Hi, I am brand new to railroading and getting ready to set up my first track and I was hoping to get help with just a few more questions.
I have decided to use the super-flex track from atlas and have a couple questions for anyone familiar with it.
Do I need to create a roadbed underneath the track? What is the purpose of roadbed under the track (does it help the train move better on the track?)? Also, if needed, what is the best thing to use for roadbed?
What is the best way to attach the super-flex track to my train table?Are their any other tips or tricks to using the super flex track that you could give me, which could be helpful.
Also on another subject: Does anyone know of any good books out their on making winter or snow scenery around my train. Also, should I create a regular scene and just sprinkle snow on top or is their a better way? What are the best snow/ice winter products?
Any help for one or all the questions would be wonderful. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
No you don’t “need” a roadbed. It does however add to the realism especially on main line tracakge.
I’m in the process of building my own layout. I’m using Atlas track nails to fasten down the road bed and then using track nails again to fasten down the track. I know some people glue down the road bed and/or use “spikes” for the track while others spike the track down and then remove the spikes once they have a good hold on the track using glued down ballast. There is no real wrong way to do this and nearly everyone one is going to have an opinion on it. Do what you want and what works best for you.
I don’t know of any books off hand. Most of my research is done online and I get a lot of information passed on to me through my model railroad friends and by other hobbyists.
On a model railroad, roadbed serves three purposes:
It duplicates the look of trackage on full-scale railroads, where main and major tracks are raised and laid in deep ballast to facilitate drainage in places that get significant precipitation, while lesser trackage gets less attention.
It serves to deaden sound.
It helps to flatten out irregularities in whatever is under it.
It can be nailed down (but, please, not with roofing nails!) glued down (with glue that won’t attack the materials being glued) or pasted down with latex caulk. My money goes on caulk, but others disagree.
Atlas super-flex can be fastened down the same way(s) as roadbed, or it can be laid directly on a tabletop - quite accurate, if you’re modeling only yard and industrial low-speed track.
Just a few useful tricks that will help you to get the most out of Atlas flex.
Lay tangent (straight) track against something straight, like a carpenter’s level or thick straightedge.
Pre-curve the rails being laid on curves, especially for the last 100mm or so at the ends of a length of flex.
Keep the sliding rail on the inside of curves, and offset the rail joints.
Use a small file to de-burr EVERY rail end. Then take a little wedge off the top inside corner.
Just those actions will drastically reduce trackwork-related derailments.
Above all, take the time to make your trackwork as close to perfect as you can. Nobody gives prizes for laying X scale miles of track a day. Being able to operate without derailments is its own prize.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - on Atlas flex with hand-laid secialwork)
No, you do not need roadbed for your trains to run smoothly. It helps to raise the track off of the table to give the appearance of a raised main line after you apply ballast. On my layout, I have areas that sit on roadbed, and other areas that sit directly on the table, depending upon the look I want.
For roadbed, I have both a cork product and a black foam product, they both perform about the same. Others have used something called camper tape, which some like for various reasons. Honestly, I think its all about the same.
You can use nails or some type of adhesive. If you use adhesive, you will need some way to hold the track in place, especialy on a curve, so it wont shift before the adhesive dries. I have never nailed the track as a method, but I have used either white glue or latex caulk as an adhesive. I prefer the white glue, since I can’t seem to spread the caulk out without making a mess. I dilute the white glue heavily and dribble a thin bead along the center of the ties, avoiding the moving parts of any switch tracks. Lay some soup cans along the track and let it dry overnight. It doesn’t take much glue at all for the track to be solid. if you ever need to take up the track, just spritz it with water, and the white glue will tend to dissolve after a short time and you can lift the track easily.
Also, as far a flex track in general, if you use more than one piece of flex track for making a curve, you should solder the rail joiners so the joint won’t kink The superflex product will tend to want to spring back straight. You can probably use really tight joiners alone but they could work loose over time. IMO, large sweeping curves of 24 inch radius or smaller can just as easily be made with sectional track.
Some good advise above. I use cheap latex caulk to hold down both cork and track. A few additions. When you glue your track on the cork use T pins to hold your curves in place while the caulk dries. Place some weight on the track, books, paint cans, bricks, something to hold it down until the caulk dries. Run your trains for awhile before ballasting to be sure your trackwork is good.
As for winter modeling. There have been some threads on it here in the forums and some articles in model magazines. To find the threads go to the right hand column and down to the Search our community box and search for snow or winter. For articles go to the light gray line at the top of the page, click on Resources, then Magazine Index. The biggest rub I have heard against winter modeling is keeping it clean.
1} a road bed is not necessary. It serves to deaden the sound some and to create a realistic prototype profile look. It can also help to mitigate irregularities in your layout baseboard of extruded foam base. Some are staunch users of cork road bed, others of Woodland Scenics {WS} foam roadbed. The cork can dry out and become brittle with age. Others use different materials all together. I favor the WS foam as in here:
Also you will want to solder the rail ends on curved sections particularly. Every length of 3’ flex you might want feeder wires, and beware that while you can flex it in a wavy shape, avoid anything that looks like an “S” curve, as they only serve to cause consternation as they are d
In HO 15R" is as tight a curve as is generally useable. 18R" curves are better. I have a very small layout with a 15R" oval that I am trying desperately to get out of. 15R" curves are really too tight for anything but smaller engines and no more than 40 scale foot RR cars. even 18R" is to tight for the newer longer engines. GP diesels { 4 axle} and small steam do ok, but even SD’s{six axles} don’t really like 18R" curves. You may find yourself far less than happy with 15R" curves.
SO I would recommend you not go lower than 18R" curves. The bigger the radius curve you can afford space for, the better. Atlas makes several size radius curves in sectional track if you don’t wnat to try to tackle creating your own curves with flex track just yet.
Here is a listing of various Atlas track sectionals and flex lengths for code 83 available here:
I believe there is a better variety of the code 83 available, and is more preferred among many HO modelers.
When I glue something down like track, I use T pins or Bead top pins {available in fabric sections or in fabric/craft stores} to hold in place an put small ziplock bags full of play sand on top to weight down the track or foam I glue down. The bags come in handy! A big bag of&n
Not Galaxy (although I write about it, currently circa 3596.)
I have torqued Atlas 16.5mm gauge (HO) flex down to 200mm (under 8 inch) radius on a test spiral, and operate trains over 350mm (under 14 inch) radius - BUT, only with short cars, very small teakettle steamers and one larger steam loco which was designed to operate on even tighter curves.
Minimum radius for Atlas flex is set by the minimum radius of the rolling stock running on it. Most of my roster is embargoed from that super-tight radius line, because those long Japan National Railways passenger cars, container flats and auto racks are actively unhappy on anything less than 610mm (24 inch) radius. The same is true for my catenary motors with long 6-driver per frame articulation, and for motors and diesel-hydraulic locos with center trucks that move laterally on curves. That’s why my Class 0 (national monopoly) connection has a designed minimum radius of 610mm and generous spiral easements.
If at all possible, build to the widest radius you can. Your (future) Big Boy, humonguboxcars and auto racks will thank you.
Thank You chuck for replying. I didn’t really understand everything you said their, it was almost like a foreign language to me being new to model railroading, but I catch that it possible to do a narrower radius if the conditions are just right. Thank you.
Personally, I prefer caulk to hold down both the roadbed and the track. I USED to glue my track down with white glue. Then, when I ballasted the flex track on curves, the wet water I presoaked my ballast would also dissolve the glue that held the track in place, allowing it to shift. You only need enough caulk to hold the track in place. I run a bead about 1/8" inch wide, then spread it with a 1" putty knife. You want to be able to press the track down into it, but not so thick that the caulk oozes up between the ties. I use cork roadbed and have found that plastic push pins work real well to hold the track in place.
Thank you everyone for all your feedback and information. It sounds like the caulk is the best way to attach the track down. Thank You So much for all your replies!