges.

Micro Engineering bridge flex-track

 

 

 

Thanks Marlon I looked through your photo album but couldn't find it.I see they have code 83 where as I'm using 100.

 

Wickman, I was in the process of redoing the guardrails when I submitted to your thread. Here are the before and after pics.

Before

After

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Posted by wickman on Tuesday, December 9, 2014 4:30 PM

Thanks Marlon for the  pics, I could be wrong but I thought the guard rails go down the very centre and connect in a V at there ends?

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Posted by wickman on Thursday, December 11, 2014 2:07 AM

I’ve blown up this photo as it shows Peco Code 100 flex track laid straight on to a scratch built trestle by my late friend Hans Hubner. It may be hard to see but he used track nails on about every 11th sleeper but I’m not sure if he used any adhesive as well. BTW, this trestle curve would be about an eighteen inch radius.
Cheers, the Bear.
 

Ok I have a  question before  I mess  up this  trestle build. You can see in Jabears trestle how it is curved , now would the out side rail of the trestle at the bents  have a wider gap then  the  inside rail bent end? Think of it like a pie sliced up  how the outside edge of  a  piece of pie is wide and  the very inside  is narrow. Hoppe this makes scence.So as the bents are being glued down to the stringers and you get into the sharpness of the  curve would the outside edge  gap between bents be wider  than the inside gap?

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Posted by "JaBear" on Thursday, December 11, 2014 4:52 AM
Gidday Lynn. I have found this PPT and will use the terminology contained there to try to stop any confusion.
 
 
The ties and bents will naturally have a greater distance between them on the outside of the curve, but the stringers between the bents are actually straight. There is a good diagram showing this in the PPT.
Bridge builders/ designers would have given primary consideration to the distance between the bents on the out side of the curve.
Hope this helps,
Cheers, the Bear.

"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."

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Posted by NP2626 on Thursday, December 11, 2014 6:10 AM

What is PPT?

NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"

Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association:  http://www.nprha.org/

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Posted by "JaBear" on Friday, December 12, 2014 12:26 AM

NP2626
What is PPT?

I had to look it up; a Microsoft acronym for Power Point Presentation.

Cheers, the Bear.

"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."

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Posted by wickman on Friday, December 12, 2014 4:50 AM

Thanks Jabear I worked nites last nite so didn't get a chance to view the ppt until now. Although I'm not a prototypical modeler the  ppt does give me a much better birds eye view.

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Posted by joe-daddy on Tuesday, December 23, 2014 8:40 PM

I wish i would have seen these pictures a long time ago, Mr. Beasley.  ingenious solution, much easier than bridge track and as   you show, it works on curves.  I'll be sharing these pictures with my club soon.  Thanks again!  Joe Baldwin

 

 

 

My website and blog are now at http://www.joe-daddy.com

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