[Bradley.McMullan]

hello there,

Hope somebody can help here,after a bit of advice on two things.

1/On my layout which is in the garage loft,i have a removable section to enable easy access to the centre of the layout.Been having lots of trouble with this removable section-as regards the levels of the track being uneven,the track popping out right at the edges of each section as though the pins wont hold it in,loss of power over the section.
Any advice on-best way to fix the track (soft insulation board used on layout..ugh)
-loss of power problem
-how to even out the levels of the track to as perfect as possible.

2nd major problem (sorry!)....i used soft insulation board for this layout which was a mistake but i have gone too far now.
in summer,the direct sunlight caused severe buckling of the rails and i cut expansion joints out to remedy this....BUt....crucially,the soft board warped aswell.
it has warped under the track with the effects on the layout of mining subsidence,which is no bad thing,quite realistic really here in yorkshire....problem being,locos with long wheel base or units which are long e.g hornby 155 either catch on the track joint which is now raised up and get stuck or derail.
any way around this at all?....im not sure if there is...
short of restarting totally,but i have spent too much now.
im told the best way to fix track to soft board is to glue it not pin it is thus true?

just one other thing,i have heard that those relco style track cleaners are not good for these posh motors in modern models and they get burnt out if they are used with a relco...is this true?..
sorry guys n gals thanks!

 

[Doug]

For your access hatch, use a BUS wire to conduct the current. Solder it onto the track pieces and have a plug to connect it to the rest of the layout. If there was then a gap between the hatch rails and the rest, it wouldn't matter.

For expansion joints, Peco make a kit (SL-44) that cost about £2.00. Allows movement up to about 10mm. Use them to connect the hatch rails too.

For subsidence, it looks like you need better bracing under the boards.

 

[pedromorgan]

for expansion joints i usually either lay the track in hot weather or lesve a fingernail's gap between each rail. this not only helps expansion but givet a great tickety tick sound!

for the insulation board. oah dear. i dont think it can be saved. it is ok if its backed with something stronger like ply or MDF but if its not supported very well you get the problems you have discribed.

look upon it as an opportunity. god as sent you a wonderfull chance to make a fresh start and put right all the things you were never really happy with!

Sorry that dosent help much does it?
if the buckeling gets too bad in summer often slitting ti with the dremel will relieve it buy the thickness of the cutting disc. this normally solves problems for me.

I had a garden layout. we ran in extreme temperatures right through the year. (i had no-where else to run the loco i had got for christmas so i put on a thick coat!!

Peter

 

[Bradley.McMullan]

hi thanks for replies all info read and understood!
i will use some brackets to extra fix the legs of the board to the floor hopefully will brace the soft board down too.
its like selby coalfield!
i have cut a few mill gaps between rails like you said and hope this will relieve the buckling.
i guess mapplins is the best place to source the bus connectors,i am using i think "all components" connector jacks at the moment but they seems to work loose not sure why.

 

[pedromorgan]

OK good luck.

Any chance of some pics?
Let us know how you get on.

Peter

 

[Thunder]

You mention that your layout is in the "loft of the garage", if the area is subjected to moisture or damp conditions, this will affect the "soft board" on your layout, expansion of the board will take place when the atmosphere is moist, and contraction when its dry/hot, and this will ultimately affect the track work. Would it be viable, to just replace the hatched area with a more suitably ridged board? When it is hot, you may find that the soft board will contract & that your track work will expand, causing it to buckle. Good luck

 

[Bradley.McMullan]

hi guys,pedro if u can explain how to put pics on here then by all mean i will send some yes

thunder i agree with what u r saying i think the same that the soft board is if u like sucking in the moisture from the atmosphere and expanding,almost like a sponge or a weetabix!!
very bad problem eh.
hmmm
i will try get some pics taken if someone can tell me how to upload them would be ace....
if anyone is interested my new website is up www.blackprincebuses.fotopic.net

 

[dwb]

>i will try get some pics taken if someone can tell me how to upload them would be ace...
The "secret" is that you don't actually upload them directly to the forum. You put them somewhere else that is accessible from the Internet - your fotooptic site is fine - and then you insert the picture as a link in the message. The easiest way to do that is via the "full" Add Reply button. On the tool bar above the text entry box where you put your "post" there is a set of 3 icons. The last icon is the one you need for images. Click that and then put in the URL of the picture you want to post. When you close the icon, the HTML needed to reference the image is inserted around your image URL.

I find the easiest way to get the URL to an image is to get the image displayed in another browser window and then "Copy" the address bar to the clipboard and then "paste" it into the "Insert Image" dialog box.

Hope this works for you and I look forward to seeing your pictures.

David

 

[Bradley.McMullan]

My Webpage

hey guys thank you very much for that help,doug as well via the pm function.
i have put a link here to a page on my main site www.bradleymcmullan.fotopic.net
there are only one or two pics on at the moment,but today i will take some of the problem areas and upload them to the models section of my website..
take a look anyway,anyone interested in foreign railways will like it i think .
thanks again

 

[Bradley.McMullan]

just a quick update to that previous post.....i tried to insert a direct link to the correct part of my webpage,but the forum said i could not use a direct url for a picture and it has to end in "gif"
sorry
so what i have done is just made a direct link to the main page if you scroll down through the galleries the models are towards the bottom!
thanks

 

[7113]

Love the Atlantean

They are my second favourite bus!

Some great pics on there though.

Regards

John

 

[Bradley.McMullan]

thanks britho!
the atlantean is booked to run the shuttle from huddersfield to holmfirth for next years model rail exhibition! in october.
that should be great fun

 

[Bradley.McMullan]

i will keep trying my hand at this image posting...back later!!!

 

[dwb]

>I find the easiest way to get the URL to an image is to get the image displayed in another browser window and then "Copy" the address bar to the clipboard and then "paste" it into the "Insert Image" dialog box.

I paid a visit to your website and had a look at the photos - I like them.

I also had a look at what my browser address bar was telling me. The address was for a "html" page which may be why the Forum software didn't like it. I think what's happening is that a reference to your photo has been put in this html and then displayed that way. What you need to get hold of is a reference to the photo itself. This will end in "JPG" and the Forum does accept these. Quite how you get to the JPG on FotoOptic, I don't know. Basically the address bar in your browser needs to end in "JPG" before you cut and paste.

David

 

[Bradley.McMullan]

hey thanks for that..
i maybe will write to fotopic and see if they can help...
cheers

 

[Graham Plowman]

arrivayorkshire,

The baseboards of a layout are like the foundations of a house. If you don't get them right, the house will never be right.

My advice would be tp bite the bullet and start again using 9 or 12mm ply - you'll never be able to successfully repair this layout in its present form.

Graham Plowman

 

[Dynamite26]

For posting you photos on forum and such it is best to have a hosting site like www.photobucket.com and it's free and you get 2GB of space for your pics and videos.