I am using a layout that uses one piece of Flextrack to fit a strange curve. The track around it has been laid and nailed down to keep things from shifting; that is, the rest of the track is sectional. Everything up to this point seems to run smoothly.
I’m looking in the book Basic Trackwork for Model Railroaders, which is a great book, showing me exactly how to handle the task of laying Flextrack. It helped me understand why I couldn’t just put rail joiners to the track without trimming ties first.
Right now, the layout is on bare homasote board, as I wish to test the entire layout before I put down roadbed. The aforementioned book shows laying Flextrack on top of cork roadbed. Are they trying to tell me that I shouldn’t lay down the flextrack until I have the roadbed put down first? I don’t mind soldering track, but it doesn’t look like that would be a good idea if I’m going to have to remove it to put in the roadbed.
Do I have to wait to put the Flextrack in until the time I put in the roadbed? Seems I’d want to lay it down first and make sure the section works with my railroad equipment.
Right now, the layout is on bare homasote board, as I wish to test the entire layout before I put down roadbed. The aforementioned book shows laying Flextrack on top of cork roadbed. Are they trying to tell me that I shouldn’t lay down the flextrack until I have the roadbed put down first? I don’t mind soldering track, but it doesn’t look like that would be a good idea if I’m going to have to remove it to put in the roadbed.
Do I have to wait to put the Flextrack in until the time I put in the roadbed? Seems I’d want to lay it down first and make sure the section works with my railroad equipment.
[/quote]
Yes you need to have the roadbed down before you lay the Flextrack. Otherwise you would have to try pick it up and relay it after you put down your roadbed. Picking up a section that was soldered to other sections while trying to maintain the curve in the flextrack would likely result in frustration.
That’s going to make for some interesting testing. Do I just put bumpers at the ends of the track until I am ready to roadbed? I’ve got a pretty big gap in the track right now because of the missing piece.
A lot of what you are trying to do will depend on how much you’re planning to bend the flex track. If you have nice wide curves, then it’s not too hard to keep the track in place. On the other hand, if you’re tight for space and you’re using the flex track to make 18-inch radius turns, then you may have issues.
The main problem will be the joints, as you’ve already noted. Because the flex track wants to go back to being straight track, it tends to develop kinks when it meets another track section on a curve. If you can arrange your rail joints so they are on straight sections, even for only a few inches, you will greatly reduce this problem.
I use pink foam for my base, and Woodland Scenics foam roadbed. Like you, I like to lay the track temporarily to test it and make sure I’m happy with the arrangement before I glue it down. With the foam-on-foam system, I can use paper clips, straightened out and then re-bent into a long U shape, to hold the track firmly in place during testing. Although I usually try to solder the ends, even at this stage, I’ve had places where pinned-down track has worked for years. Your hardware store might have some sort of long cable staples or other such fastener that would allow you to do something similar with homosote.
“Right now, the layout is on bare homasote board, as I wish to test the entire layout before I put down roadbed. The aforementioned book shows laying Flextrack on top of cork roadbed. Are they trying to tell me that I shouldn’t lay down the flextrack until I have the roadbed put down first?”
Usually the way to lay track is to draw the center line of the track on you layout surface, then put down the roadbed, then lay the track on top of it.
The roadbed comes almost sliced in half so it has to be separated into two parts. When it is, then you can use the center line as a guide for the inside edge of roadbed material. When the piece is laid next to it, then the crack between the two pieces becomes the track center line.
Now, you have said that you are using bare Homasote and have most of your track fastened down. At this point, I would go ahead and lay in the flextrack section and hold it with nails on the outside of the track to keep the desired curve, but not solder any rail joiners. Then go ahead and run your equipment around and test to make sure it all works, making adjustments where necessary. Then use a marker of some sort and put dots between every third to fifth tie in the center of all your track. This becomes the center line of your track. Then you can take the track up, easy since you just used nails, glue the roadbed down using the dots as the center line, and then put your track back in place on the roadbed.
Why use roadbed at all? Well, real railroads elevate their track on a ballast roadbed so water will drain off and not cause the ties to rot, and the ballast holds the ties (and track) in place. If we want to simulate this, we use cork or foam roadbed. Do you have to use a roadbed material? No. So it is really up to you if you want to use it or not. It will not make any difference as to how the trains run.
What kind of flex track are you using? Since you’ve only got one piece that you’re concerned with, you might want to try Microengineering flex track. It’s more expensive, but my understanding is that it holds its shape once bent. I’ve never used it. I use Atlas flex track, but that does like to spring back to straight.
I have Atlas code 83 Flextrack (I think it’s Atlas; it was in a big cardboard box in the store I bought it from and it looks like Atlas Code 83 track).
The inner rail shifting is making it hard to fit the piece in. When I get it set or think I do, I cut the rail and then all of a sudden, the inner rail has slipped out of its rail joiners and my cut is completely screwed up.
If I were you, I would remove some of the existing track on either side of the piece of flex track that you intend to slip in the layout, creating at least a 48" space. Then solder two pieces of flex track together and drop the soldered flex track into place. That way, you don’t create a “strange curve”.
As far as which goes first, the track or the roadbed, I always fit the roadbed first and then the track. However, a workable alternative is to use push pins to hold down the track until you are satisfied with the location. Then mark the location with a marking pen at various points, remove the track, install the roadbed, and reinstall the track permanently.
I am using a layout that uses one piece of Flextrack to fit a strange curve. The track around it has been laid and nailed down to keep things from shifting; that is, the rest of the track is sectional.
Atlas flex track is difficult to mate to existing curved sectional track because the flex track wants to stay straight, especially at the ends. I have had to do this myself when rebuilding portions of my layout and what I have done seems to work:
Pre-bend the flex track at about 4-5 inches from the end. When you think you have the desired curve, cut the curve in the middle. This way, you’ll have a long piece of flex track that has curved rails through to its end. Using tight rail joiners, you can use a rail nippers to put small creases in them if you have to, temporarily install the flex to the sectional. This should hold the joint tight so that you can work with the track until it meets the other connection. After fiddling with the shape of the track, go back and check the slider to make sure it still abuts the sectional track, as it can slide back and forth as you work the track. Cut the rails. I like to cut it about 1/8 inch longer than what I think I need in order to give some leeway for error. You’ll have a section that is a lot easier to fine tune for final installation.
If you don’t like the way the rail slides out of the ties, flip the track so the slider is on the inside of the curve.
Right now, the layout is on bare homasote board, as I wish to test the entire layout before I put down roadbed. The aforementioned book shows laying Flextrack on top of cork roadbed. Are they trying to tell me that I shouldn’t lay down the flextrack until I have the roadbed put down first? I don’t mind soldering track, but it doesn’t look like that would be a good idea if I’m going to have to remove it to put in the roadbed.
If I decide not to use roadbed, is it still okay to ballast it? I’ve got tons of ballast and would like that gravelly look between the ties.
If I do go that route, I guess I can just solder one end of the flextrack to the fixed rail (I don’t have a 48" space at all; the radius of the curve is 22"), am I right?
Make sure the cut rail ends, all four, are cleaned up with a file for the sake of joiner applcation.
Insert a custom-fit length of roadbed in the gap to be filled. Apply one end of the new section to either end of the gap using fresh joiners. Align by eye looking low along the axis of the tracks to ensure alignment at the joined rails…no discernible kink. Use pins or track nails to fix both sides of the join in place for about 2" on either side of the gap. I have even used drywall screws snugged up against tie end to ensure no movement.
Keeping an eye on the gaps at the other end (that no slippage takes place) bend the new piece around to align with and overlap the far rail ends. If you don’t like he resultant curve at mid-curve, you can change it. Once you like the curve and both ends are aligned, mark the place where you need to cut with a sharp needle file or a dull hobby knife.
Take up the new length, disengaging it from the joiners with which you started, cut the marked ends, and restore the length, keeping in mind the curve you wanted and that all ends are firmly established with joiners with minimal gaps. Pin into place such that you can drive trains over the insertion and try it out.
Once you are satisfied, you can make it permanent by taking it up once again, spreading a thin veneer of latex caulk over the roadbed of your choice and relay the length of rail. Weight it with tinned foods placed on their sides atop the rails to ensure alignment and adhesion while the caulk sets.
You don’t need roadbed and it is still Ok to ballast the track without it. In fact, I like the look of the track when it is not on roadbed. Many other modelers do as well. Since your subroadbed is made of Homasote, many of the benefits that roadbed gives you has already been supplied by the Homasote material.
You can use Crandell’s method or even your own method you described. Either way, make sure to keep the sliding rail on the inside, that way you’ll have less chances of it pulling away from the one end as you bend the curve to fit.
You can also use rail joiners and solder both rails to one end to give a more stable point from which to start your bend. Bending Atlas flex track into a 22 inch radius can be a bit tempermental. I would suggest using pins or nails every inch or two to keep the bend secured as you move along.
I use an Atlas razor saw to scratch a spot on the rails of the new piece to mark where it needs to be cut. If you have a Xuron rail nipper (suggested), you may even be able to lift the new piece up high enough and cut both rails without unsoldering it first. Other cutting tools or too short of a piece will require you to unsolder the track first before cutting it. Cleaning up the now unsoldered soldered ends to ensure proper refit will be an extra step in the process. You’ll probably have to sacrifice a couple of rail joiners since its pretty tough to get solder out of them.
If one is attempting to bend Atlas flex track into a 22 inch radius, he might be better off just using Atlas 22" radius sectional track. That is readily available in both Code 83 and Code 100.
I absolutely agree! But , without reading the entire thread again, I detected he was trying to fill a sharp curve, not necessarily exactly 22 inch radius, but close to it. It may require flex track to get an odd radius.
I was afraid to offer the sectional track thought, since to do so, he may have to re-lay a lot of track.
Yes. If it were me and I was building a small layout, I would use sectional track for all of my sharp curves. I would then use flex track for the straight sections and to cure any misalignment’s by just having to make the flex track not-so-straight instead of trying to bend it into a sharp curve.
Thanks everyone for all the help, but I found a layout in a starter book that is more to my liking. It’s got all sectional track, and that’s probably where I should begin instead of trying to figure out all this flextrack stuff.
Won’t be my last layout, but I feel it’s a better starting point (it’s the Spokane Valley and Northern HO layout) and it has several features, even in a limited space, that I want to start with.
Eventually, I would like to use Flextrack, but I’m spinning my wheels here and I’d like to have a layout I can construct with relative ease and get it up and running and add features later.