4mm Llanfair ....

LarryG

Western Thunderer
The track needs to be sprayed with Howes Sleeper Grime to make an impression on the baseboard, then glued & ballasted down in convenient sections. I didn't have a catchpoint for the coal siding, so a point was used. Empty coal wagons could be pushed by hand into that short stub.....
WEB Track new 3A.jpg

Update : Bullhead track with flat bottom points below. All flat-bottom in picture above. Sprayed Howes Sleeper Grime....
WEB Track new 4A.jpg
 
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LarryG

Western Thunderer
The two sunny days we had at the beginning of the week were too hot for gluing down track using the glue & ballast in one go method. Since then, we've had more than a months rainfall in two days in North Wales. I've noticed water on the railway baseboard via a split roofing board, but there is no chance of investigation yet.
 

Richard Gawler

Western Thunderer
I've just done a test area using Ballast Magic. This is a powdered glue you mix with the ballast and set off with a mist of water. My result wasn't strong enough for a permanent installation, but it was strong enough to stay put while I added a dribble of diluted pva. The result has set rock hard so good for a siding, less so for a main line.
 

LarryG

Western Thunderer
Track laying today at long last after months of messing about.....
WEB Track new 5A.jpg

Track laid aside while neat PVA brushed onto baseboard....
WEB Track new 5F.jpg

Track laid and ballasted before noon.....
WEB Track new 5B.jpg

All done by late afternoon....
WEB Track new 5C.jpg

Buildings in place just to see how things looked.....
WEB Track new 5D.jpg

Ballast was a mix of fine light grey and fine dark brown to give a speckled finish.....
WEB Track new 5E.jpg
 

LarryG

Western Thunderer
Please Larry, are you using the PVA neat to do this or are you adding something into it to help it percolate upwards?
It's neat PVA, and the best I've found yet. It is applied thickly with a soft 3/4" brush. Track is lowered onto it and straightened with 3' steel ruler, then ballast poured on. It is firmly tamped with the fingers and hand for a while and the track re-checked in case it had moved. Then strips of 3" x 1" timbers placed on the track with heavy books on top.

Only after the lot is dry do I vacuum off the surplus ballast. This way, the PVA has time to peculate and attach a thicker layer of ballast.
 

Richard Gawler

Western Thunderer
Thanks Larry. A few years ago I had a go in a children's workshop run by Mrs Gravett. I soon learnt I was spreading my pva far too meanly. I don't quite know where it all goes, but it pays to be generous. I still have my sample weeds somewhere.
 

LarryG

Western Thunderer
The compressor and rarely used Airbrush were set up in the railway shed today. There then followed a dismantling session, which failed to make the Airbrush function. I've had three of these toys and they WILL stop working! So the job of weathering the track with rust washed down from rails to ballast was done with the trusty spraygun...

WEB Track new 6.jpg
 

LarryG

Western Thunderer
My dislike of the ultra fragile Peco '00' bullhead track has barely been disguised over the years. I've been messing about....

The nearer rail is bullhead, the farther rail being flat bottom....
WEB Chaired rail 1.jpg

The nearer rail is flat bottom slid onto bullhead track base. In dreams, I wish Peco had used its flat bottom rail to produce a far stranger product.
WEB Chaired rail 2.jpg
 

LarryG

Western Thunderer
I have always been happy with the performance and appearance of SMP type J (from Marcway nowadays) and I even married some up to a Peco BH turnout. Might be worth looking at for future projects.

Welcome to Marcway.net

I used Markway bullhead flexible J in pre-Peco bullhead days.. Because of it's thinner sleepers, I put thinner cork under the Peco Streamline points so the rail heights would match. The Markway flexible track is stronger and much easier to lay perfectly straight.
 

Hayfield1

Active Member
I used Markway bullhead flexible J in pre-Peco bullhead days.. Because of it's thinner sleepers, I put thinner cork under the Peco Streamline points so the rail heights would match. The Markway flexible track is stronger and much easier to lay perfectly straight.

Larry

Have you ever tried Exactoscale Fast track bases, sleeper thickness 1.6mm. Very easy to lay straight as all webs joined, accepts code 75 bullhead rail
 

LarryG

Western Thunderer
Larry

Have you ever tried Exactoscale Fast track bases, sleeper thickness 1.6mm. Very easy to lay straight as all webs joined, accepts code 75 bullhead rail
Thanks Hayfield and Captain'. The track bases have come to light too late for the layout now. I was out laying track this morning at 7am before the shed got too hot, and it took an hour to get five feet of double track as straight as possible. After some derailments on bullhead points........ I didn't bother to find out why......... turnouts are now mostly flat bottom.
 

Captain Kernow

Western Thunderer
Thanks Hayfield and Captain'. The track bases have come to light too late for the layout now. I was out laying track this morning at 7am before the shed got too hot, and it took an hour to get five feet of double track as straight as possible. After some derailments on bullhead points........ I didn't bother to find out why......... turnouts are now mostly flat bottom.
There have been reports of the curved part of Peco bullhead turnouts experiencing gauge narrowing. I understand this has been raised with Peco.
 

Hayfield1

Active Member
Available from C&L these days.

Two different products, yes a few years ago Exactoscale was marketed by C&L but both companies separated and have their own track base

C&L now have a new thick flexitrack in their range. In 00 gauge both 3 and 2 bolt versions. In EM & P4 3 bolt. In all cases its true flexitrack

Exactoscale do Fast track bases in 00, EM & P4, whilst both ranges (Exactoscale & C&L) come in 60' track panels the Exactoscale version comes with the webbing intact. Makes straight laying track easier, but by web cutting can be curved

For those who like the modern 3D method Templot plug track can be printed either straight or curved and if required flexi and to any gauge required **(and supported).

**Scales from 2mm, 3mm, 4mm, S scale and 7mm currently in development and in use
 
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