I use atlas code 83 flex track and I am planning to attach the cork to the ply wood with glue and also the track to the kork with glue. What are the pros and cons of this method?
I use cheap LATEX caulk, not glue. Use a thin layer so it does not squeeze up in the ties. It goes down easy, gives time for adjustment, and comes up easy if adjustments or changes are made later. I do not put it under turnouts any more, I gummed up some points and that was a BIG problem.
I DECURE the cork first with a Photographic mount in a spray can, then press into place. This also allows repostioning and floats turnouts.
I ‘Nail’ or ‘Spike’ the track to the cork for the same reason, plus I’ve always done in that way. Most flextrack has holes. If not,a pin vise with small drill bit makes them
I glue the cork in place using yellow carpenter’s glue - 2" nails are tacked through to the plywood roadbed to hold it in place while the glue dries, and are then removed. After using some coarse sandpaper on a sanding block, to even out any irregularities, the flextrack is spiked into place. If you don’t like the appearance of the nails, they can be removed after the track has been ballasted. The nails allow you to easily adjust track alignment before ballasting, and it’s not too difficult to alter small areas of the cork either. After the track was in place, I soldered all of the railjoiners, then cut electrical gaps where required.
Wayne
I think that is the method most people use today. As I recall the main arguments in favor are: there are no nails to transmit the vibration (aka noise) directly from the track into the sub-roadbed, there is no chance of messing up the gauge of the track by nailing in too far, looks better because one doesn’t have nail heads showing all over the place. The arguments for nails are: that it is easier to change track (just pull up the nails and move), nails aren’t as messy, and some glues get brittle over time (like elmer’s) and the track will just fall off (learned that one the hard way).
Of course if one things about it, if one uses ballast the track gets glued down at that time anyway…
I use mat-medium for an adhesive. I used to like it because it besides not getting brittle it was fairly easy to re-wet and take up. I have recently learned that after it cures for 10 years or so it is really tough stuff to remove. I soaked a section of track for a couple hours and still had to use a putty knife to pry it off the roadbed.
I like the latex caulk method that Art mentioned. The caulk grabs the track quickly enough that I usually don’t need pins or nails to hold track in line. Among other advantages, I find it’s easier to lay really straight track this way because there are no nails or spike to push track out of line.
As Art said, it’s important to spread the adhesive caulk really thin. I do glue turnouts in place but don’t have any trouble because I don’t use enough adhesive to have any oozing up onto switch points or other moving parts. I do make sure not to apply any caulk under the headblocks (long switch ties) and switch rods (“throw bars”). In fact, I usually drill a hole or cut a slot in the roadbed under the switch rod anyway, so I can install a switch motor later if I want to. I show some examples of all this on pages 34 and 35 of my book, “The Model Railroader’s Guide to Freight Yards.”
So long,
Andy
I put my cork down with a pneumatic brad nailer with 3/4" brads. This took less than 20 minutes on my 4x8 once the track center lines were drawn. It would have bee about 7 minutes if the switches didn’t have to be “cut in”. This is a double loop with a crossover and a lead going to a tt and 2 extra sidings. The flextrack was then nailed by hand using small brads in the predrilled holes in the track. I dont nail down my switches - they “float” - I nail 2 or 3" away from each track going to a switch. My [2c]
I’ll think of these ideas. Because I’m modeling the Columbia River Gorge the mainline needs to be elevated so I think I am going to build the track up with two layers of cork. I’ll keep you posted. Thanks for the advice.
OLD SCHOOL![:D] It seems like most folks forgot you can use track nails when laying on wood.
Loathar, who you callin’ old!![swg]