Roadbed Question

[Anonymous]

I swear the more educated one gets the harder it gets to make decisions.
Ho layout

Best method to lay cork road bed down on form board without causing to much damage if secions of it have to be taken up?

Im assuming track does not have to be glued down, the ballast should hold it in place, am I correct?

Another question, Im going to use toggles to open and close power to spurs, will LED's work or do I have to use another type of bulb to show the power is on to that spur?

Im already on my 4th track plan and still dazed and confused. LOL

I know I should be going DCC also as discussed in a previous post , but Im still not comfortable with it nor do I know enough about it. At some point Im sure I will go that route.

Thanks again Guys [:I]

[jrbernier]

Roadbed - Glue it down to the foam with something like 'Liquid Nails'.

Track - I fasten it down and ballast - then pull the spikes(but I use HomaBed that holds spikes real well).

LED - Yes they will work, but they need a 'dropping' resistor so they do not get the full track voltage(they only use about .7v). You can use 'bi-color' LEDs that will change from red to green with the voltage if you want to get fancy. I use bi-color LED's that are wired off of my switch motor contacts to show which way a turnout is set. If you use Caboose Industries ground throws, you use their built-in contacts to show the alignment of the turnout as well.

Jim Bernier

[Anonymous]

LED - Yes they will work, but they need a 'dropping' resistor so they do not get the full track voltage(they only use about .7v). You can use 'bi-color' LEDs that will change from red to green with the voltage if you want to get fancy.

If Im using the two color LED will radio shack know which ones I need to lower the voltage to .7v? I assume I only need one resistor per LED unit?
Thanks

[Anonymous]

Regarding the track & roadbed. I glue both. Anything that has to be taken up later gets covered by groundcover. The dried track glue on the roadbed gets sanded smooth and r-e0glued if necessary. Ive had no problems doing this.

[nfmisso]

QUOTE: Originally posted by zaffie

Best method to lay cork road bed down on form board without causing to much damage if secions of it have to be taken up?

Not Liquid Nails - it will not come apart. I like Aleene's Tacky Glue avialable at Wal-Mart and other stores in the crafts section. White and Yellow glue are also used by some.

QUOTE:
Im assuming track does not have to be glued down, the ballast should hold it in place, am I correct?

Doesn't have to be, but..... Aleene's works well here too.

QUOTE:
Another question, Im going to use toggles to open and close power to spurs, will LED's work or do I have to use another type of bulb to show the power is on to that spur?

You have a couple of choice here.

If you have a seperate set of contacts for the toggles, you can use them for the LEDs, and have a dedicated power supply for the LEDs. You will need a resistor for each LED. The value of the resistor will depend on the voltage of your power supply. Each LED has current rating, and for our purposes, it can be assumed no resistance. Using the voltage of your power supply, calculate the appropriate resistance from Ohm's Law.

If you do not have an extra set of contacts, and you want the LED's in series with the track, you will need to create a circuit that sends some current the through the LED, and most of it bypasses the LED. This can be done with a couple of regular diodes and a dropping resistor for the LED.

[Don Gibson]

QUOTE: Originally posted by zaffie

Best method to lay cork road bed down on form board without causing to much damage if secions of it have to be taken up?

A 'tacky' rubber based glue that doesn't dry. SCOTCH makes one that sprays on.

QUOTE: Im assuming track does not have to be glued down, the ballast should hold it in place, am I correct?

Secure it first (spike or nail) ,THEN ballast it.

QUOTE: Another question, Im going to use toggles to open and close power to spurs, will LED's work or do I have to use another type of bulb to show the power is on to that spur?

Simplist is a 12 volt bulb across track. LED's require a resistor, BEST is to activate from additional poles on toggle and separate power (from track) source.

Using DPDT's? Go to 3PDT.

[selector]

You are not using snap-together track, but flex-type, I take it? My experience is mostly with EZ Track, and ballast does a fine job of keeping it in place once glued.

For flex-type, I'm pretty sure you will need to do as advised above: place, fix with pins or something functional, including glue, and then ballast. I would like to think that glued ballast would keep even the flex-type in one place and shape without the pins remaining in place.

I don't like the idea of gluing my track, though. It would be a drag trying to get it pried off if I ever had to renew/redo.

[selector]

You are not using snap-together track, but flex-type, I take it? My experience is mostly with EZ Track, and ballast does a fine job of keeping it in place once glued.

For flex-type, I'm pretty sure you will need to do as advised above: place, fix with pins or something functional, including glue, and then ballast. I would like to think that glued ballast would keep even the flex-type in one place and shape without the pins remaining in place.

I don't like the idea of gluing my track, though. It would be a drag trying to get it pried off if I ever had to renew/redo.

[johncolley]

Use clear Silicone caulk/adhesive in small dabs every 3 - 4 inches for roadbed and the same for track. If you need to go change it later on it is easy!