1. If you are setting any sort of grades, a gauge similar to the one in the February 1994 Model Railroader is extremely useful. The only addition is to have a longer base available, so that you
can span between risers.
2. I've found that there are two sets of risers that one uses. One set are the 'first' risers that are used to set the elevations and grades of the roadbed. These risers are the ones needed to get
the roadbed at the right height. They are also the hardest to put in since they must be installed before the roadbed is in place.
The second set are added after the roadbed is in. They deal with adding additional support where it might be needed, for example, if the roadbed sags someplace. They are easier to add since the
roadbed can be used to set the height of the riser.
3. When installing the risers, the first ones should be spaced no farther apart than you can level. For example, if you have a 24" (600mm) level, then these risers should be no more than 24" (600mm)
apart. This allows you to set the riser-tops by leveling directly from the one to the next. You could use long pieces of wood for this, but the wood may have a slight warp and then you would end up
screwing up the grades. Over a long distance, these errors can add up.
The other way to set riser-tops is to measure up from the top of the L-girders, but if the L-girders are not level, then you repeat the error.
4. If there are spots in the layout that must be at certain, unchangeable, heights (for example, to go under/over fixed obstacles) then start setting the elevations at those spots. If you start
someplace else, the small errors that occur may add up and you might find that you do not reach the target elevation where you should.
5. When splicing sections of plywood roadbed together I've been using scraps of L-Girder, attached under the roadbed with the flange facing down and perpendicular to the roadbed joint. The L-Girder
is strong and, because of the flange, will not be likely to twist or bend, so the roadbed joint will be kept in alignment.
6. When attaching the roadbed to the riser cleats, I've found that temporarily screwing the roadbed to the cleat from the top will hold everything together. Then you can drill the pilot holes and
screw them together from underneath. Then remove the temporary screw.
You have to firmly hold the roadbed to the cleat while drilling the pilot holes and screwing them together since the drill bit, and then the screw, would tend to push the roadbed up, away, from the
cleat. A clamp would work, but sometimes getting the clamp in the right spot is difficult, and anyway, it would probably be in the way.
Cork Roadbed
Laying the cork roadbed was pretty simply and straightforward.
1. Make sure that the sub-roadbed is clean and reasonably flat before laying cork on it. Any surface irregularities or large bits of dirt, sawdust, goop, and the like, can telegraph themselves up
through the cork.
2. After I nailed the cork to the plywood roadbed, I went over it with a 'shaper' such as a Stanley Surform. This eliminated any significant irregularities in the cork surface. These irregularities
could affect the track -- causing sudden rises or dips in elevation, or perhaps raising or lowering one rail with respect to the other. These irregularities occur at the joints in the cork -- usually
the butt joint where one strip ends and the next begins, or in switches and other 'fancy' trackwork where there is a lot of cutting and fitting. Generally, there is little variation side to side
since the two parallel pieces are the same 'strip'.
3. The actual layout should be designed on the sub-roadbed and the cork laid out on that design. This should all be done as accurately as possible. The best guide for laying the track has turned out
to be the center seam in the cork.
Track
The track that I am working on is my main line; it is all double-tracked, code 100, Atlas nickel silver. I thought about doing code 83, or the like, but I've never worked in code 83 before and since
this layout is my 'return' after about 10 years, I figured I'd better stick to the more forgiving code 100 until my skills got sharpened.
After long thought, I decided that I'd sacrifice 'prototypical realism' for 'modeling reliability'. Code 100 is bigger than real life, true. On the other hand, it would be more forgiving of my rusty
track laying skills, of cars and engines that might have big flanges, or out of gauge wheels and the like.
If the track 'looks good' but suffers constant derailments then the layout will just sit and gather dust.
I'm not saying "don't use code 83." I am saying that when you select your track, remember that the real role of the track is to physically support the trains and to provide an electrical distribution
medium and the track size you select should be one that you feel comfortable working with to provide this physical support and electrical distribution. Poor trackwork means poor operation, which
means an unhappy model railroader.
1. Lay the track slowly and carefully. Do not rush. If you get tired, bored, or distracted, go do something else. Good trackwork is the key to having the trains run without derailing. I've found that
I can lay 2 or 3 sections of track before my mind starts to wander -- then the curves aren't quite as smooth as I'd like them to be, the straights are not quite as straight, and so on.
2. I've been soldering the rail joints. A high-power soldering gun is preferred here since you want to get the joint up to temperature as fast as possible. The longer it takes to heat up the joint,
the more time there is for the plastic ties to get gooey and melt and throw the track out of gauge.
3. I am using Atlas FlexTrack. In order to make sure that the track curves are right, I bought some curve gauges. However, I've found them to be non-obvious in their use. Basically, if you stick the
gauge between the rails, then the nail-holes are covered up so you can't nail the track into place. The best method I've discovered is to use the gauge 'half way'. You place the gauge so that part of
the gauge is in track already of the right curvature (the 'back end' of the gauge) while the 'leading end' gets the 'new track' properly lined up. The 'leading edge' of the gauge should come right up
to the next nail-hole, but not obstruct it.
I could machine out a slot along the center of the gauge, but only thought of this remedy after I started writing these notes (and well after I'd finished with the track....)
I've found, however, that if you are careful in laying out the cork roadbed, the center seam of the cork is an excellent guide. I laid most of my track following the seam and afterwards, after
checking with the curve gauges, found that things were 'just right'.
4. When soldering the track, keep the tip of the soldering gun very clean and hold the soldering gun to the inside of the track and apply the solder to the outside. Enough solder will wick in, around
the rail joiner, and into the joint between the rails to hold everything together. This technique reduces the amount of solder that gets on the inside of the rail at a position where it could
interfere with wheels running by. Less solder on the inside, means less cleanup.
5. Get a metal wheeled truck and run it constantly over the joints. Any clicking sounds indicate flaws. A Kadee truck works fairly well for this.
6. Use your files a lot. I've found it convenient to do the filing in two steps. First, before joining any track, I file all the ends. Then, after a joint is made, I file the joint so that the
railheads are smooth and there are no obstructions.
Before joining, I file the following spots of the rail:
- Under the base and on the base's shoulders to make sure that there are no burrs and to put on a bit of a bevel. This ensures that the rail-joiner will slip easily into place. This is especially
important for the ends that are 'field soldered' since excessive force in putting on the joiners could kink or misalign track.
- Straight across the end of the rail. This is especially important if you've cut the rail with rail-cutters. This ensures that the ends butt tightly with one another, ensuring a good surface for the
wheels to ride on.
- The top and inside edge of the railhead. This removes any burrs that could impede the wheels.
It is much easier to work with the track while you can move it around and hold it in the 'optimum' position for filing. Once the track is on the roadbed, it stays where it is and the file (and the
person using the file) have to move to get into the right position.
7. Keep the workarea clean. You don't want goop in the rail joints or under the ties -- it can throw things out of alignment.
8. In working with FlexTrack, it's easier to solder things together in a fixture to maintain alignment. I did 2 and 3 sections together in a fixture and then installed them on the roadbed.
Atlas FlexTrack has one rail that 'slides' along the tie strips, the other doesn't. Things seem to work better (laying out curves and the like) if you join the tracks so that the sliding rail of one
piece is joined to the fixed rail of the other.
9. Try to arrange things so that the 'field soldered' joints fall on straight sections. In addition, these joints should be made in spots where there is easy access to the track. It is easier to keep
the alignment.
10. I tried to first lay all the track, then check everything for alignment, etc etc etc and then do the field soldering. This didn't work. Things would shift slightly, joints would come apart a bit,
or get out of alignment. This was not good. Put a piece down, get it aligned, and solder it to its neighbor and then go on to the next one.
11. Check everything with a rail gauge. I like the NMRA gauge since it is made out of thin sheet metal it can not only check the gauge but the thin metal will easily pick up any irregularities,
burrs, or nicks in the rail. When found, get out the file...
I have checked the entire track, not just the joints. One common problem that I've found is that if the nail in the track is too tight, it will create a bit of a depression in the cross-tie, which
then tends to pull the rails together slightly. The rails are then out of gauge and derailments occur.
12. Have plenty of light available while working. Once you have what you think is enough, go get some more. You'll do a much better job. Plenty of light will reduce eyestrain, making it easier to
work. Good light also makes it easier to see flaws in the rail joints. Burrs, nicks, and dents in the track (all derailments waiting to happen) are also more easily seen. Especially useful is a small
light that you can use to shine on a section of track from different angles. This way, you could get a good reflection off of a flaw.
13. After laying the track run trains. Run lots of trains. Spend as much time as possible running trains, using as varied an assortment of cars and engines as you can. The idea is to find and fix bad
sections of track now, before the ballast or scenery is in place. (It's also fun :-)
One particular test I am thinking about running is to take a car and make it 'top-heavy' so any excess swaying will topple the car over, or at least sway a lot. This should (in theory) allow me to
find spots where there might be dips in one rail and other 'cross-railhead-level problems'.
The next edition will have the results of this test.
14. Try to arrange your track laying so that place where you have to cut a piece of track to fit will occur in easily reached locations. This makes it easy to cut the track, check it for fit, adjust
it, and so on. The two most common positions where this will occur are where the track 'meets up' with the next turnout (since turnouts generally have to be in fixed positions, and when we get to the
next one, we are left with 'a little bit' of track to lay) and where loops get closed.
I've written this about a week after I completed the main line of the layout that I am currently building. I've been running test trains on the track for much of that time. For the most part, the
track is excellent. There are some places where there are problems -- and those places seem to be where I had to learn one of the above hints 'the hard way'.
Switch Machines
I've been using Tortoise switch machines throughout the layout. While these hints are specifically a result of experiences with them, they should apply to just about any switch machines.
1. Test the machines before installing them. I haven't had any problems with the switch machines, but I figure that if there are any problems with them, it is better, and easier, to find the problems
standing at the workbench than once the machine has been installed.
2. I've attached the switch machines to the underside of the roadbed with screws. One thing to be very careful of is to get the screw holes going straight into the roadbed. In a couple of places,
access is a bit tight and the pilot holes went in at an angle.
3. I've found it convenient to run power to the switch machine locations as the machines were installed. This way I could test each machine's alignment as it is installed.
4. Tortoise machines, including the mounting flanges, are a bit too wide for mounting side-by-side for parallel HO tracks that are spaced the minimum distance apart (2"/51mm).
5. In general, switch machines will take up space -- either underneath the roadbed or next to the track. The roadbed should be wide enough for mounting the machines, and for under-roadbed machines,
there should be enough vertical clearance for the machine, and for your hands and tools in order to install and align the machine.
Control Panel and Wiring
1. Masonite by itself it too flimsy for building the control panel. It should be either a stiffer material, or some stiffeners should be added.
2. I've screwed the panel directly to the framework. This is not good. Attach the bottom of the panel to the framework with hinges so that you can open it up.
3. If you can, leave plenty of room between the individual block and turnout control switches. It makes soldering the connections much easier.
4. I've daisy-chained the power from one switch to the next. This has led to a rat's nest of short wires. Yuck. Some kind of a bus distribution scheme would be better.
5. The wiring has run directly from the switches on the control panel to the terminal blocks. If I ever have to remove the panel, disconnecting all the wires will be painful (and I'll almost
certainly make mistakes when connecting them back up). I'd suggest using some kind of connectors, such as Molex or Amp between the control panel and the terminal blocks.