TRIAL & ERRORS
Topic: Track

Ballasting track is almost universally the least liked task in model railroading. We are finally becoming serious about adding ballast to MK&P tracks. Glenn, Bill, and others have been working of late on the mainline. The past two days Doug and myself have been hitting the Osage Ridge branch line tracks. I also ventured over to the riverfront this afternoon to begin work on tracks in Mound City. A bit to my surprise, I am not finding the ballast work to be all that bad. Maybe that is because I've learned a few things which seem to make it go more easily. The first was changing from Woodland Scenics ballast to a natural ballast material marketed by Highball Products. This ballast made from real rock and is less prone to floating away when you attempt to glue it down.

Speaking of glue, I am also making use of some new tools. Using a medicine dropper was too tedious, so I went looking for some other way to apply glue to the ballast. I got a bright idea to use those yellow or red squeeze bottles meant for applying your favorite condiments. This wasn't so bright an idea. It was difficult to control the flow with these bottles. Then I came across the bottles with a long, thinner nozzle. It is much easier to control the flow of the glue solution with the longer taper. I mix one part glue with four or five parts water and a few drops of dish soap The semi-transparent bottle makes measuring simple. While wondering what I was going to do with the now surplus red or yellow bottles I got another bright idea. This bright idea seems to be more successful than the previous one.

With a knife I cut off the tip of the nozzle and filled the bottle with ballast. As more of the tip of the nozzle is trimmed away the hole is enlarged. With a little experimentation I arrived at the proper size opening for a smooth and controlled flow of ballast. The bottle seems to hold about a pound of ballast. This eliminates the hassle of re-loading the cute (and expensive) little ballast spreader I had been using. I apply the ballast between the rails and then use a one inch paint brush to spread the ballast. If there isn't enough to cover the roadbed I just apply more between the rails or a little outside the rail to touch up thin spots.

 Before applying the glue solution, I mist the ballast with alcohol. This will aid the glue penetrating the ballast and makes the ballast less likely to float away when the glue is added. Whereas I mist the ballast very thoroughly, I like using a big bottle of alcohol. Bottle manufacturers seem to have standardized sizes for their bottle tops. So it is easy to substitute a sprayer for the cap which comes on the bottle of alcohol. I then apply the glue by flooding the area between the rails. The solution will flow under the rails and penetrate the ballast without washing it away. More than one pass with the glue may be required before all of the ballast is thoroughly soaked with glue.The se new materials and tools may not have eliminated the tedium of ballasting track, but they do seem to have removed most of the frustrations and irritations I had previously experienced.

It hasn't been all ballast and track, however. Talk about tedium! Have you planted any of the tall grass made by Woodland Scenics? With some help from Tim, the marsh below the Strontia Springs Spa and Hotel now has vegetation and water. Love that Envirotex Lite!

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Tracks in the Bottoms
Topic: Track
Doug has been hard at work with track in the Bottoms industrial area. The on-going evolution of my track plan for the Bottoms has saddled him with the unpleasant task of removing the some of his earlier work to realign tracks and turnouts for a more satisfactory arrangement.

Initially, I had thought there would be only industrial spurs in this area. But then I realized the locomotive service facility for the Manufacturers Railway would not fit in the location I had planned for it. I also had noted that the space under the long bridge by which the mainline decendes into the Bottoms was going to waste. I finally recognized this as a good place for the Manufacturers shops and a small yard.

However, the double track mainline was already in place as well as a two track siding opposite the mainline from where the relocated Manufacturers yard would be. Those siding tracks also were the origin of the spur to G K Metals foundry and to the grain terminal and city water pumping station located on the riverfront. Now, these tracks, despite their awkward location across the mainline from the yard, would also function as arrival and departure tracks. Another unfortunate circumstance was the yard ladder attached directly to mainline track. Thus, switching the yard required entry onto the main.

Space was starting to get cramped when another turnout had to be cut into the mainline to give access for tracks to serve the chemical plant. With the development of more customers to be served in the Bottoms, it became evident the only way to reach them was via a new track. The first thought was to cut yet another turnout into the mainline. Whoah, too much congestion! Another solution was needed.


Doug pointed out the best solution was to move the two mainline tracks putting the arrival/departure tracks on the same side as the rest of the yard. A yard lead should be created and all industrial spurs should also have their origins separate of the mainline tracks. Obviously the best solution!
However, that would mean rebuilding all of the existing track. No, no, no we can't do that!

I was looking for a simpler solution. That seemed to me would be to extend a yard lead to connect to the new industrial spurs. A crossover between this track and the mainline rather than two separate turnouts could then serve both yard and industries. This new track, however, would cut across the already installed connection to the chemical plant. Glenn suggested doing this with a crossing rather relocating the existing turnout. Okay, that seemed like an interesting solution.

The new plan: eliminate the exiting turnout connecting the yard and mainline, install a crossing in the chemical plant spur, further on cut in a crossover connecting the mainline and yard lead, and extend the lead track around the end of the Bottoms penninsula to become the spurs serving the remaining customers. Removing the yard turnout from the mainline was easy. The crossing appeared to present a problem, however. The available 11.5 degree crossing appeared not to match the intersecting angles created by the turnout from the mainline and the track connecting to the chemial plant spurs. The existing turnout was a number 7. What about a number 5? Aha! problem solved, the angles matched.

One last thing to do. The existing crossover between the two mainline tracks was left-handed to cross to the now non-existant turnout to the Manufacturers yard. All other crossovers on the double track main are also left-handed. A right-handed crossover would allow a train to overtake and pass another. The right hand movement would also be more convenient for Manufactures crews to reach the flour mill. So the crossover was replaced.

The completed track alignment isn't as elegant as Doug's ultimate solution. But unless operations prove this current alignment to be too unwieldy this has saved us a lot of work. The sidings (now also arrival/departure tracks) are on the left and the spur to G K Metals and the riverfront are visible at the bottom of the photo. Both the mainline tracks and those of the yard curve beneath the bridges. The tracks serving the chemical plant, furniture factory, and luggage company are to the left of center. The spur which will serve the industries to the right can be seen hooking around the penninsula near the top of the photo. Laying those spurs must wait for the arrival of additional switch machines.

Doug has also completed another significant project in the Bottoms, i.e., the trestle leading to the brewery, warehouses, and other industries in the Hill section of Mound City. Well done!

Mounting Switch Machines on a Foam Layout
Topic: Track
The MK&P layout is being built with extruded foam insulation sheets. The is no plywood underlayment so the usual methods for mounting switch machines won't work. I've devised a method which I haven't seen elsewhere but has proven simle and effective on the MK&P.

I'm using Micro Engineering code 55 N scale flextrack and Atlas code 55 switch machines. Tortoise switch machines also can be used with this method.The low profile of the Atlas machines, however, mean that you can place turnouts wherever you desire without concern about cross supports under the layout

For this you are going to need a sheet of plain styrene, heavy duty foam mounting tape, switch machine, and turnout.

The turnout is attached to the top side of the styrene using the foam mounting tape

The styrene has been cut size to accomodate both the turnout and the switch machine. A hole is pre-drilled in the sytrene below the turnout throwbar. Make sure you leave a gap in the foam tape below the throwbar so it doesn't come in contact with the throwbarThe switch machine is glued to the underside of the styrene with adhesive caulk. The switch wire passes through the hole in the styrene to attach to the throwbar of the turnout.

Foam is then excavated to accomodate the switchmachine wherever the turnout is to be installed. The whole turnout assembly is put into place.

The turnout is attached to the flextrack with railjoiners and this holds the turnout assembly in place. You may want to use a little adhesive around the edges of the styrene to keep it snug with the table top.

This same method can be used for more complex turnout arrangements.

For a crossover, the styrene is simply cut long enough to accomodate both turnouts as a single unit. This method allows you to put the whole assembly together at your workbench and then install it. This can be especially helpful for even more complicated turnout arrangements such as yard ladders.

These turnout assemblies are made at your workbench and can be put in place without crawling under your layout. It's also a simple matter to remove them for servicing or replacement.