09-14-2009, 05:43 PM
I have found that the soaking part, which I agree is the way to go, goes very quickly. Warm water (hot is not necessary, and possibly harmful to the spike heads and such) should have the glue good and soft in as little as 10 minutes, depending. I would soak a length, then try to use a vegetable brush along the spike heads. Rinse in warm water and see if the sliding rail moves freely. It should be that simple....unless you also painted/weathered the rails. The paint could be a show stopper because it will want to stick to the rail foot and create hundreds of little dams of paint against which the spike heads won't budge.
This process may or may not work for your cork. Cork doesn't last forever, and it does get brittle. It costs you nothing to try, though. Soak it for somewhat longer, say a full hour, and see if gently prying it up with a metal ruler as a shim, or a putty blade, won't have it up and in one piece.
Turnouts....it goes without saying...if they worked nicely previously, take care lifting them and look forward to using them once again.
I intend to make use of as much framing as possible, and probably will use the boxes as shelf layout elements for the next one. Legs too. I will preserve as much of my spline roadbed as I can use, and the rest I will manufacture once again. One 4 X 8 sheet of 1/4" MDF will make over 60' of 6-ply HO splines if the sheet is ripped at 15/16". It is very sturdy stuff once the glue is set, so if I can use some of the curves in my next layout, I certainly intend to save myself some expense and time. That goes for their numerous risers, too. And the screws that hold it all together...they don't stretch or wear out.
-Crandell
This process may or may not work for your cork. Cork doesn't last forever, and it does get brittle. It costs you nothing to try, though. Soak it for somewhat longer, say a full hour, and see if gently prying it up with a metal ruler as a shim, or a putty blade, won't have it up and in one piece.
Turnouts....it goes without saying...if they worked nicely previously, take care lifting them and look forward to using them once again.
I intend to make use of as much framing as possible, and probably will use the boxes as shelf layout elements for the next one. Legs too. I will preserve as much of my spline roadbed as I can use, and the rest I will manufacture once again. One 4 X 8 sheet of 1/4" MDF will make over 60' of 6-ply HO splines if the sheet is ripped at 15/16". It is very sturdy stuff once the glue is set, so if I can use some of the curves in my next layout, I certainly intend to save myself some expense and time. That goes for their numerous risers, too. And the screws that hold it all together...they don't stretch or wear out.
-Crandell