[Anthony James]

Hi All,

I am just about to put down the track permantly on my new layout and was wondering how it is done today? Ten years ago I just brushed the cork with PVA white glue and put the track down with some weights and pins and that was that, so today is it the same, just the glue, or 50%water and 50% glue on the cork bed or some other newer way to do it.

Regards

Anthony

 

[Richard Johnson]

QUOTE (Anthony James @ 30 Jun 2008, 11:19) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Hi All,

I am just about to put down the track permantly on my new layout and was wondering how it is done today? Ten years ago I just brushed the cork with PVA white glue and put the track down with some weights and pins and that was that, so today is it the same, just the glue, or 50%water and 50% glue on the cork bed or some other newer way to do it.

Regards

Anthony

Hello Anthony - personally I prefer just glue. I cut the nozzle small on a bottle of PVA, and simply put it on eavery 3rd or 4th sleeper. If I have to use pins on sharper curves I insert into a pre drilled hole, drive only part way home and take them out after the glue is dry.

Richard
DCCconcepts

 

[TonyDaly]

QUOTE (Anthony James @ 30 Jun 2008, 04:19) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Hi All,

I am just about to put down the track permantly on my new layout and was wondering how it is done today? Ten years ago I just brushed the cork with PVA white glue and put the track down with some weights and pins and that was that, so today is it the same, just the glue, or 50%water and 50% glue on the cork bed or some other newer way to do it.

Regards

Anthony

Hi Anthony.
You can't beat what Richard has said. It might be an idea to keep some of the pins in on curves especially if you are using flexible track and near points if you are using snap type point motors like Peco or Seep. To put the pins in use a small Dremel type drill. Drill through the sleeper & a little into the baseboard. Use small type pins. Put the pin in the hole & gently push in with a pin pusher or the blade of a small screwdriver. You're not nailing the track down so be gentle. You're merely using the track pins to stop the track from moving. Once the Pva has dried remove the pins if you wish. If you are not leaving the pins in make the PVA a little thicker than 50/50.

 

[john woodall]

Hi Guys,

Another option is to use a screw and a washer between the sleepers to hold the track down.

That way no holes in the sleepers. Once the glue is dry, unscrew the screw and ballast.

John

 

[Robert Stokes]

Here's the way I've put down my track.

Line it up exactly where you want it to go with pins outside of the sleepers not through them and only just into the baseboard enough to hold them. I find with plywood that one tap with a pin hammer is enough and with sundeala you can push them in enough by hand, because I use peco's long, very thin pins.

You can move the track around as much as you like by moving the pins. I find it best if the pins slope outwards slightly. On curves you really only need pins on the inside of the curve, about every tenth sleeper, and on the outside at the ends.

Now take up the track (this is where the slope on the pins helps) glue it every third sleeper as Richard says (but I do all of the last three sleepers at each end) and put it back using the pins as a guide. Hold down with food cans which will sit nicely between the pins with this spacing. When glued remove the pins. No evidence of the pins remain - well, only incredibly small holes.

This works well with straight or large radius curves. There might be problems with this method if you want to go below about 2 ft radius but then I think that set-track curves would probably be better anyway.

Hope this helps. Cheers, Robert.

 

[Anthony James]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the info, it all sounds great and workable, I will put it into practice this weekend.

Regards

AJ

QUOTE (Robert Stokes @ 30 Jun 2008, 13:43) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Here's the way I've put down my track.

Line it up exactly where you want it to go with pins outside of the sleepers not through them and only just into the baseboard enough to hold them. I find with plywood that one tap with a pin hammer is enough and with sundeala you can push them in enough by hand, because I use peco's long, very thin pins.

You can move the track around as much as you like by moving the pins. I find it best if the pins slope outwards slightly. On curves you really only need pins on the inside of the curve, about every tenth sleeper, and on the outside at the ends.

Now take up the track (this is where the slope on the pins helps) glue it every third sleeper as Richard says (but I do all of the last three sleepers at each end) and put it back using the pins as a guide. Hold down with food cans which will sit nicely between the pins with this spacing. When glued remove the pins. No evidence of the pins remain - well, only incredibly small holes.

This works well with straight or large radius curves. There might be problems with this method if you want to go below about 2 ft radius but then I think that set-track curves would probably be better anyway.

Hope this helps. Cheers, Robert.