Model railroad track glue or pin? It’s a question that comes up every now and then on the blog, and Chris has been in touch with his take on it:
“Hi here is a tip, how to lay out your base, from frame to the gravel felt.
The pic’s will show how i layout mine out so it is easy pin your track also not having to go and by rolls of underlay from a model shop.
First i make up the frame to the size i need, once done i use 6mm M.D.F for the strength and less chance of the base sinking with any weight on top, then i use 6mm flooring mat witch is a soft and ideal for track pin’s, this will act as your underlay as well as it will also soften the sound of the train running round.
When this is all done i will use a roofing felt to cover were the track is being placed, make sure the felt has a stone look to it, you can then heat the felt to stick down, but with the smell i tend
not to do this i stick with P.V.A lot’s off.
It take’s about 24 hour’s to have a good drying but when done your ready to lay and pin your track.
As you will see in one off the pictures i am do a extension on a layout for some one using the method that i have said about. ”
A big thanks to Chris – so what do you think for your model railroad track glue or pin? really liked what he did, it’s always the simple things that work well. And as his pictures show, it looks great.
Now on to David:
“Hi, AL.
Just a short email with a few pics, started this project in march last year on the day I retired at 67.
So 1 year on I thought you may like a quick scan of how it is now, hence the pic’s. Built from scratch by myself including the loft conversion with stairs all the table work and model work never done anything like it before, but just got stuck in, built the staging around room 21’x18′ started off 2′ wide but has grown to 4′ in places ,no track plans just bought track and laid it as i saw fit have had to change a few parts of track to get trains around the radius’s, but that was just fun.
A couple of gradients (4) some mountains ,hills, tunnels 4, desert , modelled on US trains but pure imagination on places , small town ,industrial, gravel extraction, goods yard, valley’s, farmland, did have a suspension bridge 3′ long but changed to a lift off entrance to get a better line connection. have put in the only part not made by me but my young grandson and that was a working volcano that he made for school and it fits in quite nicely.just starting to come together.
Bought mostly off eBay some good bargains on there, 50 ho cars $7.88 from Shanghai? 200 people $6.77 it’s still out there.
Cheers.
David”
That’s all for today folks.
Please do keep ’em coming.
And if today is the day you get started on your layout, the Beginner’s Guide is here.
Best
Al
PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.
PPS More HO scale train layouts here if that’s your thing.
Don’t even think about the complaints but think about those that didn’t complain. They must far outnumber the two oafs that did.
you lost me with 6mm. I just can’t picture this measurement in my mind at all. I’m also lost on what a ‘flooring mat’ is. I guess it’s my old yankee brain having one of it’s pharts. Nice layout though.
That sounds like a good tip laying your layout on felt , it saves a lot paint where you want roads , and for under the track
6 mm is approximately 1/4 or more accurately
0.236 inches. “flooring mat” may translate to
carpet pad. Pad comes in thicknesses from 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Hope this helps.
Hi David j howarth, for roads i use blackboard paint as you can draw the white line’s and they can be washed off at any time. I use felt under the track as it is only £15 a roll and i can do 3/4 layout’s with it.
Nice work Bill lol.
I will post layout back on scott when i have finish, it will be by sat i hope.
Book is not available in the US. My Amazon accoun states that the book is only available in the UK.
Nice work chris
looks great.pics and tips are always help ful.
I’ve been saving everything for almost a year now And I’m just about ready to start setting up my layout We bought a house and I have a 35’X15′ space Todays tips from Chris is gonna be as very help for my beginning Thanks so much I’ve saved every tip you have send me in the last 8 mths Again ThankYou soooo much George
Great tips on begining layouts. I wish it came sooner after hundreds of dallors for track bed rocks senery and everything in between.
I realy like all of the tips that you send ,and the responces that every one sends it realy helps on a layout.
keep up the good work
Don’t worry also about the 2 idiots ,I had a couple myself last week saying I had the wrong trees for that area…so you see we all get them
al got the book on my new fangled kindle think its great well worth the very very small price tag
Hi I just posted a nice review for you. 😉
I do believe you can edit your Kindle book and add some images if you can still log in to your editors account.
Geoff Lord
I am with most here when I say that most reviews are done by pre-collegiate geeks who seem to delight in dis-ing anyone and anything between diaper changes. I am buying the book just to upset them…and buy the Mrs. a faux mink coat!
Keep up the great work, I enjoy all the tips you post, I am a seasoned model railway owner but have no layout at present when I move into my new home will probably start in earnest as it has a loft conversion already carried out on it. As for the 2 that complained about your book ignore them they are obviously idiots and I thought a book contained words not pictures, by definition a comic normally comes with pictures, never mind I will stop before I go too far. It is great to hear about different ideas for doing many things on model railways I love all the tips. Keep them coming Al great news letter once more
.Interesting…..I Was A Passionate,Devoted model Rail Roader Until I Got Married….& That Was Soon The End Of That…Been Gnawing At Me To Conclude.At The Time I Was Indulged Into Lionel & Still Love Lionel From A Collectors Stand Point,,,,but If I get Back In,,,,it will probably be in HO….I love The Landscaping Part Of It & Even Came Upon A Little Secret For Making Water With Liquis Plastic & Another Secret Ingrediant….If I decide To Get Myself Crazy Again,I’ll Get Back In….Until Then,,,Happy Model Rail Roading….What Do You Think of The Trains From Germany?’
Great tips as always 🙂
I am planning a 13′ X 4′ layout of my home town in the 1950, the station and goods yard were very busy at the time (before the Beeching cuts) to learn the basics, and get some practice in, I have built a shunting puzzle based on goods shed that is a small part of the larger plan. It’s a great idea to start with, as a large layout can seem somewhat daunting, and you’re never sure where to begin. start small, and work up. The puzzle will slot into the goods yard when I start the larger layout.
Happy shunting chaps
I was fortunate to have 2 people in rather short matter of time advise me: “It is your railroad; you are the president, and you get to make all the decisions re: everything about your railroad.” Ignore the nay-sayers. If the president of the RR is happy, everyone else should shut up.
I do agree, never, never, never listen to nay sayers, they will forever hold you back. Work on YOUR project, your way. You only have you to please. Love reading all the tips, to learn, and see what others are acomplishing. Michael. C.
great small layout, very neat and good essential detail. This is the stuff which will encourage people to start on a layout which by any standard is a big time consuming project. My layout also does not have people and signals – yet !- but already looks believable and realistic. The fine details are added to the layout over a long period. It never ends. Some layouts have taken decades to complete. Keep up the good work, we live and learn as we go, all the best Steve
Hi Chris,
Is there any particular kind of roofing felt that you use? There’s the old fashioned kind and synthetic. I love the idea of the carpet pad and roofing felt. Saves the nuisance of ballast and gluebb
I used to be in a model railway club and on our layout we pinned the cork and track to the layout board then when the track was ready, we ballasted it and glued the ballast using watered down PVA glue, about 50/50 glue to water with a small amount of dish washing detergent. When the glue is dry, go around the layout and using a vacuum cleaner, carefully suck up any loose ballast. Put an old stocking in the hose to catch the loose ballast, which can then be reused.
If at a later date track has to be moved, it is easy to loosen the ballast by moistening it to get to the track pins and pins holding the cork down and again both car be reused if remover carefully.
nice job, keep going.
The foam roadbed’s purpose is twofold. First, it provides the right profile for the shape of the ballast under it. Second, it offers excellent sound isolation between the track and the wooden structure below it. This acoustic break ensures you hear the wheels rolling on the rails instead of the sound of your trains running across a guitar top or piano sounding board. Some will say once the glue and ballast are on, the track is locked to the board anyway. This is not true. The ballast will be released from the foam and track in a very short time, allowing the foam to do its acoustical isolation job. Remember, the track is a model too.
Always interested in finding new ways to make my layout better, but the scope of its, more trains or more landscaping. I use a reply from my granddaughter when I was remodeling my home. LESS is better.
Unless I missed it, Chris never did say, Nails or glue? I know he said (pin it) Explain please? Recently got a ton of HO stuff when a friend gave it up. Lot of Varney and Atlas in the mix. Seems to me nailing may be a lot of work since you have to pin holes for the nails, unless someone has a better idea?