Tracklaying Help Needed

[ghonz711]

I haven't posted for a long time but i have to ask a question right bout now. I have just finished planning my layout and understand that u need to put down the layout 1:1 on the tabletop. I was thinking about buying the flextrack first and then puting it down temperarly and tracing the centerlines. Im putting down the layout on a foam table top. What are the things you recomend for tracklaying. What track, roadbed, etc should i use???

Ghonz

[rrinker]

It's up to you, there are many good choices. Me personally, I use Woodland Scenics foam roadbed, and fasten it to my foam benchwork with plain old cheap latex caulk. I also fasten the track tot he roadbed usign the same stuff. Very fast and easy - especially with the long 20' rolls of the roadbed - it ends up with fewer joints than most other stuff which comes in 3' lengths. The caulk is instantly tacky - I use pushpins on curves to temporarily hold it so nothing springs back out of alignment, yet you can move things around for a good 10-15 minutes. Give it an hour or two and you can pul the pushpins out. If you have the tabletop marked for the track locations, one person can lay a lot of travk and roadbed in a single evening with the caulk.

--Randy

[dgwinup]

The answer to your questions depends on what you will want on your layout.

For ease of use, there are two popular roadbeds, Woodland Scenics foam roadbed and Midwest Products cork roadbed. These two types may also be available from other manufacturers. The cork has been the most popular by far, is easy to use and looks good when ballasted.

Flextrack is made by several manufacturers in different rail sizes called "Code". Codes are in tenths of an inch, so Code 100 rail is .10 inches high, Code 83 is .083 high and Code 40 is .040 high. The difference in rail height is critical for proper tracking. Flanges on the wheels of cars and locomotives may be too large to operate on the smaller code sizes. The higher codes, such as 100 or 80, will generally allow you to use any equipment. Scale-sized flanged wheelset replacements are available to mate with the smaller code sizes.

After you decide what size rail you want to use, purchase some sectional track in that sized rail in several different radii. You can use these to help lay out your curves. Use the largest radius you can for a smoother, more prototypical look. Purchase your turnouts in the same rail size. (Turnouts may not be available is all rail sizes. Check first.)

With some sectional curve track and flex track, you can lay out your design on your layout. Use florist's pins (Long, "T" shaped pins available at Wal-Mart and elsewhere) to pin the track in place while you mark the track locations. You don't need to cut and fit exactly at this point, since flex track will allow slight adjustments to be made in the track-laying process. Use the sectional pieces to determine your curves, then pin a piece of flextrack in place of the sectional track so the sectional track can be re-used to lay out other curves.

When you have your track plan marked on your layout, pull the pins, remove all the track and proceed to laying your roadbed and track.

Have fun and keep posting your questions here.

Darrell, quiet...for now

[MisterBeasley]

Well, I use Woodland Scenics foam roadbed on a pink foam base. I think it's very easy to work with. I also like to lay out the track first, and draw in the edges of the roadbed from that. (I use a thin-point felt marker pen for this. Purple, because nobody else in the family seemed to want that one.) For foam roadbed, I draw the outline. For cork roadbed, you can use the centerline because it comes in half-wide pieces already.

The roadbed comes in one piece with a score line down the middle. For straights and gentle curves, it can go down in one piece, but when the curves get tighter then it's best to split the roadbed down the middle with a utility knife. I use Liquid Nails for Projects to glue down the roadbed. After it's in place, I use my wife's big, heavy art books and decorating books as weight to hold it down. (I love the hardcover Martha Stuart. Very massive.) I usually leave the roadbed down overnight, and then glue the track on with the same stuff. Then I put a piece of 1x2 on the tracks, and then lay down Martha and the other books on that, so the weight is better concentrated on the rails, and Martha doesn't get any stray glue on her skirt.

Only glue down the very ends of the turnouts. You don't want to get any glue at all in the moving parts, or you'll have to rip it up. By the way, you CAN rip it up. One of the beauties of this glue on the foam or track is that it will come up pretty easily for a few days, before it really hardens.

Flex track. You will need to snip one tie off at the end, so you can mount the rail joiner. Save the tie. Scrape off the part that holds the rail on so the top is flat, and get rid of the parts that were under the rail, so you basically have something that's just, well, a railroad tie. When you get the track mounted, then you can slide this tie back under the tracks where the gap is.

Turn the flex track over. One rail has solid plastic under it all the way, and the other rail has a gap every other tie. The solid side goes on the outside of the curve, and the gapped side on the inside.

Get a pair of Xuron rail snippers. Use them only for rails, not for wires, paper clips or toenails. One side will give you a nice clean, square edge for a long time as long as you treat them well. The other side, by the way, gives you a sloppy diagonal cut, so be careful how you hold the snippers when you make the cut.

Get a box of paper clips, the cheap, medium size ones. If you straighten them out and bend them in a long U shape, you can use them to hold down track while the glue is setting. Poke them through the roadbed and into the foam. They will just fit through the tiny holes in the track ties, too. If you aren't sure about a track arrangement and want to play with it for a while, you can use paper clips to hold down both track and roadbed without gluing down anything.

Think about getting power to your tracks, too. I make connectors by soldering wires to the underside of rail joiners, and then punching holes for the wires through the roadbed and foam with one of those useful bamboo skewers from the kitchen. You're going to want power feeds every few feet. Yes, really.

[ghonz711]

Wow i never thought i would get this many posts so soon but THANX!!! It seems that the Woodland Scenics Foam Roadbed is popular so i think i will go with that. I was thinking about using PL 300 to put down the roadberd. That is what i used to put down my foam and so far it has really worked well. I am planning on visiting my local hobby shop this weekend and i will get my supplies so i can start putting my plan to reality!!! For me this is a very proud moment because after 4 years of vigerous planning, i finally have the PERFECT PLAN!!! Go to http://www.freewebs.com/ghonzcanada/index.htm to the latest picture of my Layout Plan.

[selector]

QUOTE: Originally posted by MisterBeasley



Turn the flex track over. One rail has solid plastic under it all the way, and the other rail has a gap every other tie. The solid side goes on the outside of the curve, and the gapped side on the inside.

Thank-you, Mr. B., for taking the time to educate me about the reason for placing the sliding rail innermost on the curve. You are the first person, since I joined in February, to explain it so succinctly...and correctly. Gapped tie-bed goes inside so that the gaps can be closed as the curve is generated.[:)]

-Crandell