Paul W Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 Hi Derek Believe me I have also read the other forums too, so I do know it isn't just here. I know some people get passionate about their beliefs but they need to be aware that not all of us are "experts" in this area and need some very early and gentle guidance and encouragement to proceed. I have been in contact directly with some members who have been more than willing to help, for which I am very grateful. Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 Paul You are correct, its silly that some of those who build track (May be arm chair modellers though) try to score points over others What I will add is be careful that you are using the correct roller gauge for the standards you are using. The 16.5 part is fine (that is if you are using 16.5 track gauge) its the check and flange way gap that may be a slight problem. In fact it is easier using a flat bar of the correct thickness to set the wing rail gap Good luck and I hope its something you find enjoyable. One tip do not rush to finish the first turnout, take more time at first than you think it should take, Your track building skills will improve quickly so if you are unhappy with something just do it again, be slightly critical of what you are doing. Before permanently fixing a part/section just double check the alignment /positioning of the part/section I (re)started building track about 10 years ago and really enjoy it. I do find it very therapeutic to sit down and do something I enjoy doing which is completely different to my day job. don't forget to post your progress Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisG Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 If nothing else this will al least bump this thread to a more noticeable level for a while for those in a similar position to me. Having now taken the plunge into the previously perceived dark depths of hand built track and after spending literally days reading all the threads that this informative forum contains concerning this, I am now awaiting delivery of my first order from C&L. I am not going to mention anything other about which gauge etc. I will be following, just to say it will be OO, enough said as I do not wish to be involved with the usual manic bad mannered discussions which gauge statements can generate. Other people who have recently researched such a change will know what I mean, as will those who were involved at the time, either contributing or just reading. I was just a reader as I dare not get involved, thus making the digestion of the required information much harder to achieve. One of the conclusions I have come to in the time spent researching the change from RTR to hand built, was wondering how often people in the situation that I have been in over the holiday period (10 days) who are thinking about turning to the dark side of the track work world and wanting to get away from RTR, have been put off with such ill mannered and often insulting bickering and point scoring, which emulates from threads concerning this topic. Fortunately this one seems to have been left relatively unscathed by it, thank goodness. I hope that others can see beyond and through all the bad tempered nastiness which appears in most of these types of threads which dare mention gauge etc., then I hope you have come to the same conclusion as I have, albeit with a bit of trepidation, and taken the plunge. Rest assured there are many members who are willing to help you get through the most difficult stages of changing construction methods, and that is the start and ensuring you order the correct component and gauges etc. from the start and not wasting valuable time and money. If you are like me and decide to embrace the different method of constructing a layout then GOOD LUCK. Good luck - be sure to let us know how you get on. There are many pitfalls and I have probably scrapped more points than I have finished in the quest to be able to build them reliably. Even now after a lot of experience I am quite capable of being sloppy and building a point that is just "wrong" and has to bite the dust. Get it right and you will always have the satisfaction of looking at your layout and knowing "I built that". My best constructions make me beam with pleasure every time something runs through them :-) Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Harrap Posted February 17, 2016 Author Share Posted February 17, 2016 I've been fiddling around with frogs again. No not you froggy, model railway frogs. For some time now I have been contemplating building a layout so that I can give some of my non protoscale stuff (mostly H0 and a bit of 00) somewhere to run. Stuff that’s not really eligible for converting to P87, it not being what might be found running on the docksides of QUAI:87 or on the triple gauge layout of Axalp, but stuff I want to keep and use because I like it. To play with it in other words. The stumbling block has always been though that I have not found myself able to consider building a layout (something quite simple) with coarse scale (tinplate) flangeways. The enormous flangeway gaps required at the frogs (wing rail gaps) to allow those thick flanges to pass has always been a right turn off for me. So to futher the aim I have done some trials with a kind of “universal” frog, one that retains the appearance, indeed has scale sized flangeways, yet will allow coarse flanges to pass through, as well as, as a bonus, scale flanges without them dropping in any oversized gap. Now there is nothing new about closing (sprung) wing rails or swivelling crossing noses, prototype or model and they would do the job in model form of allowing all sorts of wheel profiles to run through, but they always look like what they are and not like an ordinary frog on an ordinary bit of pointwork. So I have been playing around with pivoted/sprung wing rails. Hopefully the pictures will show what I’m on about. The wing rails on my setup move in unison on a springy bit of wire visible in the picture (hidden if ever I build this layout), and, this is the bit I like, after a fat flange has passed through by moving the wing rail out of the way, they spring back to a mid position, retaining the appearance of a scale crossing. Again the pictures should make this clear. Proto flanges will of course pass through without any problem. It all works on the test bench. I am not suggesting that this should be seen as the answer to everything, or indeed of any use at all – just sharing with you my ideas and what I have been doing. Someone may raise the question of the check rails. Well the coarse scale wheels won’t need them – closed frog gap, and the protoscale wheels are quite happy to negotiate the small gap they encounter unaided. We’ll have to see, its work in progress. No real frogs were hurt in this exercise. Baron. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Brian Very ingenious, this is a problem I have been considering in that I have some stock from the 50's (Jamieson/Eames locos, wooden bodied coaches (Ratio, CCW & Kings Crosss) and wagons. I came to the conclusion that I would be far better off having a small secondary layout, perhaps one of CJF's plans with the appropriate building kits of the ERA. Will use code 100 and have various makes of trackwork which I can use Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon s Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 Some time ago when I was building copper clad track, I found a supplier of low tack double sided tape. Most of the stuff I've found so far always left a residue stuck to the bottom of PCB sleepers once you peeled them away from the Templot drawing. It wasn't the end of the world, but just another job that had to be done to clean off the sticky residue before laying the pointwork in situ. I searched high and low to find my supplier to no avail until surprise, surprise, I found this in my Amazon order history whilst looking for something else entirely this morning. This is a low residue double sided tape that leaves little or no residue at all. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007ZPYK0Y?ref_=pe_385721_124266951_TE_3p_dp_1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 Some time ago when I was building copper clad track, I found a supplier of low tack double sided tape. Most of the stuff I've found so far always left a residue stuck to the bottom of PCB sleepers once you peeled them away from the Templot drawing. It wasn't the end of the world, but just another job that had to be done to clean off the sticky residue before laying the pointwork in situ. I searched high and low to find my supplier to no avail until surprise, surprise, I found this in my Amazon order history whilst looking for something else entirely this morning. This is a low residue double sided tape that leaves little or no residue at all. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007ZPYK0Y?ref_=pe_385721_124266951_TE_3p_dp_1 Gordon As I have said before I use the cheap stuff from Hobbycraft (may now be £1 for a decent size roll) and I cut it into 2-3 mm wide strips. This has enough tack to hold all in place with 2 strips and easily peals off once finished. A quick soak with white spirit dissolves the glue if needed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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