The Atlantic and Southern Build Thread Continued, Part 3

[PRR Modeler]

Looks great Tom.

[jrmueller]

Tom. What's that track laying jig?  Jim

[GPdemayo]

Track onto the 3rd level.....I bet Bill is just beside himself with anticipation.....looking good Tom. 

[ACL1504]

Looks great Tom.

Curt,

Thank you my friend.

Tom

[ACL1504]

Tom. What's that track laying jig?  Jim

Jim,

I've had that one 38" radius jig for about 30 years. Don't remember who made it but Peco now has them available through Walthers.

https://dealers.walthers.com/exec/search?manu=552&split=30&category=Track&start=210

Ribbonrail also makes track gauges/alignment gauges.

https://www.modeltrainstuff.com/brands/Ribbon-Rail.html

Hope this helps.

Tom

[ACL1504]

Track onto the 3rd level.....I bet Bill is just beside himself with anticipation.....looking good Tom. 

Greg,

Thank you my friend. Yes, the Judge had a wonderful time today with the Ovalix. I'm sure there will be more in the Saturday report.

Tom

[ACL1504]

I installed a Peco #8 left hand turnout on the far side of the Ovalix. The track off the left hand will be the longest section of the wye "leg".



I marked on the cork where the Tortoise link will be and then drilled a hold in the cork and plywood. To prevent the sawdust and wood chips from falling onto the lower level, I placed an old baking tin under the turnout location to catch the debris.



I then vacuumed the area and installed the turnout.

More in a few.

[ACL1504]

I installed the track from this turnout to a straight section on the north side.

I then installed the track from the westside, around the corner to the straight section.

I'm wondering if the 86 ft. passenger car will derail on this curve! 





Just goes to show ya'll how flexible the flextrack is.

Okay, now both curved sections are meeting in the 21.5 inch straight section. A piece will need to be cut and fit into the track.



Continued -

[ACL1504]

Fast forward and the short section of track was cut and fit into place.



This section of track is not soldered. I will solder all the curved sections but not all the straight sections of track. Due to the humidity in Florida, I've learned from past experiences to leave some sections unsoldered so the track can expand/contract.

I've enlarged the next photo to show you a very small gap in the rail. This gap appears to be about 1/8 inch wide.

In actuality it is only 1.25 mm wide. The three test passenger cars were run back and forth over this area with no noticeable bump.



More in a few.

[ACL1504]

The fill in ties were added next.



Yes, all roadbed and track is level as well as my level car.





Continued -

[ACL1504]

The inner circle of track is now complete as well. This track the extension of the top of the Ovalix.





More track laying and turnout installations tomorrow.

[Zephyrus52246]

Those tracks look awfully close, Tom.  Are you sure a steam loco cab on the curve won't hit anything on the other track?  They have a tendency to "hang out".   


Jeff

[ACL1504]

Those tracks look awfully close, Tom.  Are you sure a steam loco cab on the curve won't hit anything on the other track?  They have a tendency to "hang out".   


Jeff

Jeff,

Yes, they are close and planned that way. The two tracks are part of the north wye/reverse loop and only one train can occupy the loop/wye at a time. So the cab hangover is not an issue here.

The cars are just showing the trackage is finished here. I should have explained that better.

Appreciate the comment and thanks for looking in.

Tom

[ACL1504]

I've had a few questions and emails over the past weeks concerning the cork roadbed and turnouts.

I mentioned when I did another one, that a more detailed thread would be in order. This morning I installed two, one in line with another. I installed a #8 and added a #6 on the top end.

I think I've captured some 40+ photos of the process. Due to this, I won't complete the process in today's post. It will be posted over a few days. It is all finished on my end but I don't have the time to show it all in this post.

To begin, one needs to understand how the Midwest Cork Roadbed works. This may be new to some and old to most. However, understanding the cork is important.

Here is an end view of a 3 ft. section of cork roadbed.



The cork separates in the middle. Here is a view of the separated cork. Notice one side is rough and one side is smooth. This knowledge is critical for laying the cork properly.



More in a few.

[ACL1504]

The two separated pieces of cork ARE NOT the same width. The smooth piece is 5 HO scale feet wide and the rough piece is 6 HO scale feet wide.





With this knowledge in mind, the two halves need to always be opposed to each other. Of course you can have the two narrow and the two wide sections together. It fits better with the one narrow and one wide opposed to each other.

More in a few.