I have laid my flex track up to the first turnout and discovered that the Atlas ties are thicker than the Shinohara ties. What can I use under the turnouts to raise them to the level of the track? Or is there a better way?
BB
In that case I usually sand the bottom of the flex track approaching the turnout to make them match.
Another option is to cut a shim of appropriate thickness cardstock for under the turnout. Cut the shim away from under the throw bar to allow it greater freedom of movement and less chance of getting bound up.
Thanks Tex,
I don’t reli***he idea of sanding the ties for every turnout. I prefer the shim method. I just cut open a box of hamberger helper and found the thickness to be just right. What doesn’t feel right is the fact that the cardboard might swell with humidity changes. I have heard that turnouts shouldn’t be glued down so there is nothing stopping them from rising up at a later date. Turnouts are a prime source for derailments at the best of times so I want to do all I can at this early stage.
BB
Bruce, the carboard would have to be essentially wet to swell as you fear. High humidity will be obvious to you before it ever gets to the point where the cardboard is a problem. HOwever, ballasting, particularly the wetting and gluing part of the process, could actually cause some swelling prematurely. If this is apparent during the ballasting, just place a light weight on the area to keep it aligned, not to press it back down. You want to maintain alignment, not get the carboard to the thinness that it was.
Once that process is complete, only the very highest humidity sustained for many days will result in cardboard swelling, and I think that such a problem would be the least of your worries at that point.
If you want to ensure that you never do run into the swelling…at all… dip your strips in melted paraffin and let them drip dry. That is the same as waterproofing them.
-Crandell[:D]
Another option if you are really concerned about humidity is to use thin sheets of styrene.
Tom
Bruce;
What code rail is the track you are using?
I am guessing that it is code 83. Atlas made the ties on thier code 83 track .017" thicker so that it would work well with code 100 track. The other manufacturers did not follow this route.
The best solution is shimming the Shinohara components with .015" styrene, using a very thin layer of your favorite adhesive to glue the shims down, which will provide the extra .002".
A power belt sander makes quick work of it.
I live in an semi-arid region and don’t have humidity problems, but I do know what you are talking about. You could shellac it, letting the shellac soak in really good. I do this when using cardstock for structures. It firms it up and makes it cut cleaner too.
As nfmisso says styrene is better, if it is afforable enough.
You know that if a turnout is ballasted, it is essentially glued down anyway. Might as well glue it down where it will do some good. The reason I used to let turnouts “float” was because I was too sloppy with the glue and would get it under the throw bar and point rails. After I cleaned up my act, so to speak, it ceased being an issue.
If you feel that you have to use cardboard,shellac will work just fine.I use it on structures,shims and I seal my homasote roadbed with it.Going on about eight years now with no problems of warping or shrinking or expanding.
Hi all,
Awakening this thread from a 6 year slumber. Does the height variation still exist between Atlas Code 83 flex and Shinohara Code 83 turnouts? Many thanks!
~Kris
Yes, it does. Atlas Code 83 has taller ties to better mate with their own Code 100.
I will soon be facing this also…I’ve got the turnouts and track on the way. I got some 0.015" styrene but don’t really want to shim 15 turnouts (I presume there shimmed the full length) so I’m going to try others’ advice at sanding the last 6 ties or so with a sanding block w/120 paper, at the 23 places where flex connects. One person said it’s pretty easy (half a dozen swipes) so I’ll try it out. I presume the small slope (0.5% grade over 3", 0.025% if over 6") is not an issue. I don’t lean toward the cardboard shimming but that sounds reasonable as well to look at if I don’t like the flex sanding result.
Sorry, but in my opinion shimming is the way to go. If you start sanding the flex track the rails will still want to stay in a straight plane unless you nail it down at the ends. You will never be able to come up with an exact slope as you propose because you just won’t be able to sand that accuirately. Plus eveytime you come up to a turnout you’ll introduce a dip in the tracks, and you’ll probably manage to get enough unintentional dipsy-doodles without making some up.
What I use is Everygreen Styrene strips, item 128. This is strip styrene 0.020 thick by 0.188 wide. You can either cut this to tie-length pieces and glue to the bottom of every couple ties, or you can cut it in lengths and run the strips lengthwise along the bottom of the turnout. I do this last method, one strip under each end of the tie, and one down the center.
Try it and see. Small vertical discrepancies like that can create surprisingly bumpy track if you’re not careful, but you will probably be fine.
I have a Shinohara/Walthers code 83 curved turnout sandwiched in between some Atlas 83 turnouts with only a thicker layer of caulk to keep the Shinohara ties level. The installation is seamless with the rest of the track and nearly impossible to detect unless you look for it. I’ve used cardstock and styrene shims under turnouts successfully as well. I’ve seen many comments to the effect that caulk shouldn’t be used under turnouts, but I think that’s highly questionable advice, as I find it helps maintain positive alignment much better than spikes alone. In situations where I have shimmed turnouts, I still like to caulk the turnout in place. Using acrylic/latex sealant means the turnout will come loose easily if desired using only a putty knife.
I have a belt and a disk sander, and I can’t imagine going to the effort of sanding ties. Shimming is so much easier. I’ve successfully used both styrene and strip wood.
You could also use Shinohara flextrack, if you don’t mind paying twice as much for it…
I’ll be going through this myself in over the next few months. I’ve read on here that a firm mounting surface makes your curved turnouts happy, so I’ll be shimming my Shinoharas with sheet styrene. There’s only have three of them to do so I think I can pull it off.
Yesterday, I was trying to repair a Walthers Shinohara double crossover on which some of the rails had separated from the ties on the ends of the track.
To remedy this, I tried to slip some Atlas Code 83 flex track ties onto the double crossover rails in order to maintain the proper gauge. The rails simply would not fit into the ties between the spikes.
So, there are differences.
Rich
I have always used the boxes that the Shinohara/Walthers turnouts come in to shim. I have not had any problems wth this at all, and have used this method in numerous places (I also use Atlas code 83 and Walthers/Shin turnouts),