Track laying has officially begun!

It's taken me MUCH longer to get to this point than I had originally planned. I could come up with a myriad of excuses, but the simple fact remains that it just didn't happen.

I'm using Peco 83 turnouts for staging with Atlas flex track. As noted in an early blog post, I bought all my Peco track at once before layout construction began. I got such a good price on the Peco turnouts that I decided to use them for staging as well. I had been acquiring Atlas 83 flex track for a while, so I decided to use it for staging only. Peco flex will be used on all non-staging track.

The track is affixed (glued) with DAP Alex Plus latex caulk. I used it on the Exeter Branch and on modules with great success. It holds the track well and the drying time allows for adjustment if needed.

As noted in a previous post, I'm using 1/2" drywall for the horizontal surface for staging. So far I'm satisfied. Granted, it's pretty early in the process. I painted the drywall with drywall primer tinted gray. I typically paint all track areas gray that is a close color to the ballast. That will help hide flaws in the ballast coverage.

I spent quite a bit of time adjusting the ladder. I decided a compound ladder is going to be the best way to go. I reduced the ladder footprint from 7' to 4'. It was critical for me to decide where the turnout location would be in order for me to start laying track. In order to keep my track lengths relatively consistent, the ladder ends will be copies of each other.

Here we have the tools of the trade. Caulk and gun, track cutters, needle nose pliers for making the Atlas rail joiners fit Peco 83 track, a pencil, and push pins. And the most important tool, the flat file for dressing the rail ends ensuring a smooth transition from rail to rail. Missing from the picture is the putty knife used to spread out the bead of caulk. Not the radius drawn for the staging loop.

Track laying started at the staging loop which connects the two staging yards so trains won't have to be turned. I felt this is one of the most critical pieces. The radius was drawn at 32". I aligned the inside end of the ties to the radius drawn. So, the radius is about 32.375" or so. Most important was to ensure the track was smooth and consistent.



Once I determined the turnout configuration, it was time to lay the first piece of track. I know it's a golden spike signifying when the last piece of track in complete, but what is it for the first piece?

Here is what I will call the lead spike. The completion of laying the first piece of track! Note: the turnout is not glued at this point. I took the opportunity to take this picture and text it to my wife downstairs in the family room.
I'm using push pins to hold the track in place for mock up and gluing.

For the loop, I soldered the rail joiners to ensure continuity of the joint and so it will last. I use very small diameter solder and high heat on the soldering iron. I prefer not to use flux. I find that with small diameter solder which requires less prolonged heat in order to flow. It works well and I haven't melted a tie in a long time.  Oops, I guess I shouldn't have written that. Sounds like a challenge to Mr. Murphy...

I'm a big fan of straight track actually being straight. So, once I determined where the first track should be located, I snapped a chalk line from the turnout out just over 24' to the other end of the staging yard.

I have a 6' straight edge that is perfect for aligning track. As you can see, that's a long 24'.


Up next will be laying the parallel staging track (4 total) and crossing over the gap for the 5 staging tracks. I'm not terribly concerned about crossing the gap as it's only 3/4".

Stay tuned, more to come.