First; Is laying schedule 40 pipe attached to rebar the best wayof laying track and what size screews #4 1 inch #2 1 inch are impossibale to find ?
Second; what is the best way to prep aristo SS #6 and 10 dia. switchs for outside use. I do plan on track power ( have to use my 15 amp’er gift from wife )
I’m loathe to call any single method the “best” method for anything. The 1/2" inside dia. PVC pipe and rebar I’m using on my railroad seems to work rather well for me. Be careful where you get lots and lots of sun, as the stuff likes to expand in places. I’ve got two spots that are a bit tricky in this regard, as they like to work back and forth as the PVC expands and contracts. (These two spots get full sun almost all day, unlike the rest of the railroad which is in shade for half the day.)
I’ve also had good luck just floating track in the ballast, and many of the more robust sub-roadbed methods (“Ladder” method, concrete roadbed, TREX boards, etc) seem to have worked quite well for those who have used them.
As for screws, just use deck screws. They’re cheap and plentiful. If you can get short ones (1 1/4") all the better.
Can’t help you on the switches. I know Greg Elmassian has a web page devoted to the Aristo switches, but I don’t recall what it is off the top of my head. Hopefully he’ll chime in with tips. If not, he’s over on MLS and Large Scale Central frequently, and you can send him a message via those sites.
Later,
K
Besides grinding out the frogs on the wide radius switches, they are ready to go for layout use. I use a dremel tool with a carbide cylinder cutter like this -
Then cleaned up with a thin file. I use a spare wheelset for a depth guide. Pay extra attention to side to side when putting these down as they can cause derailments if not level. Some sort of firm base is a good idea. I use pieces of old slate, some use hardiboard.
I have no experience with the #6 switches.
A bit of advice on the deck screws - look for deckmate screws that have the #2 ACR head. They won’t strip out like the others and come as short as 1 3/8’s inches. A driver bit is included in every box.
-Brian
First thanks to you and K for the Info on question #1
Having used deckmate screws before the head size is more like 2 1/2 the reson most #2 bits strip out the screw head or brake.
Dave