Mixing flex track with handlaid turnouts?

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

I have a layout with a lot of flex track and commercial turnouts. However I am working on a new section where the turnouts need to be slightly curved and so commercial turnouts won’t fit. I was also thinking of using this section to qualify for the MMR tracklaying certificate. Will it look strange to mix the different types of track? I also need to figure out what roadbed I should use that will hold spikes. I had been using pink foam with AMI instant roadbed or Woodland Scenics foam on top for roadbed for the flex track. Would it work to use soft thin pine strips instead of the instant roadbed on top of the pink foam for the handlaid track?

Thanks,

Bruce

2

To me, the handlaid system from Fast Tracks fits quite well with my Code 100 Atlas flextrack. They seem to mate up well, no height disparity issues. I used the Code 100 rail in my jigs, and they are indistinguishable from the Atlas flex when all is said and weathered nicely.

3

Woorking in what will be hidden staging and thoroughfare track, I have been mixing hand-laid specialwork with Atlas code 100 flex, frequently stripping ties off the flex and spreading the rails, then building the rest a turnout on wood ties between and under them. If the stock rails are long enough, they might end up having lengths of flex-track ties reinstalled (I’m careful not to break the plastic ‘spikes’ as I slide the ties off the end of the flex track.) The flex track does have to be shimmed up to match the rail base height on my wood ties.

Working down from the top, my structure consists of rails, 1/8 inch medium balsa ties, a layer of grey latex caulk, a cardstock template exactly the dimensions of the turnout ties, another layer of caulk, a layer of thin foam (fan-fold underlayment) and the cookie-cut plywood subgrade. Using thin-shank spikes, that seems to hold about as well as driving them into soft pine. The rubbery caulk seems to grab the spikes and hold them down, while the ties and (especially) the cardstock provide lateral stability.

My oldest ‘new’ specialwork has gone through a complete cycle of seasons now, and is still performing flawlessly. (To put that in perspective, the layout space is NOT climate controlled, will be below freezing at dawn tomorrow and can easily top 115F in mid-August.) Since I run trains almost daily, any problem would be easy to detect.

Hope this has been helpful.

Chhuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

4

[quote user=“tomikawaTT”]

Woorking in what will be hidden staging and thoroughfare track, I have been mixing hand-laid specialwork with Atlas code 100 flex, frequently stripping ties off the flex and spreading the rails, then building the rest a turnout on wood ties between and under them. If the stock rails are long enough, they might end up having lengths of flex-track ties reinstalled (I’m careful not to break the plastic ‘spikes’ as I slide the ties off the end of the flex track.) The flex track does have to be shimmed up to match the rail base height on my wood ties.

Working down from the top, my structure consists of rails, 1/8 inch medium balsa ties, a layer of grey latex caulk, a cardstock template exactly the dimensions of the turnout ties, another layer of caulk, a layer of thin foam (fan-fold underlayment) and the cookie-cut plywood subgrade. Using thin-shank spikes, that seems to hold about as well as driving them into soft pine. The rubbery caulk seems to grab the spikes and hold them down, while the ties and (especially) the cardstock provide lateral stability.

My oldest ‘new’ specialwork has gone through a complete cycle of seasons now, and is still performing flawlessly. (To put that in perspective, the layout space is NOT climate controlled, will be below freezing at dawn tomorrow and can easily top 115F in mid-August.) Since I run trains almost daily, any problem would be easy to detect.

Hope this has been helpful.

Chhuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

Thanks, tomikawaTT, that was a very good description of how you do these handlaid turnouts with flex track. I have not been brave enough to tackle handlaid track, let alone turnouts but my free-lanced Toledo Erie Central, a small switching layout, has some rather tight places where I am considering replacing the commercial (code 100) turnouts with hand-laid, to accommodate the need for the sequencing of turnouts in a much closer fas

5

I don’t think there’ll be a problem with mixing hand laid track with flex. However I would recommend using homasote roadbed. Homabed is a brand that comes to mind. I think you’d only need it where you want to build your turnouts. The reason I recommend homabed is that it holds spikes really well but is still relatively easy to drive spikes into. If you decide to go to wood I’d recommend BASSWOOD. You can get it at the LHS or somewhere like Michaels in 3/16" thickness and it will hold spikes. It is also pretty uniform in hardness as opposed to pine which has hard veins in it that will always be where you need to drive spikes. I’ve looked at the fast tracks stuff but I thought the cost of the jigs was prohibitive for just a few turnouts. Just buying the frog jig might be the way to go. If I were building a new layout I would definitely consider the Fast track system. I’m so sick of my steamers stalling on the Atlas turnouts. If I keep this layout I may start replacing them all with handlaid live frog turnouts.

6

[#ditto][#ditto][#ditto] What he said…

7

Thanks for the help. I think I will look into the Central Valley tie kits as I can curve them and the plastic tie detail should match the flextrack ties and other commercial turnouts.

Bruce