Tracklaying

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jon price
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Tracklaying

Postby jon price » Mon Jul 25, 2016 12:03 pm

Looks like the track layout will fit where it supposed to. Tracklaying to begin soon using Exactoscale components. I've previously made turnouts on the workbench, then transferred them to the baseboard. Should I do that again, or make them in situ?

P7250454.JPG
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grovenor-2685
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Re: Tracklaying

Postby grovenor-2685 » Mon Jul 25, 2016 4:45 pm

Should I do that again, or make them in situ?

My preference would be to do that again.
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steamraiser
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Re: Tracklaying

Postby steamraiser » Mon Jul 25, 2016 5:12 pm

Building on the workbench will only work if you build the point work on a flat sub base of paper, card or cork.
If the sleepers are not initially stuck to something then your points will not keep their shape when transferring them to the baseboard.

Gordon A

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Noel
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Re: Tracklaying

Postby Noel » Mon Jul 25, 2016 6:41 pm

Another factor to consider is that with building in situ you can avoid the need for short 'fill in' pieces, and use longer lengths of rail, to give a flowing effect, especially with curved track.
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Terry Bendall
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Re: Tracklaying

Postby Terry Bendall » Tue Jul 26, 2016 9:05 pm

Three replies, all of which are different! :D Here is No. 4 :)

My preference is to always build pointwork on the bench using a flat piece of board with the template underneath. The instructions for the Exactoscale turnout kits say this is not needed and this may be so, but I have always built them on the template and transferred the point without the template to the baseboard without any problems. Yes they will come apart at the end of the switch blades but they can be put back without any problems.

Noel wrote:with building in situ you can avoid the need for short 'fill in' pieces,
Yes this can be a problem but if for example the rails forming the vee need to be extended then you end up making a new one which defeats some of the advantage of using the kit. Short infills of rail can be a pain but they can be soldered to adjacent rails and another dodge is to put a small brass nail in the baseboard and solder the rail to that.

Terry Bendall

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Martin Wynne
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Re: Tracklaying

Postby Martin Wynne » Thu Jul 28, 2016 11:02 am

Method no.5.

Do both. Build them on the workbench on a sub-base of say 4mm ply. Plus cork. Plus template printed on 160gsm paper. Transfer the entire thing to the baseboard and screw it down.

This has all the advantages or workbench assembly -- good light, convenient height, ability to turn it round and eye along the rails. Plus you can properly represent the cess alongside the track in addition to the ballast shoulders on the cork:

Image

Templot can print the cess locations as shown.

Martin.
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jon price
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Re: Tracklaying

Postby jon price » Thu Jul 28, 2016 12:25 pm

Making the entire track with the ballast formation on the workbench is attractive, but less usefull for this scenario as the track is in an ash ballast field and the sleepers flush with the surrounding ground surface, so unless all the groundwork becomes very thick the trask can only be built on thin card or thick paper, which is what I think I will be doing.
Connah's Quay Workshop threads: viewforum.php?f=125

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jon price
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Re: Tracklaying

Postby jon price » Mon Feb 11, 2019 5:31 pm

So the first track laying is actually finally taking place. This is the LNWR mainline from Chester to Holyhead which runs on an embankment along the back of Connah's Quay. The wings sticking out either side are where the Chester end of the platforms of Connah's Quay station (LNWR) will be built. The first girder bridge is the bridge over both the Buckley Railway's main line, and the un-named road to the Quay. The structure of the bridge (now replaced in concrete) is clear in a photo taken looking along the track in LMS days. It closely matches the drawings of a standard girder bridge in Nelson's "LNWR Portrayed" so I am confident about how to represent it. There are no photos of the exterior of the bridge, so I am basing it on the bridge carrying the same line at Queensferry two miles away.

P2110010.JPG


Track uses Exactoscale 60ft panels, with nickel silver rail. The most difficult bit so far has been installing the plastic fishplates. Pushing them onto the track closes up the "open " end, which then needs prising open to insert the next piece of track. Several enjoyed a terminal ping before it dawned on me to glue the fishplate to the first piece of rail before trying to insert the next piece (!). The panels sit on a ground cork and rubber formation underlay which needed widening to match the LNWR dimensions. I have painted it grey to match the ballast. The balllast try-out uses "4mm" and "2mm" ballast from Green Scene. I think I will use the 2mm size as it more accurately represents the correct size of stone. The 4mm size will be for the sides of the formation where the substructure of larger stones used was visible. The ballast is grey granite from the quarries further along the coast towards Menai. I'm not sure what I will use to represent the cess, but it will be the last bit to go on so there is yet time to work it out.

P2110013.JPG


Although there are no off scene fiddle yards for this line the track will be live and available for loco testing and as a programming track. The wire droppers are soldered to Palatine Models etched droppers which make for a very straightforward installation.
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junctionmad

Re: Tracklaying

Postby junctionmad » Fri Feb 15, 2019 12:57 am

I build on the work bench , primarily cause I can sit down. where I expect it , I leave long tails to avoid the " short bits of track " syndrome. I also tend to build complex trackwork as a set on the bench ( scissors , double junctions etc )

the back plain from situ building would out me off

The other thing Ive realised is that ballasting should be one of the last things to do and not the first as was traditionally the case. ie scenary etc should really be in place. After all the real thing adds the ballast to the scenery not the other way around !

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steve howe
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Re: Tracklaying

Postby steve howe » Fri Feb 15, 2019 12:33 pm

I tend to agree with Terry and Keith that it is easier to fabricate pointwork on the bench, although if I have to make curved points to follow the flow of the track, I make a 'fishbone' by fixing the crossing assembly and straight stockrail in place, then pinning it to the baseboard, lining all up, before fixing the second stockrail. Depending on access, I then build the rest of it in situ, or transfer it back to the bench. A couple of spare bits of rail temporarily tack soldered across the stockrails keeps everything rigid when you move it. Easy with ply and rivet, not tried it with plastic components yet tho :?

Steve



Noel wrote:
with building in situ you can avoid the need for short 'fill in' pieces,
Yes this can be a problem but if for example the rails forming the vee need to be extended then you end up making a new one which defeats some of the advantage of using the kit. Short infills of rail can be a pain but they can be soldered to adjacent rails and another dodge is to put a small brass nail in the baseboard and solder the rail to that.


Or use N gauge rail joiners...? :shock: :shock:

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jon price
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Re: Tracklaying

Postby jon price » Fri Feb 15, 2019 1:51 pm

Well effectively this board is the workbench. It is about 1.5m long, as wide as you can see and about 200mm high, so it is easy to move about and work on. Also there are no turnouts, just straight track. Having said that the 60ft lengths are assembled before installation. I built the girder bridge baulk track in situ for the first bridge because there is a track joint on the baulk. The second girder bridge baulk track was built before installation as there was no joint on the baulk.

I will be building turnouts on the bench and then installing on the boards, but since the track is in a flush ash/clinker field for the most part I can likely build them on pieces of 4mm greyboard, which will then form the bed on the baseboard.
Connah's Quay Workshop threads: viewforum.php?f=125

Philip Hall
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Re: Tracklaying

Postby Philip Hall » Fri Feb 15, 2019 2:49 pm

No need for N gauge rail joiners now, we have proper bullhead fishplates from Peco, which also hold the web of the rail, not just the bottom. The N gauge ones are half the price, though, so still useful for hidden areas.

Philip

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jon price
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Re: Tracklaying

Postby jon price » Fri Feb 15, 2019 3:52 pm

Bullhead fishplates from Peco. Too late. The track is laid. How irritating that I didn't know about them a week ago.
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grovenor-2685
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Re: Tracklaying

Postby grovenor-2685 » Fri Feb 15, 2019 4:19 pm

jon price wrote:Bullhead fishplates from Peco. Too late. The track is laid. How irritating that I didn't know about them a week ago.

It pays to keep your eyes on the forum :)
https://www.scalefour.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=5435&p=53924&hilit=peco+fishplates#p53924
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Keith
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jon price
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Re: Tracklaying

Postby jon price » Fri Feb 15, 2019 4:56 pm

There's the problem. In 2017 I thought the scenic break would be just a backscene of the embankment. So I didn't think I would be laying any LNWR track, and the WM&CQR probably just used plain fishplates. I will just have to get some and saw them in half!
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steve howe
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Re: Tracklaying

Postby steve howe » Fri Feb 15, 2019 5:43 pm

grovenor-2685 wrote:
jon price wrote:Bullhead fishplates from Peco. Too late. The track is laid. How irritating that I didn't know about them a week ago.

It pays to keep your eyes on the forum :)
https://www.scalefour.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=5435&p=53924&hilit=peco+fishplates#p53924


Too busy modelling to follow this forum business.... ;)

Well wadda y' know? Had no idea Peco had produced anything so useful! :D

Steve

Philip Hall
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Re: Tracklaying

Postby Philip Hall » Fri Feb 15, 2019 8:56 pm

I quite surprised the chap in the local model shop when I virtually cleaned him out of his stock, about twelve packets, I think. He’d only just got them in, too. And I calculate I shall probably need more!

Philip

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Winander
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Re: Tracklaying

Postby Winander » Wed Apr 01, 2020 9:22 am

jon price wrote:The panels sit on a ground cork and rubber formation underlay


Jon,

Can you please give more details of this product? Sounds intriguing as I am about to lay some track.
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jon price
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Re: Tracklaying

Postby jon price » Wed Apr 01, 2020 10:33 am

Hi Richard

The cork/rubber composition is from Javis. The strip I used has square edges but a bevel split in the middle (just visible in the photo). If it is pulled apart and the square edges placed together it can be laid as a trackbed with a slope each side, or left as it is it can be assembled into shapes for turnouts etc.

P4010027.JPG
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