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C&L track base

Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2019 5:24 am
by aknights
Am I alone in this or has anybody else had problems with C&L track bases (4TBP4) producing under-gauge track? If so, is there any way to fix it?

Re: C&L track base

Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2019 8:53 am
by Albert Hall
How old are they? It was a known problem under the previous ownership when I was the track assembler. Track gauge regularly came out at around 18.75 but there wasn't the will to correct it. Whenever I raised concerns I was told that it was 'near enough' which might just about work with straight track. The last time I spoke to the current owner he indicated that he had resolved the problem.

Many years ago Ratio produced P4 track bases which exhibited the same problem. I did hear of one individual who overcame this by striking the sleepers with a flat chisel to spread the plastic. Not very scientifically accurate maybe but perhaps it worked.

The only bases I found to result in an accurate gauge were the Exactoscale ones but they are based on thicker sleepers.

Roy

Re: C&L track base

Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2019 10:31 am
by aknights
Thanks Roy. I think I bought them in 2013 when the business was under the previous ownership.

I'll try giving them a whack - nothing to lose really!

Adrian

Re: C&L track base

Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2019 11:36 am
by Proton
I have quite a lot of the track dating pre-2013 and in places it gets very tight to gauge. I use one of the flat metal track gauges and use a soldering iron to melt, gently (!), the chairs. This is a slow process but works fairly reliably.
PBM

Re: C&L track base

Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2019 8:35 am
by Martin Wynne
One possible way to fix it is to use SMP Scaleway rail in them.

SMP rail is, or at least always used to be, under scale width at 0.8mm, instead of scale 0.92mm.

Injection-mouldings shrink with age if not injected at a high enough pressure. Which in turn requires having a moulding machine with sufficient ton-lock.

Martin.

Re: C&L track base

Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2019 10:57 pm
by aknights
Thanks for the suggested remedies. I tried giving the bases a whack but to no avail although I did feel a little better. I began trying the soldering iron approach but soon decided that the whole point of using the bases was to save time rather than use more of it.

The possibility of using SMP rail is interesting and I'll look into it next time I'm in the UK. I was quite surprised to see that Marcway, who took SMP over, still have their shop in Sheffield. I remember buying some of their live frog points about 50 years ago when I was at the end of my tether trying to get my locos to run through Peco Streamline dead frog points at a reasonably slow speed. It was then that the seed of making my own trackwork was planted!

Adrian