The May Reverse Running Article Does Exist ...

Benny ... it is here:

https://forum.mrhmag.com/magazine-feedback-was-ezines-891776

It is listed on the third page (page index 2) of the Recent Posts list.

After 13 Layouts

Takes engines,  cars, and buildings off and some reusable scenery, will not be much. Remove top throw in trash save other lumber. Any attempt to save switches or track is giant waste of time. Why would you reuse old stuff on new layout? Bring your old problems with you.

Reuse

 I personally appreciate the tips on how to carefully take apart a layout so things can be reused. Thank you Benny for posting this how-to. If you don't want to reuse things Art, that's your business. If there were no "old problems", then he would not be bringing any "old problems" to the new layout, right? Not everyone has the cash to throw perfectly good material in the trash and buy new every time they want to change something on their layout.

I would certainly make the

I would certainly make the attempt to salvage track, especially turnouts. At approx. $25 per Shinohara turnout and up to $44 for a curved t.o., why not? It's not only economical for the owner/builder, but environmentally sound with all of that plastic being recycled for more use.

I've found that using alcohol rather than water will speed this process up dramatically when I've had to replace a turnout or two.

It's certainly a personal decision, but I for one will always try to save relatively expensive components for future use whenever it's possible/easy. Why waste what can be reused unless we're made of money?

Jim

...

The April Reverse Running is the one in question, it's simply "gone."

If you use water soluble compounds, when you have the track removed, a light soak in water will remove what remaining ballast or other debris is attached to the track - if it's commercial plastic, of course.

Once soaked and cleaned, you're looking at flex track that is now worth $2 a foot or switches worth $20-$30 each. Even kinked rail has a purpose, if you're handlaying, whereas short pieces can be snipped from it for all those shorter pieces of rail we use such as guard rails.

I have yet to work against hald-laid, where I presume I'll be able to salvage the switches [with PCB board construction] and the rest of the rail but not the ties.

The trick with the spatula is the same with most tools - insert, light, LIGHT pressure upward until you hear a light pop.  Then, go to a new place and do it again.  You don't want to pop it all at once, you want to go around until ever corner and then every side has been popped, to that when it comes time to lift it, there's nothing left holding it down.  "Ripping" up produces bends and irreversible stress joints, signs of impatience and working too fast.

In doing the teardown on crazy basin ridge, I salvaged about 15 feet of flex track [it came up in almost the same condition as it went down] plus 2 old switches.  That's a recovery of $30 in flex and $30 in switches, for a total of $60 gained on the day.  I may never use the switches seeing as how i have the fasttracks jigs, but I know plenty of people who will!

Brought it to the top

Okay, brought the April RR to the top ... looks fine to me.

...

Funny, I searched for it and couldn't find it...

Searching wasn't bringing it up, and then when I clicked the link in the April issue [landscape mode] the link took me to the March Reverse Running.

At least we know it's still there!

I'm perfectly OK with combining this thread to the bottom of the Reverse running thread, unless that's more difficult than it's worth at this point...

Fast Tracks will solve the cost problem

Under stand cost, if i ever do another layout, i will do fast tracks. Most Old switches are not dcc friendly. Some old nickel silver track alloys have broken down and are worthless. 

search knob

...har har har... I use my

...har har har...

I use my PC for web related content...

But I went back and checked, for your benefit.

Route 1, if I got to the April edition and use the link provided through the magazine, [Landscape version, read online] I end up here:

https://forum.mrhmag.com/magazine-feedback-was-ezines-891776

Route 2, When I do a search using the terms "Reverse Running Destroy" [Which honestly should bring up the result within the first five results if not first 10]...

This is my output:

 

So I don;t know, either way, I didn't find it.  Oh well.

...

Fasttracks are anything but Fast.  The commercial switches work and work well, 9 times out of ten, and that's nine times plenty for most people.  If they're good Shinohara or Micro Engineering switches, there's all the more incentive to bring them up intact without any warps or bends.

It literally took 30 seconds to take up all 15 feet of track.  There's much to be said about spiking track and then using a simple thinned white glue to hold down the ballast. It's nontoxic going down, there are no fumes and you don't need to consult an MSDS if you get some on your hands, eyes or mouth.  Its renewable in that anything you put down with it can be salvaged and with very little effort.

Try Joe Fugate's search trick

Try Joe Fugate's search trick - searching for the same phrase in Google with mrh at the front gives you a much better result ...

un3k

Recycling track

Very timely as I am getting to ready to do the same and start a new layout.  Nice that some folks have so much money they can just buy new, but some of us are retired and have to pinch pennies every month -- I'll be happy to recycle old track and roadbed, too, if I can. Maybe I should ask the rich folks to send me their old track ...