How to model really crappy track?

[ericboone]

Dave Davis did this on his layout. See the photo on page 104 in trackside photos of the July issue of MR. According to the article about his layout in GMR 2001, he notched the rails every 39 feet and bent the rail at those spots. Just remember, don't over do it.

[chicirjs]

If you are only going to build a small section of "crappy track", you can really experiment with all sorts of neat stuff. Central Valley makes tie strips in both mainline and branchline tie spacing (http://www.cvmw.com/cvt/2000/index.htm). Combine the detail of the Central Valley tie strips with using the 40' sections of rail with some "alterations", throw in some Details West railbars (http://www.detailswest.com/switch_frog_detail_page.htm), some paint for the rails and ties, and a bunch of weeds and dirt to obscure most of the ties and you'll have a pretty "crappy" piece of track that cars may just run on at restricted speed.

Good luck, I have been tinkering with some of this stuff and so far, so good, but it is only on a small section of test track.

Jason

[Gluefinger]

Thanks guys, just curious....what restrictions are there for Code 55- do cars often derail on it, or are there things I should keep in mind?

[dehusman]

It you are going to cut individual rails then cut them in 39' or 33' sections not 40 ft. Real rails were 33' (prior to WW1) or 39' (since then).

Dave H.

[Anonymous]

[#ditto]
. . . on the code 55.

Part of making it look real would be the use of the lighter rail.

-slim

[Anonymous]

Buy some code 55 rails. Cut them into scale 40' sections (about 5.5"). Gently bend down the end of each section. Lay in some un even wood ties. Pliobond the rails to the ties gaps....Weather the heck out of it.

[Anonymous]

Buy Bachmann or Life Like track. Simple done.
Since that looks like a no. 4 size switch take the 1/3 18" curved track. Take a pair of pliers and put a VERY SMALL bend in a section of it. If it's very little and you can run a locomotive really slow it should work. If it frustrates you to much use my motto. Hit it with a hammer.

[exPalaceDog]

The Old Dog might try using a bunch of Atlas three inch straight sections plus some three and six inch flex sections with some weird curves bent in them. Lay the track with kinks at each joint. Then solder and file the joints to close the gaps at the kinks.

Have fun

[JohnT14808]

Depending on whether or not you need to run trains on the track, why not "end" the rails and leave 15 or 20 ties just kinda in place, but really chewed up, then restart the rails and track ....kinda like the track was dismantled...add in some weeds and trash, busted ties, rail segments in the bushes. Would that work?[:D]

[BRAKIE]

To model track like that I take a hammer and LIGHTLY tap the track..This gives it that what I call "lack of maintenance look." And no I do not have any derailments because that type of track would require a permanent slow order of say 10 MPH..Of course this type of track calls for cars and locomotives that has the correct wheel gauge,coupler height and suspension.IE trucks are correctly mounted and not to loose-forget the point suspension as it will not work on this type of track.

[dehusman]

1. Cut away the spacers between the ties on flex track and vary the spacing and angle the ties (be careful not to angle the ties so much it make the gauge too tight).

2. Every so often either shim up one rail or the other a small amount (.020 inch).
or
Every 5-6 in take a chisel and extremely lightly tap the rail to put a tiny (and I do mean tiny) kink in the top of the rail.

3. Cut slots in the top of the rail every so often to pick up extra "clicks" as metal wheels roll across.

4. Intentionallybuild in some kinks in the line of the track.

Dave H.

[selector]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tommyr

Get me to lay it.[:D][:D]

You beat me to it, Tommy. I was going to say get down at the same level, with the same lighting, on most any layout, and you will see crappy track, particularly if I laid it.

I agree with Bob B. that the view enhances the track problems for the viewer and lens, and also that tinkering with our little rails will probably generate a great big headache. A brave and determine experimenter could just use a firm grip and very slowly and gently pry rails up and down to put very slight kinks in them, in the order of 1/2mm, about every inch or so. With luck, they'd look spectacular, well weathered, at ground level in a yard. Only flextrack or the handlaid stuff would work, though.

I loved the enlarged pic.

[pcarrell]

Oh this is an easy one, just use my track!

And if you want it really bad, let me lay it!

tommyr, you aint got nuttin' on me!

Seriously though, the ideas that I see given here sound good.

If you don't want to run trains on it, i.e. abandoned track, then you could use needle nose pliers to intoduce some "variations" in the rail. I just don't think you'll get much rolling stock across it after that.

As has already been suggested, shimming the track would probably be better if you want to still use the track.

Let us know how it comes out, K? [8D]

[mcouvillion]

Gluefinger,

If you REALLY want to do it, you might try a siding or spur with snap track and use a hair dryer to heat the ends a little and press down on the ties toward the ends to make them sag, or you could shim the middle of the track and not the ends, connect it all up, then get out the hairdryer and heat it up a little to make the joints sag. Experiment a lot, because by the time the plastic gets soft, it is very pliable and can easily go too far.

Watch the trains on the track in the pictures. They will creep along at 5 MPH or less. Can you run your trains at a scale 5 MPH? I bet not. You could make the track look like that and never run on it, then you would get the effect you want and the impression that it is sometimes used. A lot of modeling is just for the perception of what could be.

Have fun.

Mark C.

[tommyr]

Get me to lay it.[:D][:D]

[Seamonster]

Some small shims under one rail then the other and some under both to create a little hump would likely help the look. Come to think of it, that's what my track looks like after I lay it! The biggest problem will be keeping those little wheels under those light cars on the track. I think the weathering ideas presented above would do more to create the look you want. As for bad track in real life, I once had the privilege and thrill of riding the cab in a train in the North, where the tracks were laid on permafrost. Man has yet to come up with a way to build anything on permafrost and keep it stable. My first thought upon seeing the rails stretched out in front of the locomotive was that they looked like two pieces of wet spaghetti thrown on the ground. The speed limit was 35 mph and the ride was rough. But, I loved every second of it! [:D]

[Anonymous]

There was a pick in the Most recent MRR trackside photos that had some purposely bad-looking track.

[SpaceMouse]

You can make the track look crappy by changing everything except the rails. Color the discolored ties, rust the rails heavily, throw a food smattering of oil (color) betweent the rails and spilled cargo outside the rails. And of couse pleanty of grass and weeds in the ballast. You can make it look plenty crapy and still be able to run trains.

The Freight Yards by Andy Sperando has a two-page spread on making things look crappy.

[Gluefinger]

QUOTE: Originally posted by FundyNorthern

If you could models such track, I imagine you would have quite a problem keeping rolling stock from falling off.

Hm....what a simple thing I forgot to think about...thanks

But really, the line IS that bad!

[ChessieFan13]

If you were to heat the track you would need to make a jig to maintain the distence between the rail heads-carve a wavey block of wood --both sides clamp the rail to the block and heat with a torch

[Anonymous]

If you could models such track, I imagine you would have quite a problem keeping rolling stock from falling off.

Keep in mind also that such changes in the prototype track is especially noticeable when looking down it like in your photos. The camera compresses the distance, making the bends and dips appear greater than they really are.

Bob Boudreau

[Gluefinger]

Looking at this branch line near my house, I realized that I never saw how bad the track was! Any ideas on how to model this? I would think heating it up and putting a slight bend into the track, but I'm not sure.