It has been my experience that a root canal is far less painful than removing track bonded to the roadbed with any of the caulks or silastics I've seen used. Track was a total loss. However that track bonded first with nails then heavily ballasted with white glue was removed without even token resistance after the ballast is sprayed with wet water. I soak the track in the sink with some detergent to remove stubborn ballast and glue. Clean as a whistle! Joe
riogrande5761To allay your fears of damage,
Like I said in my response, my concern is about damage to the paint, not the track. I have pulled dozens of track nails in the past without damaging the track.
Filling the holes with putty and repainting the ties after the ballast is down sounds like too much work for too little return. Have you actually done this?
riogrande5761I really REALLY like to be able to alter my track without ripping it up or damaging it
Also like I said in my original post, I am not interested in altering the track. This is my last layout. It will not be reused. I'm interested in good looking track and a strong, long lasting bond.
I have the right to remain silent. By posting here I have given up that right and accept that anything I say can and will be used as evidence to critique me.
To allay your fears of damage, the track I am using now I pulled up from a layout I had built over 15 years ago but had not ballasted yet. I simply pulled the nails with a combination of a thin screw driver and needle nose plyers - there was no damage done and I have reused all of the track. No bother at all. As for holes, a tiny dab of putty takes car of that - people paint track to weather it so easily dealt with. I think that should have addressed all of the concerns or rebuttals adequately, unless glue is just what you want to use. I really REALLY like to be able to alter my track without ripping it up or damaging it; IMO, it's a lot easier to not damage it pulling a tiny Atlas track nail out with needle nose pliers than to pull it up after it's glued down.
Just as an example, all of the track in the photo below, it is all re-used. All of it was nailed down and pulled up and not damaged.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
cacoleAlex brand Latex caulk,
I thought the primary advantage of the caulk was that it was easy to remove if required?
riogrande5761Here is what you can do to deal with the nail heads that uses nails but eliminates the nail heads.
I considered that option, but I think that either the holes, or the damage whatever tool I used to remove the nail would do to the paint on the ties would bother me. One of my main interests is closeup photography.
Here is what you can do to deal with the nail heads that uses nails but eliminates the nail heads. I use Atlas track nails to nail my track down when I'm laying track. I do this because I frequently need to relay track or adjust it while in the track laying phase. However, later, after i am satisfied with the track and it is ballasted and held in place with ballast adhesive, I can pull out the nails so the nail heads are no longer an issue, no longer visible ;-).
I have come to use a 23gauge pin nailer to attach flex track and switches. I shoot the pin right through the ties, and since there is no head to see, you can shoot as often as neccessary.
It works well with new track as far as not breaking or splitting ties, but I don't know how it would work with more brittle plastic. I also wouldnt use it over foam. I had a section of layout that changes from plywood to foam. I wasn't paying attention and was going to town nailing the track down when suddenly the track wouldn't stay put. I checked to see if I was out of nails...nope. Found a tie that I had nailed and found the spot where the pin was, yep, there is a little spot (hole), okay, now I'm getting somewhere. Got the xacto out and was trying to hear the "click" of metal....nope. Look under the layout for protruding pins...yep, right to where the foam kicked in. Look at the hardwood floor under the layout....oops, there sits half a dozen pins sticking in the floor. I'm glad my foot wasn't under the layout.
Alex brand Latex caulk, which comes in different colors to match what you're fastening.
For instance, we use black to fasten Woodland Scenics foam roadbed and gray to fasten flex track, because gray closely matches the color of the ballast we use.
I apologize for bringing up this much discussed topic again, but I wanted to consider the question in a slightly different context.
Only 3 things are important to me - in this order: realistic appearance (no nail heads), a reliable bonding, minimum sound transmission. I don't care about reusing track (my plan is perfect ).
I'm using 3/4" ply as the subroadbed and homasote roadbed from Cascade. Given these criteria, how would you hold it all together?