Timbertracks (C&L and home cut)

[barhamd]

I had a question about laser cut timber tracks, either those from C&L or 'home cut' by taking a templot drawing and then cutting around the timbers.

Is it the intention that once the track is laid the 'webbing' between the sleepers is removed?
Is there a risk that as you cut webbing out the cutting force with a scalpel breaks the glue between sleeper and chair?
Do you build the track on a hard board and then transfer to the layout or stick the sleepers onto foam underlay and then build in situ?

Given that I now have access to large laser cutter the temptation to cut a whole 'flow' of point work in one go is high, but I'd like to do it right.

I'd welcome your thoughts and suggestions.

thanks
David Barham

[Martin Wynne]

Is it the intention that once the track is laid the 'webbing' between the sleepers is removed?

Hi David,

Yes they are intended to be removed. Otherwise ballasting will be very difficult and the webs will remain visible.

The difficulty and risk of damage in removing the webs from finished pointwork is so much greater than snipping plain timber strip to length and fixing it to a paper template, that the advantage of the Timber Tracks bases is a complete mystery to me. Coupled with the great wastage of material they seem to be an utterly daft development.

regards,

Martin.

[grovenor-2685]

I entirely agree with Martin, cutting strip to length and building over a paper plan is simple and does not waste 50% of the timber.
Personally I would not build in situ unless ion just a small board that can be brought to the bench. THe surface built on needs to be level, IMHO, so I would certainly hesitate to build on soft foam, but no doubt a suitable technique can be devised, easier with glue than solder as there is likely to be less pressure applied vertically.
Keith

[Alan Turner]

I can only but agree with Martin and Keith. Real track needs adjustment of the timbers to fit in with other trackwork and I don't see how that is done with these templates.

regards

Alan

[jayell]

[quote="Alan Turner"]I can only but agree with Martin and Keith. Real track needs adjustment of the timbers to fit in with other trackwork and I don't see how that is done with these templates.

The TimberTracks panels suit me just fine. Apart from one (possibly two) turnouts all my track is dead straight and using the GWR 45' 6" panels conforms to what was probably there (Toller on the Bridport branch) in 1910. I don't have to even think about electrical continuity as, if plans work out, the only loco likely to run on the track will be battery powered. Individual panels of track will be joined by fishplates, possibly C&L brass ones once I have had a look at them at RailWells.

I am even planning to build my turnouts with actual joints where they would have been in real life and not follow the conventional building method of continuous rails nicked to represent joints. I know this will likely cause problems with keeping track to gauge but I think gluing slide chairs and the like to rail with a spot of superglue before butanoning the chairs to sleepers may be sufficient for what will be mostly non-operational turnouts that will be used only for an occasional demo. Turnouts will of necessity have to be built on a paper template as TimberTracks don't do GW style turnouts.

John