a) I will be gluing track with the oft recommended DAP Alex Plus caulk. I plan to solder most rail joiners, particularly on curves, to help maintain alignment. What is the maximum length I should go before allowing an unsoldered expansion gap? The layout is in the house (moderate temp / humidity change). I presume I could cut in additional expansion gaps if later seen to be needed.
b) When I get to turnouts, I plan to shim the thinner turnouts with 0.015" styrene and/or lacquered cardstock (e.g., from the turnout box). I have some turnouts in series (in one case, a chain of 5). While I read somewhere a preference to solder their rail joiners, I don’t plan to do that, for easier removal. I understand that I will want to cut off some ties as needed to allow the rail joiners to slide back for removing a specific turnout (and slide the removed ties back in place, I presume?). I doubt I want the turnouts, especially 5 in a row, to float, so I guess I’ve got the option to use some spikes to hold them in place, or use minimal caulk to very lightly glue them down. I lean toward the latter, understanding the ballast will also help hold them. I presume they would be fairly easily removed if lightly glued to styrene or lacquered cardboard? This area makes me a bit nervous as I don’t want to regret the approach I take.
c) I have Tortoises to operate the turnouts. I’ve read several posts about mounting them and some make me nervous about alignment problems, etc. I plan to prewire the frogs for powering from the Tortoise contacts, and hope the points contact with stock rail is ok for the point rails themselves. I plan to add feeder wires to each turnout (not depend on unsoldered joiners) after installation. I plan to try the provided throw wire and help mounting ease with double-stick mounting tape (adding screws also). I think I’ll try doing this first on a scrap piece of plywood and cork at the bench, to see if I can do it successfully before messing with the actual layout.
The part I can offer most guidance on is “b” about the turnouts.
While I solder flex track together particularly on curves where I think it helps maintain the smoothness of the curve (using the appropriate Ribbonrail curvature template tool) I try not to solder more than 3 pieces of flex track together. And I keep an eye on things during climate change periods to see if gaps need to be Dremeled in.
But I do not solder flex track to turnouts. I do apply the caulk (spread thin using those junk mail “Your Name Here” plastic credit cards that American Express keeps sending me) to the roadbed under the three ends of the turnout, previously marked on the cork using magic marker so I am well away from the moving points. If the turnout is weighted while the caulk sets I find the turnout is solidly mounted with no real floating - but the points can move freely.
For ballasting around the points on the turnout there are several techniques.
First I might mention that when I use adhesive caulk I lightly apply the first applicatin of ballast on that wet caulk and tamp it down with an old piece of cork roadbed. I then brush away the excess once the caulk hardens. Further applications of ballast involve the traditional technqiues. This is true for both flex track and turnouts.
Now it IS possible to fully ballast a turnout, with care, using traditional techniques without gumming up the points. Having said that, it is also possible to totally ruin the turnout with ballasting because the diluted glue or matte medium etc can wander where you do not intend. I practiced on a spare piece of plywood and previously used cork using a batch of cheap Atlas brass turnouts that were being all but given away at a swap meet. Eventually I got the hang of it without risking my actual expensive turnouts.
I tried another technique that I read about (in MR? In the NMRA magazine? on these forums?) and that is, a pi
Thanks for the pointers, Dave. I knew not to glue around the throwbar, but I had not sufficiently considered how ballast plans around the turnouts should be considered up front as I may want to take steps before / while putting them is place. I like the tape idea near the throwbar and could do that and the rest of the ballasting later. Since I need a 0.015+" turnout shim for the Walthers Shinohara vs. Atlas flextrack difference, I wonder if a combo of elect tape below the whole turnout (except the throwbar) combined with a thin caulk layer at several spots might be the right height and be a good start for ballasting. I’ll check the duct tape too but the vinly elect tape looks easy to work with (tho the tape I have is very thin).
I looked online and see I can buy 0.00875" elect (Scotch Super 88) tape. That would give half the turnout shimming I need, so would keeping the connected flextrack caulk as thin as possible and allowing a bit more generous caulk thinkness atop the tape be worth a try? Update…went and bought a roll and tried it w/o caulk…single and double thickness…compared that to sheet 0.015" styrene and the turnout box cardstock. The elect tape is not the way to shim, for sure. The styrene looks best to me, extremely close height match, lies flat, etc. I’ll get some more but have enough to get started. I’ll take a look at thin tape just before and after the throwbar, maybe gapping the styrene shim into two pieces so I don’t make a minor “bump” with the tape.
Some prep work is in order around the turnouts. I cut a channel under the throw bar in the roadbed material so if any ballast does get in there, it does not jam in between the roadbed and throw bar. Then I paint the roadbed around the point and throw bar area black. This would represent heavy oiling of the points. And because of that, you don’t have to ballast the throw bar and points area of the turnout.
If you use foam type double sided tape to hold the Tortoises in place and then use screws, don’t tighten the screws too much or you will break the ears on the Tortoise.
You can use the light wire provided with the Tortoise as long as your sub roadbed is not any thicker than about 1/2 to 3/4 inch plus the actual roadbed cork or foam.
Allow me to offer a suggestion regarding the connections between turnouts and other track that would facilitate their removal if necessary. Using rail joiners only has often been criticized as inadequate for long-term electrical continuity (although some folks say it is not a problem). I am only now building my layout; therefore, I have no long term experience. However, after reading extensive discussions and accolades regarding the use of NO-OX to improve electrical contact between rail and wheel over long periods of time, it occurred to me that applying NO-OX to the joiners and rail ends at connections might significantly improve long-term conductivity. I also realized that if in the long term, the joint required soldering after all, the NO-OX might interfere with the soldering.
Well, I experimented with this idea and applied NO-OX to a rail joint with joiner and followed that with soldering the same connection. It worked!
I used NO-OX-ID supplied by Bar-Mills, Radio Shack 60-40 rosin core solder of .032" diameter and a 25W Radio Shack iron. I cleaned the rail end (can’t really clean well inside the joiner) and applied the NO-OX to both the rail and the joiner. After 24 hrs≠ I wiped both (again, the joiner is somewhat problematic, though I scraped out what I could with a toothpick) and soldered them together without difficulty or damage to the plastic ties (W/S flex 83).
Therefore, I will go with joiners only (except on curves) knowing that I can solder the connections in the future if necessary.
I shimmed my Walther/Shinohara turnouts with styrene and it worked out great. What I didn’t expect was the change in sound when a train runs over the styrene -vs- the cork. Kind of loud. But I haven’t ballasted yet so I’m hoping it becomes less noticable after I do.
My last concern is whether I can prep the turnout area (including 3/8" hole for throwbar wire and small hole for frog wire), install the track and then mount the Tortoise with its wire attached, requiring threading the lever wire thru the throwbar hole from below. I’ve read various threads on Tortoise install but will re-read them. I’ll have to try this to see how difficult it is…the throwbar hole in the W-S turnouts is pretty small…seems like trying to thread a needle while reaching under and over a table at the same time. I definitely want to have the turnouts laid before mounting the Tortoise.
LION has 1000’ of main-line track, all of it soldered. The left hand rail is ground, and has no gaps in it for the whole 1000’. The right hand rail has four gaps on each side of each station for speed control and for stopping. I find no problems with expansion/contraction kinking or other issues. Maybe my track work is so sloppy that a little temperature variation does not affect it one way or the other.
Yes, LION does make a hole under the turnout, then mounts the track and then later installs the Tortoise as you have described. … Advice?:
center the Tortoise actuator manually.
place a glob of silicone caulk on the upper face of the tortoise, keeping it away from the actuator.
thread the actuator up through the hole in the table and through the throwbar. Sometimes I use a pin drill to enlarge the whole in the throw bar. Place a flashlight or other light source under the table shining up through the holes so that you can see through the throwbar to the actuator.
press the Tortoise in place, moving it slightly side to side until the turnout is also centered, slide it fore and aft until the actuator rod is relaxed with no bend to it. It is finished
It may be to heavy and fall off before the silicone is set, replace it as above and prop it in place with wood or other items until the caulk sets.
Well, I’ve made progress in getting my confidence up to actually install track on the 5’x9’ HO layout. I will need to add 8 turnouts for the mainline and then 7 additional past the yards turnoffs. Being nervous about just crashing ahead, I took the advice of many and decided some practice would be critical. So, I took a piece of plywood scrap and put cork for a #5 turnout plus some very short flextrack legs. I used the turnout box cardstock for a turnout shim, with a gap under the throwbar and elect tape under the ties space adjacent to the throwbar. I’m still undecided on styrene versus spray lacquered cardstock shim.
Today I cut the 3 flextrack legs in half and added and soldered rail joiners to rejoin them. I found it necessary to ensure I was using the Xuron cutter correctly as the sharp edge on one side is shorter and one can really “mash” the crosssection when using incorrectly. Had to go procure a Weller 100/140 gun and the right solder & flux, alcohol (not for me), etc. The ties didn’t melt but I got a bit too much solder inside thr rail at some joints. I used the regular and the N scale code 80 joiners and certainly like the smaller ones.
Then added a frog wire to the underside…semi-successful…I think I melted the black stuff a bit in the frog, which seems to be plastic rather than black metal. Tried using alligator clips as heat sinks. Maybe I should put the frog feeder on the guard rail (more visible) or maybe I just need more practice to get the joint made quicker. Used the Weller gun here also.
Then tried the Tortoise install, after having put a 3/8" hole for the actuating wire before caulking the track down. I successfully treaded the Tortoise, with wire, up thru the throwbar hole from below and secured it intially with double stick outdoor mounting tape. I had jammed the points to the mid position with two small pieces of cardboard to keep it c