Rough track

[Grailms]

I'm a new model railroader and have installed Bachmann track on my layout.  At several of the connection points between track pieces, the track seems rough and sharp.  I'm wondering if the track can be lightly sanded?  I seem to get car derailment at these points.  Thanks for any help on track perfecting.

[Flare]

Are these rough sharp spots caused by the rail joiners sliding completely underneath a rail?  Those are often responsible for derailments.


If your track is properly connected, then yes the rails can be filed down at the ends to connect more smoothly.

[jbrock27]

I think Flare's hint it is from misaligned joiners, is spot on.

In any event, be wary of doing any filing/sanding on the TOPS of the rails; this creates scratches which are then great places for continuity robbing dirt and crud to accumulate.

[jward]

do NOT sand your track. the grit from the sandpaper can wreak havoc on your locomotives if it gets in the gearbox. if you do need to smooth your rails use a mill file. I generally file the tops and sides of the ends   of every rail I use. there are often burrs where the rails were cut at the factory.

[jbrock27]

I generally file the tops and sides of the ends   of every rail I use. there are often burrs where the rails were cut at the factory.

I am not finding burrs on the tops of the Atlas track I have bought   And very few if any, on the sides either, not much even when cutting them with a pair of Xurons.

Not that I advocate sanding track, but could the possibility of having grit get where you don't want it, be eliminated by wiping the track after with a cloth with alcohol on it?

[ebtnut]

Wiping down with alcohol isn't going to clean up the grit that has settled down onto the ties and into the ballast.  Some of that grit can have some magentic properties and get pulled up into the motor and mechanism.  By all means, use a file if it is necessary.  The brass/nickle silver filings are not magentic. 

[jbrock27]

Some of that grit can have some magentic properties... 

How does grit on sandpaper (like the kind you use on wood) become magnetic?

And ok then, let's say, alcohol and a cloth does not do the trick, for arguments sake; how about using a vacuum?

[jbrock27]

...the grit that has settled down onto the ties and into the ballast.  The brass/nickle silver filings are not magentic. 

Couple a points: wouldn't you want to tackle any track issues, before ballasting?  Ballasting should be one of the last things on the "list".  Also, you are not suggesting just leaving any metal filings there are you?  Even though not magnetic, they can be damaging if they find their way into a motor, no?

[ebtnut]

Most all sandpapers use natural sand grit.  Iron, in its natural variations, is a very common inclusion in natural rocks.  At the very fine grits we use, those little bits can be attracted to a strong magnet.  As for finish filing of brass/n.s. rails, I've never had an issue with them.  Agree that ballasting should be about the last thing to do with trackwork, and if you do that well, the filings will glued down along with the ballast.

[jward]

ballasting is the first thing I do, but then again I am laying my own rail and find that ballasting the ties before I lay rail helps keep them from splitting when I drive the spikes.

[jbrock27]

ballasting is the first thing I do, but then again I am laying my own rail

And how many modelers lay their own rails compared to those who don't?  I'm gonna go out on limb and say the minority by comparison...

[rogertra]

On my previous GER, I hand laid all my own track.  Except hidden track and staging.

First thing I did, after laying out all the centre lines, was to put down a layer of white glue and then lay my ties into the wet white glue.  I laid about three feet of plain track at a time.  I made a 12 inch template for spacing the ties at about the correct distance apart.  I'd lay the ties into the template and using painters tape, cut about 1/2 wide, I'd pick up the ties and lay them into the glue along the track centreline.  I'd do that until I had a section about three feet long.  Then I'd carefully spread ballast over the ties and leave it alone.  I'd carry on doing that until I got bored.

Next evening, I'd carefully vacuum up the ballast for reusing.  Using this system, your ties are firmly held in place, little to no ballast is glued to the top of the rail.   I'd then spike down my rail.  Once everything had been tested (I played trains) and worked as it should, I'd then come back with ballast, a fine brush, a spray bottle containing 'wet' water, an old white glue bottle filled with diluted white glue and I'd touch up the ballast.  Once I was happy,  I'd spray the track with the 'wet' water and dribble a fairly generous amount of dilute white glue down the centre line of the track.  Again, leaving it overnight or longer to dry, I'd come back with the vacuum and vacuum up any loose ballast.  If everything looked good, clean to tops of the rails and run trains.  If there were spots of ballast that didn't look right, repeat that last step until it does.


Cheers


Roger T.

[jbrock27]

Okaaay, that makes 2 people, LOL !

Roger, do you currently hand lay your track?

[ebtnut]

The primary reason a lot of modelers hand-laid track in the past was because the available commercial track (either sectional or flex) was not very good-looking.  Code 100 rail, oversize black plastic ties, gross rail attachmets, etc.  Roger well describes the usual hand lay process.  In the past 20-odd years there has been a great advance in commercial track - correct tie size and spacing, good selection of rail sizes, very fine rail attachment.  These days, unless you really want to hand lay, the commercial stuff is just fine and can get you going quickly.  These days, the hand lay fraternity is pretty small except maybe in the specialty choices like narrow gauge and traction.

[jbrock27]

These days, the hand lay fraternity is pretty small...

Thank you for confirming what I suspected

Still waiting for Roger to confirm if he still does or not...

PS-I use and have no issue with Code 100.  I am just as certain, as I was about the number of hand laid trackers currently out there, that many other folks have no issue with utilizing Code 100 either