Central Valley Ties
Here are photos of the track, roadbed and rail tests. I am hand-laying track
for the first time, so I am trying out several techniques before I settle on
what will be on the layout.
The most recent set of photos is at the top
If you're a model railroader, be sure to drop me a note in my
guestbook.
Here's a photo of the pile of Central Valley tie and turnout strips I will use
on my layout. I ordered these from
Peach Creek Shops in Laurel, MD. I orded enough #5 turnout ties
to do the yard and then a little bit, plus enough curvable tie strips and rail
to handle the yard (this came out to significantly less than flex track and
commercial turnouts, but obviously more than rail and hand-cut wooden
ties). When it comes time to build the reversing loop and Chaffee
section, I will likely place another order. (Assuming I have enough money left
after ordering all those Tortoise machines <g>)
I had a nice email conversation with Jeff at
Central Valley . He gave me some ideas for working with the tie
strips. More info below.
Affixing Ties to Road Bed
Jeff recommended carpet tape or scotch-brand double-faced tape. Sounds
like a good idea to me, especially since it will stick well to the painted
homasote roadbed.
Charlie at Peach Creek Shops in Laurel recommended that I use
Aleene's Tacky Glue to affix the ties, as I will be able to pull the
track up later. I will try that out. However, as it is a PVA glue
(like normal white glue), and I am using plastic ties, I don't know how well it
will hold up.
Affixing Rail to Ties
I wasn't thrilled with the results I had applying Barge Cement by hand with a
toothpick/pin (it gets stringy fast, and it pulled up easily), so I sent an
email to Central Valley to ask for recommendations. Jeff at Central
Valley recommended this procedure for the rail :
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The
latest method I have found for gluing rail to ties with “Barge” is as follows.
Thin the Barge 2-1 (2 MEK to 1 part Barge) in a small glass container – (old
Floquil bottle).
Spread thinned Barge to base of rail and let dry. I let the rails dry hanging
from a line with clothespins. The thinned Barge can also be applied to tie
plates and be left to dry – or both.
The rail is then positioned onto the tie plates and held while the Barge is
re-activated with a small amount of MEK or lacquer thinner applied with a small
paintbrush. The rail only needs to be held for a few seconds. I pre-bend the
rail to the approximate radius on curves to make it easier to hold down. This
system is very fast and clean.
The Barge, seems to like the MEK as it stays in suspension indefinitely.
Different dilutions may also work. Let me know what you learn from your
experiences.
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He also recommended painting the ties after the rail is installed. I don't
like that idea, really, so I might try to mask the rail slots and spray the
ties with my airbrush. I'll paint tie plates and drybrush the
ties (in easily visible areas) by hand after the rail is installed.
To be determined.
This was just a personal recommendation. You need to use caution when dealing
with chemicals like MEK. If you're uncomfortable with those chemicals, or don't
have adequate ventilation and experience, please do not use the procedure
above. Like all techniques on this site, use at your own risk.
Charlie at Peach Creek mentioned that I might have good luck with a
water-based contact cement as well. I will look into that. However,
if that cement gets "stringy" too quickly, it likely won't work for me
either. Updates will, of course, be posted here.
Here is a photo (scaled down) sent to me by Jeff at Central Valley. It
shows the great level of detail that can be achieved using the CV tie strips
and switch kits.
Tie Strip Paint Test
I tested a bunch of paint colors for the ties and tie plates on the Central
Valley Tie Strips. I decided that good old Tie Brown with a Burnt Umber
(slightly browner than the one here) will be just right. In the
engine terminal, that color scheme will get a nice overspray of Grimy Black
before the rails are installed. I also used this strip to test some
adhesives. I glued the Homabed down to the plywood using normal white
glue (I'll use yellow glue on my layout), and the rail to the homabed using
Liquid Nails for Projects. Both seem to be working extremely well.
As far as color goes, I'm next going to try my hand at spraying the ties with my
airbrush, and then masking and spraying the tie plates. I need to see if
that is going to be reasonable or not. Either way, I plan to paint the
ties and tie plates at my workbench, and then paint the rails and provide the
Grimy Black coat to the ties once installed on the layout. I'll
also randomly wash/dry brush/gouge ties to ensure some variety.
Here's the full test strip (no rails installed yet). The test strip
represents the most extreme curve on the layout - the 18" radius curves on
the Chaffee branch - Shay territory. I wanted to make sure the Homabed
and the Central Valley Tie Strips were up to the challenge.
Disclaimer: I am just a fellow model railroader and happy customer. I
receive no compensation whatsoever from Central Valley.
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