# How to lay down track...float or anchor?



## sailbode (Jan 2, 2008)

I know this is well worn topic, but for the sake of us newbies, How do you recommend securing track outdoors? I'm staring at that darn empty hill with a box of track under my arm wondering what's the best plan of attack? Do you guys actually make a drawing first....(must be very patient) or do you just HAVE AT IT!







. I'm in a freeze climate zone so frost heaving must be considered. Right now I'm leaning towards the "ladder" technique secured to 2" pvc pipes sunk into the ground. What to make the ladder out of??? Pressure treated wood? composite decking? or mahogany?
I await the wisdom of the masters
Don


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## Ralph Berg (Jun 2, 2009)

Where I live we have 4 seasons.
Because of a great deal several years ago, I use sectional aluminum track.
I float my track on gravel. This has worked well for me.

I made no plan. I just started laying track on the ground. When I came up with something I liked, I used the outdoor marking
paint to mark the plan. Picked up the track and began building.

What I really like about free floating track is how easy it is to make changes down the road. And I've made plenty of changes.
Ralph


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## Steve Stockham (Jan 2, 2008)

Float the track (but anchor it every 20 ft. or so if you really feel the need) and use rail clamps. Definitely anchor the track to any trestles or bridges otherwise I would 'float" the track and use crusher fines/poultry grit as ballast. This is what the real railroads do and the track will only require minor maintenance to get it in shape after that! Personally, the rest seems like "overkill" to me! Don't get me wrong! It's a wonderful method but it does have it's drawbacks and limitations just like every other method. Floating the track is the least labor intensive, least affected by temperature extremes and the easiest to modify. This comes from 9 years and 2 different garden railroads of experience.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

the "ladder" technique secured to 2" pvc pipes sunk into the ground
Don, 

If you are going to use pipe, you can use PVC pipes as the roadbed - more of a multi-tube base instead of a ladder! There was a recent thread about the technique, with lots of pics.


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## sailbode (Jan 2, 2008)

Hey Pete, I recall seeing a "multi pipe" roadbed system here in the past. Sort of a "spine" made of 3 pipes? Do you feel that is better than the ladder? and why?


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

If you have lots of room, then just "have at it" works. My personal layout had to fit in a very constrained area, and I had to work to keep minimum diameter to 10'. I used a $99 track planning software called RR-Track and I would highly recommend it. 

I float my track, there are some people who succeed fastening track down, but there's many more who tried it and had so much trouble they had to float it. 

Start by floating on a good base with ballast that locks the track in place well but let's it expand and contract, as Steve says. 

Regards, Greg


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

I agree with Steve, but I don't secure to bridges or trestles and have seen the track grow 1/4" in the heat and shrink in the cold! I added an extra stringer on top of the trestle so the rails are supported in both extremes. My set up is; a bridge, a curved trestle and another bridge. The curve sees the most deflection when the straight sections 'grow' in the heat and I fear securing it might lead to kinks. My temperature range is; 30 degrees to 117 degrees so one can be sure to see expansion. I laid the track in 70 - 80 degree weather in the middle of the trestle stringers so I have room to grow or shrink on either side. I've never seen the track move under a train at speed through the curved part and I looked to be sure. 

I do use Stainless Steel track and I screw in the screws in the joiners or rail clamps if there's a problem using the joiner screws; stripped or mis-aligned holes... The joiners/clamps ensure that it grows as a unit and not as a section between anchored sections which could lead to kinks. 

Right now I have an extension laying on the ground just to see how the critters treat it and when I step back 30' I can see where I'll need trestles or fill. At the same time I keep visualizing alternatives, whereas if I had drawn up a plan, I migh feel obliged to use my first concept. Part of my dilema is where to locate the carbarn so I can secure the trains outside. As it is now it will restrict access to the viewing stand... so I'm still planning with out wasting work. Like right now I just had a vision...what if I put the lead switch there...? Hmmm let's go move some track and see how it looks! 

My pike is still growing and when I added a passing siding I found it necessary to shift the parallel track some and a ladder would have made that doubly hard, but ballast doesn't care! 

A final thought regarding frost heave; nothing on the ground should be affected whereas supports driven into the ground are susceptible. 

John


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Sort of a "spine" made of 3 pipes? Do you feel that is better than the ladder? and why? 

[I can't make the 'search' work to find the thread...] 

Yes, that is the type I was referring to. I don't know that one is better than the other - but if you start with pipes, why not finish with pipes! The connectors and fastenings might be simpler.


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## sailbode (Jan 2, 2008)

I'm surprised, The "float it"s are leading. So If I just float it, do I still need to anchor every so often? Some advocate floating but still screw the track down to a ladder that floats or to a piece of pressure treated 2x4 every couple of feet burried in the ballast..opinions? I've heard of the use of chicken grit as ballast....how about fish tank gravel??


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Ballast needs to be broken rock, it needs sharpe corners and rough surface to hold. Anything like polished river rocks will migrate very quickly... U'm not sure about aquarium gravel, but the colors are a tad extreme! 

I do not use anchors. I float just like the 1:1 guys. Do secure the rails to themselves with screws or clamps. Track with multiple curves will grow in several directions without affecting the track, long straight aways are only going to grow in 2 directions and there you might want to use an expansion section of track. The rails are split down the center and can slip past themselves to take up or let out expansion... 

The metal rail will expand at different rates than a floating ladder, I can only see complications trying that. 

Most who start with grit move on to more realistic crusher fines or gravel. The only grit I could find locally had too much oyster shells in it to look good. 

I think it's a good time to ask if you are comfortable running on the ground or do you want an elevated RR? 

John


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Don, you really will benefit from reading a lot more, and getting answers to this kind of fundamental question. I've included some links, and there are also FAQs on my site. 

I read forums for 9 years before starting, and I learned a lot, the information is out there. The danger of asking this question is sometimes the people who are not burned out on the same question over and over may not give you all the different perspectives on the question. 

http://www.liveoakrr.com/ 
http://www.girr.org/girr/index.html 
http://ovgrs.editme.com/Trackwork 
http://www.trainweb.org/pcsrr/indexx.html 


Regards, Greg


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

I did my layout with no plan. I picked a spot and started there. I wandered around with track till I came back to the same spot. The course of actions was determined by what was in the way.
If I could not move it I went over it or around it. The big thing was grade. At one point I dug a trench to correct for a 9% grade. I with all the rocks I got out of it I lined the trench with rocks and it became a canyon. At the other end I snaked around to get a 2 % grade. The snake was created because it was the easiest way to get the grade I wanted with least amount of work. At one point I bought a welder and taught myself to weld. I built bridges. Some permanent some temporary. Once I had a loop finished so I could run trains I went into detail. 

I use Concrete road bed. In the snake part I still have the concrete road bed but I piled rocks around it and now have a three tunnel mountain. When I orginally layed the roadbed the mountian and the tunnels were not in the original idea. The tunnel part is a different story. We wont go into that till you decide on tunnels. 

Over the years especially in the last year I may have changed my mind on the necessity of anchoring track. I anchored my track because everyone else did it . I am re visiting that idea But that is due to the climate I live in ( Desert) If you do your prep work well and ballast well you track will stay just about where you put it. The ballasting will anchor you tack. 

There is of course track planning software. I bought it but never used it. 

Be very open minded. Read all the input this thread is going to bring you. Don't do something just because every one did it. Get a idea from this thread and do it. You are going to make some mistakes. Have the fun is fixing your mistakes. Post the mistakes you make and what you did to correct it. No one will find fault with your mistakes. But they will be interested how you fixed it. 

There is not one peroson on this website who had not stood back from his work and said "Oh Yuck, That looks like manure" 

It is you layout so there fore it can't be wrong.







If it looks good at 10 FT then it's fine....If not back up another 10 

Don't be afraid of attempting anything. You may surprise youself


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## Tom Bray (Jan 20, 2009)

I'll throw in my two cents. 

First, I have to confess that I no longer live in what I would call a multi-season location, although I lived most of my life in the upper Midwest. In Alabama I have more concerns with controlling the effects of heat and the sun and we seem to get some pretty intense rain.

I used the RR-Track software. I decided to use sectional tack to start with and the software will save you a lot of money, especially if you are buying SS track at today's prices. Plug in your track and lay it down and see what happens, especially if you are not bending your own curves. Just be aware that the software and the track aren't exact matches but they are close enough. 


What I did was build a basic layout in software, take the track out to the yard and laid it down, then looked at it ... usually I picked it all back up and went back inside to try again with "better ideas". The nice thing about the software is you will know what pieces need to go where and if something needs to be trimmed, you can decide how to approach it. Due to a couple of deals that came my way, I had specific quantities of curves and straight and the software allowed me to optimize how I used everything.


I have used a mix of the Aristocraft supplied track joiners and the Split Jaw ones. What is nice about the Split Jaw joiners is that you can disconnect a section of track and lift it out without disturbing all the track. Once the ballast is down, if you move the track back and forth in it, all that careful leveling goes out the window. In particular I have the expensive joiners on all the switches and have broken up sections of track with them - they also seem to conduct electricity better than OEM joiners.



For the track that I have put directly on the ground, I have been playing with Paver Base (it is what the home improvement stores sell to put underneath patio blocks) which has a some built in stabilizers that make it somewhat solid after it gets wet and then dries. On top of that I have been putting a shallow layer of chicken grit to act as ballast. The paver base has survived several hard rains without much movement and should do a good enough job of draining so that frost heave shouldn't be a major problem. I was worried that the rain would wash away the stabilizers but that doesn't appear, so far, to be happening. You have to look at the different versions of Paver Base that the stores sell, I have found the between Loews and Home Depot there are at least 4 different varieties, some look a lot better than others.

The majority of my track is sitting on 2x6 treated lumber and is raised about 20" off the ground. At first I tried tying the track to the boards using UV resistant tie straps at a few points, especially at the cureves. I found that the wide swings in temperature required the track to move more than the the tie straps would allow so I removed them.


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## markoles (Jan 2, 2008)

I've been floating track since I started back in 1993. But is it the best? The answer is that it depends on you. I had a friend use composite decking with PVC to build a ladder with poor results. He moved on to concrete roadbed. Works well for him and when I am ballasting my line, I tend to see the logic of building that way. I am considering pouring concrete for my switches and interlockings. 

Aquarium gravel is going to be a very expensive way to go. In the northeast, you should be able to find a product called stone dust or crusher fines for about $15-$20 a ton, delivered. 

Mark


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

I will echo what some of the others have said, "let it float". I've built two garden railroads over the past 25 years. One in Colorado and one here in northern Virginia. Both were completely floating. Your track will move with the temperature. It will expand in the heat and contract in the cold. 

The one exception was my cog railroad part of my layout in Denver, because of the steep grade, I put in a couple of anchor points. 


I knew someone in Colorado who anchored his track and on one very hot day came out to discover that his track had separated from the ties. Another friend in Colorado had his track move on his large curves a couple of inches between summer and winter.


For my roadbed I dug a small trench about 3 inches deep lined it with weed barrier and filled it with crusher fines. I put the track on top of the trench and then added more crusher fines as ballast. You will need to reballast every couple of years.




Chuck N


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Floating your track is certainly a very viable way to do business. But with that, you also have to take into consideration what your railroad will be sharing its space with. For example, my old railroad back in the (almost) frozen north just floated in the ballast. For the most part I didn't have any issues with it, but know that track that's just floating can come up VERY easily, such as when snagged by a garden hose, extension cord, foot, etc. If your space is relatively devoid of threats of that nature, then floating will work very well. If it's a bit more heavily trafficked, then you may want to consider some sort of anchor, just to keep your stress level down when the kids are in the back yard with the soccer ball. 

My current railroad is attached to 1/2" ID PVC pipe (a single pipe) running underneath the track. The idea isn't so much to have the pipe provide a solid roadbed in and of itself; you're still relying on a solid bed of crusher fines (rock dust, quarter minus, or about 207 other local names for the same stuff). The PVC pipe does two things. First, when laying out your curves, it by its very nature forms smooth easements between curves and straight sections. Just lay your track so that the centerline of the track is over the PVC, and you'll have nice smooth curves. (Note: this requires flex track). Also, it keeps the track from lifting up in an environment filled with garden hoses, extension cords, and most importantly, little feet attached to kids and dogs. (To say nothing of the feet attached to the adult occupants of the space.) I know it's saved the hassle of resetting the track on more than a few occasions. In my environment, it's time well spent. 

As for the track plan, I did some measurements and drawings of the space I had, and knew the general plan of the passing sidings I wanted at my three towns, but my favorite tool for laying out track is the garden hose. Just string that around where you think you'd like to run your track to get an idea for how it fills the space. Nothing wrong with software, but I take a more free-spirit approach to the process. That's one advantage of using flex track, too. You're not confined to set curve radii, track sections, or anything of that ilk. 

Later, 

K


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

It is real nice to have your track up at least a foot, makes it easier on knees/backs to get down and put the cars on the track, that would be my main advice. I've am using ladder/float and on top of blocks, see my web site. On the ladder, despite getting the PVC pipe support down to frost line I still have some lift near the waterfall, maybe because of the ground being moister there? Ladder is pretty nice for areas where you have a lot of erosion. Floating is fine, just have to re-level every spring. Some locos track better on crooked track than others, so that could influence your decision. If you have some that need really nice flat foundation then ladder or concrete would be your best bet. I've seen some layouts where they laid down brick, then laid the track on top of that. Track on it needs to be able to move some though.


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## blueregal (Jan 3, 2008)

I agree with Jerry, about the bending and knees. Wish I would have done that, but if i would have or if I still do that it will be up 3ft+ if yer gonna do it make it the easiest! I float my track, I just layed out the track with no plan just one 5ft section at a time and 10ft curves, (wish I would have went 20ft) now! then after track was layed in the oval around my yard the way I wanted it, 80ftlong by 40ft wide, two loops one inside the other so a total of approx. 480ft. I then took a wheelbarrow of ballast or gravel from the local rock and gravel place, 4 shortbed pickup loads, when finished, and I still need some more for tweaking, or any future endeavours! Then I took a shovel the square end one, and its about 1ft wide just started laying gravel right over the top of the track,and evened out on the sides proper width, then I layed on my belly for 2-3 full days and pulled the track up through the ballast and then with a hand level leveled all of it all the way around!!! Then after a year, and it moving or tipping leaning on the side by my fence seems to fall away from the track towards the fence and re-doing again down 80ft. I then took a 6+inch galvanized nail, and drove it into each end of the 5ft sections in the middle of the ties where there is a hole, and drove them flush into the ground track can still expand just doesn't move sideways or forward or back, it still wants to lean on the side by the fence so 1 time a year re-leveling occurs, until I can make up some cribbing to put along that side to hold up against the one side of the track. Haven't had any major problems worst case scenario is I re balance a few areas once a year!! Also on the curves I had scrap cedar fencing so I did place under the curves balanced and then covered with ballast rock to hold the curves. I have trouble with my knees and my back and feet so when I do anything outdoors I have to lay flat on my belly to do anything pretty much "thank god for re-railers" next project raise track up to handicapped level!! Hah LOL has worked pretty good for me for 2+years. The Regal


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## cape cod Todd (Jan 3, 2008)

Hi Sailbode. 
I would draw a plan with an idea of where and how you will traverse your terrain. This will give you an idea but as I found there were some things like big tree roots that got in the way of my plans. I have both floating and tacked down track. I started over my hilly area by pounding in grade stakes every 3 feet. Some of my track is secured to these. Other runs are screwed to PT 2x4 and one section where there is a siding to PT 2x12 that sits on top of a PT retaining wall. There is another section that goes under the house where I screwed 2 2x4's to look like a T to add strength to them. A single one may bow or warp. I also have this T idea buried in a few spots or the dirt is brought up to the edge and the track is screwed to it. 
For turnouts I have been placing them on patio blocks. This keeps alot of dirt out of them when it rains. More than half my track is floating and I used a grey fines for ballast. It does wash out in a heavy rain but it is cheap and easy to replace. 
Where the track is screwed to the 2x4 T sections I use an expansion joint but not for the floating track. 
I don't like the idea of concrete or something solid like that for your RR unless you are absolutly certain that you will not be making changes to it. Given time and as your hobby experience grows you WILL make changes. 
I think the biggest challenge for you in building into a hill is keeping the grade % low so your trains don't have to much trouble. 
Todd


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## PapaPerk (Nov 7, 2009)

Not sure if this has been shared or not.... but here's the article on making the HDPE ladder. 

http://www.btcomm.com/trains/primer/roadbed/ladder1.htm 

Pretty neat system. But I think I will just float my track. Hey it works for the prototype! And they have to ballast it routinely too!


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

One note regarding rail clamps and the mentioned ability to lift a section of track, I can do the same with Aristo's joiners. The joiners will slip under the tie spikes, I remove both screws and use the side of a pair of pliers to push the joiner back and the track lifts clean. I mention this because the joiners are free and the railclamps add to the cost... 

John


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## AzRob (Sep 14, 2009)

Since y'all are talking about rail clamps, are they pretty much interchangeable? All my track is sectional LGB, and I need to get some joiners and don't know what would be best.


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## Dougald (Jan 2, 2008)

I'll cast a vote for securing track but I will place some caveats.

If you will go with track power then electrical continuity is paramount. Railclamps are a good answer (along with soldering/brazing extra jumpers). But once clamps are attached there is a need to allow for expansion/contraction due to temperature c hange. Now securing track solidly does not seem like such a great idea under these conditions and the free floaters will all pound this point..

If you go live steam or battery power, electricity is irrelevent. Simple rail joiners will do the trick and leaving small expansion joints works well. Now the track can be secured to a solidly built roadbed and maintenance problems vanish.

You notice two bits of advice everyone seems to agree on. Elevate the track off the ground to save your knees and back (and maybe keep some crap off the track too) and secondly switches should be laid on a solid smooth surface. To me this suggests a solidly built above ground roadbed would solve lots of problems though I appreciate that it makes the gardening aspoect more difficult.

I built my own Northland RR elevated 24 inches or more everywhere and have now down about 600 feet of raised track fastened to elevated roadbed. I use batteries and live steam (in fact there is no electricity at all nearer than 100 feet from the railroad. I have attached my track to the roadbed and have limited maintenance (just blowing leaves, greasing turnout throws and so on). Also the climate of the Ottawa Valley is decidedly cold in winter with a 42 inch deep frost line ... I just follow the local building code for building decks and have not had any problems with the inevitable frost heave.

By the way, attaching track is a subject that comes up regularly. Most folks want to spike track in the middle of the tie and then are dismayed that the rail expansion in the hot sun shears off the plastic tieplates or twists the ties into a mess. In fact there was a tip on this in the current issue of GR. I spike every 12th tie or so through the ends and this allows the rails to slide smoothly through the tieplates. It prevents a twisted mess of ties and sheared plastic tieplates.

Regards ... Doug


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## Del Tapparo (Jan 4, 2008)

Mine has been "floating" for 10 years now, and it hasn't gone anywhere yet.


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

I also use free floating track and have had no ill effects. Most people as I read hear tend to screw the track down. If you do not know what you are doing it can cause you grief in the long run. One must understand track and how it works. Track contraction and expansion is controlable if you know the trick. As mentioned most folks have there own ways so I will not enlighten you with how one does it as in the real world, however it works. And yes I'm a track person. Only spent 45 years doing it. Later RJD


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## rreiffer (Jan 14, 2009)

I had to hunt through about six gravel yards to find the "ideal" crusher fines, ones that were not too small (commonly referred to as dust - which is true!) and the larger ones that made it look unrealistic. My entire line is float on a solid base. If you want to see how I made my layout follow this link: 

http://www.mylargescale.com/Community/Forums/tabid/56/aff/23/aft/111500/afv/topic/Default.aspx 

This will be the first winter for the railroad so I will be interested to see how it all turns out in the spring. (It did survive a walnut attack!  ) 

Rich


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## SE18 (Feb 21, 2008)

I'm the only person on this forum that doesn't use a track plan. Instead, I just start laying track and see where it takes me. I usually relay my track every couple years; all handlayed.


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## sailbode (Jan 2, 2008)

Hey Rich, I took a look at your construction link...nice job! Any new pics? love to see em 
D


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## SE18 (Feb 21, 2008)

Posted By aceinspp on 08 Nov 2009 06:57 PM 
I also use free floating track and have had no ill effects. Most people as I read hear tend to screw the track down. If you do not know what you are doing it can cause you grief in the long run. One must understand track and how it works. Track contraction and expansion is controlable if you know the trick. As mentioned most folks have there own ways so I will not enlighten you with how one does it as in the real world, however it works. And yes I'm a track person. Only spent 45 years doing it. Later RJD 

Real 1:1 floats. With the old jointed track there was room for expansion and contraction with the clickety-clack, but with welded track, I was always curious how they prevent the rails from twisting in heat or contracting from cold.


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## blueregal (Jan 3, 2008)

ME TOO EXCEPT FOR THE RELAYING OF THE TRACK EVERY TWO YEARS IF I WANT TO MAKE AN ADDITION OR DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT I JUST DO WHAT I WANT WHEN I WANT TO. REGAL

Crazy Train Guy's Garden Railroad Channel - Mogulus Live Broadcast


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Se18 When Railroads went to laying CWR its a hole new ball game and expansion and contraction are controlled buy laying the rail to the mean temp designated for that area of the country and then anchoring the rail to meet those requirements. it's a complicated formula that the RR use to adjust the rail and the technique they use to accomplish this to prevent sun kinks or pull apart's. I use the same technique as the real RR do to prevent my RR from having the problems desicribed. Later RJD


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## armorsmith (Jun 1, 2008)

SE18, 

Along with the formula, if you look down a long straight of prototype rial, you will see that it 'wanders' slightly back and forth. This is not sloppy track maintenance, it is quite deliberate. Those minute amounts of curvature, that are hardly noticed by the train and crew, direct where the expansion and contraction will take place. Also keep in mind that any grade crossing or turnout will be a bolted connection, allowing for some expansion and contraction. 

I live in the panhandle of Florida where ambient temps can get as low as in the 20's in the winter (not often) and near or exceeding 100 in the summer. This does not include the radiant temperature rise from the solar heating on the rail. There are several mile long stretches of both CSX and Gneessee & Wyoming (Bay Line) where this can be observed. 

Bob C.


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## SE18 (Feb 21, 2008)

Thanks for the explanation; I would have never guessed that. I think my rails wanders slightly back and forth too, but not from any complicated formula :-0


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## mgilger (Feb 22, 2008)

Don,
As you see from your reply's, there are a bunch of different idea's and they probably all are good. 

I originally started with a rough drawing on paper so that I would know what to purchase on my first trip out to York. I needed to know how many switches, boxes of strait and curve track I needed to get me started. As it turned out I still came up short, but probably not as bad as it would have been without doing the original planning. Since then I have just laid track and have not worried about drawing out any plans. 


I now have about 1,000 feet of track down, of which only 500-600 shows up on any plan. I live in Northern Ohio, where the temperature varies from maybe -15 in the winter to maybe 90-95 in the hottest part of the summer. All my track is floating, even my switches. Nothing is secured to the ground, except by the ballast, which there is plenty of. 

I originally started out digging a trench several inches deep, putting weed barrier cloth, then #8 limestone for the roadbed. Most of my roadbed is several inches above the ground, so it looks pretty prototypical, at least I think so.About half of my track was laid this way. About half my track and anything that I have laid in the last 2-3 years has been identical to what I just mentioned, but I no longer dig the trench. I have found that the later holds up just as well as the trenched part.

Some mention of expansion joints was mentioned. I do not use them, I let the track move where it wants and have never had any problems. On the North side, I have a long 100 foot strait section. In the hot summer you can see occasionally the track will be a little curved, but not excessive. 


Lately I have started replacing all of my original Aristo rail joiners with their new rail clamps. Boy are those nice.

The important thing, said many times on the forum is to stop procrastinating and just get out and start laying track. 












Regards,
Mark


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## sailbode (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks, 
OK , OK, I liked the technique shown in the video one of you guys posted using "composite" wood. Went to Home Depot and could not find 2x4s. Went to Lowes, and found something close 3/4 x 4. Bought a bunch of planks & screws. On the way home I stopped at my friends who has a very large 18 year old layout, and he convinced me to at least take a look at Mahogony. Went to the local lumber yard and wound up buying a bunch of Mahogany!! Went straight home and started cutting and building 10 foot ladders. So I'm going to use the same technique as the plastic wood guy only using Mahogony. I'll use pressure treated 2x4s for posts. If I can figure out how to post a picture here I'll show my progress.


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## sailbode (Jan 2, 2008)

OK, this is where I started, ripping 1/4 x 1 strips which will be the sides of my ladder. Then ripped 1.25 x 1 strips which then got "chopped" into 3.75 x 1 blocks which will be the "rungs" of my ladder. 










_(Max width of posted images is 800 pixels, resized image display SteveC mod.) _


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## sailbode (Jan 2, 2008)

And here's where I'm at


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## Steve Stockham (Jan 2, 2008)

Quite a project you've got there! It should be a beauty when completed!


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## sailbode (Jan 2, 2008)

*Sunday, had to go do a family thing, didn't get home till dusk. Quick drag my air compressor out and all the ladders sections and begin splicing*. (stinks working in the dark!) *May not look like much but that is 60 feet of track*...*...and it is the beginning!*


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## topshed (Jan 20, 2008)

Hi, 

This is an interesting thread! There are clearly many ways of laying track, however, my current layout (now about 5 years old) is all 'floating'. I use LGB brass track laid on ballast consisting of what the gardeners call 'Horticultural grit' or 'Coarse grit' - the kind of stuff used a lot by alpine enthusiasts. It has the advantage of being relatively fine so looks good; has sharp edges, so holds track in place but large enough not to get wedged in switch blades too often! I figured that if that works in 1:1 scale, it ought to work in 1:20.3. As with the real thing, maintenance needs to be done fairly regularly but that's all part of the fun!


Next time I build a layout shall include anchor points, as I now run live steam as well as sparkies and would like the run to be a little more level than it is at present, but generally I am a convinced 'floater'!


Lay the track and enjoy running the trains! 


Martin (in UK)


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## Tom Bray (Jan 20, 2009)

An interesting note about securing the track or allowing it to float. Most of my track floats and there hasn't been any problems with it. 

The other day I looked out the back door and the short section that runs along the ground towards the house was seriously out of place. Apparently the dog had decided to wipe her feet vigorously and managed to kick the track. It went back in place fairly quickly with no apparent damage but it was rather alarming. 

I haven't decided if and how I will change it to protect it in the future.


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