questions about track

[Anonymous]

i have a bit of that powe-loc track with the pre-installed roadbed in it i whant to know if its any good for a layout and if so is there any articals in Model railroader magazine or a book on using it in a layout also


im new at this and have a question it may sound stupid but what is styrenne
is it the stuff that comes with a new fridge or what because i have tryed molding that stuff its impossiabla its made of littel white balls and falls apart is there another type or something???

[swknox]

Hi Codyr

Lets see, I think you are refering to power loc track made by life like products. Track with road bed underneath that when pushed together locks. You can use this track for a layout but I you want a layout that is realistic in apperance than you want to use track such as peco or atlas and use cork or foam tape underneath. I don't remember any articles on that track but if you want to see there website I believe its www.lifelikeproducts.com or to see atlas it is www.atlasrr.com and www.peco-uk.com.
Styrenne is a thin sheet of plastic like material that is used for scratch building, not the styrofoam balls that come with packages and not what came with the fridge. I hope this helps I'll check back later.

[nfmisso]

QUOTE: Originally posted by codyr

i have a bit of that powe-loc track with the pre-installed roadbed in it i whant to know if its any good for a layout and if so is there any articals in Model railroader magazine or a book on using it in a layout also


im new at this and have a question it may sound stupid but what is styrenne
is it the stuff that comes with a new fridge or what because i have tryed molding that stuff its impossiabla its made of littel white balls and falls apart is there another type or something???

Hi Cody;

There is no reason not to use your Power-Loc track. Life Like sells an adapter so that you can attach other track to it for expansion. Most of the pieces can be used in any plan for Atlas snap track or Bachmann E-Z track.

Styrene is a plastic. The stuff that comes with a new fridge is expanded polystyrene foam. You will find the same stuff at home centers like Lowes, Home Depot, Menards etc. Expanded polystyrene is not suitable for model railroad applications because of the mess - except for maybe under mountains with a coating of spackle or plaster over it. For the table under the layout, and scenery, etc EXTRUDED polystyrene foam works very well. It is also at home centers, and usually pink or blue, but sometimes white. It is pretty easy to tell the difference visually and by touch.

Styrene also comes in rigid sheets, bars, tubes, and other shapes. Evergreen is a supplier that you will probably see at your local hobby shop (LHS). This is used to build structures, freight cars, etc for your model railroad. Other hobbies use it for airplanes, cars, trucks, boats, star ships, etc.

[Anonymous]

Hi Cody...

Powerlok stuff is fine, but you will be limited to what track geometry you can come with, as it is difficult to change the shape of the pieces - although you can cut them to fit as necessary.

Styrene is plastic - if you have ever built a model airplane or car, it was probably styrene.

The beaded white styrofoam is useful as noted above for scenery etc, but is not nearly as strong, so don't use it for the "table" of your layout. You can minimize the mess by cutting it with a hot wire cutter, but make sure to VENTILATE your workspce, or cut it outside.

Good luck!


Andrew