Point 1. The rail gap is OK, and especially so if there is significant temperature variation in the layout room, as it allows movement in
the event of expansion. (The physical effect of thermal expansion doesn't scale, so we need much larger gaps than scale.)
The track laying detail is easier with experience, you know to always make the sleeper cuts on the flexi where possible. Slip chairless
spare sleepers (spares from flexi off cuts) into the gaps under the railjoiners and fix them in place with whatever you ballast with.
Conquering the tendency of curved flexi to move adjacent track, sometimes you have to bend a slight 'set' into the rail ends of the flexi
to prevent this happening. Can also apply to joints in flexi that happen on curves to prevent visible 'dog legs'. Sounds more difficult than
it actually is in practise.
Where you have a hole to permit access for the point motor drive rod to the point tiebar, once the set up is satisfactory and tested, a
neat trick is to cover the hole with a piece of brown paper with slot cut in it to permit free movement of the tiebar drive rod. What you
do is slide in the piece of paper before starting ballasting. Makes for far less trouble from ballast falling through the access hole.
the event of expansion. (The physical effect of thermal expansion doesn't scale, so we need much larger gaps than scale.)
The track laying detail is easier with experience, you know to always make the sleeper cuts on the flexi where possible. Slip chairless
spare sleepers (spares from flexi off cuts) into the gaps under the railjoiners and fix them in place with whatever you ballast with.
Conquering the tendency of curved flexi to move adjacent track, sometimes you have to bend a slight 'set' into the rail ends of the flexi
to prevent this happening. Can also apply to joints in flexi that happen on curves to prevent visible 'dog legs'. Sounds more difficult than
it actually is in practise.
Where you have a hole to permit access for the point motor drive rod to the point tiebar, once the set up is satisfactory and tested, a
neat trick is to cover the hole with a piece of brown paper with slot cut in it to permit free movement of the tiebar drive rod. What you
do is slide in the piece of paper before starting ballasting. Makes for far less trouble from ballast falling through the access hole.
