Track advise Please

[gazza23]

Morning everybody

Need some advise please

Busy doing my first layout, I'm putting down some cork that I can mount my tracks on\.
 
I was told to mount the cork with double side tape instead of sticking them down with glue, as this will allow the tracks to move around, but somehow this doesn't seem right as firstly the thinnest tape I can find still doesn't allow the track to stay stable, seems to sort of have a speed wobble. 
Is it better to glue the cork down or leave it as I've been doing it?

Hopefully somebody could advise me here on what the best plan would be.

Thanks

Gary

[capeklr]

Hi Gary,
I always glue down the cork.
Then with small screws secure the track to the cork.
I like the track to be stable.
You can also glue the track to the cork, this will prevent a direct connection between the track and baseboard and reduce the noise that the trains make considerably.
What scale are you modelling as that can also make a difference how you secure the track.

[gazza23]

Thanks for the reply

I'm modelling in scale 00, I think its fairly big as well.
Size of the base boards all fitted together are 6,5ft by 7,5 ft

Is there a specific glue that I should use for the cork and the tracks?

[capeklr]

OO scale is about the same as HO.
I use contact glue to secure the cork to the boards.
Then you can use track pins/small nails to secure the track or glue the track to the cork.
Using contact glue for this may be tricky as you sometimes need to align the track a bit, so if you want to use glue you will have to use something that will allow you to move the track around a bit still.

[gazza23]

Thanks for the advise. much appreciated

[Steve Smith]

Hi Gary,

Ask 10 people the same question and you will likely get 10 different answers.

PLEASE do not use chipboard or MDF for your table top, as they both absorb water /moisture and expand when doing scenery, unless very well sealed first.    I use 9mm plywood for my table top and glued 3mm cork to the plywood with contact adhesive.  Cork when sanded gives easy height transitions and it makes it easy to superelevate curves.   

I use white wood glue to glue the track to the cork, pinning the track every 25-30 mm with noticeboard push pins on alternate sides of the rails, and leave to dry overnight.   It allows for easy track loosening if realignment is needed, simply drop water on the track to be lifted and have a beer while waiting for the glue to loosen.   Take care not to get glue under the throw mechanism of point motors.

I do not use track pins as I found that they are often pushed in too deep and narrow the track gauge which can cause derailments.  I also do not like the appearance of the pin heads protruding above the ties.

Steve

[BigEd]

What Steve said.

MDF and chipboard are not strong enough to hold their own weight because it absorbs moist from the air even and then transform or sag - seen it many times in the past. 9mm or 12mm ply is best

[woody1]

Chipboard ? Even with bracing on the underside ?

[gazza23]

lol, 

Thanks Steve, yes I was advised to use plywood instead, one question thought. Did you use a full sheet of plywood or did you cut in sections to allow for movement. eg an 8" x 4" sheet did you cut in two or three section or was it used as a full sheet?

Did you apply cork to the full surface or only where the tracks are laid?

[BigEd]

Woody1, chipboard is sawdust with glue...get it wet and observe how it turns into wheetbix. But as Steve said, you can use it if sealed properly (both sides) so it cannot absorb moist.

Gazza23, the side of the board will be determined by the size and shape of the layout you are building. Just remember, if you have a 1.2m x 2.4m walk around layout where do you think the train will derail? Yes, the opposite side of where you are right now. So, I consider a 4' x 8' layout as too big and inefficient.

But again, if you want to go that way, look at these:

http://www.cke1st.com/m_train2.htm
http://modeltrains.about.com/od/layoutconstruction/tp/4x8-Track-Plans-For-Model-Train-Layouts.htm
http://www.freetrackplans.com/Track-Plan-Index.php

BTW 4' x 8' in HO is 2' x 4' in N scale...

[Steve Smith]

lol, 

Thanks Steve, yes I was advised to use plywood instead, one question thought. Did you use a full sheet of plywood or did you cut in sections to allow for movement. eg an 8" x 4" sheet did you cut in two or three section or was it used as a full sheet?

Did you apply cork to the full surface or only where the tracks are laid?

Hi Gary,

Plywood is dimensionally stable so there is no need to allow for expansion/contraction. 

In my yard I glued sheets of cork down and laid the track on that, which simulates the yard look where there is little or no ballasting done.   On the main lines, and also the main lines through the yard, I glue the track to a strip of cork to allow for ballasting.

Cheers,
Steve

[gazza23]

While we are on the subject, i've now cut the cork for my tracks to lie on, is the a standard overlap between the edge of the track and the edge of the cork?

I have left about 7 to 8 mm of an overlap, is that too much?

Gary

[Steve Smith]

Hi Gary,

What I did was glue the track down and then when the glue is dry, take a NT cutter with a sharp blade and trim the cork overlap level with the ends of the ties, and use a wood chisel to scrape away the trimmed edge.   It makes for a little more ballast being used, but allows the profile of the ballast to be taken up right to the side of the track, allowing the end of the ties to still be visible after ballasting and IMHO, looks cleaner and more prototypical.

Take care when trimming the cork that you do not trim the ends of the ties.

Cheers,
Steve

[BigEd]

A picture or two will help Steve...

[Steve Smith]

A picture or two will help Steve...

What ?   So you can see how much crap I store on my layout ??

Will see if I can find a clean (enough) section that I can photograph.

Cheers,
Steve