Modeling Guardrail Track?

[MetroRedLine]

I want to scratchbuild a guard rail through a (ballasted) bridge on my layout. I'm using Code 55 track on my mains/sidings. I'm planning to use Code 40 for the guard rail. What's the best way to secure the guardrail track down - CA or Goo? Also, how do I model the end points and what sort of angle should I use to bend the guardrail track at the ends?

[ednadolski]

Pliobond is probably best.   I also suggest pre-bending the rail for any curves.   As for end points, I'd say just go with what looks good based on proto pics.

Ed

[Maletrain]

Different railroads had different methods of ending guard rails.  Some simply bent them towards the middle and ended them before they met.  Others did that but also bent them downwards at their ends.  Some ended them joined together in what look like blunt frogs for turnouts.

So, if you have a prototype you are following, you will need to find out what they did, perhaps dependent on where and when.

But, if you are freelancing, you can do whatever you want, depending on how you want it to look and how much work you are willing to do to get that look.

[nkalanaga]

In my case, I removed a tie every inch, and soldered PC ties to the running and guard rails.  Gap the new ties, add fillers underneath to match the thickness of the original ties, and paint.  A little more work, but it will never come loose.

[mmagliaro]

Unless you solder to PC ties, I strongly suggest Pliobond or Walthers Goo.  CA is a brittle, weak cement for applications like this.  You'll snap those guard rails loose when you're cleaning, or they will just break free someday as things shift and expand.  Use something flexible.

[MetroRedLine]

I discovered the end points for guard rail are actually recycled frog points for turnouts! Anyone knows who makes them (the points only, not the entire frog). I've already looked up the FastTracks website and found nothing.

[Maletrain]

N scale frogs at Proto87 website:

http://www.proto87.com/N_scale_turnouts_and_track.html

http://www.proto87.com/media/F-scales-800.JPG

[peteski]

I discovered the end points for guard rail are actually recycled frog points for turnouts! Anyone knows who makes them (the points only, not the entire frog). I've already looked up the FastTracks website and found nothing.

Do they really go through the trouble to splice a frog point at the end of the guard rail?  Continuous rail that is simple bent inwards and down makes more sense.

[Maletrain]

On the other hand, the simplest way I have seen it done is in the "B&O Roadway Standards" book.  The guard rails are spiked 10" in from the running rails (between facing edges of the rail heads) to create flangeways.  Their ends are bent towards the center so that the 2 guard rail base flanges touch 48' from where the bends are.  The ends of both rails are beveled at 45 degree angles along the direction toward the bridge.  The bend that transitions the ends from the full width of the guard rail section is placed 18' before the beginning of the bridge.  Really simple to model it that way.

[Chris333]

You could probably travel any rail line and find a different solution at each bridge.

[nkalanaga]

I agree.  Some roads have standards, probably no two alike, unless they have/had common owners, some roads just do it however the crew feels like, and some leave the guardrails off whenever they can.

And, spacing varies just as widely.  Some roads like a tight "guardrail" flangeway, others want room for the wheel to fit between the rails.

[Kentuckian]

Several years ago on an N-trak module i used Northeastern Scale Lumber 1/32 tee for bridge guardrail. It’s smaller than code 40. I received positive feedback from several different sources.

[robert3985]

Here ya go...

Photo (1) - Guardrail Specifications Drawing:


I use gap filling CA to glue mine down, and I don't follow the prototype drawing spec of having the guardrail ends ground and bolted together at the ends.  Also, the spec's on other drawing I have call for recycled frog points to be used on the guardrail ends.

However, actual observation over the years makes it pretty evident that the "standards" for guardrail ends, and the way the ends are bent up differs considerably on the prototype, many times with one style of guardrail on one bridge and another style on the second bridge on a double-tracked mainline, and on double mainlines that are always traveled one way on one main and the opposite way on the other main, sometimes the guardrail end along with any bending of the guardrails was totally left off of the end of the bridge where the train would exit.

Photo (2) - Guardrails on bridges at Taggarts over the Weber River with different points on each bridge:


Here's a drawing that shows how the rounded ends of the guardrails is done, which I think is a nifty way of doing it...

Photo (3) - Single Guardrail Spec's, including way to bend down the railheads at the guardrail ends]


Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[narrowminded]

Here ya go...

I use gap filling CA to glue mine down, and I don't follow the prototype drawing spec of having the guardrail ends ground and bolted together at the ends.  Also, the spec's on other drawing I have call for recycled frog points to be used on the guardrail ends.

However, actual observation over the years makes it pretty evident that the "standards" for guardrail ends, and the way the ends are bent up differs considerably on the prototype, many times with one style of guardrail on one bridge and another style on the second bridge on a double-tracked mainline, and on double mainlines that are always traveled one way on one main and the opposite way on the other main, sometimes the guardrail end along with any bending of the guardrails was totally left off of the end of the bridge where the train would exit.


Here's a drawing that shows how the rounded ends of the guardrails is done, which I think is a nifty way of doing it...

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

I see another piece(s) that I need to make for the tie bed/ bridge track bed offerings.   Ones with frogs and ones without, code 40 and code 55.   @robert3985, you keep making work for me.

[Point353]