Layout Help (Tracks coming apart)

[Anonymous]

Hello,

I am new to this hobby. I have 4X8 plywood sitting on a table. I have couple of HO steam locomotives , Atlas HO code 83 tracks / turnouts and also Digitrax Zephyr. I have not thought of any model layout . I want to run the trains smoothly for couple of months then start building layout. I have few questions...

The tracks keep moving and joins come apart because plywood is very smooth.
How do I take care of this issue? Once I layout the track, it should be fixed
and not moving. It derails the trains also.

Please help me..

Thanks
Ken

[simon1966]

If you are using the Atlas track without the roadbed, then it is likely that the track joiners are not very tight and allowing the track to pull apart. You can use pliers to carefully squeeze the joiners to make them tighter. If the 4 x 8 is being left setup and you can anchor the track, even temporarily, you might consider putting in a few track nails to stop it sliding around. When you are ready for a more permanent layout, I would suggest using a roadbed (cork) and latex caulk or liquid nails to glue down the track and roadbed.

Where are your derailings occuring? At the turnouts? On the curves? Where the track has pulled apart?

[scubaterry]

Ken, There are many ways to secure your track to the subroadbed (plywood). Some folks find using latex caulking works well. I personally use HO corkroad bed to make it look a little more prototypical and to cut down on the noise a little. Then I use 1/2 in railroad nails to nail the track to the top of the cork down into the plywood. Just make sure when you nail the track down or caulk, glue it (which ever method you choose) the joints are even and flush with each other. I would recommend that you use nails for now at least if this is to be a temp thing. When you get ready to do your perm layout you can simply pull the nails and start over. I am sure many more people will chime in here and give you more detail and ideas. And yes once your Track is secured to the roadbed your derailments will be minimized depending on how much care you take making sure the joints are flush and lined up as you attach them to the roadbed. It will be good practice for you. Sometimes if a section of track just doesn't come out right I pull it up and do it over. Hope this helps and if you have any specific questions feel free to ask lots of expertise out here and everyone is glad to lend a hand.
Terry

[Leon Silverman]

One warning about the track nails: Do not hammer them in so hard that you distort the ties. This will change the guage of the track and possibly cause more problems than you solve. You can probably get by by only nailing down the curved portions of your layout. Your plywood is problably unpainted and thus will expand and contract with moisture and temperature changes. Leaving the stright portions unanchored will allow them to adjust tothese changes.

[claycts]

Try little sections of double back carpet tape under the joints. Not a whole run just in areas. You can then pick up the track with a putty knife. Carpet tape (double back) is the thin stuff. Mounting tape is to thick and gives you lumps in the track.
Hope this helps, This is just my $.02

[joeyegarner]

You may want to consider Soldering your rail joints. Once you do this nothing comes apart. It will help cut down on lots of potential problems, electrical, derailments and track seperation[:D]. Just a thought.

[Anonymous]

Simon1966,

Thanks a lot for the information. Can you please let me know where can I find the following items . Trains derails on curves, turnouts.

Track Nails
Road bed (Cork)
Latex Caulk
Liquid Nails

Thanks
Ken

[dgwinup]

Hi, Ken.

Track nails and roadbed (cork or Woodland Scenics foam) are available at hobby shops that carry trains. They are also available at on-line hobby stores if you don't have a hobby shop near you.

Latex caulk and Liquid Nails are available at home centers, hardware stores, K-Marts and Wal-Marts.

I like claycts suggestion to use double-sided carpet tape for temporary track. It allows you to make changes until you find a layout plan that you like.

After you set something up, 'play' with it to be sure you like the set-up. It's much harder to make changes after you've glued and nailed your track and roadbed.

Darrell, quiet...for now

[Anonymous]

Ken,

A secret to installing the track nails: DON'T nail them. Use a nail set with a cupped tip and pu***hem in place. They go in quick and easy. By installing just a few nails yo'll hold everything in place for the time being.

Don't pu***hem in so far that they hold the track tight against the plywood, but only just snug. If you go too tight you'll distort the ties and pull the rails closer together, possibly causing the train t de-rail at that spot.

To buy the nails, try your local hobby store that carries trains. You'll find them in a small paper envelope, often made by Atlas. They'll be black with a small nub for a head. It doesn't take a very big bag of nails to g a very long ways.

Mark in Utah

[Rotorranch]

When nailing temporary track, I like to leave the head of the nail just slightly above the tie by a few thousandths of an inch. It allows easier removal of the nails at a later point, and will hold the sections in place just fine until you finalize your layout.

Rotor

[icmr]

Track nails.



ICMR

[selector]

Do both of your locos derail? If only one does, it could be the loco. Truck wheels out of guage, drivers out of guage, inappropriate rate of curvature (radius) for the frame and driver set, switch points that need filing so that the loco's flanges don't pick them...and so on.

I like the sticky tape idea. Simple, relatively cheap, fast, effective. That will take care of squirming tracks IF they adhere well, but tape has a way of drying and the substrate breaks down. If you still get many derailments, start thinking about your wheel guages.

[Don Gibson]

YOU did not specify your type of track's roadbed, cork, or ? SOUND'S LIKE you are laying track on bare wood.

ESSENTIALLY you need to (1) tack it down, and (2) use all new rail joiner's.
SPECIFICS depend on what you have.

For example: if you buy some matching ATLAS roadbed and a can of 3M pray adhesive, you can sray the bottom's of the roadbed, press into place, and still remove it . NEW RAIL JOINER'S cheaply insure your getting electricity to the engine.

This would solve you current problem.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the suggestions !! I bought Rail Road Nails and Carpet tape (double sided). I could not find Atlas Nails. I don't have any good hobby shop near by.

Any suggestions for Cork bed vs Foam bed ?

Regards
Ken

[randyaj]

Depends on what you want. Cork is less costly but doesn't provide as much sound deadening that foam does. Foam is more quiet, but costs more than cork. I use cork because on my layout it will take about 4 boxes of cork to do it and I didn't want to spend the extra on the foam(in other words I am cheap). Foam also has one other nice point, it usually comes in a roll which eases application
Good luck and welcome to the hobby!
Randy

[Don Gibson]

CORK. - but you should have book or article on to to lay and trim it with an Exacto knife.

[Anonymous]

I have nailed couple of tracks on foam bed and I not very happy with it. The reason is need to very careful while nailing, it will not be easy to remove. I am new to this hobby and I keep changing the layout.

I am planning to buy EZ Nails All Purpose Adhesive Caulk . Spray on plywood and fix the foam be. Spray again on foam bed and stick the tracks. Not sure if its going to work.

Ken

[Budliner]

QUOTE: Originally posted by randyaj

Depends on what you want. Cork is less costly but doesn't provide as much sound deadening that foam does. I am cheap).

keep in mind you will like to hear the trains, its nice to rumble them around .
on my grid type layout the trains run on a secton of plywood on the way up the mountan, I love to hear the trains clickity clack and rumble up the track . the playwood acts as a sound board when it passes from 1x8 to the flat section, and thats an extra plus for me trains make noise but dont try to take away the best part with all that foam (if it were good the big trains would have it

just my rant [^]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by kenneth19usa

I have nailed couple of tracks on foam bed and I not very happy with it. The reason is need to very careful while nailing, it will not be easy to remove. I am new to this hobby and I keep changing the layout.
Ken

Ken,

How thick's your foam and how long are the nails?? Track nails are only 1/2" long. You can't use any nails from the hardware store without causing yourself some extra headaches.

Mark in Utah

[MisterBeasley]

I use foam roadbed, and my track and roadbed are both glued down with Liquid Nails for Projects. You do have to be careful when choosing adhesives. Some of the will react chemically with the foam and destroy it.

My layout is on 2-inch insulation foam sheets, with no plywood at all. For me, it's proven to be a good material. I've glued down all the roadbed, but a lot of my track is still temporarily stuck down with paper clips that I've re-shaped into a long U and just pushed into the foam. It's been like that for a month or so now, and it's still holding well.

[Anonymous]

I am using a foam roadbed. I got the nails from the LHS , they are not made by Atlas.
Because this is a temporary layout , I don't feel to nail all the tracks and foam beds.
I tried putting nails for 3-4 tracks , it was kind of difficult. I want to try the Liquid Nail and see if I can stick both foam bed and track also.