Central Valley Ties strips - with N scale icon!

[robert3985]

Those of you who actually have these strips, I would recommend seeing if C55 ME rail fits into a SINGLE tie.

If what I'm reading is correct on your various posts, I would say that snipping the between-tie-spacers will allow the ties to be mounted correctly to the rails

If it does, then...if it were me...I'd cut all the spacers and mount the ties on the rail...one tie at a time (both snipping & mounting), which would allow me to space the ties further apart for both my mainlines and for my medium-trafficked sidings.   I cut the spacers on ME flex anyway on siding and industrial trackage...I just don't have to mount the ties to the rails, but I have to slide the ties apart over the length of flex to get wider medium/light trafficked track tie spacing.  Maybe mounting the ties onto the rails properly spaced wouldn't take much longer??

Making up a tie-spacing jig wouldn't take very long, and would make mounting the separate ties onto C55 rails pretty quick and easy IF they fit ME C55 rail foot width when the spacers are snipped.

Maybe I'll order a few of these strips to see if they can be salvaged...

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[wcfn100]

If it does,

It doesn't.

The rail base just won't seat all the way down.  I like the idea of individual ties.  It would have to be a situation where at least half the ties is covered because the offset top/bottom makes each tie look like a parallelogram. 

Jason

[robert3985]

It doesn't.

The rail base just won't seat all the way down.  I like the idea of individual ties.  It would have to be a situation where at least half the ties is covered because the offset top/bottom makes each tie look like a parallelogram. 

Jason

Looks like a poorly executed, badly designed, non-functional GREAT idea, that will suffer an early, but well-deserved demise....

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[ednadolski]

I'd cut all the spacers and mount the ties on the rail...one tie at a time (both snipping & mounting), which would allow me to space the ties further apart for both my mainlines and for my medium-trafficked sidings.

That hardly seems worth the effort.  Also if that's using glue, then the track would no longer be flexible so you would have to get the shape exactly right before laying the track down.  Based upon my (admittedly very limited) experience with pre-glued ties, I would not be surprised to see a bunch of ties pop off while trying to install the track.   

By that point it sounds almost easier to go back to individual wood ties and tieplates.... at least that would give you the look of real wood ties.

Ed

[ednadolski]

Looks like a poorly executed, badly designed, non-functional GREAT idea, that will suffer an early, but well-deserved demise....

In some ways it reminds me of attempts to make a Sergent-like coupler in N.  Perhaps the takeaway is that some ideas do not scale down from HO to N as readily as they might initially seem.  These kinds of issues could probably be solved, but investment-wise it's probably a diminishing return, regrettably.

Ed

[robert3985]

I just had an idea that may make these work.  Depending on the type of plastic they're made of, if these are not an engineering plastic such as the Delrin family, then I'm thinkin' that if they're Styrene, or a plastic that Tenax "welds" (dissolves), then applying Tenax to the tieplate while the rail is being pressed down on it may cause the plastic to dissolve enough to allow the railfoot to settle to the base of the tieplate, and at the same time, after the Tenax evaporates, the rail will be essentially imbedded into the tieplate by the pressure it has exerted on the sides.  This way...no "glue" would be necessary, as the ties will be keyed to the railfoot, by being dissolved a bit, then hardening back up as the Tenax quickly evaporates.

I do this on some of my plastic freight cars when securing Plano stainless steel running boards to the plastic "nubs" the running boards are sitting on.  The Tenax melts the plastic just enough that a very thin layer of it encompasses the thin stainless running board, and holds it securely on.

I'm hoping if Tenax dissolves the plastic on these tie strips, and if the inside edges of the rail-slot in the tieplates is at least as high as the edge of the metal rail foot...maybe just an RCH higher, which would be excellent, THAT would do the trick!

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[GaryHinshaw]

This idea has potential.  I don't have any Tenax to try, but Plastruct Bondene will soften the tie strips enough to allow the rail to set into the channel.  However, it will also soften the tie plate detail unless you're careful to keep it in the channel.  It's certainly worth experimenting with a bit more though.

Added: I also tried heating the rail with a soldering iron to set it into the channel, but that was too hard to control.  The obvious solution is a slightly wider channel...

[sirenwerks]

The obvious solution is a slightly wider channel...

Best way to sell a product is make the thing people want.

[C855B]

Has anybody bothered to contact CV about the issues? They might know something we don't.

[davefoxx]

If it were me, I'd grab a scrap piece of a 2'x 4' or other piece of dimensional lumber and cut a groove in it to accept the side of a base of the rail.  Then, using this to hold the rail, I could easily file the other side of the base of the rail.  A few swipes of a mill file on each side of the base of the rail ought to do it.

Hope this helps,
DFF

[wcfn100]

Has anybody bothered to contact CV about the issues? They might know something we don't.

I just e-mailed them (Jeff) a link to this thread and told them to contact me or join here if they had any questions or comments.


Jason

[wcfn100]

If it were me, I'd grab a scrap piece of a 2'x 4' or other piece of dimensional lumber and cut a groove in it to accept the side of a base of the rail.  Then, using this to hold the rail, I could easily file the other side of the base of the rail.  A few swipes of a mill file on each side of the base of the rail ought to do it.

Hope this helps,
DFF

If your thumb and forefinger don't function, this would be a good way to go.   

Jason

[wcfn100]

I'm hoping if Tenax dissolves the plastic on these tie strips, and if the inside edges of the rail-slot in the tieplates is at least as high as the edge of the metal rail foot...maybe just an RCH higher, which would be excellent, THAT would do the trick!

I like the thought.   I don't know how well you can control the process with glue wicking everywhere and having to probably watch how much force you're using from tie to tie, but that what experimenting is for, so let us know.  Honesty though, the biggest problem I see with this is that your're not going to be able to really see what you're doing especially is you use weathered rail.  I had to use my optivisor and look on-end to see that the rail was leaning.  Unless you can get right up on the rail that you're installing, the chance for error (and mangling the soften ties) might be too great.

Just narrow the base of the rail.  It take but a few seconds and with weathered rail, it's really easy to see what you've removed.

Jason

[wcfn100]

So Jeff got back to me right away, and I had to "elaborate" the "issues" for him, we'll see what he says.

I'm thinking I may not be the right guy for him to talk to.    

Jason

[amato1969]

So Jeff got back to me right away, and I had to "elaborate" the "issues" for him, we'll see what he says.

Perfect use of "air quotes" 

  Frank