bogp40...What was wrong w/ the ME bridge flex that you are not using it?.....
If I'm not mistaken, the OP's bridge is wood, although no mention was made of ties except in reference to those removed from the M.E. track.If there are wooden ties on the bridge, contact cement will work, as will actual rail spikes.
Here's a link to Hunterline:
http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB8QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hunterline.com%2F&ei=XUVQVK_FEoK0yASy-YCYCw&usg=AFQjCNFk4I6sET0pHxYAT1Mz5bUAGjN52Q&sig2=BmQ3sqODc01R592iFGwqBQ&bvm=bv.78597519,d.aWw
Wayne
Are you replacing the plastic ties w/ wood? Spiking the rails for wood, Pliobond to adhere to plastic. I used the Pliobond for the ME tall stteel viaduct. It has far more flexibility over the "brittle" bond of CA. What was wrong w/ the ME bridge flex that you are not using it?
If the tresstle is built and installed then spiking may not be an option as the force driving spikes may damage the structure, The only problem w/ "glueing" is the porousity of the wood even for contact cement or Pliobond. A coat of sealer may help the bond. There will be a sheen from the glue that will need to be "doctored" up w/ structure weathering anyway, so don't worry about the affects of sealing the ties first.
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org
When it comes to bridge track....I guess I'm completely different in my approach than everyone else. Bridges I have many, Walthers double track swing,operates, Bascule, operates, more doubles ans singles. I use Walthers code 83 bridge track pieced together, feeder wires soldered, all at the work bench, bridge built at work bench, after measuring test fitting, numerous times. When all components are ready. I screw the bridge track to the bridge/bridges, with Perfect Black round head wood screws, no.101, size #0 x 3/8. I drill a hole through ties and girder underneath with a #68 drill bit, by hand. Two screws on each end in the center of the track and just one screw in the center of the span depending on length. I have two spaced apart on the swing bridge cause it's 22inches long. They have all been working twenty plus years now...no issues. Very easy to take apart, if need be and the screws are hardly noticeable. Takes a little patience and know how at first, but that is where I get my satisfaction/enjoyment from. Never was a RTR or impatient guy. I have built Campbell wood bridges, the same way.
Take Care!
Frank
Btw: For rails to ties/rails to roundhouse floor, ZAP-A-GAP Medium CA + My only go to CA and I have used many.
riogrande5761 I've going to go with Rob's solution, which is not to use glue but use spikes instead. Glue just sounds like a bad idea for many of the reasons already given above - shifting, expansion and contraction etc., also two dissimilar materials - nickle silver rail to plastic bond seems like an unreliable one. While some may have not experienced problems, they also may have very ideal environmental condtions (very constant temperature and humidity) which make it more likely that there will be less problems of many kinds. Spikes are a mechanical fastener and less likely to have the same shortcomings that adhesives will have, especially in this case where surface area (minimal) and dissimilar materials are at play. Go with spikes.
I've going to go with Rob's solution, which is not to use glue but use spikes instead. Glue just sounds like a bad idea for many of the reasons already given above - shifting, expansion and contraction etc., also two dissimilar materials - nickle silver rail to plastic bond seems like an unreliable one. While some may have not experienced problems, they also may have very ideal environmental condtions (very constant temperature and humidity) which make it more likely that there will be less problems of many kinds. Spikes are a mechanical fastener and less likely to have the same shortcomings that adhesives will have, especially in this case where surface area (minimal) and dissimilar materials are at play. Go with spikes.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
I agree with Elmer that contact cement would be a good choice, although I'm definitely not a fan of Walthers Goo. Instead, I prefer gelled contact cement - LePages and Weldbond both offer it, and there may be others. The main advantage is that the stringiness usually associated with its application is pretty-well non-existent.To use gelled contact cement, it's applied to both surfaces and allowed to dry - for at least 20 minutes, and up to an hour if necessary. On your wooden bridge, you may have to make a second application on the wood if too much of the original application is absorbed into the wood - that's where the allowable hour comes into play, as the rails would not require re-coating.I used it for the guard rails on the bridge shown below, which uses Micro Engineering track - ca will not stick to those ties, which are made from some type of engineering plastic. The bridge is composed of five individual spans, with a total length of just under 5', and is removeable as a single entity whenever it's necessary to clean the water's surface. During removal, there's some vertical flexing due to the length, but the guardrails remain firmly affixed, even after 20 years.
Bridges can be a weak point in the track structure, and if expansion or contraction occurs, the area across the bridge is a likely spot for rails to move. I've used various adhesives over time, but have gotten away from them. Negative consequences of adhesives include rail breaking loose if there are no mechanical fasteners in use, and repairs can create aesthetic issues with the finished bridge.
What I do now is to drill small holes at regular intervals in the wood ties and add very small spikes (such as Micro Engineering "micro" spikes) secured with flexible CA (Microbond, Poly Zap or equivalent). These tend to disappear visually. I don't use glue on the rails themselves.
Here's an unfinished scene with the bridge running rails installed. There are three sets of spikes on each rail, which are visible on a larger version of the same image https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3883/14155271018_1b78a12f91_o.jpg . On this one I may have use the larger Micro Engineering "small" spikes.
Rob Spangler
I use Walthers Goo for that. I have used it for years and still find it is better than CA for attaching rails to plastic ties. Goo is Walthers brand of contact cement that comes in a tube. I feel that it is stronger than most contact cements that you can buy from the hardware store.
The reason I don't use CA is because the layout tends to expand and contract with temperature change and Goo will allow that where CA won't, and sometimes the CA comes loose.
Elmer.
The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.
(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.
I've heard of people using Pliobond. IIRC, they apply it to the rail, let it dry, set the rail on the ties and press a soldering iron on the rail. The heat reactivates the glue. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.
Steve S
CA would be better than an industrial adhesive/caulk, which I believe Liquid Nails is. You won't be able to separate the rail elements from the bridge once you use that particular product...ever.
You can also use white glue which can be softened with water at any time.
I've got my Hunterline trestle in place, and the plastic ties removed from the MicroEngineering track that will go on it. Yes, I soldered several "keeper" rail scraps to the rail tops to maintain the gauge and a little strength. But it's time to permanently attach the rails to the trestle. I'm inclined to just use high-viscosity CA, but I'm also wondering if a contact cement--Liquid Nails?--would be stronger. Any suggestions?