We are REALLY NEWBE'S

[nwdyr]

ok I think I schould put my picture's where my mouth is, here is what i am working with.ums/jj65/nwdyr/railraodpics004.jpg[/IMG]

[nwdyr]

[IMG]http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj65/nwdyr/railraodpics002.jpg[/IMG]

[Jim Krause]

The rail joiners slide over the lower portion of the rail, the two thin flanges that stick out laterally. Push them on carefully so that about 1/2 of the length is on one piece of track. line up the next section of track and push it onto the other half of the rail joiner, making sure that both of the flanges on the rail are inside the rail joiner. If you want to get a train running temporarily, you can get by with just making a loop and hook up your wires and run a train but the track will tend to pull apart. For purposes of figuring out your track arrangement, just play with the pieces until you find something that appeals to you then think about gluing down roadbed after you get the centerlines marked on your table. Do you plan to have some switches in your track plan? Questions, questions, questions. One further thought. Is there a MR club locally? I'm sure one or more members would be happy to help you out.

[Jim Krause]

Hey, now we're getting somewhere. That old saying about "a picture being worth a thousand words" really applies.
Since you are using foam, forget about any nailing. Adhesive is your option. Is there any thin plastic surface over the foam? If so, remove it or the adhesive won't stick.
Do you see any small holes on the centerline of the ties? They can be used to temporarily pin your track down and to hold everything in place while gluing the track.
Obviously, we're back to using the cork roadbed.
Next step, figure out a track plan.

[nwdyr]

I did find some local mr clubs, however they all had "dues" and were more than i can afford right now! I am on workmans comp, from a injury at work. So I guess you guys are stuck with me OK so once I finnish laying out the track,and yes I have about 8 remote switchs, left and right. So those holes in the center ties are soooo small what the heck do I use that to mark the table so i know where then center is , to lay the corkbed?

[MasonJar]

Either stick a pin through the hole (and then mark the pinhole later) or just eyeball it on one side of the tie next to the hole. You do need to be reasonably accurate, but not down to the nanometer...!

Andrew

[nwdyr]

got ya.... thank you!

[Biased turkey]

Originally Posted by nwdyr

So those holes in the center ties are soooo small what the heck do I use that to mark the table so i know where then center is , to lay the corkbed?

I'm modeling in N scale ( half the size of the HO scale you are modeling ) and to mark the track center I dip a needle in black ink and then insert the needle in the holes locating the track center.
For the turnouts I build some cardboard templates .
I know for example that a # 4 Atlas N scale turnout has diverging route with a 19" radius .


Jacques

[60103]

The holes are for pinning the track down but only if you use something the pin will stick in. They're actually bad news; few real railroads put nailheads in the middle of the ties, and people tend to put a nail though it and wallop it with a hammer to get it down. This creates a depression in the middle of the track and the rails pull in at that point.
If you are willing to glue the tack down, you can put headless pins through
the holes and into the foam, check and test the layout, then lift the track off, apply glue, and drop the track back where it came from.
Test all glues on the foam before using. One fellow didn't and he made a lowered loading track when the foam dissolved.

[Biased turkey]

I'm afraid I didn't make myself clear.
I don't use the needle ( or a pin ) to pin the tracks down, but just to mark the position of the holes on the subroadbed ( in my case, pink extruded styrene ).
That's the reason why I dip the needle in black ink before marking every hole in the center of the ties.
After removing the tracks I have a succession of dots that indicate the track center.

Sorry for the confusion.

Jacques

[nwdyr]

Originally Posted by Biased turkey

I'm afraid I didn't make myself clear.
I don't use the needle ( or a pin ) to pin the tracks down, but just to mark the position of the holes on the subroadbed ( in my case, pink extruded styrene ).
That's the reason why I dip the needle in black ink before marking every hole in the center of the ties.
After removing the tracks I have a succession of dots that indicate the track center.

Sorry for the confusion.

Jacques

No problem! thank you, I am about half way done laying the track, I am using the pins to hold the track in place right now, but I will try what you said about marking the center line for the corck roadbed. And I am also using the ext. styrene