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Generic track build for future layout - how to remove and move?


Lacathedrale
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All the hand-built track I've made in the past has been done with the paper template stuck to a piece of board and constructed, but I've never actually done a whole layout - so those single boards have existed by themselves and all has been well.

 

Now I've got my pieces finally for some track laying (C&L O-scale materials) and I'm looking to build some track, but I really want to ensure that I can move and remove it onto a layout board in future. I'll be using functional plastic chairs and sleepers so they will have a bit of 'give' in them if unstuck from the board. Is the general gist to use something like pritt stick/double sided tape to get the sleepers onto the template, and only something like sellotape to get the template onto the board? How do I keep the turnout 'proper' while I'm moving it from place to place?

 

Many thanks,

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For straight track instead of building onto a paper template, you could build on a jig.  

 

I made mine (H0 track) on a piece of planed 3x1.  A long strip of 1mm (dimension is not critical) was stuck along one edge of the 3x1 so that it protruded above the top and then a set of strips of wood were glued across the top of the wood, butting up to the long strip and spaced so that the forward edge was at the standard sleeper spacing - which was not equal spacing along the full length because the sleepers are closer together at the ends to support the joint to the next coupon of rail.

 

Track was made as single bits of track to the standard length between fishplates, giving me a lot of shortish lengths of track a bit like a box of set track.  These could then be assembled at leisure once the boards had been built.  In my case the only appreciable curves on the layout were at the points, so I did not have to worry about building any curved sections.

 

Perhaps worth a thought.

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I was using soldered FB rail to rivets in wood sleepers.  Somewhat easier to hold in alignment.

 

From what I remember of C&L chairs they are a fairly  tight fit on the rail.  A little solvent between rail and chair should tighten things further.

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As I like laying my track down onto cork without a paper template between the two I usually lay my sleepers down onto the (loose) template with a couple of thin widths of d/s tape, construct whatever bit of track it is, paint the sleepers and the sides of the rails/chairs - which helps 'glue' them into place - then remove the template (white spirit applied with a small brush breaks the d/s tape glue bond), and then put the track down (using whatever method I choose at the time) in place.

 

Izzy

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7 mm track parts are quite strong so there is little chance of distortion if the curves are pre-formed

 

I make my turnouts on building boards, simply cut the templates to shape making sure the boarders are between 1/2 & 1  wide.

Use marking tape to hold the template to the board

Cut long thin strips of double sided tape ( 2 to 3 mm wide for 4mm scale, a bit wider for 7 mm) and have two rows of tape approximately where the stock rails go

Lay the timbers

Now lay the rails, pre bending the curved rails

The only area which may be a bit fragile are the timbers which only have slide chairs on, I superglue the chairs on, but why not lay 2 thin strips of plasticard (under where the stock rails go) before laying the timbers starting 1 timber before the first timber with slide chairs on and 1 timber after the last timber with slide chairs, then use solvent to stick the timbers to the thin plasticard strips, this will stop the timbers moving.

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  • 7 months later...

7 mm track parts are quite strong so there is little chance of distortion if the curves are pre-formed

 

I make my turnouts on building boards, simply cut the templates to shape making sure the boarders are between 1/2 & 1  wide.

Use marking tape to hold the template to the board

Cut long thin strips of double sided tape ( 2 to 3 mm wide for 4mm scale, a bit wider for 7 mm) and have two rows of tape approximately where the stock rails go

Lay the timbers

Now lay the rails, pre bending the curved rails

The only area which may be a bit fragile are the timbers which only have slide chairs on, I superglue the chairs on, but why not lay 2 thin strips of plasticard (under where the stock rails go) before laying the timbers starting 1 timber before the first timber with slide chairs on and 1 timber after the last timber with slide chairs, then use solvent to stick the timbers to the thin plasticard strips, this will stop the timbers moving.

About 30 years ago I started a OO gauge layout using the original C&L sleepers and chairs. This is exactly the method I used then to construct the turnouts. The template was fixed to a piece of 4mm ply (the cheap stuff!!!)with PVA, 2 strips of 0.25mm clear plastic were fixed to the template at both ends using double sided tape, the sleepers were then glued to these 2 strips and then the chairs and rails added after.

Once construction was completed the 2 lengths of clear plastic were then cut at the tapes and the completed turnout was removed .I still have some of them stored in a box just in case I decide to return to OO from my current N gauge layout.

I still use this method when constructing the finescale turnouts but I now use a mixture of 2FS and Finetrax parts constructed on a templot template.

Regards Chris

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