Lay it straight!

[Herc Driver]

OK - all you who know the secret of laying flex track laser straight...what's the secret? I've tried straight edges made from wood (which wasn't accurate enough) and metal tubing (which was way too long and not a piece I can cut to length). I'm just trying to get the yard tracks and mainline tracks that parallel them as straight as possible. I know in prototypical yards the tracks aren't necessarily the straightest in the world, but the mainline tracks always seem to be perfectly straight almost anywhere you go. When I use the Mark-1 Eyeball test, there's just a hint of wave to the tracks. Short of using a laser, what's the secret?

[Steamtrains]

Hi...I draw the centerline with a yard long metal straightedge, then lay the cork centerline over that, and lay the track over the cork center line. Just to make sure, I lay the straightedge on the side of a rail to double check. Make sure you span the railjoint over with the straightedge, as that's where kinks are most likely to develop.

Good luck..!!

[Herc Driver]

Great ideas - and I did them. My problem really showed itself when I pinned the track down. I'm just waiting for my DCC purchase before glueing/ballasting the track in place. I'd like to get the track as straight as I can before glueing everything down. With long lines of flex track, it's been tough for me to get them exactly straight. I guess I'll just buy a straight and narrow piece of metal and align it with that unless there's a better way I'm just failing to see. I've tried using a guage (which gives me proper track spacing) but that just gave me parallel lines with slight waves. I used a metal square tube, and that helped, but it wasn't perfect. Hmmmmm...there's got to be a better way.

[BR60103]

Herc: It may be the tracklaying. I find that pushing spikes and pins through plastic ties tends to make the track less than straight. I now try to pin it between the ties, driving the pins straight down and then gluing/ballasting.

[Bigsteel]

the only thing i could ever do is use a metal straight edge like you,gluing the track down with latex caulk and just use the working time of the latex to eyeball the track straight.its about all you can do to make perfectly straight track,but then again,what tracks are perfectly straight--josh

[LynnB]

Personally I use to think the straight way was suppose to be laser straight and I'd use a yard stick then I felt that I liked the look of the straight away having a bit of a sway, it gives the train a bit of character as it passed over.

[nachoman]

What brand of track are you using? The stiffer brands (shinohara and micro-engineering) are a little tricker to get straight once a small kink develops. But because they are more rigid, you are less likely to throw the "straightness" off while spiking. Make sure these brands are straight by laying the edge against a straight surface, such as the floor or a table, and bending as required until the piece is straight. Then attach to the layout. If a curve is needed, pre-bend the curve before attaching one end of the track.

If using the ultra-flexible atlas track, it naturally wants to be straight. With this brand it is simply a matter of following a center or edge line, and being sure not to throw it sideways while spiking. If you are spiking into a hard surface, this can be extremely difficult. I recommend gluing rather than spiking prefab track anyhow.

[nomad]

Hi Herc. A couple of things that I do. Nail or pin your straight edge ( I use a metal yard ruler ) to the table so it does not move. Only do a section of track at a time. Spread the latex caulk ( or what your using ), put the track down making sure the track is snug against the straight edge. The push pins I use have big head on them so that they hold on top of the rail and not the tie. Push the pins straight down, not at a an angle. And do not stagger the pins. Put the pins directly across from each other and use a lot of them. Then you can remove the straight edge, wipe it off and move to the next section. Good luck.

Loren

[doctorwayne]

I've found that using a straightedge is a good start (even a string line will work), but the final adjustments are best done "by eye". If you're using spikes, don't drive them home until you've eyeballed the track and corrected any misalignments, and, for the latex caulk method, make the adjustments as required, then, if necessary, use pins or nails to hold the track in position until the caulk sets.

Wayne

[Boomer]

Hey Herc, I was just thinking an 18" steel ruler can usually be had, even 36" as a norm. Then I thought- hey- you can find steel straps (strips) in Home Depot used for joining lumber etc in 3 or 4 foot lengths that you could cut with a hacksaw. Check your local art store for 36" metal (aluminum or steel rules).

Boomer

[Herc Driver]

You guys bring out some good points. I used the metal square tubing as a edge guide and got it pretty straight. Then I eye-balled it, pushing here and there. My mistake was placing the pins through the prefab hole in the tie. I think I allowed just enough sway to affect the Atlas flex track. As soon as I'm ready to glue the track in place, I think I'll use a metal straight edge (to the proper length and width) and then eyeball it. Then I'll place a pin or two to hold everything in place. (I'm assuming once it's glued down, there's really no need for additional pinning.) I didn't have this problem on the first layout since it was formed with B'man EZ track.

Thanks for everyone's input...I got a lot of great ideas to try.

[Steamtrains]

Hi...I use a steel yardstick and use it to straighten the track out while the latex is still pliable. And ALWAYS span the straight edge across the rail joints, as this is where ugly kinks can develop. Once it is straight, I place pins (the ones used for tackboards) down the centerline, between two ties, about every 6 inches apart.