Laying track

[Dave Holt]

I'm about to start laying track on my layout and am seeking advice on suitable adhesives.

 

The pointwork is rivetted ply construction, the plain track C&L plastic and the substrate is cork underlay. I'm looking for something which gives reliable adhesion of the track but doesn't spoil the sound deadening effect of the cork. Ballasting will be done later, after wiring and testing of the track.

 

The options which come to my mind are:

PVA - easy to use but might dry a bit hard - causing noisy running? Not sure how effective it is with plastic sleeper track.

Latex based carpet adhesive - fairly easy to use, doesn't dry hard, but I found it did not stick the cork underlay onto the MDF base-boards very well. This might have been down to not appying enough or not laying the cork quick enough.

Evostik (or similar) - doesn't fully harden, but tends to be messy to use and hard to avoid stringing.

 

Any thoughts and suggestions would be welcome.

 

Dave.[/font]

[Kris]

I used Evostick and was happy with the results. The stringing was not a real issue as most disappeared, and what didn't was easy to hide with ballasting. I also found the 'instant hold' effect you get handy. I was not using ply sleeper but solder and pcb.

[dave_long]

I lay almost all of my track with superglue. With most you have to be quick and accurate but you can get super glue that takes a few seconds later to set.

[Miss Prism]

Dave - there were more replies on the old forum.

[Dave Holt]

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately, I don't seem to be able to access the old forum.

 

Dave.

[Andy Y]

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately, I don't seem to be able to access the old forum.

 

Dave.

 

Hi Dave, it's a temporary issue. The old forum has been running most of the day but has been temporarily locked to reduce the number of crashes.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

The basic rule is not to use an adhesive which will penetrate the cork to any extent, and then dry or set rigid. Anything that leaves the cork's compliance unchanged should not affect its' sound deadening qualities to any extent. Double sided tape and Copydex latex can be added to the list as suitable.

 

PVA will bond plastic sleepered track to most wood or wood based substrates strongly enough for most practical purposes. But the acoustic coupling is ever so good because it goes off rigid. You can always use it selectively for track on a steel girder span, where the real thing makes a greater than usual racket.

[tombus]

"Latex based carpet adhesive - fairly easy to use, doesn't dry hard, but I found it did not stick the cork underlay onto the MDF base-boards very well. This might have been down to not appying enough or not laying the cork quick enough."

 

 

 

Latex based carpet adhesives generally work by soaking into the material being bonded, so I would imagine MDF would not be porous enough to allow the adhesive to grab. To adhere non-porous flooring, we generally use acrylic adhesive or, in smaller areas, water-based contact adhesive.

 

Hope this helps.

Andy

 

PS...spot the carpet fitter

[JZjr]

I have used both PVA and superglue and was more happy with PVA, I haven't noticed noisy running.

 

The problem I had with the superglue is that it didn't stick!

[Russ (mines a pint)]

Another vote for PVA and/or wood glue, works best on straight or lightly curved track though not tight curves! You would need to weigh downor temporarily pin to maintain curve.

[The Fatadder]

I've used Evostick, on the last layout (the type that gives a minute or so after laying to make adjustments), and plan to use it again on Bodmin.

Has the added advantage that there is no risk of problems of water softening the glue when ballasting!

 

I used the stuff out of a tube rather than the can, didnt find it any more messy than PVA.

[Ron Ron Ron]

On the old forum (v3), someone recommended the recent Model Railroader special issue...

"How to build Realistic Reliable Track".

I've just got hold of a copy of this today from WH Smith.

I highly recommend it.

 

There's a whole chapter on quiet roadbeds and different techniques for gluing it all down.

There's even a whole page table giving the results of an evaluation of 18 different combinations of roadbed.

Latex based adhesive or caulk dominates procedings and PVA doesn't seem to feature at all.

 

 

[Grovenor]

PVA - easy to use but might dry a bit hard - causing noisy running? Not sure how effective it is with plastic sleeper track.

 

There's PVA and PVA, I used to use Evostick resin W and similar 'woodworking' glues which do tend to be hard and also difficult to debond if you have a change of plan (especially the waterproof versions). Then I discovered the 'Early learning centre', PVA designed to come out of the kiddies jumpers in the wash. Not so hard and noisy and you nan change your mind. I have found this successful for both sides of the cork.

It has a bonus in that its usually significantly cheaper than the woodworking variety as well.

Regards

Keith

[Dave Holt]

Thanks for the various suggestions. It doesn't look like there's a clear winner but several successful alternatives. I suppose I could do some trials - off board, of course.

 

Thanks,

 

Dave.

[jasp]

The Model Railroader track boklet is most interetsing, especially the item on quiet track.

What is "camper tape"?

Is there a UK equivalent?

It looks like foam tape but ther is a significant difference between "camper tape" and "3M camper tape"

Can anyone help?

Thanks

Jim

[Kenton]

I think "camper tape" is a double sided heavy duty tape "gaffer tape"

 

I would suggest Copydex (very cheap) as an alternative.

 

I see all the fuss about noise reduction as a myth.

Especially if you have just built your baseboard in the shape of a drum (a solid frame with a flexible skin (thin ply) stretched over it) and are then going to ballast the track possibly with a hard setting PVA. If noise is a problem then you need to consider options before you build the baseboard sound chamber.

 

The only issue I have with PVA is that it takes a long time to dry when you are laying track and if you get it slightly wrong it is very difficult to remove.

 

Personally I use double-sided sellotape and have found it perfectly adequate to see me through the extensive testing phase up to locking it all in place with ballast.

[zarniwhoop]

I see all the fuss about noise reduction as a myth.

Especially if you have just built your baseboard in the shape of a drum (a solid frame with a flexible skin (thin ply) stretched over it) and are then going to ballast the track possibly with a hard setting PVA. If noise is a problem then you need to consider options before you build the baseboard sound chamber.

 

True, but as a newbie in 00 I was a bit shocked when I started using my new "running in" layout (1.5M x 1.05M, thin ply with cork, not yet ballasted). Put on a few Bachmann MkIs, coupled up a Hornby 'JA', left it running - so noisy! Some days later, I finally got round to measuring some of the track, and using a stopwatch. Well, yes, I'd expect trains to be noisy at the enormous speed I'd been using :-(

 

I guess you guys already have enough sense of scale speeds to not do anything so silly.

 

As to adhesives - I didn't get on with copydex on flexitrack, didn't seem to bond well to the cork for some reason. Switched to evostick contact adhesive - worked, occasional lumps of dried adhesive in places I didn't want it, and lots of 'string' to be removed. But then I went a bit further out (respacing the sleepers on the 00 and the inner 009) - white PVA (evostick in tubes) works well for that, and I stuck with it [sorry] for the flexitrack at the back of the layout. Only wish I'd made some jigs for 00 sleeper spacing *before* I did so much of it, certain parts look naffer than the Peco flexitrack. [sigh/]

 

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