(is that a word?) part of MR, Whenever I start a project I cringe at the thought of laying track, nothing ever seems to go right, ever, I would rather build all the support structure out of 2x4’s and plywood rather than lay one piece of track, am I the only one? I want to get on with buildings and scenery and doing “real stuff”- - - Is anyone else of the same thought?
Another query: do most people nail or glue track? what happens when glued track has to be moved/?is it salvageble, it must make quite a mess when ripping it out, especially with the new super glues.
i suspect most of us dislike certain parts , I really do not like wiring the track , i hate climbing under the layout to do this and I hate soldering the wires and track, yuk. But I love scenery and scratch building and watching the trains run thru what I have made ,
I myself nail the track, been doing it this way forever so I stick with what I am comfortable with. This is not to say glueing is better or worse , but as I operate the layout i find things I want to change and removing nails is ez.
Haste makes waste. The “real stuff” IS “bulletproof track work”. If you don’t have good trackwork, then all the buildings and scenery in the world won’t help you run the trains!!! If you temporarily lay and check your trackwork thoroughly BEFORE making it permanent you should little problems!!
Since I used extruded foam over open gridwork frame, I used latex caulk to fasten track. Others favor caulk as a “glue” to hold down track. It is easy to pry up and track is generally salvagable. If I were you, I’d opt for this method.
Some people will nail track, but foam doesn’t hold the nails well. Nails can be pried loose too.
Glue can work great to hold down track, and some have had some luck soaking it with water to get it loose to pry up. But generally track may be ruined.
One thing I see done a lot now is to glue the track with a thin layer of caulk. Not enough to come up through the ties but enough to give the track something to stick to. When it comes time to pull it up just run a putty knife under the track and it comes up easily.
I detest doing the wiring but as they say, it’s a dirty job but somebody has to it. All I have to see is get somebody in here to do it so I can have something to laugh about.
The biggest problem I see when looking at other modelers that complain of not being able to lay track or having the unfortunate experience of operating on a layout that the trackwork is less than it could be is -
The layout owner does not understand that having a flat surface to lay the track on is the first thing needed!
It is amazing how many built the sub base out of a bunch of disconnected scrap and not one of the pieces are solidly mounted let alone level from one to another.
I use the old standby of Homasote on OSB sub-base and while the quality control of Homasote is NOT what it used to be at least it is a lot better than having a bunch of little pieces.
When there are variations between pieces - I actually use a wood rasp and grind down the high piece until it is level with the next piece.
Now laying track - when two pieces come together it is amazing the kinks layout owners leave.
They state - Well the trains don’t derail (much) so it is OK!
I get down and site each rail joint on my layout and if it isn’t right then I relay the track until it is.
I use the 12" long Ribbon Rail track alignment tools to make sure the track is straight or the Radious Tools to make sure the curves are right.
But when I am done the trains stay on the track and the trackwork looks smooth and flowing!
Once you get into a habit of building the base right and taking the time to make sure the track is right - it soon becomes fun to add onto your layout!
Time consuming is using contact cement to secure my Redwood ties, too often the use of traditional glues has resulted in the ties lifting during the wet ballast stage, I also apply a thin coat of Polybond to the bottom of each code 83 rail and once the rail is spiked down, heat the rail with the soldering iron to reactivate the adheasive for a firm bond to the ties, that is after i’ve set a couple thousand etched tie plates!
Luckily by doing indoor large scale, trackwork is pretty well idiot-proof [D)]
Wiring can be a headache but on my current layout I’m using good ol’ fashion Atlas block controls, even used an Atlas controller to wire a reversing wye. As long as you can figure out the sometimes cryptic diagrams it’s all doable.
I used to say doing scenery was the worst part I looked forward to, but now having 3 or 4 layouts under my belt I am alot more comfortable doing it.
I would say nowadays its looking forward to having to scratchbuild almost all of the buildings on my new layout, which in 1/22.5 scale can be VERY large indeed! It can be intimidating. The lack of alot of commercially available items common to the smaller scales is another largley unenjoyable task in LS, one has to scrounge, adapt, or fabricate alot of stuff the smaller scale guys can just go to the LHS or order online.
My personal preference for the present layout is to secure plastic-tie flex and the wooden ties for hand-laid specialwork with grey latex caulk. When changes have become necessary, the track lifted easily with the assistance of a drywall knife.
When preparing for tracklaying, do as the prototype does - stabilize the right-of-way FIRST. Having a level (or appropriately superelevated) subgrade and smooth tracklaying surface is essential to good trackwork - and good trackwork is the cornerstone of a happy model railroading experience.
I can’t say that I find any part of layout building unenjoyable. With trackwork, I pre-lay everything and take the time to get it right before anchoring it for the ages. Even floppy old Atlas flex can be pre-bent to hold a desired curve, and a good straightedge does wonders for making tangents truly tangent. One trick I use is to mark the curve along the tie lines (radius plus or minus tie length/2) so the reference line doesn’t vanish when caulk is applied. Also, there are templates available, or the modeler can make his/her own.
Good trackwork is only one facet of a good layout. Bad trackwork will ruin the fun of any layout.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with, hopefully, bulletproof trackwork)
There’s always something not to like when it comes to a hobby.
As far as adhering down track, three simple words: Acrylic latex caulk. You can find it at your local hardware or home improvement store and it’s only $2/tube. I’ve been using DAP and have been VERY happy with the results.
What you want to do is to lay a thin layer of it with a putty knife and lay your track on top; pressing mildly to “seat it” in place. (You have about 45 working minutes of working time before it starts to cure.) Once I have the track properly aligned, I lay bricks on top and let it cure for 24 hours.
If I ever need to pull up any track latter on, I broad putty knife does the trick. I also use the same caulk for adhering the cork to the layout base. Works great on foam, too.
You are not the only one when it comes to not enjoying laying track. I enjoy the basic track-laying (strait, or curved track on an even grade) but add a grade, or an un-even bridge (in my case) and my enthusiasm is not too good (that explains why work on my layout stalled about 2 months ago)
I glue my track down with regular (cheep) window caulk, which has worked out pretty good so far. I don’t know about salvaging, but I believe it should be fairly easy, and if you do it carefully, you can avoid damaging the track.
I don’t know how easy it would be to move it, though
For me the building of the benchwork and laying of the track goes really fast. I am pretty good woodwork, and for me laying track is not that difficult… but that is just me. As for how I secure the track that is going to depend on what my subroad is. If I am working on foam then I glue the track down. I personally use full strength elmers white glue (blue label) and a bunch of thumb tacks to hold the track in place until it dries. This way if I ever have to pull up track later all I have to do is get it wet and let the water soak in a little and the track pulls right up. Even if there is balast down getting the track wet will release the balast as well (again balast is set with 50/50 elmers/water). If I am laying track on wood then I forgo the glue and use only track nails. This is my favorite method since it holds the track more secure and makes pulling up track extremely simple, and repairs or adjustments also come really easy. My kryptonite is ballasting the track… It is not that it is a difficult task but I have ADD so doing something that takes a while with little progress can get really hard for me to stay on task. This problem also comes up when I have 20+ windows to paint on a structure!! I have to deal with it as best as I can but doing
I’m in the solid benchwork group. I level from one piece to the next either by rasping / sanding the high side or building up the low side - whichever seems to be needed to make it smooth. I also go over my cork roadbed with a surform tool to make sure everything is smooth especially at the joints. When I lay the track, I sight down the rail for kinks or other problems and I run my finger over the joints then I test run a locomotive and cars. If anything isn’t right I fix before going on - even if it mean pulling up the track and redoing it.
I nail the track with track nails long enough to go into the plywood underneath the cork. I predrill the holes slightly smaller than the nail for a press fit. I had track done this way on one layout for over 15 years with no problems.
Solid trackwork on solid benchwork is vital, Good wiring comes next, I don’t dislike wiring, but it’s my least favorite part. Again I test as I go making sure everything works 100% correctly before going on.
Hmmmm, I cannot think of my least favorite part of MR. To me the track is the “real stuff”. Without good track work all the good benchwork or scenery in the world are rather moot. I’ve seen many a good scene ruined because people constantly had to lean across it to re-rail equipment or even rebuild a section of track. Least favorite, least favorite, I think that I like everything. Maybe it will come to me in my sleep. AH! Ah! maybe my least favorit part is cleaning up after a building session (saw dust, metal filings and all) or after an operating session (foot tracks, cookie crumbs, pie plates, aluminum cans…).
I am in the track gluing camp. How easy it is to be moved depends on the glue. I use matt medium that can be soaked loose if it needs to. I tried the silicon caulk once and had to take some track up. Unless there is a trick I have not heard yet, I found it hard to take up and made a big mess. I no longer use Elmer’s type white or carpenter’s glue because it gets brittle and eventually shatters.
I have never tried a super-glue type (cryno-adhesive?) for track. I would think it would be very expensive.
I like all parts of the hobby and try to do the best that I can. My track work is very smooth and level with no derailments or cars coming uncoupled as they roll down the track. I test my track work with some cars and a loco, if the train runs forward and reversed at a high speed with no problems then I’ve done a good job. After 3 years of building and track work of over 1600 feet of flex track I have a club sized layout in my basement and we are able to run trains without any problems. Patience is # 1 tool for this hobby, walk away for a while if it begins to be a job. Just my 2 cents as they say, enjoy the hobby and not let it become something you begin to despise and put off finishing, Jim.
I glue mine down with Acrylic Latex caulk - the kind that dries clear. I put down a very thin layer so if I need to get it up, it can be pried loose with a putty knife. My least favorite jobs? Ballasting and wiring. Both are time consuming and become four beer jobs.
Lot’s of thoughts, I will share this. My Santa Fe in Oklahoma is a fairly large 3 deck layout. Except for a few stretches of handlaid rail on wooden ties mainline, the layout is flex track. Much of this track was laid in 1983-1984. I put the flex down on the roadbed (homabed) and secured it with small track spikes on either side of the rails. I then applied ballast after a period of test running, and secured the ballast with a mixture of water/diluted white glue. I have found this holds very well, yet is simple to take up for any changes or rebuilding. Oh, the small spikes are reclaimed for the next trackproject after the watered glue has dried and the track is tested. Works for me, I make no claim for anyone else’s layout.
I might comment that not most spikes are not removed if they are “covered” with the ballast, but come up easily for any changes.