track laying

[qualityman]

I have a question.

I am building a new layout using code 83 Atlas track. I want to size down to code 70 when I come off the mainline into the sidings.

All of the tables are covered with homosote. I plan on laying the mainline on cork roadbed. How do I come down from the top of the roadbed to the homosote surface in a smooth easy gradient?

[selector]

Decide on the rails to be used in either location.  No change, all the same code?  Then simply sand down a suitable length of transition roadbed and make it join something thinner than the cork you use on the main.  You can buy sheets of cork at varying thicknesses.  Take a suitable length of the heavier material, say homasote, and sand it so that it is thinnest near where it meets the thinner surface material for your yard or whatever.

If your intend to go to a lighter rail in the lower area, then you can buy transition tracks, I believe from Atlas (not positive about who makes them, but they exist...others will help you there).  You would still want a slightly thinner material for that code 70 to make the height disparity in the "lower" area substantial enough to be perceived.

[pusscakes]

The real RR's use what they call "Compromise Joints." These will allow one size rail to join with another size rail.

I think Micro Engineering makes these, but they are easy to make yourself.

I use to join Code-55 rail to Code-70 rail by taking a Code-70 rail joiner and putting it on the Code-70 rail and then taking a pair of pliers, smashing the other end of the joiner. This would allow the smaller rail to fit right up to the larger rail. You are only concerned about the top of the rails and now I would solder everything together. When finished you have a compromise joint, and a very secure one at that.

pc

[dehusman]

You can buy cedar shakes and use them for shims or buy a chunk of balsa and sand it to a taper.

Dave H.

 

[Anonymous]

If you are a homasote person (some are, some are not), you might want to investigate using Homabed for your roadbed instead of cork.  You can get Homabed through the California Roadbed Company (http://www.calroadbed.com/). 

Homabed is a little more expensive but it has more options than you will find in cork.  I especially like the the 60 degree bevel because it looks like a more natural slope for the ballast.  The have 1/4" and 1/8" heights (in HO) for main line and branch lines/sidings and shims for transitioning from 1/4" to zero.  They also have turnout pads if you want them pre-fit.

This is not a commercial but I have been using Homabed for quite a while and I like it much better than cork.

Cal Roadbed is a small mostly made to order company so orders can take a while but they are easy to work with and sometimes it is just nice to spend your money with the "locals" instead of the corporations.

Good luck,
-John

[hewitt]

when I make a ramp down for an industrial track I fix the rail at each end of the transition area  and let it make its own level.

I then fill in under the track with scraps of card or similar and then fill up any other gaps with ballast.

its the easiest method I have tried. 

 

trevor 

[R. T. POTEET]

. . . . . . . . . . How do I come down from the top of the roadbed to the homosote surface in a smooth easy gradient? . . . . . . . . . .

Beats the aitch out of me!

Actually there qualityman, you  have a problem which you may not have thought of: how are you going to join your Code 83 to your Code 70? Fortunately the solution is at hand; Micro Engineering makes transition rail joiners - Code 83 to Code 70. They are, admittedly, a little on the expensive side but they do work in the manner for which they are designed.

There are a few cheaper ways to join rails of unequal code but most involve going from cork-to-cork; going from cork-to-Homasote® is going to be just a little more difficult.

Lay in at least one sheet of 5 and one sheet of 10 mil sheet styrene and rip these into strips approximately 1 inch by 1/4 inch. Immediately after transitioning from your Code 83 to your Code 70 track support your Code 70 track with some of these 10 mil plastic strips. Use a 5 mil strip on top to add final support to your trackwork at that point. When you have things ALMOST FIRM adjust your positioning until this post is firm under your track. Glue up this post.

Make and glue up another post only this time remove one of those 10 mil strips and then fix it into position as you did the first. Continue this until you have only one strip - it will be a 5 mil strip; when you remove this strip you will be down to bare Homasote®. I'm not exactly sure how thick HO Scale cork is but my initial calculation is that you should come down from cork to Homasote® at about a 1% grade; your track will be firmly supported with these fabricated posts - I figure they will be about one inch apart - and your ballast will create a cosmetic ramp from one height to the other.

Let me throw a monkey-wrench into the machinery here: you indicated that you want to/already are using Atlas Code 83. This may not be a particularly good idea for what you propose since Atlas does not market Code 70 track. You should try to use a uniform track brand throughout and in your case you need a manufacturer of BOTH Code 83 and Code 70. Shinohara manufactures Walthers' Code 83 and markets Code 70 under their own name. Micro Engineering manufactures both Code 83 and Code 70. In no way am I trying to discourage you from using Atlas Code 83 and somebody elses Code 70 but the NMRA does not have a standard for ties and one brand may be tweedledum while the other is tweedledee.

I applaud you on what you are proposing doing; I am planning on using Micro Engineering N Scale Code 55 and Code 40 on my new/next layout.

[snowey]

put a rail joiner for the larger sized rail (the code 83) on the appropiate rail. (again, the code 83) Flatten the part that sticks out, with pliers. Then lay the smaller sized rail on it (the code 70) and solder the rails and the rail joiner to gether. Or, some manufactuers make "transition joiners" that you can use. And I think that Atlas makes transition track pieces.