Just installed a bunch of then this way, worked great. Used to use plywood shaped squares but it was hard on brass screws. I caulk the pads down and screw on the throws. Question is, do you think this will work long term or will I have to switch them out for ply pads at some point. Layout built on 2" foam.
Sounds like a good idea to me rrebell.
If you want to be sure, get one of those clear hand-squeeze tubes of 2 in 1 poly-seam-seal from Menards. Back out one screw at a time and squeeze a little down the hole and put the screw back
This sort of thing always worked well for me. Just as long as you don't have to remove them periodically to service them?
TF
Track fiddler2 in 1 poly-seam-seal from Menards.
I wish we had Menard's here in Florida.
I hate the be the bummer guy, but I do not think Cork Over Foam will hold up in the long term.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
rrebell Just installed a bunch of then this way, worked great. Used to use plywood shaped squares but it was hard on brass screws. I caulk the pads down and screw on the throws. Question is, do you think this will work long term or will I have to switch them out for ply pads at some point. Layout built on 2" foam.
Just my old fashioned opinion, cork or foam are not strong/solid enough materials for mounting ground throws or switch machines for long term service.
I make ground throws from sub minature slide swtches, and I don't put track on cork or foam.
Now that Cascade Supply is out of the homasote roadbed business, not sure what I might do on the new layout, but it will not be cork or foam.
Sheldon
I found this 8' long 1" x 1/8" plastic molding strip at Home Depot for about $2.00 and have used bits of it for many things on the layout. I caulk the plastic to the foam and caulk the ground throw to the plastic. More than ten years in, it is still solid.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
on my layout i had foam underneath where i wanted to put ground throws ...
i would up using some rigid styrene, about 0.040 thick, glued diectly to the bottom of the turnout .. i then glued the throw to the plastic, nice and ridgid, and i used dr. mikes ca glue for the throw because it is something like delrin where regular ca doesn't hold all that well ...
no screws were harmed at all ...good for seven years now ..
I don't know how much retention a Caboose ground throw has flipping it. It doesn't look like Brent had a problem with his application 10 years ago with whatever adhesive he used. All I've ever used as an adhesive foam to foam or anyting to foam is the 2 in 1 poly-seam-seal with the exception of cork roadbed that I may want to change at some point, Alex Plus for that.
I had a portion of my layout I had to change glued with 2 in 1. It was difficult to deconstruct this area of the layout with a brand new sharp blade. This adhesive/caulk does hold very well. I hate to go backwards with this stuff and only use it where I want something permanent. It remains somewhat flexible so it will never crack. Roughing up the surface on foam is a good idea before adhering something you want to stay put.
I wonder if 3M VHB tape would be good to mount a ground throw to foam?
If there are moving parts on the bottom of the throw then it would not work.
Brent's system looks pretty good.
Where my track is on cork roadbed, I mounted all of my Caboose Industries ground throws on pads made out of the same material. Where the turnouts are directly atop the plywood, the ground throws are mounted on the plywood, in both cases, using track nails. No issues in 30 years.
I recently removed all of the Caboose Industries ground throws on the layout, retaining only those in the staging yards. While they worked perfectly-well, some of my turnouts became difficult to reach when I added a partial second level to my layout. I motorised some of them using Rapido's RailCrew machines and some using the Fulgurex (PFM) motorised racks, and others with Blue Point manually-operated remote devices. All of the still-accessible turnouts were fitted with small springs made from piano wire, and are manually operated with a finger tip on the points. This also allowed me to put Central Valley switch stands on all turnouts. The targets do not move with the points, but are manually positionable for photography, which is the other reason for removing the ground throws, which otherwise worked fine.
The targets on the Rapido motors do turn with the points, which is useful, I guess, on this crossover, as it's one of the locations that's now hard-to-reach...
Because the two turnouts form a crossover, I wired them to a single switch so that both will align as either straight-through, or as a crossover.
Here's the springy-thingy...
...and installed...
I plan to offer the 47 removed-Caboose Industries ground throws on my home-forum, the proceeds going in support of that site.
Wayne
I just glue/caulk a small square of sheet styrene to the foam, then screw the throw to it.
I tryed to remove one of thouse squares,and a good amount of foam came with it
Yeah, I used beaded foam, same as last layout. Caulk stucks to it well.
rrebellJust installed a bunch of then this way, worked great. Used to use plywood shaped squares but it was hard on brass screws. I caulk the pads down and screw on the throws. Question is, do you think this will work long term or will I have to switch them out for ply pads at some point. Layout built on 2" foam.
What size screws do you use?
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
I used DAP Alex Plus latex caulk to adhere a 1" long, 1/2 section of cork roadbed right next to the roadbed for the track and flipped that piece over so that the bevels mated with one another and the 2" extruded foam insulation base underneath. It gave a very solid and level surface to affix the CI 220S ground throw to. After drilling a hole for the polarity pins, I used rail spikes to secure the ground throw to the cork roadbed. Never had a problem with one loosening up on me.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
I've always done it that way - it seems logical to keep it at the same level as the track that's also on cork.
As for long term, it depends on what is under it and how they ground throws are secured. I usually have Homasote or plywood and use small brads or track nails to hold them down as I prefer not to use glues or adhesives for some things, nor foam.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
tstage I used DAP Alex Plus latex caulk to adhere a 1" long, 1/2 section of cork roadbed right next to the roadbed for the track and flipped that piece over so that the bevels mated with one another and the 2" extruded foam insulation base underneath. It gave a very solid and level surface to affix the CI 220S ground throw to. After drilling a hole for the polarity pins, I used rail spikes to secure the ground throw to the cork roadbed. Never had a problem with one loosening up on me. Tom