Here’s a call for guidance from the experts. I’m getting ready to embark on a good sized new-track project. Here on the forum over the past many months, I’ve seen lots of comments about tips, tricks and secrets to success on laying trouble free track and I’ll be trying to remember them all as I work, but I thought it would be nice to hear as many tips as possible in one place.
Derailment-free pros out there… what’s your best advice for making track work right?
Here’s one - Make sure you clean up the ends of the rails, even the ones that are factory cut. This will get rid of any burrs that might “trip” the rolling stock. Most people use jewlers’ files, from what I hear, but I just keep a cutoff wheel in the old Dremel, and run it all around the rail end at lowest speed. On the inside and top surfaces of the rail head, I touch the side of the cutoff wheel to the track (very lightly so that the wheel doesn’t shatter). This puts a very slight chamfer on those corners.
Click this link for some info on track laying.
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=66040
Good tip, Mark. I’ll do it. And thanks for the link Jeffrey. Informative stuff. Anyone else?
For bullet proof track I go slow, test a lot and wait a week or so before I ballast and put in scenery etc in case I have to start over.
I lay the rails down one by one then let them dry overnight or even two days.This gives the glue time to not only set but cure.
I then sand the ties down lightly until they are all RULER level. I actually use my two foot construction level to ensure it is level and dead flat.
Then I lay out my rail. I do one rail first. I make sure it is secure then I do the other rail. I make my own gauges as i have found the NMRA one to be out by a scale one inch. Not much but it is out.
Anyhow so I lay the rails. On ALL curves I start it on a straight then I solder it to the next one until the curve is done to a maximum of three rails or 9 feet.
And all along I test test test.
Anyhow thats partly how I do it.
I hope that helps.
Oh yeah one more thing I found over the years. The difference between the amatuers and the pros was mostly the amount of time they put into each thing. Skill was always secondary.
Just take your time, don’t get frustrated, instead take a break.
And before you know it, it is done and people are asking you how you did it.
[:)]
There is some excellent advice in fsm1000’s post, above. (The others are most helpful, but I just wanted to add my support to the thinking in this particular post for the sake of comment…)
Even though flextrack, at least the Atlas Code 100 with which I am most familiar, is meant to curve, and to be joined on curves, it isn’t really fussy about it. In other words, it would prefer to remain straight…if you don’t mind. And that is where many of our troubles lie, in the laying and later in the running. If you don’t take your time (very important words there…) and get your roadbed placed well and groomed well, if you don’t get your rail ends aligned well, and fastened in such a way that they won’t spread out towards straight again due to tension, and ensure that both rails are very nearly in the same aspect relative to the axis of travel, you will be one unhappy fella.
I took the tip, I believe it was from Chuck Tomikawa, to use something that will remove metal safely and bevel the flange face and the top face of every single rail end, bar none, and for gosh sake do it on your faster curves on the main.
Avoid gaps longer than 1/8" like the plague. One sixteenth is far better. If you somehow end up with a gap between rails, especially when everything else about that section is sooooo great, consider filling it with carved styrene, epoxy, or solder. You could also just nip a few inches of track from that end and cut a better fitting one to insert in the gap.
Get down to eye-level like a four year-old boy, and cast a sober, critical eye on your rails. Do they curve nicely, or are kinks apparent from that viewing angle…kinks that are vertical in nature and/or horizontal? Your cars and locos will remind you of that area each time they pass, regardless of the direction.
Absolutely, yes, test often with a powered loco and your fussiest rolling stock. Don’t expect that any problems they encounter will be mitigated by the mere passage of time. I
Another thing you cando for flex track. I use to do this. Because I wire each piece of flex trax this made things easier for me.
I hand lay now though.
Anyhow, I would put the flex track on a table and glue a piece of plastic on one end of the rail.
I used ACC [crazy glue].
I then filed it down so it was the same shape, size etc as the rail. Then I glue the next piece of flex track to that.
Once done the two pieces became one and I could also, in the comfort of the table, relax and check the alignment with my finger etc.
While a bit delicate [you can’t just lift it up like one piece] it will still stay together while you spike it down and move as one piece. I use to find that helpful. I hope you do too.
[:)]
Run lots of trains after laying the track. Use a wide variety of locos and rolling stock. This will help find any weak areas.
Tom
fiat true.
You might also want to check to make sure that all of your rolling stocks wheels are in the proper gauge as well. That helps LOL
I use an NMRA gauge to check each piece of track before and after I put it down. Don’t take any chances, be extremely careful and your track work should be in good shape.
Soldering flextrack before bending and laying the curves, always use easements into turns, check for good fit on rail joiners for proper alignment, and allow for expansion/ contraction( rail gaps). If all this is followed and laid on sturdy subroadbed and flat roadbed you will have some reliable running track. Also for grades, don’t forget upeasings and overeasings to minimize any uncoupling problems.
Bob K.
Thanks for all the suggestions… good stuff. Keep 'em coming!