02-07-2011, 09:53 PM
Bob and Galen, thanks for the comments. The crew just finished installing the first 8 or 10 joint bars tonight; I'll take a poke at them tomorrow and if everything stays in place, I'll post some comments and photos of them.
You make a valid point re: the Fast Tracks system, Galen. One reason I'm experimenting with the CVT and the proto 87 stuff is to determine the benefit of the extra time / effort / expense to install more detail vs. the more quickly assembled, less detailed track that looks good from 2 feet away. I.e. to gauge what's "good enough".
Right now I'm a fan of rail formed (not soldered) on a Fast Tracks fixture, then assembled on a CVT tie block - that hybrid is a good compromise; nice and solid with good detail. Adding tie plates and other details to a fixture-constructed turnout allow me another option to the same end. Each process has trade offs; adding tie plates later will make a much faster initial build directly on the fixture, with the detail being the bottleneck (those tie plates are small!). Using the CVT ties will give me good detail quicker and with less tedium, but the initial build will be slower ((Fast Tracks ties spacings are different than CVT, making complete assembly in the fixture and dropping onto a block problematic).
Long term, I suspect that straight Fast Tracks turnouts will go in the background or in areas that aren't in plain view, with detail leveling up depending on the scene. Also long term, I have a vision of a third hybrid that will combine the best of both of the systems described above.
You make a valid point re: the Fast Tracks system, Galen. One reason I'm experimenting with the CVT and the proto 87 stuff is to determine the benefit of the extra time / effort / expense to install more detail vs. the more quickly assembled, less detailed track that looks good from 2 feet away. I.e. to gauge what's "good enough".
Right now I'm a fan of rail formed (not soldered) on a Fast Tracks fixture, then assembled on a CVT tie block - that hybrid is a good compromise; nice and solid with good detail. Adding tie plates and other details to a fixture-constructed turnout allow me another option to the same end. Each process has trade offs; adding tie plates later will make a much faster initial build directly on the fixture, with the detail being the bottleneck (those tie plates are small!). Using the CVT ties will give me good detail quicker and with less tedium, but the initial build will be slower ((Fast Tracks ties spacings are different than CVT, making complete assembly in the fixture and dropping onto a block problematic).
Long term, I suspect that straight Fast Tracks turnouts will go in the background or in areas that aren't in plain view, with detail leveling up depending on the scene. Also long term, I have a vision of a third hybrid that will combine the best of both of the systems described above.
Matt Goodman
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio