post your model RR tips........


Use a ring binder to store the instructions sheets, decoders manuals, parts diagrams and shipping or invoices for items I purchased, especially from the web. The old invoices are especially valuable for references to items purchased and I can't remember where I purchased certain items.

Greg
 
I have been toying around with the idea of using double sided foam tape to serve as a clean way of securing track to bench. it also serves as a good underlay and any easy way of securing ballast without glues and spray. There have been a few trial and error issues that needed to be ironed out. First cut the tape to track length "don't" lay tape under joiner's it's a nightmare to deal with if you make an error. Second, its hard to correct errors so be sure you are happy with where your track is position before adding tape (have it all marked up so the positioning is easy to follow). If you can get it right first time it will actually save you a bit of time over all.
 
Chef Waardevast said:
I have been toying around with the idea of using double sided foam tape to serve as a clean way of securing track to bench. it also serves as a good underlay and any easy way of securing ballast without glues and spray. There have been a few trial and error issues that needed to be ironed out. First cut the tape to track length "don't" lay tape under joiner's it's a nightmare to deal with if you make an error. Second, its hard to correct errors so be sure you are happy with where your track is position before adding tape (have it all marked up so the positioning is easy to follow). If you can get it right first time it will actually save you a bit of time over all.
Click to expand...

I would be concerned about using double back tape to secure track to the bench work for several reasons...

- You'll still need to using some type of white glue to secure the ballast since the tape's adhesive is not enought to hold the ballast so it looks finished.
- The moisture in any ballast glue may affect the tape's top and bottom layer of paper.
- Using the tape loses the taper sides of a railroad roadbed.
- The foam tape maybe hard to bend to the proper radius.
- I don't think you'll save any time with foam tape verses cork.

Just my opinion.

Greg
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Greg@mnrr said:
I would be concerned about using double back tape to secure track to the bench work for several reasons...

- You'll still need to using some type of white glue to secure the ballast since the tape's adhesive is not enought to hold the ballast so it looks finished.
- The moisture in any ballast glue may affect the tape's top and bottom layer of paper.
- Using the tape loses the taper sides of a railroad roadbed.
- The foam tape maybe hard to bend to the proper radius.
- I don't think you'll save any time with foam tape verses cork.

Just my opinion.

Greg
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Click to expand...
Hi Greg

I agree it can be cumbersome at first, you kind of need a system in place. I mark out where my track will be placed with a felt tip pen. here I pre measure my straights and curves. I then prepare the track by pre soldering the track to the right lengths I need to either cover straights or curved areas. I place the foam strip under the track first neatly before applying the foam to the bench. I generally leave 20 to 30 mm on each end for play. I never place foam tape under unsoldered rail joiners. They can be difficult to pry free and may damage track. When I apply the foam to the bench, I work it through a little at a time to make sure the bed is flat. This process works fine with straits and curves.

The issues you have identified I pretty much agree with, you will not eliminate glueing altogether unless you're fine with not gluing the ballast down completely.

When spreading the ballast across the sticky underlay you will find it will spread the ballast much further and fairly evenly. Where I would apply glue would be more on the side of the track rather than cover the whole thing. I haven't had any issues with moister thus far but I think its worth mentioning considering that there is a possibility it may affect your layout.
Where it has saved me time is that I was able to have ballast in place around the same time the track was laid.

Tapering: I agree you do lose the taper but if you are cutting your own cork, as I have done in the past from cork sheeting it makes no real difference because you don't have a taper to start with. I found cork sheeting to be a cheaper alternative. I use 1mm foam tape for that reason, it doesn't raise the track too high and its easy to ballast edges.
The other uses I have found that works well with foam tape is if you have leveling issues and you need to prop up certain areas of track.

I agree this method may not be for everyone, I submitted this as simply another option. The traditional ways of doing things have been tried and tested for many years which is why they are still highly effective methods.

Cheers Chef
 
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Hmm...let's see (scratches head...bangs it a few times...) anything clear plastic from a package - stiff kind - works great for windows. Trurns out no one can see close enough to tell the thickness.

ALWAYS save lead foil from any source - very useful for tarps, odd shapes, etc.

I save wooden skewers, stirrers and all that kind of freebie stuff. Handy.

A used tea bag will provide you with metal perforated catwalk. Pin it, soak it in white glue solution, let it dry and cut to size. An old nylon will do the same, and you can switch it to the size grating you need.

Check out the cheap girls' jewelry in big box stores. All you want is the fine-link chains that come with whatever it is.

Look at everything you use and/or throw away - it's all potentially modeling material. Especially plastics.

Old spreads and stuff made out of chenille make great "bump" trees or bushes for covering a hillside. Old dish sponges are useful, too. I run one through the dishwasher and then microwave it before use.

You can mold small objects out of hot glue.

You can get enough small pill cups for small parts and paint mixing at a Dollar Store to stay happy for life! And they're cheap!

Dollar Store also sells very cheap packs of emery boards. Your wife can do her nails while you file what you're building. :)

Need thin aluminum for a project? Any used soda can will do. (Just remember that the inside is coated!)

Anytime you're driving on a dirt road, you;re in scale landscaping heaven, free of charge. And yes, we have a lot of them in my prt of the Colorado mountains. Some really interesting small rocks that make great "stand-out" boulders, too.

Last tip - never overlook cheap little kids' toys. They can be used, bashed or adapted to a lot of neat stuff.

Now if you all will excuse me, our pot bellied pig named Belushi wants to come back inside. He's smart but he can't do doors!
 
Mountain Man: Like your suggestion....here is a photograph where I used gravel and stones from a driveway near our cabin.

1612381978877.png


Greg
 
Half y’all probably already know these but for the sake of completionI use clipper oil (“Wahl Oil”) for lubrication, and WD-40 for track and wheel cleaning. I stopped using White Spirit solvent for cleaning after people warned me about weakening plastic track modules

In the United States, the easiest way I obtain this nice oil besides the little tiny vial in your haircut clippers is at Petco or PetSmart, in the doggy grooming supplies section. It’s $5.

I also have a habit of painting, and repainting, cheap, used rolling stock with the array of Testors and Humbrol enamels. Any color for whatever mood.

I don’t leave my transformer plugged in when I leave the house or overnight.
 
A97159CF-949C-4FAF-8C99-630EF8D50B32.jpeg

This here is how I clean my loco wheels. 3-4 inch strip of doubled paper towel, with some WD-40 on it. The W-D 40 should never be used for lubing, tho. But it’s great I mildly soak the towel strip and wrap it around the track, and run the loco. It rolls over the strip with ease again and again, losing that infamous grime as it goes

after a few minutes of it running over this thing, you gotta wipe down the track to dry and remove funk, and wipe dry the wheels as best as you can, and let it all air for a few minutes
 
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Some people might want to purchase new trestles/pillars to raise your track up off the ground, and that is okay.

However this is an area I decided to be creative and make my own. For months I would find random household objects. Dip tobacco cans, pill bottles, glass candles, etc.

But most recently I wanted to get professional and symmetrical about things. The home improvement store I visited would not cut me 4 inch lengths of any wood, even if I paid for it and I don’t have my own saw. But, I found a plastic tub full of PVC couplers… cylindrical in shape and about 2+ inches tall. I divided them into sets of 3 and packing taped/duck taped them together to make a stable and good-looking trestle system as I show you in photo
 

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beiland said:
Plastic ties, I assume you mean? First time I have ever hears of this.

Good video on track cleaning,..

from this discussion,..
https://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/42592?page=2
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I finally watched this fully yesterday. I was left sort of uninformed only because I’m in the USA and I don’t think we have the products he has access to in Australia. However I do remember it concluded that in all actuality, white spirit isn’t so bad. I don’t know except to say that it seems like the more I cleaned my tracks the faster they got dirty! White spirit was better in that the clean lasted longer. But WD40 and it gets dirty right away after I used that
 
The fluid you want is a non-polar fluid. Kerosene tops the list of potential track cleaners of N/S rails in our hobby. Next on the list are two electrical contact cleaners, WD-40 Contact Cleaner (NOT THE WATER DISPLACEMENT FORMULATION COMMONLY AVAILABLE), and the third item on the list is CRC Contact Cleaner. Further down come clipper oil, auto transmission fluid, and lacquer thinner, not in any order. The CMX car advised lacquer thinner, which I have recently tried and not run trains in three months. I'll see how well the rails work in a couple of weeks when I try to move locomotives once again.
I think kerosene will have a somewhat low vapour pressure for its volatiles. Vapourized kerosene is often used in brass clockworks to lubricate them, and those works can operate without needing cleaning for up to two decades if the mechanism is kept closed-up. Accordingly, I think using kerosene on the rails makes a lot of sense. It's a good non-polar solvent to remove carbonized organics that build up on the rails and on the treads of rolling stock, but that low volatility will also keep a thin layer coating the rails.
 
Selector said:
The fluid you want is a non-polar fluid. Kerosene tops the list of potential track cleaners of N/S rails in our hobby. Next on the list are two electrical contact cleaners, WD-40 Contact Cleaner (NOT THE WATER DISPLACEMENT FORMULATION COMMONLY AVAILABLE), and the third item on the list is CRC Contact Cleaner. Further down come clipper oil, auto transmission fluid, and lacquer thinner, not in any order. The CMX car advised lacquer thinner, which I have recently tried and not run trains in three months. I'll see how well the rails work in a couple of weeks when I try to move locomotives once again.
I think kerosene will have a somewhat low vapour pressure for its volatiles. Vapourized kerosene is often used in brass clockworks to lubricate them, and those works can operate without needing cleaning for up to two decades if the mechanism is kept closed-up. Accordingly, I think using kerosene on the rails makes a lot of sense. It's a good non-polar solvent to remove carbonized organics that build up on the rails and on the treads of rolling stock, but that low volatility will also keep a thin layer coating the rails.
Click to expand...
image.jpg
 
Selector said:
The fluid you want is a non-polar fluid. Kerosene tops the list of potential track cleaners of N/S rails in our hobby. Next on the list are two electrical contact cleaners, WD-40 Contact Cleaner (NOT THE WATER DISPLACEMENT FORMULATION COMMONLY AVAILABLE), and the third item on the list is CRC Contact Cleaner. Further down come clipper oil, auto transmission fluid, and lacquer thinner, not in any order. The CMX car advised lacquer thinner, which I have recently tried and not run trains in three months. I'll see how well the rails work in a couple of weeks when I try to move locomotives once again.
I think kerosene will have a somewhat low vapour pressure for its volatiles. Vapourized kerosene is often used in brass clockworks to lubricate them, and those works can operate without needing cleaning for up to two decades if the mechanism is kept closed-up. Accordingly, I think using kerosene on the rails makes a lot of sense. It's a good non-polar solvent to remove carbonized organics that build up on the rails and on the treads of rolling stock, but that low volatility will also keep a thin layer coating the rails.
Click to expand...
I also have clipper oil tho i have always used that as lubricant not for cleaning
 
I use ground throws on almost all of my switches. One of my pet peeves is a ground throw that is unnecessarily thrown so far that the control lever hits the layout surface and then becomes harder to throw back the other way. Also about half (74 of 140) are at eye level on the upper deck. I resolved both issues by inserting a track nail part way in the layout to keep the control lever from going all of the way.
IMG_7406.JPG

As you can see, I also paint the tip red or green to indicate at a glance which way it is thrown so I don't have stand on tiptoes to see the turnout itself. On my lower level, I just paint the tip of the turnout control arm which I can glance down on. I still use the nails there as well.
 
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