I’m ready to install Micro Engineering bridge track on my newly built bridge. My question is, how do I make the guard rails for the bridge track. The extra rails are included with the track. It looks like I just cut the extra rails to length, bend them at the ends, and glue them down between the rails. Is it that simple or am I missing something here?
NOPE!
Yes, it’s that simple, and No, you’re not missing anything.
I use Super Glue. Also be sure the ends don’t touch, or you might cause a short if the backs of wheels touch the guard rails.
[#ditto]
I agree, although you could use any glue, like Goop, Weld Bond, CA, some caulking, and perhaps one or two others that would do a decent job of keeping them in place and functional in the event of a derailment.
Bend the ends inward, towards each other, in a nice curve, and fix them so that they don’t actually touch. In my case, on my trestle, and because I have walked over several of them observing this, the tops of the rails, where they curve, actually get filed a bit so that an impacting wheel would ride up on it as it would a properly formed safety curvb on the median of a boulevard. So, nice curve, file the ends so that there is a bit of a taper, but also champher the outer corner so that flanges will be diverted back toward their proper rails, or at least to run in the channel created by the adjacent sets of rails.
Pliobond has worked the best for me for attaching the flex to the girders. It’s a rubber cement that’s applied like standard contact cement. Just brush on both mating surfaces, let dry and set and weight down. I really like the strong bond yet remains slightly flexable. Great for all the years of use and abuse.
Before glueing the track, position and secure the guard timbers w/ CA, and of course as mentioned by all others CA the guard rails. It is much easier to do these steps on the bench than on the layout.
Thanks everyone - sounds easy enough. I will have a chance to try and install it this weekend.
The one thing I learned was to do ALL the bending before you glue anything down. All the pieces should lay exactly right by themselves, then glue.