Finally placed the carfloat and matched it up to the apron, only problem is the two do not line up verticaly by at least 1/4 inch. I know I can raise and lower the apron but with track atatched this movement is extreamly limited since the lead track is soldered to the apron rail which was changed over from the plastic to regular rail. Only solution I can think of is adding styrene to the bottom of the float. Any other ideas?
I bought both kits, and after inspecting the components, I am going to scratch-build my own apron in place. There was too much about this kit I did not like.
I will absoluely not have a turnout on the apron.
-Kevin
I also have both kits. I was obsessively fussy about keeping the whole thing level because I wanted to use a small 0-6-0 tank engine to switch the carfloat. I also wanted to avoid bringing any engines on the float itself or the apron. So, it was important to have the best possible environment for easy rolling, which meant flat, level, and smooth.
I got everything level by careful measurement and benchwork construction. My carfloat itself sits on a piece of 2-inch pink foam. That in turn sits on a fold-down shelf, which I built for when the float is “not in port” and I need access to the scenery of “Mooseport” behind it.
I also bought some Atlas Code 83 flex track, removed the ties and used that instead of the plastic rails supplied with the kit. Along with that, I was already replacing my plastic wheelsets with metal, so I greatly reduced rolling friction. With these rolling improvements, my little 0-6-0 can pull 6-car strings from the carfloat or push them on, even when I use my 3 idler flats which are just Tichy flat car kits with metal wheels.
The turnout actually on the apron is powered with a tortoise mounted below, through about 3 inches of foam using an extra long piece of piano wire. Although the apron is theoretically adjustable in case you have tides in your train room, mine is actually solidly mounted to the benchwork for reliability. (Mooseport is on a lake, not the ocean.)
So, yes, I would take pains to make everything from the lead-in track through the turnouts, over the apron and the carfloat as perfectly level as you can. It will be worth the effort.
This is the earliest picture I have. It’s the early benchwork, with a small shelf added to hold the apron.
Next, the foam extensions for the track and then the apron
Great stuff, MisterBeasley! Thanks for the photos.
Everything works well, it is just the two do not line up vertically. Could have fixed it in the begining if I had known. Even though I had the setup on my last layout, the carfloat was on a cart instead of being exchangable on a foldup board.
I agree. A very comprehensive set of photos, making it visually helpful to understand the issue.
Rich
Yes, thanks for the photos Misterbeaslry,the one showing the cassette hooked up to the float shows the problem which in his case he just raised the cassette but with mine the foldup board is extended water, you can’t do that and not look weird.
Could you build a temporary dam or fence around the contact area(s) under the carfloat and use self-leveling floor cement to produce a higher and gravitationally-true-leveled surface at the right height?
No, the whole area is already done, just hadn’t built the carfloats yet, then when I built them I desided to test them before paint, good thing because I had to adjust one rail on one float, don’t know what went wrong, proubly didn’t seat it right, added more glue and was able to reset it bit but still a bit off but a little sanding and all was good. But it was in the carfloat testing stage that I found out they didn’t line up.
MisterBeasley,
Your car float and apron look great!
Dave
Thanks. The mistakes I made are all on the land approach. Since the apron is right off the town of Mooseport, I did the town in cobblestone sheet for pavement with real girder rail from Proto 87. I like the appearance, but the girder rail is more suited to trolley operation than pushing or pulling strings of freight cars, particularly around curves. Laying the girder rail is like hand-laying track, with very short rail sections needing to be individually glued down and powered. Not a project for the faint of heart.
Eventually, I will build a new Mooseport with Code 83 track. I still have an unbuilt carfloat kit, so I’ll have 2 carfloats for operational flexibility.
The apron rails are powered. I did not power the rails on the carfloat, even though they are metal. I don’t plan on running an engine on the float itself.
That is all good to know. I was planning on using girder rail in one street running section.
-Kevin
If you can get away with one straight section of girder rail, that will probably work, but the curves are finicky. Curved girder rail sections are only about 3 inches long. As I recall, the grooves are very shallow so wheel flanges don’t help much keeping freight cars on track. I always have to pull or push cars at dead slow to keep them from derailing. The Proto 87 girder rail uses a thin piece of wire between sections, which I found woefully inadequate and switched to soldering a real feeder on the bottom of every section. If you are going to try curves, get a short 18-inch radius Ribbon Rail track gauge to help lay it.
I absolutely love the look of this track, but for freight operations and switching it doesn’t work well enough for me.
Thank you again for sharing more useful information.
I am amazed how much collective knowledge we have here.
-Kevin
Well I got the two carfloats fin ished except for painting and painted the test carfloat I also had built years ago that had a bunch of issues that I repaired (yes I have no life). I test painted the that one and the flaws that still remained kinda disapeared with the paint and weathering. Think I found a fix that will work for the mismatch, plastic $ store rulers that have a bulge in the middle and are clear will be glued upside down on the bottoms to make up the 1/4" offset, can’t really see the ruller under the carfloat and the bulge fits over the bumped areas on the bottom of the carfloat with lots of gluing area.