Plug track at the S Scale Society

I displayed some Templot plug track at the S Scale Society AGM today....

 

[Martin Wynne]

@Michael Woods

Hi Michael,

That looks great. Thanks for flying the flag.

Was that with loose jaws?

cheers,

Martin.

 

[Michael Woods]

@Michael Woods

Hi Michael,

That looks great. Thanks for flying the flag.

Was that with loose jaws?

cheers,

Martin.

Hi Martin - as James said - we should be thanking you. I am a fixed Jaw person, I find that there is enough meat on the chairs in S Scale to handle sliding in the V crossing and associated check rails all in one go without breaking anything. I put the chairs in the timbers, shape the rails and then slide in from one end using a small pair of smooth pliers to encourage the end of the rail into the chairs without exposing the chairs to too much stress.

I just need to complete this turnout with some insulated joiners that I have drawn in CAD. Plus look again at the length of the check rails, it may be the camera angle.

I agree for more complex trackwork loose jaws would be a must but for my simple layout I can get by on fixed.

Timbers are printed on my Anycubic Vyper with PuraSlice.

 

[Michael Woods]

Finished off two turnouts that are a mirror image of each other....I had to make some small adjustments to the check rail chair clearances, just bringing them in a few thou so that scale wheels with scale flanges passed smoothly through the turnouts in both directions. Given the tight radius on my planned layout i may (where appropriate) shift the drive from the rear axle to the middle axles so that the rear axle can move side to side more freely unconstained by motor and gerbox.

It is an absolute pleasure putting the plug track together.......everything just works.....

 

[Michael Woods]

My first attempt at chair heaving.....sprung catch point to prevent run away stock on the main line....will try and get this on the printer tomorrow evening....

 

[Michael Woods]

My first attempt at chair heaving....nice and simple sprung catch point. I removed some chairs and replaced a few S1 with S1J chairs.

If anyone has any photos of the mechanism associated with a sprung catch point then I would be interested to see - thank you in advance.

 

[Michael Woods]

Now completed both of the catch points required for the layout.

 

[Michael Woods]

Now that most of the turnouts are built, small delay before I start to lay all the track. Thanks to Templot plug track, all my turnouts are now built to a common standard. Therefore, I am taking the opportunity as I build my layout to move all my stock to the same prototype tyre profile....over the years I have used different tyres from different sources, all of them either exact or very close to S Scale Standards but now is the time to standardise everything. 3D printed wheels running on 3D printed track....that feels good.

 

[Rob Manchester]

Michael,
You seem to be one of those people who can turn there hand to anything they want Are you machining the wheel tyres yourself ?

If so do you use CNC or a profile form tool ?

Rob

 

[Michael Woods]

Hi Rob, my model making skills are pretty basic, I try and 3D print everything I can and keep everything very simple. This particular tyre I drew in Fusion 360, created a STEP file and then got a company to CNC for me. Similar items are available through the S Scale Society Stores.

I have really enjoyed working with Templot plug track, it has been a steep learning curve but very enjoyable. It is amazing the way everything works.

 

[Michael Woods]

I have been silent for a while....not given up just making many meters of plain track now the turnouts are all built. Originally I was making short scale 30 foot scale sections joined with track joiners but now moved to 1m lengths of 6 times scale 30 foot sections on 1m rails....I will use dummy fishplates. The tapered wedges are designed to hold the sleeper prints at the right spacing and angle. They just slot between the sleepers and will be removed as I stick the track down....I am using solid jaws sliding each section in at a time.....works fine.

 

[Michael Woods]

Here is a video of Lady Cornelia navigating the first part of my Layout - she does a couple of loops navigating three turnouts and a working sprung catch point. I have made all the track in sections and they clip together using OO Peco track connectors that work fine on my S Scale rail.

Everything fitted together perfectly - Martin - what you have created here is amazing - thank you!!!

I now need to complete the passing loop and siding. After that the track will be elevated 100mm above the baseboards for the embankments.

The engine is 3D printed including the compensated chassis bearings and gearbox.....few etched parts but 90% resin.

 

[Steve_Cornford]

Well done Michael!
Interestingly shaped baseboard too!
Steve

 

[KHC1]

That looks great well done. I am thinking the same about building plain track in 4mm as you fitting 3 60ft panels together. I want to add a small cut just through the head of the rail to give the click clack. Just as a matter of interest have you done a breakdown elsewhere of the construction of the locomotive. Is the chassis resin printed. Currently I am working on a couple of ex LBSCR locos and have played with the idea of an FDM chassis but have a resin printer as well.

Keith

 

[Rosedale]

I have seen Michael's track in the flesh at the S Scale AGM and it is very impressive. This new Templot plug track system is a significant develoment in accurately modelling bullhead track.

I myself am modelling an S Scale Irish Broad Gauge layout (Broomebridge Junction) where the prototype used flat bottom track spiked or screwed to wooden sleepers. A fellow S Scale Society member, Simon Dunkley, has drawn a lot of the layout out for me in Templot and I have generated some individual templates. As a Junction I am using a 'single outside slip' formation that Simon drew for me - the photo shows this and it is nearly complete. It just needs a bit of tweaking/adjusting and then tie-bars, cleaning up and the painting/sleeper dyeing. I will then install it on the layout.
I'm representing Flatbottom track by using Code 75 FB rail cleaned and abraided underneath before glueing it to wooden sleepers with Araldite 24 hour 'control' adhesive. I'm also inserting some copper clad sleepers in vital places to give added strength. Obviously it takes time to build up a complex formation like this using this method. But I'm happy to take my time and not much adjustment is now needed.
But the ability to generate good Templot plans has been vital - its a very good system!

 

[Rob Manchester]

I'm representing Flatbottom track by using Code 75 FB rail cleaned and abraided underneath before glueing it to wooden sleepers with Araldite 24 hour 'control' adhesive. I'm also inserting some copper clad sleepers in vital places to give added strength.

Hello,
How do you find the use of Araldite for fixing the rail to the wooden sleepers ? I am intending to use similar construction methods for a couple of HO Scale US layouts that will of course have flatbottom rail. I will use PCB strips at critical places in turnouts for stability. Various glues are suggested for the rail->wooden sleepers but the favorite in the US seems to be Barge which is a contact adhesive. I tried this but it wasn't that simple to get just the right amount onto the sleepers although it does have the bonus that it can be heated and a joint repositioned. I would be interested in your thoughts. I see you have one of Iain Rice's books to hand.....

Rob

 

[Rosedale]

So far, no problems Rob. I used a cocktail stick to mix the 2 parts and then apply it. I've made sure to clean and then roughen the rail bottom, apply the adhesive to the sleeper, lay the rail then weight it down overnight. There is some cleaning up to do as inevitably some of the glue 'spreads', but I wait until it thoroughly dry (over 24 hours) before using a sharp chisel blade to scrape the excess away. So far, so good.
I wouldn't use a contact adhesive and I can't personally face the prospect of spiking it all. Good luck!

 

[Martin Wynne]

@Rosedale

Hi Paul,

Welcome to Templot Club.

For this Irish FB track in 4mm scale we used rivetted-ply timbers upside down. The clenched rivet ends are effectively flush with the timber surface, and the FB rail can be soldered with a dab of SMT paste (solder cream) on each one.

GNR(I) 5ft-3in sidings in FB, and 3ft n.g.

The ply timbers were doubled up, with a hole in the lower one to clear the rivet head. The extra timber thickness allowed for skimpier ballasting in sidings. It worked well.

cheers,

Martin.

 

[Rob Manchester]

So far, no problems Rob. I used a cocktail stick to mix the 2 parts and then apply it. I've made sure to clean and then roughen the rail bottom, apply the adhesive to the sleeper, lay the rail then weight it down overnight. There is some cleaning up to do as inevitably some of the glue 'spreads', but I wait until it thoroughly dry (over 24 hours) before using a sharp chisel blade to scrape the excess away. So far, so good.
I wouldn't use a contact adhesive and I can't personally face the prospect of spiking it all. Good luck!

Hi Paul,
Thanks for the reply. The thought of spiking rail doesn't appeal much to me either! Do you stain or paint the sleepers before attaching the rails ? From your track photo it looks as if you are using 'smooth' ply for the sleepers, does adding texture to them cause any issues or have you not investigated that ? I like to texture the sleepers to represent one that have been in situ a long time.

Do you find a branded 'Araldite' to be best ? Some unbranded or generic ones are very stringy and can be tricky to use neatly.

Rob

 

[Jim Guthrie]

Hello,
How do you find the use of Araldite for fixing the rail to the wooden sleepers ? I am intending to use similar construction methods for a couple of HO Scale US layouts that will of course have flatbottom rail. I will use PCB strips at critical places in turnouts for stability. Various glues are suggested for the rail->wooden sleepers but the favorite in the US seems to be Barge which is a contact adhesive. I tried this but it wasn't that simple to get just the right amount onto the sleepers although it does have the bonus that it can be heated and a joint repositioned. I would be interested in your thoughts. I see you have one of Iain Rice's books to hand.....

Rob,

I used Andy Reichert's etched Proto87 spikes on an S scale layout I built a few years ago :-

https://www.proto87.com/product1908.html

...and they worked very well.

In a way it was an early plug track with the ply sleepers (ties) being cut on my CNC mill with the spike holes drilled at the same time. I used Andy's S scale spikes which were 0.6mm wide, so a 0.5mm slotting cutter gave a hole which was a nice interference fit in the sleeper.

You can just see the spike holes in the milled sleepers.

I got a bit more sophisticated and added baseplates milled out of styrene sheet ...

and the track as built with the baseplates ...

You might be able to do this using a laser cutter rather than a CNC mill. I haven't tried "boring" 0.5mm holes with my laser cutter but it should be possible with today's 0.1mm (and under) beam widths. If you want baseplates, you might be able to make them from laserable plastic.

I hardly used a gauge when building this track since the spikes held the rail pretty well spot on. Crossing (frogs) were self guarding, so I didn't have to worry about spiking check rails.

Jim

 

[Rob Manchester]

Hi Jim,
Good to hear from you. Thanks for taking the time to post this - it is impressive. The first step of cutting the sleepers ( ties ) is easy to do with a snap-off bladed knife and a ruler/square. I use 0.8 or even down to 0.4mm ply so they cut easily. I am not up to making all those holes for the spikes with my manual mill for HO scale. If I was working in O scale or bigger I would probably tolerate it as at least the DRO on the mill reduces the likelyhood of handwheel errors.

Andy Reichert supplies rail base plates for HO scale suitable to take spikes but I have to admit to finding the process rather daunting with anything upto 140 ties per yard of track depending on if it is mainline/branch/sidings that is being represented.

When I have some time I will test out some branded v unbranded epoxies for directly bonding rail to ties. The stringiness of the cheap ones is just not what is needed.

Rob

 

[Rosedale]

@Rosedale

Hi Paul,

Welcome to Templot Club.

For this Irish FB track in 4mm scale we used rivetted-ply timbers upside down. The clenched rivet ends are effectively flush with the timber surface, and the FB rail can be soldered with a dab of SMT paste (solder cream) on each one.

View attachment 9876

GNR(I) 5ft-3in sidings in FB, and 3ft n.g.

The ply timbers were doubled up, with a hole in the lower one to clear the rivet head. The extra timber thickness allowed for skimpier ballasting in sidings. It worked well.

cheers,

Martin.

Thanks Martin,
Adavoyle! Wonderful layout. And the track does look good. Anyway I've started now and my 'Araldite' track does seem robust and will be beefed up with some copper clad and maybe the upturned rivets you suggest.

Paul

 

[Rosedale]

Rob,

I used Andy Reichert's etched Proto87 spikes on an S scale layout I built a few years ago :-

https://www.proto87.com/product1908.html

...and they worked very well.

In a way it was an early plug track with the ply sleepers (ties) being cut on my CNC mill with the spike holes drilled at the same time. I used Andy's S scale spikes which were 0.6mm wide, so a 0.5mm slotting cutter gave a hole which was a nice interference fit in the sleeper.

View attachment 9879

You can just see the spike holes in the milled sleepers.

View attachment 9880

I got a bit more sophisticated and added baseplates milled out of styrene sheet ...

View attachment 9882

View attachment 9881

and the track as built with the baseplates ...

View attachment 9884

You might be able to do this using a laser cutter rather than a CNC mill. I haven't tried "boring" 0.5mm holes with my laser cutter but it should be possible with today's 0.1mm (and under) beam widths. If you want baseplates, you might be able to make them from laserable plastic.

I hardly used a gauge when building this track since the spikes held the rail pretty well spot on. Crossing (frogs) were self guarding, so I didn't have to worry about spiking check rails.

Jim

That looks superb Jim and is the Rolls Royce approach I should be using.

I did try and design a combined baseplate and 2 spikes on Fusion. The plan being to use it like conventional plastic chairs, threaded onto the rail before attaching to the sleepers with Butanol, but concluded that the resin spikes just wouldn't be strong enough.

I'm also unsure whether the lack of visible spikes will matter in S and in any case, mine is going to be a fairly large layout and I cannot really face fitting that many spikes!

Cheers,

Paul

 

[Michael Woods]

Paul - your track work looks great - it was your model of Blakey Ridge that motivated me to build a layout - I suspect that the new layout will be just as special.

For anyone who has not seen a shot of Paul's Blakey Ridge in S Scale ....