Arghhh!
I started to lay track for my downtown passenger station, and it is quite a challenge to lay long runs of 10-track complexes down the center of a plywood surface.
I have another thread running on how best to nail down flex track and keep it straight. But, now, I have run into another problem. I am using a series of straight edges and metal track alignment gauges, and that is working, but the problem is how to secure the straight edges so that they don't move during the nailing process.
So, my question is, how do you secure the straight edges when their location makes it impossible to use clamps?
Rich
Alton Junction
Easy answer - you don't.
What I do when I use a straightedge is nail the track just in from the far ends of the straightedge, then work my way along the length of the straightedge, holding the straightedge against the outside of one of the rails while at the same time holding the unsecured part I'm about to nail against the straightedge. Works like a charm!
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
Or, is there some way you can temporarily screw the straight edge down?
Mike.
My You Tube
Try Tape. Duct tape the ruler, yardstick or other straight edge to the surface, place the track against the straight edge and then tape the track ends and middle across the rails and straight edge.
Worked for me when I built the sorting yard.
Gary
Rich, are you laying this track directly on plywood? If so, what grade of plywood?
Sheldon
I drilled holes in the yardstick and used 1 inch finishing nails to hold it in place. Worked great.
Recently I switched to using the Ribbonrail alignment gauges.
I have the right to remain silent. By posting here I have given up that right and accept that anything I say can and will be used as evidence to critique me.
I don't use nails. I use a very thin bead of acrylic latex caulk. Press the track down into the caulk, then along the straight edge and hold in place with push pins. I use cork roadbed, and the pins hold the track fine until the caulk dries.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
Brunton Easy answer - you don't. What I do when I use a straightedge is nail the track just in from the far ends of the straightedge, then work my way along the length of the straightedge, holding the straightedge against the outside of one of the rails while at the same time holding the unsecured part I'm about to nail against the straightedge. Works like a charm!
ATLANTIC CENTRAL Rich, are you laying this track directly on plywood? If so, what grade of plywood? Sheldon
The plywood is graded B2. I have to say, this stuff is so pretty that I would consider it A1. I hate to drill holes in it.
richhotrain ATLANTIC CENTRAL Rich, are you laying this track directly on plywood? If so, what grade of plywood? Sheldon The mainlines will be on cork roadbed, but the yards and passenger ladder will be on the plywood layout surface. The plywood is graded B2. I have to say, this stuff is so pretty that I would consider it A1. I hate to drill holes in it. Rich
The mainlines will be on cork roadbed, but the yards and passenger ladder will be on the plywood layout surface.
Rich, I think this explains a lot of your problems with getting track straight.
Plywood is very hard to drive small nails into, and keep them perfectly straight. Even a slight angle in the nail will push your track one way or the other. This is why so many modelers for years have used homasote.
Same may be true for your cork mainlines, nails go easily into cork but when they hit the plywood below they may change direction and push the track off to the sides one direction or the other.
Forgetting all my opinions in favor of caulk, I would not be trying to nail track directly to plywood with track nails - long spikes pushed in - maybe?
The old TruScale wood roadbed was basswood and/or soft pine, it took track nails or spikes nicely, but with plywood, no matter the type of wood, as soon as you penetrate the top veneer, you are fighting the glue, which are hard resin materials.
Caulk or Homasote, or both, and I suspect you will have much better luck.
richhotrain Arghhh! I started to lay track for my downtown passenger station, and it is quite a challenge to lay long runs of 10-track complexes down the center of a plywood surface. I have another thread running on how best to nail down flex track and keep it straight. But, now, I have run into another problem. I am using a series of straight edges and metal track alignment gauges, and that is working, but the problem is how to secure the straight edges so that they don't move during the nailing process. So, my question is, how do you secure the straight edges when their location makes it impossible to use clamps? Rich
Rich. OT slightly. Are you using or reusing Atlas flex track? I'd think the springy nature of it would make it difficult to lay a laser straight section if it has already been bent before, without affixing part of it to the plywood and rebending it where needed.
I think Peco is less springy and tends to mold in place, so it would seem easier to restraighten it by laying it on its side and pressing down against the plywood first.
Just wondering what brand of flex track you will be using to try and get laser straight sections.
- Douglas
Doughless richhotrain Arghhh! I started to lay track for my downtown passenger station, and it is quite a challenge to lay long runs of 10-track complexes down the center of a plywood surface. I have another thread running on how best to nail down flex track and keep it straight. But, now, I have run into another problem. I am using a series of straight edges and metal track alignment gauges, and that is working, but the problem is how to secure the straight edges so that they don't move during the nailing process. So, my question is, how do you secure the straight edges when their location makes it impossible to use clamps? Rich Rich. OT slightly. Are you using or reusing Atlas flex track? I'd think the springy nature of it would make it difficult to lay a laser straight section if it has already been bent before, without affixing part of it to the plywood and rebending it where needed. I think Peco is less springy and tends to mold in place, so it would seem easier to restraighten it by laying it on its side and pressing down against the plywood first. Just wondering what brand of flex track you will be using to try and get laser straight sections.
I don't generally reuse flex track, but I have never had any problem laying Atlas flex track "lazer straight". In fact I hate working with Walthers, PECO or ME where it stays bent once bent.
Again it is about good layout work in advance and proper tools.
Just me.
ATLANTIC CENTRAL Doughless richhotrain Arghhh! I started to lay track for my downtown passenger station, and it is quite a challenge to lay long runs of 10-track complexes down the center of a plywood surface. I have another thread running on how best to nail down flex track and keep it straight. But, now, I have run into another problem. I am using a series of straight edges and metal track alignment gauges, and that is working, but the problem is how to secure the straight edges so that they don't move during the nailing process. So, my question is, how do you secure the straight edges when their location makes it impossible to use clamps? Rich Rich. OT slightly. Are you using or reusing Atlas flex track? I'd think the springy nature of it would make it difficult to lay a laser straight section if it has already been bent before, without affixing part of it to the plywood and rebending it where needed. I think Peco is less springy and tends to mold in place, so it would seem easier to restraighten it by laying it on its side and pressing down against the plywood first. Just wondering what brand of flex track you will be using to try and get laser straight sections. I don't generally reuse flex track, but I have never had any problem laying Atlas flex track "lazer straight". In fact I hate working with Walthers, PECO or ME where it stays bent once bent. Again it is about good layout work in advance and proper tools. Just me. Sheldon
Sheldon. I have only worked with Atlas flex, and my experience is once its curved and sets secure for a while, or is bent coming out of the box, it tends to stay that way. Restraightening the track is difficult because it wants to spring back to its newly bent shape.
I think Peco and ME rails form more to how the ties move. Its harder to make a consistent curve without tools than the springy Atlas, but I think it wont resist going back to straight if the ties are pushed up against a straight guide. That's my understanding, which may be wrong. I've never worked with either brand.
Doughless ATLANTIC CENTRAL Doughless richhotrain Arghhh! I started to lay track for my downtown passenger station, and it is quite a challenge to lay long runs of 10-track complexes down the center of a plywood surface. I have another thread running on how best to nail down flex track and keep it straight. But, now, I have run into another problem. I am using a series of straight edges and metal track alignment gauges, and that is working, but the problem is how to secure the straight edges so that they don't move during the nailing process. So, my question is, how do you secure the straight edges when their location makes it impossible to use clamps? Rich Rich. OT slightly. Are you using or reusing Atlas flex track? I'd think the springy nature of it would make it difficult to lay a laser straight section if it has already been bent before, without affixing part of it to the plywood and rebending it where needed. I think Peco is less springy and tends to mold in place, so it would seem easier to restraighten it by laying it on its side and pressing down against the plywood first. Just wondering what brand of flex track you will be using to try and get laser straight sections. I don't generally reuse flex track, but I have never had any problem laying Atlas flex track "lazer straight". In fact I hate working with Walthers, PECO or ME where it stays bent once bent. Again it is about good layout work in advance and proper tools. Just me. Sheldon Sheldon. I have only worked with Atlas flex, and my experience is once its curved and sets secure for a while, or is bent coming out of the box, it tends to stay that way. Restraightening the track is difficult because it wants to spring back to its newly bent shape. I think Peco and ME rails form more to how the ties move. Its harder to make a consistent curve without tools than the springy Atlas, but I think it wont resist going back to straight if the ties are pushed up against a straight guide. That's my understanding, which may be wrong. I've never worked with either brand.
With any brand the rail will take a "set" after it has been in use on curve for a while. Again I seldom try reuse track.........
I have tried to straighten those other brands, very hard to do, making it unforgiving even putting it down brand new, at least in my experiance.
If you're still interested in holding the straightedge to the plywood, try a bit of Ailene's Tacky Glue. It will hold firmly, but when you're ready to take it up it will give way with a little force.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I use straight edges various ways like most of us do, however, I often lay down a chalk line as it will show me if anything is off course. I have also caulked down long stretches off track by just caulking them from the get-go, lining the rail up over the chalk line and it has come out perfectly straight.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Some examples of straight track, layed on straight homasote roadbed, track glued with PolySeamSeal adheasive caulk:
I did a yard once in ply, had to drill most holes through the fist couple layers of ply on a lot of it.
I agree with Brent: if you need a straight line to which you can work, snap a chalk line.
I didn't use a straightedge or chalk line for my straight track, but simply marked the end points of the straightaways, then spiked (track nails pushed in with the head of a pair of pliers) while sighting by-eye. That was on both cork and directly into plywood, in the latter case, perhaps one nail in ten required pre-drilling.
If the track, once done, has a few little wiggles in it when sighted in that manner, it's very easy to simply push the head of the nail sideways in the direction needed to straighten-out the problem.
Wayne
rrebell I did a yard once in ply, had to drill most holes through the fist couple layers of ply on a lot of it.
I know the feeling. Fifty years ago, I tried building a single garage size layout with hand laid ties and track direct on plywood. Talk about clueless. I had to drill every nail hole with a dremel tool. Never finished it. My new layout is on Homasote and I love the performance of the product. Awesome for nails.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Drilling every hole is just too much work. I've found that setting the track in cork and pushing one of the Ribbonrail stright pieces along it makes it nearly perfectly straight, sighting along it there are few if any deviations, nothing enough to cause a problem. If there is, a gentle nudge fixes it.
I once built an N scale layout on sheet homasote. Sure was easy to push the track nails in, by hand, without shoving the track around. It was also equally easy to remove it - I reused the track AND the nails, the pulled out that easily. I still don't understand where homasote got a reputation for spike HOLDING power - easy to push them in, absolutely. But they aren't held in worth anything. Add ballast and glue it down, and your track will stay, but just nails? Not so much.
Peco is a decent compromise - it still forms nice curves like Atlas, but only springs back part way - at least the Code 83. I don't know about the Code 100 or Code 75. Definitely way easier to work with than ME.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
rrinker Drilling every hole is just too much work. I've found that setting the track in cork and pushing one of the Ribbonrail stright pieces along it makes it nearly perfectly straight, sighting along it there are few if any deviations, nothing enough to cause a problem. If there is, a gentle nudge fixes it. I once built an N scale layout on sheet homasote. Sure was easy to push the track nails in, by hand, without shoving the track around. It was also equally easy to remove it - I reused the track AND the nails, the pulled out that easily. I still don't understand where homasote got a reputation for spike HOLDING power - easy to push them in, absolutely. But they aren't held in worth anything. Add ballast and glue it down, and your track will stay, but just nails? Not so much. Peco is a decent compromise - it still forms nice curves like Atlas, but only springs back part way - at least the Code 83. I don't know about the Code 100 or Code 75. Definitely way easier to work with than ME. --Randy
Randy,
Your homasote experience is very interesting, never heard anyone else have that opinion/experience.
I have build, or been involved in building about a dozen layouts with homasote roadbed, and homasote sheet for yard areas over the last 40 years, some with commercial roadbed like Homabed or Cascade, others made their own
Long before track glued with caulk, I learned from the masters at the Severna Park Club how to hand lay track/build turnouts with spikes into homasote roadbed and Campbell profile ties. The spikes are placed next to the ties, not thru them.
I built my second layout that way with no issues. The Severna Park layout is now pushing 60 years old and still running fine with minimal maintenance on hand layed track spiked into homasote?
A number of other layouts I have helped build consisted of flex track nailed into homasote with track nails, again never any problem with loose, or easy to pull nails? Many of those layouts are still running, 10, 20, 30 years?
At one time, the actual Homasote brand had some competitors, one has to wonder if their product was of the same spec/quality? I don't know if they still have any competition?
I have always used minimal nails, and ballasted the track as soon as possible.
.
Glue and ballast hold track in place better than spikes ever will.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
carl425 Recently I switched to using the Ribbonrail alignment gauges.
Brian
My Layout Plan
Interesting new Plan Consideration
Ribbon rail fits between the rails, like sweep sticks. Ribbon rail are made from metal.
Sheldon, laying track that straight is just plain disgusting!
Seriously, that is excellent track work.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Long ago, I offered $10,000, no questions asked, to the first person who could teach me to drive a golf ball 200 yards into the fairway on all 14 par 4 and par 5 holes in a single round. I still have that money in my account.
So, I am extending that offer to the first person who can teach me to lay "laser straight" track on my 10 downtown passenger station tracks running 12 feet each into the train shed.
richhotrain I offered $10,000,
Oh No!!! Not the dreaded Fiji warbonds!!
richhotrain ...lay "laser straight" track on my 10 downtown passenger station tracks running 12 feet each into the train shed.
Actually I have full confidence that you can and will achieve that goal, yourself!
Cheers, the Bear.
richhotrain I offered $10,000, Oh No!!! Not the dreaded Fiji warbonds!!