Atlas C55 / Woodland Scenics Subroadbed

[ljudice]

As you may remember, I've laid a fairly large amount of Atlas C55 recently. Looks great, no issues with the MTL legacy stuff (I mean I don't mind changing out wheels) and a little fragile, but overall A+++.

Well living with it for a few months I am noticing a problem...  I use the Woodland Scenice subroadbed system with their foam roadbed material on top. Everything is glued together. When I did PECO Code 55 it became a very ridgid and very level thing. But the Atlas flex track is so "wobbly" in the X and Z directions I am noticeing a lot of subtle "ripples" occurring where the track seems to sit at a slight angle. It's apparently pulled towards one side by the glue that's holding it down - ie. I must have gotten more glue on one side.

I used a lot less glue with the Atlas track because of the tie profile - it's way too easy for glue to come up between the rails.

Meanwhile, I pulled out some of my Peco track, which now looks like something from another planet. I realized that this stuff is not "european looking". It's something else entirely. I think the issue is that the ties are spaced for 1/148th scale - not 1/160th scale. And of course British practice is different from US and European practices. At any rate, I am not sure I could go back to it.

So now I'm pissed!

[Chulvis]

hmmm....use this and your problems will be over.




Don't be pissed...Model Railroading is fun, Damn-it!!!

[ljudice]

I know, a lot of people have told me that, but I am driven to do things that annoy me constantly.

I will have to say, that between this - and the realization that I should have listened to everyone's advice on "duck unders" has me about to start ripping things apart.

On top of this, the layout is still way too big...

I almost wonder if the solution is to downsize it again and use the leftover space to build a much smaller layout based on something completely different.

Good thing it's only a hobby!

 

[Chulvis]

Well, far be it from me, a non-home layout guy, to have much of an opinion...but if I did have a home layout I think I would restrict its size to something I could run/manage on my own.

I say this because aside from the occasional opps session, I'd pretty much be alone and the upkeep would get old after a while...kind of like mowing and weeding that great big lawn you always dreamed of.

Big layouts are great if you have some help you can rely on for maintenance, but if you are like me and tend to be a bit of a lone wolf I think it could become overwhelming.

Hot bath rule applies: Once you get used to it, it ain't so hot.

[GaryHinshaw]

I fear it's too late Chuck.  I just visited Lou's website and the "Layout" image is missing (and the page has no links that I could find).  Come back Lou!  And if you do, use cork.  That WS roadbed always gave me the creeps.

-gfh

[asarge]

Interesting situation Lou. May I ask what kind of glue you used the the foam roadbed?

[bicknell]

I say this because aside from the occasional opps session, I'd pretty much be alone and the upkeep would get old after a while...kind of like mowing and weeding that great big lawn you always dreamed of.

Come on Chuck, after the servants mow the lawn I'm sure they can bright boy the layout for you.

[ljudice]

Actually that image was from the LAST layout - torn down to make the smaller one, which is still too big!!!   

I hurriedly pulled the image from a picassa album I think, and something broke in the translation...

Right now I really just have some track down and a small section of scenery to test my "forest canopy" idea - which works quite well (polyfil balls covered with highly ground up ground foam).

[davefoxx]

I fear it's too late Chuck.  I just visited Lou's website and the "Layout" image is missing (and the page has no links that I could find).  Come back Lou!  And if you do, use cork.  That WS roadbed always gave me the creeps.

-gfh

Agreed, Gary.  I use cork roadbed over the blue foam, and the cork holds pushpins very well, allowing me to glue the track to the roadbed with yellow carpenter's glue and use pins every few inches to secure the track until dry.  I have had no problems with movement of the track after the glue dries.  Any variation of my track is to blamed on my own eyeballs at the time of securing it.

Dave Foxx

[wm3798]

I used cork over blue foam, secured with Liquid Nails, and installed the track with a thin screed of Liquid Nails.  It's been down for about 5 years now, and there's no problems whatsoever.  I don't like the WS roadbed because A) it's too friggin' expensive, and B)it seems non-pourous, which to me defeats the purpose of using white glue for the ballast.  Also, since it seems kinda spongy, I just don't think it's as stable as cork.  Methinks the problem is in your roadbed and your glue, and not with the track.
Lee

[up1950s]

I have heard that if the room isn't temp and hum stable , such as a garage without HVAC , expansion and contraction in the bench-work , glues , sub roadbed , track , or anything else may be dissimilar to one another , thus causing jogs . One form of prevention is Dremel cuts ( expansion and contraction joints )  in the rails every 6 feet or so to allow the layout to breathe .

[Van Horne]

I have tried the Woodland Scenics roadbed with Atlas code 55 and also found it mechanically a bit weak.  Even after the track was ballasted, track cleaning could cause some movement.  I have gone back to cork. (over blue foam)

David

[ljudice]

I think you guys have hit the nail on the head... Luckilly it's not a huge amount of work invested at this point!

I looked at it today again and I probably overstated it by saying there were a lot of ripples, but there are some and they are VERY hard to work out.  I do not like putting a ton of glue around either - just enough to hold very firmly.

I also came up with a way to cut a bit out of the layout (actually I need more space for my office/business which shares the basement anyway) and actually INCREASE the amount of visible running mainline. 

We have big house projects going on here and our builder/carpenter did my benchwork, so I will see if he could "borrow a couple of hours" to help me tweak this!

Lou



Lou