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Basic flextrack tracklaying techniques
for some reason i have not been able to find any info on how to cut and or lay cork road beds down, plenty of info on layin track, but seems like there should be some tricks to getting cork, laid down thru curves and even on straight track
What is the difference between Homasote and cork for laying flex track?
I’m with Jerry, is there any help out there. Tricks in laying the cork especially at turnouts. It always ends up looking like I just shoved a bunch of 6 x 8’s under the turnout to carry the load. I’ve tried turning some pieces upside down and mitering the other pieces but to the same end result, garbage. Help, help.
There is alot of truth in what is said in this article. My club, the Levin Model Railway Club is just at the tracklaying stage on our 8metre x 2.5 metre facsimili of our local yard in the transition era with Shannon yard, 17km away on the back of the ova.l We are laying the track on 3mm rubber sub bed on 40mm poly foam base. A similar method without the rubber sub bed was used on our previous 4 x 3 metre layout.
I’ve found that cork takes practice and a lot of patience. I’ve learned to stick with overlapping the cork where you want it to be, then trimming through the layers and removing the scraps. It seems to be the easiest way for me. As for my newest layout, I wont be using a road bed. I’m going to take a chance and try something new. Just keep it all at one level and see how that works…
Ballasting is my Waterloo, so far. I’'m an N scaler and have never had ballasting go well , particularly on the beveled part of the cork. Following all the rules, this last job looked
like my ballasting suffers from the mange! I’d appreciate
knowing the type of glue and ratio of glue, water and
detergent. Thank you.
I would like to have an article on ballasting n-scale track. I am having the same results as Richard Dillon.
I am an N-Scaler. I lay my ballast and smooth it over with a paint brush. Once it is set I spray the ballast with wet water (water mixed with a few drops of dish soap). Then I use elmers glue mixed with water and a bit of dish soap to glue it down. I use an eye dropper and drop the glue where I need it. So far this has worked very well. I try to get my glue mix to the consistency of milk. It is important to keep the ballast wet with wet water before you drop the glue.
I have more time than money and am interested in hand laying N gauge, but I never see any reference to it. How does one secure individual ties on this small scale?
I cut my cork from 1/8" thick sheets. This allows me to cut out the exact shapes of turnouts and crossings, too. For track, I cut it into strips of 0.4" width, using two strips alongside each other to make a full-width track bed. In the end, I sand it using 120 grade paper on my multitool.
I’m glad to see Eric mention Homasote. I’ve been usiong it for 40 years (with a 20 year break). Homasote is 1/2-inch thick, while cork is thinner, and cork is already sized to width, has the roadbed slant alreeady cut into the sides, while Homasote comes in 4 x 8-foot sheets, so you have to cut your own. Firest I cut the sheet to more manageable pieces, then lay the straight track secxtions on the Homasdote and draw lines marking the edges of the track ties plus a few millimeters. This has an advantage that for long straight runs of ytrack you can end up with few or no joints. Likewise with curves; lay them out, draw them and cut. Do the same with your turnouts. This is all easy if you dispense with an angle at the roadbed sides, which will present a problem when it comes to ballasting and scenery. I have a bandsaw which makes it easy to cut the straights and curves incorporating the roadbed angle for sloped ballasting.
A good article but a bit brief. I had good luck with my N scale cork and flex track. The packaged cork comes in strips perferated down the middle. That cut down the center is cut on an angle, so that is actually the outside of the roadbed. I pull the cork in half, and then using a sanding block with 100 grit, I smooth the edge with a nice angle on it. Draw your track centerline onto the subroadbed with a Sharpie marker, and then glue each half of the cork along the line. I find it easier to run the inside of the curve first, using regular full strength wood glue. Foam Tack from WS is great for gluing cork to foam board. Spread the glue out on the back of the cork, press it in place and draw it around the curves, keeping it flat, and securing it with tacks, nails, or pins until the glue dries. Then it is easy to come back and wrap the second half of the cork around the outside of the curves and secure the same way. Once the glue is dry, pull out the pins and sand the top smooth with a sanding block, and it’s ready for track! At intersections where turnouts go, follow the outside of the centerlines first, and then cut the inside pieces of cork to fit in the triangle in the center, and a turnout should fit right over the location without any special pieces needed.
Ballasting is another story, I’ll let you know when I get good enough at that! But, I do prefer using a Matt Medium instead of mixed white glue.
Where’s a good place to purchase bulk track and roadbed…?Great article for a beginer…!
I’m a HO Scale modeler just getting in to it , A lot of the rolling stock say 18 to 22" radius , I’m wondering how do you find these radiuses I really like to find 22" radius Thanks for the help .
M B Klein, or ModelTrainStuff, is a good place with the best prices
I found that a clear lite coat of varinish on the base board will help control expansion and contraction due to humidity and moisture. But still need small .020 gaps help with track expansion. I plan to lay my track on two inch stiroform under the cork roadbed. I have seen this done so as to create more scenery by cutting out some stiroform and planting trees. Bill in York PA
Where can bulk flex track and cork roadbed be purchased?