I recently laid 36' of track (code 100) on cork I spiked the track with those tiny nails they have at the hobby shop,... you know? well anyway I was looking at my freshly laid track and realised that it was all crooked and wavy (no big deal I can probably save the cork and RE-lay it right?) and some of the turnouts look like (edited by selector) NOT very prototypical! and on top of that I think I want to use code 83 instead of 100 for more realism is there a way I can use the code 100 with the 83 or no? OH YEA MORE GOOD NEWS!!! I just got done paying 35.00 for 10 pcs of code 100 flex on ebay. what should I do?!?!
I got myself a big hole dug this time can someone help me out?? PLEASE!
Jeff But it's a dry heat!
Next time, when you lay straight stretches of track, hold a metal straight edge against the rail to keep it straight. Check the straightness after every spike. It can seem a little obsessive and take a lot of time, but it's worth it. BTW, I like the look of code 70 even better than 83. It pretty accurately represents 6.5 inch tall rails.
You know, you can also sell stuff on eBay - if you don't like the look of code 100, sell it to someone who does. Compromises are always tough to live with over the long haul.
Phil, I'm not a rocket scientist; they are my students.
Well, now....just how crooked is crooked? Over 36 feet a few irregularities are not unrealistic, particularly in a yard or siding Look at real rail line. That's just over three thousand scale HO feet or almost 3/5 of a mile.
True, everything about operation in modelling railroads is accentuated....loco speed, vertical distance, locomotive motion etc. etc.
But if you move at realistic speeds around the layout, the locomotive motion imparted by track irregularities (not those that cause running problems, but those such as a little waviness or dips or rises over 36 feet) is not atypical.
You might be able to pull up quite a few snapshots from http://www.railpictures.net/ to see actual waviness and track irregularities to ease your mind.
If not eased, take it up and redo it, 'cause it will bug you forever!
'Course a lean like this may occur on a badly-maintained line....but who is modelling a badly maintained line? There are limits.
TRX450R racer wrote: I recently laid 36' of track (code 100) on cork I spiked the track with those tiny nails they have at the hobby shop,... you know? well anyway I was looking at my freshly laid track and realised that it was all crooked and wavy (no big deal I can probably save the cork and RE-lay it right?) and some of the turnouts look like S*** NOT very prototypical! and on top of that I think I want to use code 83 instead of 100 for more realism is there a way I can use the code 100 with the 83 or no? OH YEA MORE GOOD NEWS!!! I just got done paying 35.00 for 10 pcs of code 100 flex on ebay. what should I do?!?!I got myself a big hole dug this time can someone help me out?? PLEASE!
I recently laid 36' of track (code 100) on cork I spiked the track with those tiny nails they have at the hobby shop,... you know? well anyway I was looking at my freshly laid track and realised that it was all crooked and wavy (no big deal I can probably save the cork and RE-lay it right?) and some of the turnouts look like S*** NOT very prototypical! and on top of that I think I want to use code 83 instead of 100 for more realism is there a way I can use the code 100 with the 83 or no? OH YEA MORE GOOD NEWS!!! I just got done paying 35.00 for 10 pcs of code 100 flex on ebay. what should I do?!?!
Ever see any photos of Penn Central trackwork in the '70s? I recall railfanning some (ex TP&W) that looked as if someone had used a sidewinder for a straightedge. It led away from a yard where at least one track had sunk out of sight into the omnipresent mud...
Use your code 100 for hidden track, out-of-sight staging and any place where it will be concealed from casual view. As for joining, Atlas code 83 has ties .17" thicker than their Code 100 ties, so the railheads will line up without shimming. I connected the two codes (experimental test in hidden track) with standard rail joiners installed in the usual way - no hump, bump or potential problem. (My track is secured with latex caulk, and I put a chunk of 2x4 across each joint and stood a couple of 2 liter soda bottles on each of them to level the rails.) I ran six trains across that section of track earlier today, so I'm sure of my facts.
My way to assure straightness is to use my 4 foot level as a straightedge for tangent track, pressed against the outside of one rail (ties may be slightly uneven.) I handlay my specialwork, and (in my admittedly biased opinion) my worst is at least as good as the best commercial products and a lot better than most.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
That is one reason I use Kato Unitrack, I aint the best track laying expert. Also Arkansas is crooked everywhere. Trying to get anything straight is a exercise in futility.
I use a laser leveler sighting down the track. TAKE CARE NOT TO LOOK INTO THE EMITTER> I WILL NOT be responsible if you are dumb enough to look INTO the laser unit and burn your eyes.
The laser line tells me where the kinks are.
Ribbonrail makes a couple of lengths of metal tracklaying aids, along with curves. They fit between the rails of the track and hold it straight or to a set curve. They also make a variety of straight and curved sections of upsom board roadbed, just keep the flextrack in the middle and it will come out nice and straight.
http://www.walthers.com/exec/search?quick=ribbonrail+straight
On my last layout I used Atlas Code 83 on the layout and Atlas Code 100 in the hidden staging yards. So you can mix the Code 83 and 100 on your layout. I use all Atlas Code 83 now. I buy my flex track in a box of 100. Many Internet hobby shops sell the bulk packs. My price per 3 ft section comes to about $2.50.
JIM
Jim, Modeling the Kansas City Southern Lines in HO scale.