05-13-2009, 11:53 AM
I guess I've always seen track as part of the layout - never completely finished.
On my past HO layout, I used handlaid track. I started out by laying the initial oval, without any turnouts, to get a feel for hand laying track. Then I had to cut the benchwork from 4x8 to 4x6. Where I removed and relaid track, I had to sand the Homasote smooth before putting new track in. As I relaid sections, I added my 1st 2 turnouts, but didn't add a turnout throw of any kind. To throw the turnouts, I had to stop the train, flip the toggle which controlled the frog polarity, and then move the throwbar by hand. The plan was to come back later and add the memory wire switch machine.
Before completing the track, I decided to try some scenery. I cookie-cuttered the table top for present and planned track and structures. I cut a hole for the turntable - and I learned not to do this until I had the center of the hole marked and located! I raised and lowered parts of the track on risers. Another error was not installing enough (any!) risers for the corner curves - the elevation change of the plywood subroadbed between risers caused negative super-elevation on half my curves! I learned you need to induce some "twist" into the plywood to keep track from getting wierd or negative super-elevation when the curve is also part of a grade. The twist is added by fairly closely spaced risers pulling and pushing the plywood to the desired configuration.
I added some colored plaster on screen wire terrain in the areas where there was no plywood/Homasote. This gave the effect of laying track into the wilderness as I added more track. The effect was especially cool in areas where I had glued ties and ballast on the Homasote, but had not yet spiked any rail. In another place, I excavated the Homasote for a Kadee under-the-ties magnet, and then laid the ties and rail on top of the magnet. Basically, things were always changing.
In planning my new test HO/HOn3 layout, I realized I didn't want to wait too long to be able to test run my locomotives as I built them. So I bought Atlas track and the turnouts for the HO portion, and some ME flex (no turnouts) for the HOn3 portion. I also bought hand laying supplies. My intent is to get things up and running with the commercial track, and then come back and redo and/or add to with handlaid track at a later time. Even on a small layout like this one (4ft x 70.5"), I like to leap from one phase of layout building to another. It will be years, if ever, before the track reaches a "final" configuration.
I learned from my Dad's layouts that the roadbed top needs to be absolutely smooth and flat before laying HO track. Doesn't matter whether it's cork or Homasote, it needs to be sanded smooth and flat before laying track. On my handlaid track, I sand both the roadbed (before laying ties) and the tie tops before laying rail. I use a sanding boat made from 1x2 about 8" long. The ends are rounded, and strips of sandpaper are cut from sheets and attached to the underside and around the ends using push pins on the top of the boat. I believe the sanding saves me from problems with vertical dips and rises in the track.
Another area that demands perfection (for me) is joints between rails or track sections on curves, or where a curve joins a turnout. Kinks at the joints (and anywhere) must be ruthlessly eliminated. I put my eye down at rail level and sight along the rail from both directions, especially at the joints. Any mismatch whatsoever - I correct before I allow the track to be used. I then give the finger nail drag test to all joints as well. Joints must be smooth and correctly aligned. I rework as necessary until I get there - I've done this on my Lionel track as well as in HO. A couple of times I've had to remove old and add new ties because the old ties had too many spike holes in them from reworking. But the method works - derailments don't occur for months at a time.
just my thoughts and experiences
Fred Wright
On my past HO layout, I used handlaid track. I started out by laying the initial oval, without any turnouts, to get a feel for hand laying track. Then I had to cut the benchwork from 4x8 to 4x6. Where I removed and relaid track, I had to sand the Homasote smooth before putting new track in. As I relaid sections, I added my 1st 2 turnouts, but didn't add a turnout throw of any kind. To throw the turnouts, I had to stop the train, flip the toggle which controlled the frog polarity, and then move the throwbar by hand. The plan was to come back later and add the memory wire switch machine.
Before completing the track, I decided to try some scenery. I cookie-cuttered the table top for present and planned track and structures. I cut a hole for the turntable - and I learned not to do this until I had the center of the hole marked and located! I raised and lowered parts of the track on risers. Another error was not installing enough (any!) risers for the corner curves - the elevation change of the plywood subroadbed between risers caused negative super-elevation on half my curves! I learned you need to induce some "twist" into the plywood to keep track from getting wierd or negative super-elevation when the curve is also part of a grade. The twist is added by fairly closely spaced risers pulling and pushing the plywood to the desired configuration.
I added some colored plaster on screen wire terrain in the areas where there was no plywood/Homasote. This gave the effect of laying track into the wilderness as I added more track. The effect was especially cool in areas where I had glued ties and ballast on the Homasote, but had not yet spiked any rail. In another place, I excavated the Homasote for a Kadee under-the-ties magnet, and then laid the ties and rail on top of the magnet. Basically, things were always changing.
In planning my new test HO/HOn3 layout, I realized I didn't want to wait too long to be able to test run my locomotives as I built them. So I bought Atlas track and the turnouts for the HO portion, and some ME flex (no turnouts) for the HOn3 portion. I also bought hand laying supplies. My intent is to get things up and running with the commercial track, and then come back and redo and/or add to with handlaid track at a later time. Even on a small layout like this one (4ft x 70.5"), I like to leap from one phase of layout building to another. It will be years, if ever, before the track reaches a "final" configuration.
I learned from my Dad's layouts that the roadbed top needs to be absolutely smooth and flat before laying HO track. Doesn't matter whether it's cork or Homasote, it needs to be sanded smooth and flat before laying track. On my handlaid track, I sand both the roadbed (before laying ties) and the tie tops before laying rail. I use a sanding boat made from 1x2 about 8" long. The ends are rounded, and strips of sandpaper are cut from sheets and attached to the underside and around the ends using push pins on the top of the boat. I believe the sanding saves me from problems with vertical dips and rises in the track.
Another area that demands perfection (for me) is joints between rails or track sections on curves, or where a curve joins a turnout. Kinks at the joints (and anywhere) must be ruthlessly eliminated. I put my eye down at rail level and sight along the rail from both directions, especially at the joints. Any mismatch whatsoever - I correct before I allow the track to be used. I then give the finger nail drag test to all joints as well. Joints must be smooth and correctly aligned. I rework as necessary until I get there - I've done this on my Lionel track as well as in HO. A couple of times I've had to remove old and add new ties because the old ties had too many spike holes in them from reworking. But the method works - derailments don't occur for months at a time.
just my thoughts and experiences
Fred Wright