Starting my N scale layout

[The_Ghan]

Hi folks,

 

Well, I've just spent the weekend cutting Peco flextrack.  By next weekend I'll have my layout laid out ... so to speak ... but not fixed down.  I'll then sort out my cork underlay before fixing everything down.  I have a few questions about fixing N scale track:

 

1. Glue, tack or screw?  I was going to use tacks but the flex doesn't have any holes in sleepers.  I'd prefer to screw but can't find anthing small enough for N scale.  I used to screw my HO track.  So now it looks like glue ... what type?  I've got water based wood glue and also a hot glue gun and ample stick of glue.

 

2. How do you cut your track?  A moot point now that I'm nearly finished cutting I suppose.  I've tried several track cutters and wire cutters without success ... I never seem to get a square cut.  So I've been using a hacksaw with the finest blade I could get ad a small metal mitre box.  Results have been very successful.  I then use a fine wet-and-dry paper to sand the underside of the rails to create a very small mitre ... this helps joining track.

 

3. Powering track:  Should I solder to the outside edge of the rails, the bottom of the rails, or the bottom of joiners?  With my old HO I always used track power connectors and never soldered.  I'm going DCC so I believe I need to solder.  What is the best way and what are the pitfalls?

 

4. I have joining baseboards.  I was hoping to set the track so that when I rejoin the boards the track lines up and I don't need joiners.  The baseboards always lock in to exactly the same place.  The reason is each board is dowelled with 40mm timber dowel and locked with the quarter turn fixings typically used in office furniture.  Quite a neat system I think.  Anyway, my expectation is that the boards will always end up in exactly the same position and the track line up.  Does anyone else do this or have any comment to make?

 

Cheers,

 

The_Ghan

[Claude_Dreyfus]

I personally always pin the track; PECO do a range of very fine track pins. Once fixed down, it is further held in place when ballasting. As you mention, PECO track does not have the pin holes ready drilled...I would recommend you get hold of a very fine drill bit, I use a little hand drill, and drill these out before putting in the pins. Also, I would trim the pins down a little...they are not very durable (probably because they are too long). That said, the pins are sharp enough to be able to hammer through the track sleeper and into the board.

 

If you want to use glue, and your track is not too curvy, then ordinary white PVA should do the trick. If you have plenty of curves, especially a loop, then gluing probably isn't the best course of action.

 

When cutting the track, I use a specific track cutting tool...looks much like a pair of wire cutters, but a whole lot sharper. Wire cutters just aren't sharp enough and will give you a poor edge that requires lots of filing. You can also use one of these mini drills with the cutting disk attachment. You have to be very accurate though as crooked edges can be an issue. Hacksaws can be used very effectively, however if the blade is not fine enough it can catch the track and pull it out of the sleepers.

 

The best tool for track cutting (and when I eventually get one it will be my choice of weapon!) is a very fine saw called a razor saw. I tend to use a fine file to get rid of the flash and ragged edges.

 

From a visual point of view, soldering to the underside of the track is ideal, better still to the base of a metal fishplate if possible. The main drawback is if the solder become loose and connectivity is lost. For that reason, I always solder to the outside of the track, the only problem here is that the join is now visible.

 

A good tip is to try to use droppers. These can normally be fine pins, but not the PECO track pins as they are not conductors. Drive them in as close as you can beside the track…ideally so they touch the outside of the rail. Then you solder the pin head to the track…making sure that if necessary a decent flux is used; not all metals accept solder. Also note that solder itself is not a very good conductor of electricity, so ideally the pin should be touching the track. Also make use it does not stand proud of the track or it will foul the trains. The wire is then soldered to the opposite end of the dropper.

 

This method is useful as it make the solder connections much stronger; if it is just a wire soldered to the track, then it can be vulnerable.

 

If droppers cannot be used, for whatever reason, then only solder short lengths of wire to the track. These can be fitted to a terminal block at the opposite end, and thereafter longer wires can be attached. Again, this method helps reduce the wear and tear on the joins.

 

Do note, that these techniques are especially useful for exhibition layouts, which tends to be my thing, but are just a useful for more permanent displays.

 

Track crossing baseboard joins is also quite a tricky business. By the sounds of things, I don’t think you are going to have too much of a problem with alignments. Half of the battle with track crossing joins is ensuring that the alignment is consistent and rigid. The main issue is the protection of the track. This is perhaps the most vulnerable place for track, and I have had a number of situations where someone’s sweater has caught on a rail and before you know it a foot of rail has been torn up. Rails can also be knocked and send them out of alignment.

 

There are lots of ways to deal with this. One of the simplest is to use the same process as adding the droppers. The pins in this case protect the rails from being pulled…I also add a track pin through a number of sleepers either side of the join to make sure the track does not shift.

 

More extreme, but more durable, is the use of copper board. Solder the track to the board right at the join, and this will give a very strong, but not very attractive, base to your track…mind you cut a groove in the board between the rails to prevent short-circuits.

 

A few ramblings, but hope this helps…

[Mudkip Orange]

1. Glue

2. Xuron nippers

3. Outside and/or joiners

4. Do like Ntrak does and use a short length of "fitter" flex track, which allows for some minor play in either direction.

[Bernard]

Xuron nippers are one of the most valuable tools I have on my workbench.

Here is what they look like:http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/product_p/791-2175b.htm

 

I used Peco track on my layout and drilled nail holes in some of the ties. Another method is what Martijn did when he laid down the track on his layout, he used screws and washers to keep the track in place.

 

One important thing I'd like to add, draw your layout plan on the surface of whatever material you are going to use as the base of the layout. Position/set your turnouts first and work from there. The tricky part is going to be the curves. I would solder 2 pieces together first and then shape the curve. I find it harder to solder the track in the middle of a curve after I've positioned it. What I like most about the Peco track is that it holds it shape for a curve when your working with it unlike Atlas track that can be too flexible at times.

Put a little gap as certain points to allow for the track to expand and contract with temp. changes.

And most important....have fun!

[Claude_Dreyfus]

Xuron cutters...that's what I meant by 'a specific track cutting tool'...I could not remember their name...

[westfalen]

1. Glue

2. Xuron nippers

3. Outside and/or joiners

4. Do like Ntrak does and use a short length of "fitter" flex track, which allows for some minor play in either direction.

I second this from experience with Ntrak, the fitter track was important with modules from different builders who seemed to have rulers with different measurements, but since we've gotten into T-TRAK we haven't had any problems with track right up to the edge as you use the Kato rerailer/track gauge to space the track, if you're building the layout yourself and careful with track laying you might get away with it.

 

For glue I use Sellys water based Kwik Grip, http://www.selleys.com.au/Selleys-Kwik-Grip-Waterbased-Build-Construct/default.aspx.

[westfalen]

1. Glue

2. Xuron nippers

3. Outside and/or joiners

4. Do like Ntrak does and use a short length of "fitter" flex track, which allows for some minor play in either direction.

I second this from experience with Ntrak, the fitter track was important with modules from different builders who seemed to have rulers with different measurements, but since we've gotten into T-TRAK we haven't had any problems with track right up to the edge as you use the Kato rerailer/track gauge to space the track, if you're building the layout yourself and careful with track laying you might get away with it.

 

For glue I use Sellys water based Kwik Grip, http://www.selleys.com.au/Selleys-Kwik-Grip-Waterbased-Build-Construct/default.aspx.

Disregard this post, I hit quote instead of modify and didn't notice until I hit save.

[The_Ghan]

Thanks folks,

 

I like the idea of the droppers, both for wiring and at joints in the board.  I think I'll go that way.  Selleys glue it is ... good advice from a fellow Aussie I think.  BTW, my curves are Peco SetTrack, not flex, I failed to mention that. The flex is used in subway areas ... long, straight, and cheap ... mostly.

 

The hacksaw with very fine blade has been working well ... the small metal mitre box helps ... especially when I jamb the track in with wood chocks.  So, I'll stick with my system that works for me.

 

The board joints is something I'll experiment with.  The droppers should provide good support.  Coupled with the dowels and cabinetry fixings I might just pull it off.

 

Thanks again for the good advice.

 

Cheers,

 

The_Ghan

[cteno4]

gahn,

 

there are screws small enough for n scale track!

 

http://www.trainaidsa.com/shop-fasteners.shtml

 

work great for unitrak and would probably work fine on flex with some countersinking. they are self starting into plywood.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[The_Ghan]

Thanks Jeff,

 

Bookmarked the site and will order a couple of packets.

 

I've also bought some brass picture frame nails, which seem to be an appropriate size.

 

Cheers

 

The_Ghan

[cteno4]

ghan,

 

forgot to mention that he also sells nice little #00 screwdrivers for $3 that are nicely tipped and have a swivel end that makes it easy to push down while screwing to start them. i find i strip maybe 1 in 10 or 20, but not bad for small screws like this and w/o pilot holes. i just use the needle nose to back them out when i do. they are pretty inexpensive.

 

brass #00 are very expensive and strip if you blink. also you can only usually get slot head in brass and wood screw shaped so not as good for track laying.

 

these work wonderfully on unitrak, just drill out the little track holes in the roadbed and go. really strong attachment of the track and nicely removable!

 

cheers

 

jeff

[David]

Any experience or thoughts on screwing from below? The plate track system (discontinued) is made by attaching regular track to a plastic section by feeding the screw from the bottom up - so there is no need to drill out of the screw hole. I'd imagine a major issue would be how to detemine where to put the screws without knowing exactly where the matching receivers are on the track (the viaduct uses the same system - the plastic has screw holes at the right places to match the Unitrack)

[cteno4]

issue here is getting the hole in the right place! not easy to do. one of our members did it with his straight ttrak module, but you have to be ultra accurate in locating your holes to drill. then once drilled its a snap. would be really hard with curves.

 

i guess you could lay the track out then draw radial lines across the track where the holes are (you would just need to estimate the center between two ties where the screw socket is underneath) then mark the sides of the roadbed on the radial line, then bisect those two marks to find your drill hole.

 

on unitrak i have found the screws are not noticeable at over a couple of feet away and a dab of gray paint makes them go away as well. i also hit the top of the drill hole through the roadbed with the reamer to make a recess for the screw head so it lays flat.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[David]

You could make a single "template" of each track piece (S248, R282) by drilling out the holes.Rhen piece by piece put together the layout - for each piece it would first be attached with the template version, to drill the pilot holes in the table/surface, then replace the template with a regular piece which would be screwed in from below before moving onto the next piece and repeating the process.

[cteno4]

Yes but i fear you might paint yourself into a corner as with unitrak you need to set the track up and let it fall into that comfortable shape. you would then need to draw this out carefully and try to go through it with your templates. i fear small mistakes could start causing a morphing of the relaxed and best running micro shape. dont see it as a problem as just a blop of paint makes the small screw heads disappear.

 

even with careful screwing from the top things can get a bit out of shape for the perfect running shape if you are not careful.

 

doable, but seems like a lot of work for a small gain.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[omar]

The screws are great, but I suggest pilot holes. I break off screws if I don't drill first.

Adhesive caulk works well to hold down track. Use clear and a very thin coat. You can use pins to hold track in place. The ballast does the rest of the holding.

I solder all joints and put a power drop between all joints. Small gauge solid wire soldered to outside of rail that is the joined to a larger bus wire. The small wire disappears in the ballast, pretty much.

I have been doing Ntrak for over 10 years, and solder joints on outside of rails are easy to repair.

[cteno4]

with the trainaids screws i have never broken a head off, but stripped a few. luckily there has always been enough of a head standing up to grab with the needle nose pliers and back them out. if you do strip one all the way in you can just drill out the head to get it off then lift off the track and pull out the screw shank, but never had to do that yet with the trainaids screws.

 

i do get the screw where i want it then give it a good shove down to poke the point into the wood to give it a start before screwing and this helps a lot. works well in luan ply which is pretty hard stuff.

 

i also try to keep even pressure down on the screw driver, thats why ones with the swivel top help to push down and turn easily and evenly. also a good hard point on the bit helps and the $3 trainaids #00 screw drivers are nice german steel and have not rounded at all. i use to use a stanley #00 i had that had a larger handle and that was nice but started noticing the tip of the bit was starting to round a bit (cheaper steel i guess).

 

cheers

 

jeff