PERMANENT KATO HO LAYOUT OUT THERE ?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

HI THERE

Is there anyone that has a permanent HO KATO TRACK LAYOUT?

How did or did you secure the track to the board/foam ?

Thanks in advance!

Bill in Wauwatosa, WI

2

I use Kato HO track and I just used a little latex caulk to secure it. You don’t need much.

CN Charlie

3

Don’t bother to stick it down. I just lay it on top of the scenery. Much more flexible if you do want to make any changes in the layout plan or to replace a piece of track.[:)]

Paul

4

We used latex caulk on our Black River Junction layout. That series is available in our newest special issue, How To Build A Model Railroad:

http://www.kalmbachstore.com/mr3121101.html

Thanks for reading MR,

Terry

5

Bill,

I have a permanent (inasmuch as ANY layout is permanent) layout in N scale using Kato track. I like its reliability.

I adhered the track to the Homasote baseboard with spots of latex caulk and weighted it down until it set. Don’t use the caulk underneath the turnouts, as it may foul the machinery and also make it impossible to lift the turnout in case you want to change the electrical routing settings. I have tried both soldered and unsoldered rail connections and tend now to leave the rail connectors unsoldered; they are quite secure without it. I do run a number of electrical feed points from a main bus to ensure good current flow throughout.

Incidentally, you can improve the appearance of Kato track immensely with a wash of thinned black acrylic paint to tone down that gray plastic base. Ballasting is even better, but takes much more time.

– Tom

6

I’m using HO Unitrack. I used Woodland Scenics hot glue in a couple of spots on a curve, but othersise haven’t fastened the track down yet. Eventually I’ll probably add ballast along the outside of the plastic ballast and fasten that down with matte medium, which should be enough to hold the track in place…although the track really doesn’t move in normal use, only if you bump the track or something.

7

THANKS EVERYONE

I like the Idea of hot glue on the curves.

8

I drilled out the nail holes from the bottom of some of the sections, then inserted 1" flat head brads. These brads served as anchors to the 2" foam. Worked well for several years until I elected to re-do the layout with cork and Micer Engineering Code 70.

9

I used small dots of hot glue. It’s easy to apply, easy to remove, and hold the track in place.

Dan