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Bad track bad - make it good!
When Coalfinger Ken was over with the NCIOG group he was running his steam engine on the layout and discovered a REALLY bad track area on the uphill side of the plate girder bridge. Notice below that there is a big gap between the bottom of the level and the rail. This "hump" was de-railing his loco and it had to be repaired. (Right) To make matters worse, there was also a kink in the track on the entrance to the bridge - a double whammy!
Since I had only put a couple of drops of glue on the bottom of the bridge it was very easy to pry it loose from the Styrofoam "concrete" piers. (Right) Here I've put a spacer under the bridge to show how much the track leading to the bridge needs to be raised. I think where I went wrong originally was when I cut plywood sub bed it sagged resulting in the mismatch.
The track has to go, so I start by cutting the feeder wires. (Right) Next I cut next to the cork where the landscaping is attached. Note the mother and son watching the process.
It didn't take long to discover that this was going to be a long process, so I grabbed a nice soft rubber mat to help save the Dogs! (Right) Here I'm checking the track with a car to make sure it's free rolling and no more hump.
The Styrofoam spacer has been cut and attached using 5 minute epoxy. Why epoxy? It's strong, foam safe, dries fast, and doesn't add much extra thickness. The spacer and existing support both had their edges beveled so that the lightweight Spackle would fill the crack. (Right) Here's the spacer after it's been painted. Note the prototypical crack along the top horizontal edge - just like the real thing!
Graph paper was taped together and cut to make a template for the new roadbed. The new ramp piece was cut out of a piece of 3/16" Masonite following the template. (Right) What the heck are these? They are 3/8" dowel rods cut into 1-1/2" pieces. They will be used to support the roadbed Masonite piece.
The 3/8" dowel rod pieces were inserted into holes drilled into the existing sub roadbed. They are a tight "slip fit" to allow them to be moved up and down. (Right) After all of the holes were drilled and the dowels inserted, the Masonite roadbed piece was put on top and the dowels moved up or down to get the proper slope to the piece.
Once the Masonite roadbed slope was set properly, the dowels were affixed in place using the 5 minute epoxy.
(Right) Next the top of each dowel received a coat of yellow carpenter glue and the Masonite roadbed (with cork already installed) was installed on top. I used what I had handy for weights, which happened to be soft drinks from the NCIOG Friday night session.
Even though I had beveled the Masonite using a rasp it still was a little too thick. I cut it short and used styrene sheet of reducing thickness to make the transition to the final level ( existing plywood). The sheets were glued to each other using styrene glue and glued to the plywood with Alene's Tacky Glue. After the glue was dry I glued on the final strips of cork roadbed. (Right) What's going on here? I saved the Masonite template and used it here to attach the track and curve it to the final angle. I soldered a piece of 36" Atlas code 83 flex track to a 9" piece of sectional track while they were straight, thus eliminating the possibility of a kink. I'm using this "jig" to paint the track with camo dark brown spray paint. The reason I painted the track in the final position is because when the track is flexed (curved) and painted it covers all areas.
Here's the track after it was glued down using latex caulk and weighted while the caulk was drying.
Of course, the scenery has to be reworked in this area because of the new roadbed and elevation. (Right) The area was sprayed with 70% alcohol and scraped to remove most of the grass. The trees and bushes were also removed. The area will receive paint, foam, trees, etc.
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This is the perfect example of how to fix bad track - you REPLACE IT, you don't try to adjust it in hopes you can "make do".
Bad track will continue to plague you until you do what Rick did here and replace it with something laid with more care.
It's been my experience any time you go ahead and REPLACE bad track, you never have a problem again. Any time I've tried to ADJUST bad track to make it better, that section of track remains a trouble spot.
Great post, Rick.
Joe Fugate
Publisher, Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine
Steam locos with a long wheelbase make great tools to test your track. If your curve radius allows a 2-10-0 or 2-10-2, these type of locos will help identify problem spots that need more work. Diesels on two trucks will not show the problems as well as steam with a long boiler over the drive wheels. What looks questionable when a diesel operates over it may make a steam loco look like it is popping a wheelie. If steam has problems on certain track areas, then long freight cars and passenger cars may also have difficulties. It's an easy way to check your work.
Taking the extra steps on your track now will reward you with years of solid, enjoyable operation.
Eric
Eric Hansmann in Chagrin Falls, Ohio
Modeling the railroads of Newburgh, Ohio, circa 1926:
http://designbuildop.hansmanns.org/
for testing track work. The modular club has found in the past when there was no one operating with steam that a set of Alco Pa's with a string of full length passenger cars will find virtually any track problem that exists.
2-6-6-2's also work just great for finding that one little glitch in the track. At least in areas that it travels on. Excellent subject and remedy.
Geared is the way to tight radii and steep grades.
Ghost River Rwy.
"The Misty Loggers"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs5qJPRumLA
I have one thing to say Rick!! the next time you go to such detail to show such great work with 12 photos & step by step instructions. Don't Post it!! Instead submit it to MRH as an article for an upcoming issue and get paid for your great work. I believe this is exactly the type articles MRH is starving for and would pay quite well for this type of well done Detailed Railroad fix it article.
But it was a very very GOOD fix it Post and very nice workmanship on the repair.
Dan
NARROW gauge MINDED
AND PROUD OF IT
We'll take it either way - as a wonderfully useful post on the forums or as an article.
It is true that as an article we have to accept it (not guaranteed) and then we need to schedule it for publication. If it's fairly short, it will likely get published sooner rather than later.
And of course, if we accept it for publication, you'll get paid for it - which you won't get if you just post it here on the MRH site.
Joe Fugate
Publisher, Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine
FYI Rick will have an article appearing in Issue 7 of MRH. You'll have to wait to find out what it is...
Charlie
Layouts and Media Editor, Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine
That's Great news Charlie as I have become a fan of his work and his way of Modeling.
Dan
NARROW gauge MINDED
AND PROUD OF IT
Dan, Joe & Charlie,
Thank you for your kinds words! Almost everything that I've learned about model railroading has come from other model railroaders sharing their experience, and I'm truely grateful for their willingness to share. I want to give back to the hobby by hopefully providing helpful information from my experience. It's fun to share and also fun to see the feedback from other model railroaders!
Rick
http://richlawnrailroad.blogspot.com/ The Richlawn Railroad
>> And of course, if we accept it for publication, you'll get paid for it - which you won't get if you just post it here on the MRH site.
Hey Joe,
Great site! I love it and MRH is top-notch!
I just wanted to point out that your above statement seems a little self-defeating. You're essentially telling people *not* to submit great articles and information *here* but rather bundle it up, submit it to MRH and hope that you all might publish it and they'll get paid-- versus submitting the same material here and getting nothing...
I'd like to point out that the "articles" are essentially the same in either case, with the exception that you might do some editing and whatnot to prepare it for inclusion into the formal magazine (e-zine). If enough people take your advice then you'll have a pile of articles for maybe, possibly, someday, could-be, if-we-need-it inclusion, as opposed to having the information right away.
MRH is an on-line magazine with a free and open format-- an incredibly COOL concept if you ask me. You guys ROCK! But why make people wait for content? If you see something good and "magazine-worthy" posted online in the forums, why not stick a "sticky" on it (so it can be included in a "best-of-the-best" type posts / categorized if you like) and then PAY the author on the spot? Right out of the forum.
The upshot, in my opinion, is there would be addition motivation to offer good work in the forum, it beomes a secondary information channel to the magazine (which it already is), you could then quite viably open up the forum pages to additional advertising (tastefully, along the sides I'd hope! :-) and people could freely exchange content in either place-- and if there's something you *really* like in the forums, you could just pick it up, contact the author, and edit it appropriately for actual inclusion in the magazine itself.
That way you would encourage information to flow your way from any source. And people would learn (as if they hadn't already) that MRH and its forums are a premium source of good, solid Model Railroading information...
Whaddaya think?
John