01-16-2010, 10:08 PM
Kevin, to get smooth curves when using multiple pieces of flex track, solder the pieces together before forming the curve. Use rail joiners, and don't forget to remove sufficient ties to allow the rail to slide as you curve it during installation. After the track is in place, you can re-install the removed ties by trimming away the spike head detail from one side of both tie plates on each tie - do this on the side that will be away from the viewer, then simply slip the ties under the rails from the viewing side. Once you apply ballast and bond it in place, it'll also secure these ties.
I used Atlas code 83 track, which has holes in the centre of several ties in each length of track. Most aren't visible on the ties' tops, though, so use pliers to hold a track spike, then poke through the holes from the underside before laying the track. Atlas sells the spikes for this job, and while some folks remove them after the track has been ballasted (the bonded ballast will hold the track in place) I find that they're not all that obvious unless you're looking for them:
![[Image: Foe-toesfromfirstcd232-1.jpg]](http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/doctorwayne/some%20layout%20views/Foe-toesfromfirstcd232-1.jpg)
Lots of people nowadays use a thin application of latex caulk to hold their track in place, especially if the sub-roadbed is foam. In that situation, the nails may hold the track in alignment while the caulk sets, but you might also have to apply some weights (bricks, books, etc.) to keep the curve from lifting.
For wood or plywood sub-roadbed, the nails hold just fine (don't install them too tightly, though - if they bend the tie, the track gauge can be narrowed at that point - just touching the tie is preferable). The advantage to using nails is that it's easy to make adjustments to the track after it has been installed and tested. Often, these adjustments will be minor, and can be done simple by pushing sideways on the head of the nail, using pliers. In other places, you may have to remove a nail, and re-align the track. It's surprising the degree to which well-laid track will move when current is applied and trains run over it. I left mine unballasted for at least a couple of months, running trains and making adjustments until operation was flawless.
After you've got your track performing up to your expectations, paint the rails (I use PollyScale, applied with a fairly stiff 1/2" brush). The wider brush means less dipping into the bottle, and the stiff bristles allow you to easily work the paint around the moulded-on spike heads and shape of the rails. There's no paint odour, no masking or messy overspay (a lot of which would end up as the dust that you'd be trying to get rid of every time you have to clean track) and clean-up is easy. I usually paint one turnout or 10' or 12' of track, then use a dry rag over my fingertip to wipe the dried (but not hardened) paint from the rail tops. Resist the temptation to run trains for at least 24 hours, and you'll have a durable finish. This simple task will give you one of the biggest "bangs for your buck" that you'll experience in this hobby: even unballasted, the change in appearance of your track will surprise you.
After that, it's on to ballasting to finish the basic tracklaying.
In fact, ballasting with suitable material can give you that "two-rails-sitting-in-the-dirt-and-weeds-with-no-ties-to-be-seen" look, too.
Wayne
I used Atlas code 83 track, which has holes in the centre of several ties in each length of track. Most aren't visible on the ties' tops, though, so use pliers to hold a track spike, then poke through the holes from the underside before laying the track. Atlas sells the spikes for this job, and while some folks remove them after the track has been ballasted (the bonded ballast will hold the track in place) I find that they're not all that obvious unless you're looking for them:
Lots of people nowadays use a thin application of latex caulk to hold their track in place, especially if the sub-roadbed is foam. In that situation, the nails may hold the track in alignment while the caulk sets, but you might also have to apply some weights (bricks, books, etc.) to keep the curve from lifting.
For wood or plywood sub-roadbed, the nails hold just fine (don't install them too tightly, though - if they bend the tie, the track gauge can be narrowed at that point - just touching the tie is preferable). The advantage to using nails is that it's easy to make adjustments to the track after it has been installed and tested. Often, these adjustments will be minor, and can be done simple by pushing sideways on the head of the nail, using pliers. In other places, you may have to remove a nail, and re-align the track. It's surprising the degree to which well-laid track will move when current is applied and trains run over it. I left mine unballasted for at least a couple of months, running trains and making adjustments until operation was flawless.
After you've got your track performing up to your expectations, paint the rails (I use PollyScale, applied with a fairly stiff 1/2" brush). The wider brush means less dipping into the bottle, and the stiff bristles allow you to easily work the paint around the moulded-on spike heads and shape of the rails. There's no paint odour, no masking or messy overspay (a lot of which would end up as the dust that you'd be trying to get rid of every time you have to clean track) and clean-up is easy. I usually paint one turnout or 10' or 12' of track, then use a dry rag over my fingertip to wipe the dried (but not hardened) paint from the rail tops. Resist the temptation to run trains for at least 24 hours, and you'll have a durable finish. This simple task will give you one of the biggest "bangs for your buck" that you'll experience in this hobby: even unballasted, the change in appearance of your track will surprise you.
After that, it's on to ballasting to finish the basic tracklaying.
In fact, ballasting with suitable material can give you that "two-rails-sitting-in-the-dirt-and-weeds-with-no-ties-to-be-seen" look, too. Wayne