Anyone used this method to fix tracks on bare plywood, no cork roadbead. I am building lightweight module to travel to show, any opinion, should I go that route?
I have done it. It sticks very well.
Works great, just put it on thin. If there is any residue on your track when you pull it up, you have used too much.
Helped pull a friends layout apart and he used caulk. Pried up an end of track with my finger nail and several hundred feet lifted up easily. It felt like we were just undoing a zipper. We then just snipped out all the joiners with track cutters as they were soldered. Had the whole layout dismantled in no time.
Jack,
This is the stuff you want: DAP Alex Plus Acrylic Latex Caulk Plus Silicone
Great stuff, sticks very well, and contains no nasty chemicals. Working time is about 40-45 min. Once dry your track can be peeled back up with a stiff putty knife and a gentle but firm prying-up motion.
The last time I bought some at HD it was $2/tube. I think it’s now $2.25-$2.50. Worth every penny…
Tom
I used Dap but not Tstage’s recommendation, on cork. It was not applied thick but I had to reposition a turnout after it dried. It did not “pop off” There is no doubt in my mind it will hold the track to the plywood.
MR recommends using black paint underneath the points so you can minimize the ballast that could foul the points. If that makes sense to you, do not use a caulk that dries light gray in color. DAMHIK
That DAP caulk comes in clear, even in the big tubes. That is what I use and if you put it on thin, it is absolutely invisible when dry. If you have occasion to pull it up, you can clean it off the bottom of the ties with your thumbnail.
I have used a variety of brands of latex caulk, but not the kind with silicone. The kind I use comes out white, dries clear.
I spread it thin using one of those “Your Name Here” fake credit cards that American Express insists on sending me from time to time. I have applied it to cork roadbed, Woodland Scenics black foam roadbed, and bare wood. I press the track in using a small roller intended I think for wall paper. I have also tamped down some ballast in the “wet” caulk (using an old piece of cork roadbed as a combination bulldozer/tamper) and it too sticks pretty well and at least makes a good base.
Twice I have had to pry up track using this method. I guess I would say I had mixed success at that. I use Code 100 flex track which has some structural strength to it and in once case it came up great and could be reused, in another my effort to loosen the bond caused the track to bend up. I was able to cut away the bent part and made some use of the track. But in general I’d say if you really intend to change the track plan and re-use the track, using adhesive caulk is perhaps not the best possible idea.
Dave Nelson
That’s all I use, on foam cork and plywood. I used up all the part tubes i had, couple different brands and colors. Do not use silicone.
I just glue 4/5 in spots here and there, add weight. I see no reason to glue a turnout, if the track on both sides are glueded ,it not going to move. I just pulled a 3ft sect. that was already ballested,just wet and slide putty knife, the whole thing came right up.
I have ruined a sect once, as I was lifting I somehow lost my ballence, and pulled at a right angel and bent the rails, other then that never a problem.
You don’t need a lot, if it comes up between the ties, way too mutch
I have seen a number of posts suggesting you not use caulk under turnouts, just in case you need to remove them. I didn’t and the adjoining track holds them down just fine. I had to lift some track, it wasn’t as easy as the above suggests, but I didn’t mess up the track. Just took a putty knife and slowly slid it under the track and slid it along. My track is on cork and the method did not damage either the track or cork. Moderation in application is the key, a thin layer that doesn’t come up between the ties is plenty
Also, if you use a textured paint under your turnouts that is a similar color to your ballast, little ballasting is needed and reduces problems with the turnouts.
Have fun,
Richard
Thank you all for the feedback. Lots of good info and tips that I will follow.
And I see that a video “quick tip” with Steve Otte showing how to use adhesive calk to lay track has just been posted on MR Video Plus.
As for turnouts, I mark with pencil where the moving points will be and then carefully do not let any caulk get spread there by accident. There would still be enough caulk at the far ends of the turnout to hold it in place very solidly.
As for what to do under the points to avoid an odd look there when the rest of the track is ballasted, I have used a piece of fine grit sandpaper under the points without problem and with a bit of weathering using powders or india ink + isopropyl alchohol you can fairly match the shade of the ballast, enough so at first glance you’d hardly notice that the ballast itself starts and stops around the points.
Dave Nelson