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THE WONDROUS, REMARKABLE, AND AMAZING TRACK AND ROADBED FOLLOW-UP: A COLLECTION OF WONDROUS, REMARKABLE, AND AMAZING TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FROM OUTDOOR RAILROADER'S MIGHTY READERS

Authors and illustrations as noted



YOU UNDOUBTEDLY REMEMBER the Editor's Note on page 62 of our October/November 1992 issue. In the unlikely event it has somehow lost focus in your mind, please allow us to enhance your recollection. At the conclusion of Cris Hollinshead's article, Handlaying Track And Building Roadbed, the following appeared:

Editor's Note: Our surveys suggest "floating" the track on ballast (no spiking, mortar, or other methods of adhesion) may offer the best overall results regardless of climate. The compromises, of course, are the occasional washout, the need to control weeds, the tendency of track to shift if you or your dog step on it and, of course, the dreaded blight of gophers.

Some of you doubtless will disagree strongly with our findings. I encourage you to write scathing letters to explain why, especially if you have worked out a fairly ideal solution. If, along with colorful insults, you send publication quality 4 x 6 glossy black and white photos and include specific construction details in your letter, we may combine some letters into a brilliant and comprehensive article. Otherwise we may relegate your comments to LETTERS and, if we disagree, follow them with biting little comments.

Well, engineers, that brilliant and comprehensive article is underway. The first tips are in a letter from the Frozen North.

FLOATING TRACK

I agree with the idea of "floating" track on ballast. Here is how I did my trackwork.

1. I put a 3 to 6 inch layer of half-inch traffic binder right on top of the grass. It kills the grass, so there's no need for an anti-weed mat.

2. I used LGB flextrack and bent my own curves.

3. I worked in the telephone industry for 35 years and knew all about the problems of oxidation and corrosion. So I soldered all joints, except for those at bridges and turnouts. In those spots I used Richard Hillman's Rail Clamps® with dielectric grease.

4. After I laid the track, I topped off the traffic binder base with a ballast of Number 2 chicken grit.

The resulting 400 foot Narrow Road railroad has been through three summers and three winters. The temperature has ranged from 20-degrees below zero to 95-degrees above. So far, expansion and contraction have caused no damage.

Why? Because I use LGB's 1009 expandable track sections at regular intervals. I take out the gears so the track can slide freely, then I place the 1009s between straight track sections. The results have been fantastic.-Bill Ziegler, Port Washington, WI

A GAGGLE OF GOOFS

Since I have handlaid track, I thought I would add my experiences to Crispin Hollinshead's. I also modeled in HO years ago. For similar reasons I decided that battery powered radio control would avoid a lot of problems. I decided to handlay track for two reasons: It looks more prototypical (a remnant from my HO days), and prefab Gauge One track costs too much-about $3.00 per foot. By contrast, code 250 aluminum rail and either pre-cut redwood ties or plastic tie strip costs about $1.25 per foot. I used Ramos rail and plastic ties from Oregon Coast Railway for most of the line. I used redwood ties for some sections on a wood base. I handlaid some turnouts using Llagas Creek and Ramos frogs and Llagas Creek and Peco points.

And the winner is.... I wish I knew! What I do know, now that the track has been down for about two years, is what doesn't work.

One inch thick lumber has insufficient stability to avoid vertical kinks.

Neither contact cement nor Walthers' Goo will hold redwood ties to a redwood sub-base outdoors; you must use brads. First, I may try aliphatic resin (yellow carpenter's) glue.

Stainless steel spikes will pull out over time as a result of temperature changes. I'm trying aliphatic resin glue on some now. I only spiked every fourth tie or so and I made the really dumb mistake of not always spiking both rails on the same tie so, as the ties came loose from the sub-base, they shifted and the track lost its gauge. I had no idea this hobby would be so educational!

Ramos plastic ties are too flimsy to lay directly on ballast. Their plastic spike heads break off and the rail comes loose. I suspect the sun's ultraviolet rays are responsible because most problems seem to occur in areas of direct sunlight and where temperature extremes are the worst.

The redwood ties dry out quickly and the spikes come loose. I have experimented with oiling a few ties. That may improve the situation.

I laid the turnouts on redwood ties and fixed the ties to a wood sub-base. For throw-rods, I soldered the points to length strips of printed circuit board. Regular twin-coil switch machines in plastic boxes throw them. So far, that has seemed to work pretty well. Maybe, when I need another switch, I'll try building the frog from scratch, too.

With code 250 rail, you must be more careful about errant ballast (I use 1/4-inch granite). If the ballast lodges on top of a tie and next to the rail, it can derail the train. I used dry mortar on some sections, but it has a less realistic appearance. Several months ago, I used watered-down aliphatic glue to fix the ballast in place. So far that idea has worked and now I can vacuum dirt, leaves, and bugs off the track.

The railroad stands up fine to earthquakes and I have no gophers. But I do have a dog and I'm not sure what's worse.-Ray Turner, San Jose, CA

EIGHT YEARS OF SUCCESS

The track on the Cranis Garden Railway, some 1020 feet of it, is handlaid and most has been in place since 1985. A major design feature is it rigid sub-roadbed. I use 1 3/4 inch wide cedar fence board, cut the curves and turnouts with a saber saw, and join the sections with 8 to 12 inch long sections of the same material using Weld Bond glue and drywall screws.

I have cut ties from milled lattice stock. That results in ties of consistent thickness. Each tie is 3/8-inch wide and 3 1/2 inches long. Weld Bond secures them to the wooden track base. I achieve a realistic, somewhat random spacing by placing the ties "by eye". Then I stain the assembly with Olympic semi-transparent Ebony Weatherscreen. The rail is brass with 3/8-inch long (or longer) spikes about every fifth tie. I make rail joiners from roughly one inch long pieces of K & S brass channel. I form them over a piece of scrap rail.

Since brass rail expands, I leave a gap of about 1/16-inch between rail ends. Then I solder jumper wires across each joint. The typical track section is about 15 feet long and I pre-assemble it on the garage floor, then carry it out and set it in place on the right-of-way.

Bricks, rocks, or whatever other solid material I have around supports the track. I check grades with a ProSmart level. It gives readings to 0.1-percent. Ruling grades are 4-percent on tangent (straight) track and 3-percent or less on curves. The minimum radius is generally about 8 feet except for a pair of 5 foot radius curves. All have spiral easements [transition curves Ed.]. Turnouts are number 6. Rail is mostly code 172 with some code 190 and, on some spurs, code 155.

The ballast consists of two layers. The first is a mixture of 3/8-inch or smaller crushed rock and dry Portland cement. I put it on and wet it with a fine spray from the garden hose. The second layer is a dry mix of Number 1 chicken grit and Portland cement. I brush it off the tie tops, then wet it with the fine spray.

How's it doing? Quite well. Occasionally spikes rust out. Sometimes a tie comes loose (usually due to expansion and contraction of the rail). I re-glue it and also secure it with a brass escutcheon pin. Sometimes the cedar track base develops a slight twist. I usually fix that by adding a "deadman"-a piece of base material under the track base at right angles to the track.

Happy railroading, on track you build yourself.-Herb Chaudiere, Edmonds, WA

QUICK AND DIRTY

Every time people see my layout, they ask, "How did you build your roadbed?" My formula is simple and it has passed the test of time, mainly because it's still there.

Appearance, weeds, and weather each can make or break your attempt to build and maintain an operating outdoor layout. There is no "best" way to build roadbed but, for those preferring realism, I think working with earth and natural materials is the only way to go.

For me, roadbed must (1.) withstand major rainstorms or overzealous use of sprinklers; (2.) have excellent drainage to keep water from puddling around the track and turnouts; and (3.) must have a scale appearance. My prescription for successful roadbed offering all of the above appears in the illustration.-Ed Saalig, Upland, CA



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