Model Railroading > Laying PECO Code 83 flex track

I am trying to relay the curves on my HO-guage layout using PECO FLEX TRACK.  I have the 10-inch Ribbonrail track guages in 42-, 40-, and 36-inch radii.  What is best way to hold track in place when it get the curvature correcrt?  There does not appear to be any holes in the ties for spiking the track down to my Homasote tabletop.

Thank you,

John

Their should be dimples on the underside of the track, you will need to drill or poke a hole with a pin or track spike.
OB



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/05/19 09:56 by Grand87.

Thank you very much.  Found the spots.

John

Good to know.  I"m planning on using Peco code 83 flex next time around.  I also fix track down with track nails or ME spikes.

I used thumbtack last week. They fit between the rails and test runs are possible at a very early stage.

The ties on the PECO flex track are very soft and you can push the spikes threough them.

The main reason for relaying the track on my layout is to make sure all parts of the layout designed for passenger service have a minimum radius of 36 inches (261 scale feet) and a minumom of #7 turnouts.  This should allow me to get prototypical spacings between passenger cars and RDC's.

John

Don't forget curve easements.  Adds a lot of realism when the train eases into the curve rather than abruptly.  You can do this by using a wooden yardstick.

John Acosta
Palm Springs, CA

I'm hoping 32" minimum radius will be ok for passenger cars, my planned minimum.

PRIIA 305-003/Amtrak 964 Technica l Specification Initial Release, Amtrak 2011 states that 85-foot passenger cars must be able to run over a 23-degree curve when coupled together.  250-radius is given (about 35 inches for HO).

Layout I am building is 7 X 14 and I a prototype for a 9 X 15 layout.  Easements are present not by design, but due to the ineptness of the trackman.

John

My last layout had 32" curves and my BLI CZ cars ran fine and with a brass Rio Grande PS combine as well. Curves had easements too

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Curve templates are easy to make out of styrene or Masonite.  Most cardboard is a little light.  You can calculate theradius you want, subtract the distance from the center of the track to the inside edge of the ties,  and then butt your flex track up against.  A friend also made easement templates.  The resulting trackwork looks great, but the calculation is more involved.

I got my B.S. in chemistry at an engineering school (Worcester Poly) at a time when you were required to pass Mechanical Drawing and Descreptive Geometry to graduate.  I couldn't draw a straight line.  Since I was a chemistry major and not an engineernig major, I got a gentlemen's C is both courses.

The 10-inch Ribbonrail devices work fine, and are less than $10 each.  Also, the purpose of the trackwork is to determine, particularly for my four Rapido RDC's if I can replace the couplers with Kadee #58 couplerss and mount them far enough back that I will have the correct distance between the cars.

BTW, I tried a custom moderl RR design service.  I wasted much money as the designer designed what he thought the layout should look like, not what I wanted.  I have more than enough space in my train room for a layout with 48-inch radiu curves and some decent length straightaways.  I just want to have trains that look good and run well.

John

DocJohn Wrote: 
------------------------------------------------------- 
> I got my B.S. in chemistry at an engineering 
> school (Worcester Poly) at a time when you were 
> required to pass Mechanical Drawing and 
> Descreptive Geometry to graduate.  I couldn't 
> draw a straight line.  Since I was a chemistry 
> major and not an engineernig major, I got a 
> gentlemen's C is both courses. 

I had  some gentlemens C's as an undergrad including P Chem and Organic Chem, but B.S. was in Geology, as well as M.S. a few years later.  Graduate GPA was much better too. 
> 
> The 10-inch Ribbonrail devices work fine, and are 
> less than $10 each. 

I imagine Ribbonrail templates get the job done but there has to be a bit of slop so they can fit in between the rails easily; my guess is that over a 180 degree + circle, the track could be off significantly plus or minus.  I prefer to use an old fashion trammel to draw curve radii center-lines per specs in my scale drawing.  I found a piece of wood at Home Depot that is similar in shape to a yard stick but 48 inches.  It allows me to draw most of the radii needed.  In some cases a piece of wood attached temporarily would serve to attach a trammel to draw curve center-lines in-place.

> BTW, I tried a custom moderl RR design service.  
> I wasted much money as the designer designed what 
> he thought the layout should look like, not what I 
> wanted.  I have more than enough space in my 
> train room for a layout with 48-inch radiu curves 
> and some decent length straightaways.  I just 
> want to have trains that look good and run well. 
> 
> John 

Thats why I prefer to draw my own track plans.  I know what I want and can draw it to scale on graph paper.  Per John Armstrogns "Givens and Druthers" due to the restrictions of the space I have and wanting longer runs and "reasonably" long sidings and lots of staging/storage capacity, minimum curve radii could not be as generous.  The minimum radius is 32-inches but most of the mainline has curves such as 34, 36 and 42 inches.  The main restriction is the 180 degree turn back that allows an extra leg in the benchwork substantially lengthing the run.  I wish the room were a couple feet wider but this basement was the best my wife and I could find in our area and budget. 

Cheers, Jim

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Peco Sode 83 is EASY to work with....it is nowhere near as difficult to curve as RailCraft, and holds some degree of cubic spline-like shape was you tack it down. It is a bit stiffer than Atlas too....which is way TOO loosey goosey....

I have laid some 2000 feet of it....and use 4" T-pins in the crotch og the tie/rail to lay out my curves....then mark the center of the curve thus created and lay don short blobs of High Grab adhesive...and that is enough to gold it in place for hours even without the pins in it, though I do leave a number of them in to help set things...I laid the entire double track helix this way....no issues. 

I also  use 2" foam subroadbed and print my track plans at 1:1 size on a plotter in my office....then tpe them down on the foam and use a ponce wheel to carefully trace the centers of the track onto the foam,,,,,then when I remoove the drawing I brush some black dry poweder color on the foam and the centers of the treack appear as dotted lines.   

I laid every inch of that 2000 feet (27 cases) of track to date, alone....so I know it can be done :) There are still some 18 cases to go...

Bob

First message on forum so hello (I posted this yesterday and it's didn't mark as new so am editing to see if works now)

I generally use a small pin drill to put holes where I actually want them when laying the Peco flextrack.
 We were running some trains on my layout this last weekend and I found a sun kink on a fully ballasted 
curve of the Peco when some stuff derailed. I have not seen the Peco do this before but it looks like the
rail has overpowered the moulded tie plates and broken free. To fix this I will probably go in and use spike
or track nails to force the rail back. Maybe using a track gauge. 
Layout is in a so-Cal garage so is subject to heat.  
InyoSub

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/15/19 09:32 by inyosub.