I was just wondering if anyone has ever tried to recreate the undulations common to spur/branchline trackage that isn’t maintained as well as it should. I think there was a question in an MR a few years back, but i can’t remember which one. I think they recommended adding styrene shims under random ties to create an uneven surface. I don’t think it said how to create “low joints”, though. I would assume that one can’t make the trackage too uneven, as derailments can occur. Does anyone have a photo of their branchline tracks?
One of the layouts featured in MR during this decade was a poverty-stricken New England shortline. The trackage was full of kinks, humps and hollows.
The only occasion I’m likely to have to model really sorry trackwork will be if I ever model one of the temporary logging branches of the 762mm gauge Kashimoto Forest Railway. The prototype (Kiso Rintetsu) built that class of trackwork on temporary trestlework assembled from slash picked up around the site, frequently with the bark still on it. Quite a contrast to the main stem, which was built like the Norfolk and Western!
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Mike Confalone’s HO scale Hardwick & Woodbury Division which was featured in Model Railroad Planning 2007 features such track, and is what I would consider your typical low on cash, lack of maintenance New England short line. I can’t recall where my copy of MRP 2007 is at the moment but I believe the article described how he made his track look in a state of disrepair yet functional.
There was a guy who did a lot of articles in RMC, can’t think of his name, modeled a freelance line called the “Jersey Western”. He distressed some of his track.
Dave H.
Do you mean on purpose or by accident??[:-^]
Advice: Don’t get “sloppy” around and at track switches.
Mark
2007 layout planning. Cody Grivno. .010 shim under one rail. Alternate rail but space the shims so the car can recover before the next shim.
Couldn’t you just sand down some of the ties to create this same effect, allowing a subtler, yet still noticeable effect?
i would think that most track will have some undulations anyway, and thus making the track lower than the mainline and with wider-spaced ties would suffice enough.
I had used shims on a previous layout but I never totally happy with the way it operated , but it does look neat watching a train rock back forth .
What is simpler… sanding a bunch of ties or installing ONE tiny 010 shim under ONE tie ?.. All you want is a slight wobble, not derailing.
I like to make the spur tracks on my Bear Creek and South Jackson kind of lumpy. I glue some ties down longitudinally then sand them down to make transistions from the plain roadbed to the heights of the lumps.
Because real track doesn’t tend to get pushed upward its best to use lots of ties and sand hard in the places where the track should droop. To get the rolling stock to waddle a bit going down this track use the tie/shims under one rail and not the other in places.
Don’t get carried away with this when near curves as this can allow a loco to lift a wheel high enough for the flange to clear the railhead and then you get a derailment. Also be aware that locos have different tolerances for track like this. Kato locos, while running beautifully on regular track have “stiff” lateral play in their trucks and are very sensitive to side to side lumpiness in track. They’ll even derail if you get aggressive with superelevation if you don’t use generous easements into the super elevation.
Here’s a picture of the team track and engine service tracks in Redland which are a bit lumpy.
More pix here.
To further the effect of light weight, poorly maintained track, unevenly snip the ends off the ties with flush cutting nippers and use code 55 track (in HO). Since this track usually has fewer ties (as well as a hodge podge of type lengths) snip out every 7th tie or so and spread the others to fill in the gaps.
Here’s a picture of the Oakhill gravel track which is also quite lumpy (although it’s not so obvious here). With any luck the cars will dip and sway going on the track so much that watching a video of the operation will leave you a bit sea sick.
[img]http://s145079212.onlinehome.us/rr/operations/bcsj3_ops/ops_080112/pix/20070112_bcsjo