Hey guys
I want to mount my caboose hobbies ground throws it syas use nails or screws but my track is on woodland scenics foam roadbed what should I use. will latex caulk hold or will it pull up after using my switch alot.
Thanks
Jeremy
TO USE CABOOSE INDUSTRIES GROUND THROW’s you will need solid wood to sink nails into.
You will have to have a plywood sheet under the foam (cheapest) or all automatic switches.
Jeremy,
I have no idea of the dimensions of a CH ground throw but I’m thinking you could use either a dowel or a square of wood placed through the foam and attached to a strip of wood connecting between two joists beneath the turnout. Width and thickness would be dictated by the need.
Dave (dwRavenstar)
DAVE:
The Caboose ground throws reuire (wthout looking) 1 1/2" mounts - either square or dowel. They form a ‘cross’, The nails fall within that perimeter on both sides. As you noted, One would still need to anchor these to some form of sub ply .
part of my n scale layout is cork on plywood. i put a piece of cork where the switch throw was to go and put a dab of 5 min epoxy on the bottom of the throw and placed it in position with both points equally open until the glue set .then i put in some #2 rh x 1/2" brass screws. i had to make the holes in the bases bigger. the rest of my layout is cork on foam and i did the installation the same except for the screws. the epoxy is pretty strong and none have come off yet
I recently went through this, so I’ll relate what I did. These have only been installed a month or so, so I can’t guarantee that the method will hold up over a long period. But so far they seem to be okay. By the way, mine are in N scale.
My track is mounted on cork roadbed over a base of extruded foam. Like you, I discovered that mounting the ground throws was going to present a challenge.
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I first cut a small square/rectangle of cork roadbed slightly bigger than the base of the ground throw switch stand (maybe 1/4" bigger all around). I glued this down to the foam base using yellow carpenter’s glue, which is what I used for my roadbed also.
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It was necessary to slightly shim the ground throw to get it to the correct height. In my case I needed a piece of .010" styrene. I cut this just slightly larger than the ground throw base (maybe 1/8" all around). I glued this down to the square of cork roadbed using a thin coat of Walther’s Goo.
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I then glued the ground throw in position on top of the styrene shim, also using Walther’s Goo.
Like I say, time will tell if this will hold up to repeated use, but up to this point they seem to be pretty firm. I’d post photos, but right now my internet connection is running very slow, so uploading photos to RailImages isn’t a good option.
Regards
Ed
It is not so important that the ground throw be rigidly attached to the frame work, as it is that it be rigidly attached to the turnout…
I think Dave’s got the right idea. All you really need to do is carve out the foam where you want to mount the ground throw, then securely afix a small block of wood with caulk or white glue. Spikes or small screws should be enough to hold it in place. The forces are not that great that this needs to be tied to the structure.
You could even get away using a couple of small dowells, lined up with the holes, glued in to the foam, but don’t make them too small, or they might split out when you put the screws in. Pre drilling would prevent that.
I glued one to a small block of wood and another to cork to match the rail height, using liquid nails. No nails or screws. So far so good.
Foam seems to be the product of choice for roadbed material. Yet, these forums are very often on the subject of copius complaints with foam/cork. In my yard area, I use Caboose ground throws (N gauge “throws” for HO) fastened to Homasote (treated with Shelac) with Atlas #2540 track nails. To date there have been no problems. I don’t wi***o change the subject of this Topic. We all know that hindsight is 20/20, so there is no point in “whipping a dead horse.” However, foresight in choosing roadbed materials could save many problems “down the road.” Best of luck, Ted
My approach was similar to egmurphy’s. I use the Woodland Scenics roadbed. I made throw rods from piano wire (using 202S throws with Atlas turnouts) to offset the throw enough to clear the roadbed. I made shims from styrene, although the cork roadbed would be easier to cut. I also use Walther’s Goo to hold the throw to the shims and the shims to the layout base. Lastly, I paint the shims with PollyS concrete paint.
Doug
JeremyB,
We used Caboose Industries Ground Throws with the built-in single pole double throw switch to control the frog power. I found that I had to drill an extra mounting hole in the base, closer to the track, to adequately secure the ground throw, otherwise, it would not function properly. It needs to be on a solid base. Gluing a small block of wood in a hole in the foam sounds like a workable solution. Experiment with a couple on a small scrap piece before committing to do your whole layout (and then finding out that it doesn’t quite work like you wanted).
Good Luck.
Mark C.
Not here, Ted. I don’t use foam for anything if I can avoid it.
I use masonite spline for my roadbed and lay the flex track directly on it with gray latex caulk. 14 years and counting, with no problems!
In flat areas, I put 1/2" plasterwall board (sheetrock it’s sometimes called) over 1/2" plywood. I lay the flex track on the plaste wallboard with gray latex caulk.
Again, no complaints … don’t need no dirty stinkin’ foam! [:D]
Another material to consider is homasoate as it will hold nails very well. It could be used in place of the wood block or, for those who use it for raodbed, just an extension of the raodbed under the throws.