Fastening track to (cork) roadbed -- what's your fav method and why?

[peteski]

I'm not sure I get many people's hang ups about Ballasting.  Sure, it's tedious but with good ballast and techniques, it goes by pretty fast.  Look no further than DFF's experiences and his has turned out superb.

We all have our most and least favorite parts of this hobby. I'm not much into weathering for example. I guess ballasting just doesn't excite some people.   But there is always Kato Unitrack! 

[OldEastRR]

I'm not sure I get many people's hang ups about Ballasting.  Sure, it's tedious but with good ballast and techniques, it goes by pretty fast.  Look no further than DFF's experiences and his has turned out superb.

It's not the time involved. If you could have seen any of my "ballasted" track from previous layouts you would probably agree I should let it be. The track always looked like it was sunk in gray mush.
I'll just paint the cork roadbed gray.

[mrhedley]

I don't glue my track to the roadbed before ballasting.  My layout base is foam board insulation.  I glue the roadbed to the foam board with a soluble glue such as Elmer's, then pin the track with straight pins.  Then I ballast with matte medium.  That seems to be enough to secure it.  When fully dried I pull out the pins.  One advantage I've learned over time is that when the track expands more than allowed for, it breaks the ballast instead of a kinked rail joint like I used to experience when I glued the track directly to the roadbed. 

[Doug G.]

I guess I have never been able to understand gluing track down other than with ballast. I just nail it down and then remove the nails after ballasting.

The less mess, the better to me.

Doug

[peteski]

I guess I have never been able to understand gluing track down other than with ballast. I just nail it down and then remove the nails after ballasting.

The less mess, the better to me.

Doug

Some people (Like me) like the "belt and suspenders" method.  Makes me feel better. 

[davefoxx]

Reasons why I don't nail down my track:

1) For me, nailing the track would mean extra unnecessary steps.  I primarily use Atlas Code 55 track, which does not have holes for nails.  I would have to drill out the holes, and that would cost me significant valuable hobby time.

2) There's the problem of nails holding securely in the cork roadbed and 2" foam subroadbed on my layout.  I don't think that's going to work very well.

3) Finally, to me, especially in the smaller scales, like N, nailheads are very unsightly.  Even after the nails would be pulled post-ballasting, I'd still be looking at those drilled holes left in the ties.  No thanks.  Yellow glue for me.  It tacks up in ten or fifteen minutes, and it's not going to let go, unless I pull it up.   No need for the overkill of glue and nails.

Oh, and did I mention that on my layout it's not uncommon for years to pass by between installation of the track and ballasting?   

That said, YMMV, and you should go with whatever works on your layout.

DFF

[Doug G.]

I'm probably just a luddite.



Doug

[dsumner]

I have used this method for several years with good results. Radius established, Weldwood applied to cork, track set and checked with radius template, weights
set on track until Weldwood sets

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[OldEastRR]

How tough is it to pull up the track glued with Weldwood? I mean whole sections, not just a minor re-alignment.

[dsumner]

I will take a thin edge flexible putty knife and slide under ties to get track to release. Probably only 50% successful. I generally put a good coat of
Weldwood over cork which lessens a good recovery.

[peteski]

The "removability" aspect comes back time after time.  I would think that if someone wants their layout to be this flexible, ti would make sense to use sectional track with roadbed like Unitrack, or the ones made by Bachmann or Atlas.  I'm not trying to be funny - I'm serious.  That way you will still have reliable electrical contact (at least with Unitrak) and yet, like Legos, can be rearranged very easily.

[OldEastRR]

I guess I fall between the "all the track is removable and re-arrangeable" and the "all the track is tightly locked down and ballasted" layout categories. I'll take a lot of time and effort to craft a layout that I'm sure I will like building, scenicking, and running, which will be more or less permanent. But like real railroads I'll sometimes find that I need to change adjust or re-arrange some track somewhere because I came up  with a new industry or a new routing for changed operations. Most of the track would never get moved, but I'd like to "easily" change stuff here and there.

[Chris333]

Every inch held in place with ACC 

[peteski]

Every inch held in place with ACC 

...and since ties are usually made from slippery engineering plastic (a highly technical term), the track is still removable, right?

[Cajonpassfan]

And every inch of this held in place with Weldwood  Love the stuff...
Otto K.
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