Can somebody tell me if I just lay the track on the railbed? What hold the track in place?
Joe, more information needed.
What sort of railbed? If you are laying track on a ballast bed on the ground just adding more ballast wil hold the track in place but you’ll need to upgrade your ballast a few times a year depending on your local climate.
If the railbed is raised on an artificial surface (wood, concrete etc) you can nail or screw the track down just like in the baby scales.
I have an article on hand-laying track on my website, including preparing the ballast trench & bed, click on the Construction page
Hi Joe,
Welcome to the forum[#welcome],
Phils right, gravel is just like the real thing, the track sits there and sags a bit as the birds etc pick in it, you top it up but it goes again. Just get some track down mate & enjoy yer trains, everything else will follow on!
Cheers,
Kim
[tup]
Without trying to be funny, gravity will hold your track down, ballast (I like chicken-grit) will keep it from moving around. Your track must be free to “float” as it heats and cools and is subject to rain and weather. Every so often you have to add a bit more ballast as it settles and the critters help themselves to some of it. The ballast should be about level with the tops of the ties, I dump ballast down and then use a broom to spread it around. Good luck.[oX)]