This is my first medium sized switching addition to a simple layout. I am an advanced beginner who adapted the “New Industry Connecting RR” from 101 Track Plans to serve as an end loop on the mainline with the yard in the center. I have the cork roadbed for the main line on the rest of the layout. Question #1 is, since the end loop has the yard in the middle (with about 14 turnouts), should I switch to a full sheet of homosote (or foam)? Question #2 is, when using turnouts with tortises, is it better to nail to the homosote or glue to the foam?
Welcome to the forum, Skull Valley,
I would use homasote, because that’s what I use. It is much easier for me to pull track nails and roadbed from homasote than glued down on foam. Been there done that on only a 3 foot section of foam. Never again.
Question 2. Having never used tortise machines, I can’t answer. If I can reach my turnouts I use Caboose throws. Otherwise I use Atlas machines.
Hope this helps a little bit.
Archie
I am kind of with Archie. I like to glue track so I use foam or plywood. If you want to use track nails, homosote is the way to go. I have some tortoise in foam, but will not use many more. I like caboose where I can reach and Humpyard levers for remote. I use DCC radio, so centralized location is not prefered. For a yard, the Humpyard would look really cool. That is what is planned for the yard in the future.
Skull,
My entire layout is 2" pink foam on top of 1X3 joists on top of conventional l-girder frame.
I have my end loop in much the same fashion. The yard (1 have 12 turnouts) is in the middle.
I cut rectangular pieces of clear acrylic (from Home depot) about 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches and mounted each tortoise first to the acrylic using small nuts, flat-head bolts and washers. I drilled holes and counter sunk them to match the hole pattern that Circuitron gives you with each tortoise.
Then I just routed out (dremel) where the switch was to go and cut a smaller square in the middle of the routed out area so that the tortoise would flush fit into the foam.
It looks great and is easy to do. Adjustments are easy because you are never under the table trying to screw in your tortoise. you can latex caulk the tortoise or not. Because I have flush fit them on the foam, they sit in their spots well and don’t move around. If you do use a latex caulk, you can always remove the tortoise fairly easily.
I don’t have experience with wood, homasote and that way of doing things but that method certainly has merits and lots of support.
But for me, I don’t really have too much room and facilities to do a lot of wood cutting. The foam is perfect for my needs.
-Northern_blues
thanks for the input.
thanks, switch machines in foam scare me. Geoff
Thanks for the response. If your yard is surrounded by mainline, would you use a caboose throw for your reachable turnouts? I am designing the operations for three freights and one passenger train. I like the idea of machines because the operator won’t have to reach across the mainline to throw a switch, but I am concerned about reliability.
I like the idea of pre-mounting the switches and mounting from the top, but wouldn’t you have to pull up the track for maintenance?
Also, I’m installing digitrax, so one hand is always holding the transmitter. Is it better to mount the toggle switches to the left side of the layout so the operator can stand in the middle, or is it better to have the toggles in the center area so that they’re accessible to one or two operators?
Geoff