Le Corbusier wrote:I would be interesting to hear thoughts on track building.
To date I have experimented with copper clad and soldering to get a feel for things and understand what I am trying to do. However thinking further ahead i want to have properly chaired track.
I am also seduced by the merits of ply sleepers over plastic as I like wood. However ply sleeping was I understand developed for use with rivet construction where as plastic chaired systems were developed for use with plastic sleepers and a solvent bond. I understand that using Butanone as the solvent does work to bond the chairs to the plywood but that the bond is not as strong as to plastic.
Iain Rice in his book on track work advocates a mix of rivet and plastic construction with plywood ... the thinking being that where a solid joint is required rivets are used with cosmetic chairs and elsewhere bonding the plastic to the plywood is fine.
Another method I have come across uses soldered up sub assemblies with the bonded chairs and pin locators (Howard Bolton).
Norman solomon in his DVD uses the all plastic method but where chairs are cut and therefore cosmetic the sleepers flap around a fair bit.
I have to admit to vacillating between all three approaches plus just using the butanone with the plywood!
It would be good to have some individual opinions as a guide.
Tim
In preparation for my layout construction later this year, I've been playing with various methods of track construction. I have come from the copperclad tradition , and the lack of assembled strength in functional chaired turnouts takes getting used to.
I personally think if you are assembling plain track from ply, then build the turnouts from ply. If plastic , id suggest plastic for the turnout.
In all cases of functional , or near functional chaired turnouts. I personally think that some form of soldered common crossing is best. After experimenting with several methods, I now think soldering up the crossing on 0.6mm copper clad , or brass/nickel shim , positioned at the sleeper positions and then gluing these down onto the plastic sleeper ( in my case ) . I now use a very high temp agressve superglue for this ( permabond)
I then add semi functional chairs on the outside crossing rails, Elsewhere fully functional chairs are used.
I'm still experimenting and haven't finished a full turnout in anger yet. Yes threading chairs is tedious, but less so then all that JBS rivet malarkey. I find I selectively glue the chairs , as I set up the track using the gauges , this means I've less hassle if I need to move a chair.
Yes on plastic sleepers once the chairs sets , I find it difficult to release the chair, I can do it with a very sharp scalpel , though a lot of the times I loose the chair in the process,yes, it is a pain if I need to get a replacement chair in there. ( I usually cut the chair )
For diamonds or other K crossings , I " think " I will use a mixture of glue on functional chairs /sleepers and copperclad with the rails raised using the "veropin" idea. This is because such track work has to fettled exactly to line up on the template and gauges have less usefulness. I would say that mixing copperclad with ply is the least visually acceptable , especially where dye rather then paint is being used on the ply. There's some argument that, in this case, selective use of rivets and all ply construction is visually better
I'm now happy that several combinations are available , all of which avoid the rivet method for plain turnout construction. The one thing I find is that soldering the common crossing is finicky, that is , soldering the rails to the shims , I'm experimenting with different ideas, including building a soldering jig. Interesting the permabond adhesive can handle typical solder temperatures as it was designed for electronic SMD applications. I use standard 198 degree solder for the V assembly and lower temp solder when soldering up the common crossing onto the shims, this prevents the V coming part as I goof around burning my fingers assembling the crossing.
To avoid the bending stresses , especially where slide chairs are used and hence have a poor grip on the rails ( even if glued) , I have tested transferring the whole turnout on its template and effectively burying the template under the ballast. I use a high quality 90 gm matt photo paper for this, simply held on my construction board by ordinary sellotape . I stress that this has all been small test track applications, but I see nothing that frightens me. ( no PVA glue issues either ) . I never build directly onto the baseboards ( bad for the back )
Edit : I'm now finding if I look at the cork underlay, that the paper prevents the PVA soaking into the cork and this has been remarked that this effect used to seriously lesson the sound deadening effects. I use a 3m spray glue to stick the template to the cork. I'm going to see how this all works with closed cell foam underlay too. Though many now build the sound deadening into the baseboard and forego underlay.
I should say. I now using the thick plastic sleepers and have no issues with sleeper curling , but I use butanone quite sparingly compared to more flooding when used with ply.
I would recommend setting up a test plank , buy a whole cross section of components and give several methods or combinations of methods a try. You'll find you are drawn to ones that suit you. Don't expect to build the perfect turnout first time, focus on areas you find difficult and build multiple test track areas around that issue until your happy with the results. There's no point in repeatidly building all the tedious but straightforward parts of the turnout , if you can't finish the tricky bits to the required standard. Hence build lots of " tricky bits " on their own till your happy you have a basic workable repeatable standard.
All of the described methods produce in skilled hands
, an excellent turnout.
Dave