MR Express - Biggest challenges in tracklaying

[Anonymous]

In the July 24th MR Express, Terry Thompson asked what your biggest challenges in tracklaying are and how you overcome them. Please share your thoughts below, or read MR Express http://www.trains.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/004/438nafcr.asp

[Anonymous]

In the July 24th MR Express, Terry Thompson asked what your biggest challenges in tracklaying are and how you overcome them. Please share your thoughts below, or read MR Express http://www.trains.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/004/438nafcr.asp

[valleyfan628]

One challange I had a couple of years ago was keeping rail gaps open. I never bothered with the insulated rail joiners either because I had tried several and I found them worthless for code 83 rail. Many times you don't want one at the joint anyway. I don't recall where I read about the solution I now use but it works flawlessly:

1) Cut your gap with your Dremel tool or track saw.

2) Take a piece of styrene close to the thickness of the gap and cut a strip approximately the width of the rail and at least long enough to reach from the top of the rail to the bottom of the gap.

3) Insert the styrene in the gap and coat with a medium or thick CA adhesive and allow to dry.

4) Trim and file the hardened CA / styrene ensuring the flangeway is clear.

This will result in an insulated joint that should never close or come separated. If you paint your rail like I do, you never even know there is a gap there.


I also have been a track nailer / spiker until I decided to try the caulk adhesive method after I read about it in MR. I've since laid about 80 feet using this method and so far, it's great.

[valleyfan628]

One challange I had a couple of years ago was keeping rail gaps open. I never bothered with the insulated rail joiners either because I had tried several and I found them worthless for code 83 rail. Many times you don't want one at the joint anyway. I don't recall where I read about the solution I now use but it works flawlessly:

1) Cut your gap with your Dremel tool or track saw.

2) Take a piece of styrene close to the thickness of the gap and cut a strip approximately the width of the rail and at least long enough to reach from the top of the rail to the bottom of the gap.

3) Insert the styrene in the gap and coat with a medium or thick CA adhesive and allow to dry.

4) Trim and file the hardened CA / styrene ensuring the flangeway is clear.

This will result in an insulated joint that should never close or come separated. If you paint your rail like I do, you never even know there is a gap there.


I also have been a track nailer / spiker until I decided to try the caulk adhesive method after I read about it in MR. I've since laid about 80 feet using this method and so far, it's great.

[ssgauge]

I handlay my own track and use "hot frogs" in my switches...I like the smooth operation through the frog, especially with solder-based flangeways. I also like to have a prototypical gap between the open point rail and the stock rail, but that of course can lead to electrical shorts when the back of the locomotive driver comes close to or even lightly touches the open point rail. The solution was to paint the back (inside of the locomotive drivers and tender wheels. I used dark brown Floquil water-based paint and it effectively insulates the inside face of the driver and eliminates the shorts.

[ssgauge]

I handlay my own track and use "hot frogs" in my switches...I like the smooth operation through the frog, especially with solder-based flangeways. I also like to have a prototypical gap between the open point rail and the stock rail, but that of course can lead to electrical shorts when the back of the locomotive driver comes close to or even lightly touches the open point rail. The solution was to paint the back (inside of the locomotive drivers and tender wheels. I used dark brown Floquil water-based paint and it effectively insulates the inside face of the driver and eliminates the shorts.

[Anonymous]

Well, laying track has never been too difficult for me, although it HAS been several years.

I was laying Atlas flextrack and switches.

The worst party was trying to paint the rails later with a brush... I was kind of sloppy. Next time - airbrush.

I've tried handlaying track. Regular track wasn't too much of a problem - turnouts have defeated me.

I tried building in place - actually finished one - but it didn't work well enough to keep. I tried building one at the bench - per Tony Koester's article - I didn't finish it.

I would love to handlay all my track - turnouts (and crossings) are what scare me away. On my next railroad (hopefully to be started later this year) I will be using Micro-Engineering or Walthers Flextrack, and Walthers/Shinohara turnouts. I may go back - one turnout at a time, and replace them with hand-built.

So... Biggest challenge is handlaying turnouts - I will overcome it by buying pre-made :D

Rob

[Anonymous]

Well, laying track has never been too difficult for me, although it HAS been several years.

I was laying Atlas flextrack and switches.

The worst party was trying to paint the rails later with a brush... I was kind of sloppy. Next time - airbrush.

I've tried handlaying track. Regular track wasn't too much of a problem - turnouts have defeated me.

I tried building in place - actually finished one - but it didn't work well enough to keep. I tried building one at the bench - per Tony Koester's article - I didn't finish it.

I would love to handlay all my track - turnouts (and crossings) are what scare me away. On my next railroad (hopefully to be started later this year) I will be using Micro-Engineering or Walthers Flextrack, and Walthers/Shinohara turnouts. I may go back - one turnout at a time, and replace them with hand-built.

So... Biggest challenge is handlaying turnouts - I will overcome it by buying pre-made :D

Rob

[dknelson]

The biggest challenge in tracklaying is getting off my *#^%&%( butt and get to work.

The second biggest challenge is to realize that track plans lie -- especially the ones you create. In fact they lie the worst of all.

Dave Nelson

[dknelson]

The biggest challenge in tracklaying is getting off my *#^%&%( butt and get to work.

The second biggest challenge is to realize that track plans lie -- especially the ones you create. In fact they lie the worst of all.

Dave Nelson

[mikemc]

I had been using adhesive caulk to attach Homasote and Homa-Bed to my subroadbed. I recall reading this tip in MR many years ago. But I never thought about using it for track. I didn't think it would hold too well for curved flex track but it does!

I use Atlas code 83 flex and Walthers code 83 turnouts. The ties on the Atlas track are thicker than the Walthers, so I cut square pieces of styrene and glue them to the turnout ties. I then apply the adhesive to these small styrene pieces and situate the turnout, instead of covering the whole area.

A challenge I have had was the stock rails on the Walthers turnouts coming out of their spikes. This has caused guage problems and derailment issues. Not on every turnout, just a few, But it is hard to fix, I am still working on a curved #7 turnout that causes shorts and derailments because of this. I'd rather not replace it at $25 for the turnout.

Mike Mc.

[mikemc]

I had been using adhesive caulk to attach Homasote and Homa-Bed to my subroadbed. I recall reading this tip in MR many years ago. But I never thought about using it for track. I didn't think it would hold too well for curved flex track but it does!

I use Atlas code 83 flex and Walthers code 83 turnouts. The ties on the Atlas track are thicker than the Walthers, so I cut square pieces of styrene and glue them to the turnout ties. I then apply the adhesive to these small styrene pieces and situate the turnout, instead of covering the whole area.

A challenge I have had was the stock rails on the Walthers turnouts coming out of their spikes. This has caused guage problems and derailment issues. Not on every turnout, just a few, But it is hard to fix, I am still working on a curved #7 turnout that causes shorts and derailments because of this. I'd rather not replace it at $25 for the turnout.

Mike Mc.

[Anonymous]

I have trouble with the switch operating mechanisms. I work in N-scale, and I had planned to use a mechanical manual throw for all my switches (motors are just more things that can break down over time), but the product I tried was based on a bent piano wire spring to hold the points in place. The problem is that the piano wire, which is intended to poke through the tie rod for its connection, is too wide; it is as wide as my N-scale tie rod. So that means that I have to find another way to connect it, and CA glue did not hold up over time (I'm back to pushing them loose with my finger). Soldering is a bad idea because 1. I cannot solder (I know this, I accept it) and 2. The points are already soldered to the tie rod and will loosen & shift. Aaargh! There has to be a way.

[Anonymous]

I have trouble with the switch operating mechanisms. I work in N-scale, and I had planned to use a mechanical manual throw for all my switches (motors are just more things that can break down over time), but the product I tried was based on a bent piano wire spring to hold the points in place. The problem is that the piano wire, which is intended to poke through the tie rod for its connection, is too wide; it is as wide as my N-scale tie rod. So that means that I have to find another way to connect it, and CA glue did not hold up over time (I'm back to pushing them loose with my finger). Soldering is a bad idea because 1. I cannot solder (I know this, I accept it) and 2. The points are already soldered to the tie rod and will loosen & shift. Aaargh! There has to be a way.

[Anonymous]

The biggest challenge for me is to get the technical aspect of how tracks and yards in general should work, then move the theoretical to the practical. I have made at least a hundred track plans in my mind for the space I have available, and what I am laying now only mildly resembles what went on in my brain. So I think the greatest difficulty is getting the experience so that a reasonable track plan can be had that reflects my givens and druthers.

Curves eat more than I realized. Trying to be true to a minimum mainline curve can be tricky and demanding.

So I guess for me the most demanding aspect of track laying is getting the experience.

[Anonymous]

The biggest challenge for me is to get the technical aspect of how tracks and yards in general should work, then move the theoretical to the practical. I have made at least a hundred track plans in my mind for the space I have available, and what I am laying now only mildly resembles what went on in my brain. So I think the greatest difficulty is getting the experience so that a reasonable track plan can be had that reflects my givens and druthers.

Curves eat more than I realized. Trying to be true to a minimum mainline curve can be tricky and demanding.

So I guess for me the most demanding aspect of track laying is getting the experience.

[Anonymous]

My biggest challenge is getting the N scale Peco manual turnout linkage to work the undertable microswitches. With too many switches the turnout throwbar spring can no longer hold against the microswitch pressure. Have tried different methods with varying degrees of success.

[Anonymous]

My biggest challenge is getting the N scale Peco manual turnout linkage to work the undertable microswitches. With too many switches the turnout throwbar spring can no longer hold against the microswitch pressure. Have tried different methods with varying degrees of success.

[Anonymous]

Getting smooth, kink-free joints on curves when using Peco Code 55. Those rails don't slide though the ties very easily, so all the good advice about staggering the joints is useless.

[Anonymous]

Getting smooth, kink-free joints on curves when using Peco Code 55. Those rails don't slide though the ties very easily, so all the good advice about staggering the joints is useless.

[Anonymous]

i find that keeping the rails together is very difficult

[Anonymous]

i find that keeping the rails together is very difficult

[Anonymous]

Wow! After reading the other replies, I feel somewhat daunted. I've never considered handlaying my own track, mainly because I don't feel I have the patience for it. However, that may be a lame excuse. I find the hardest thing for me is to actually make the plans. Once I get them down on graph paper, I can do much better. The only decisions then are which turnouts to use, #4, #5, or #6 for the yards. I've downloaded the pages from the NMRA standards for the turnouts, so I have a guide. Now it's just a matter of transferring my ideas to paper and then to the actual layout.

[Anonymous]

Wow! After reading the other replies, I feel somewhat daunted. I've never considered handlaying my own track, mainly because I don't feel I have the patience for it. However, that may be a lame excuse. I find the hardest thing for me is to actually make the plans. Once I get them down on graph paper, I can do much better. The only decisions then are which turnouts to use, #4, #5, or #6 for the yards. I've downloaded the pages from the NMRA standards for the turnouts, so I have a guide. Now it's just a matter of transferring my ideas to paper and then to the actual layout.

[Anonymous]

The biggest challenge for me in tracklaying is just getting the track down smoothly. I work in N, and any little bump can wreck havoc on those tiny little wheels.

John

[Anonymous]

The biggest challenge for me in tracklaying is just getting the track down smoothly. I work in N, and any little bump can wreck havoc on those tiny little wheels.

John

[IRONROOSTER]

Probably, doing spiral easements. I wrote a basic program to produce a table of measurements and then made a template from poster board. Worked really well.
enjoy
Paul

[IRONROOSTER]

Probably, doing spiral easements. I wrote a basic program to produce a table of measurements and then made a template from poster board. Worked really well.
enjoy
Paul

[Anonymous]

I'm with Avondale gy and Glen on this one.Getting N scale undermount turnout switches to work well and work everytime with enough constant pressure.
I wonder if Delaires setup is better than the rest?Other than that i lay track with diluted yellow glue and that works well for me.Also,I agree with Rick, Trackplans lie,not perhaps a baldfaced lie, just a little white one that turns into red heat coming out your ears!! [:D]

[Anonymous]

I'm with Avondale gy and Glen on this one.Getting N scale undermount turnout switches to work well and work everytime with enough constant pressure.
I wonder if Delaires setup is better than the rest?Other than that i lay track with diluted yellow glue and that works well for me.Also,I agree with Rick, Trackplans lie,not perhaps a baldfaced lie, just a little white one that turns into red heat coming out your ears!! [:D]