Large Scale Central

Building the CR&N Deadline:July 2017

Articles
#381

Pete Lassen said:

Devon, I for a second thought you were going to hand lay your track since you just bought rail, but then remembered some places sell them seperate, so I hope I didn’t cause any undue pressure or wild late night thoughts of Should I do hand laid?

And as a beginner who wishes he could start I am following just to see how you are doing and to encourage me when I start … again, maybe this fall… maybe. So I guess I am a butt modeler too for the time being, Maybe Dave and I will start another club here like the IARR. Good luck and anything I add to this is purely in jest and for fun and stress relief

Oh yeah, Happy birthday too!!! Hope you get rolling stock and locomotives.

Well first I am not sure where I led you astray. . . did I say rail? I have 300 feet of assembled track coming and one piece of just rail for a custom 5 way switch. No hand laying on the Outdoor. When I get to the indoor that will be hand laid.

Advice to the beginner, when your done then let everyone here now what you plan to do. Otherwise they will chew you up and spit you out.

Additional advice, don’t call Maynard names.

#382

Pete Lassen said:

Devon, I for a second thought you were going to hand lay your track since you just bought rail, but then remembered some places sell them seperate, so I hope I didn’t cause any undue pressure or wild late night thoughts of Should I do hand laid?

And as a beginner who wishes he could start I am following just to see how you are doing and to encourage me when I start … again, maybe this fall… maybe. So I guess I am a butt modeler too for the time being, Maybe Dave and I will start another club here like the IARR. Good luck and anything I add to this is purely in jest and for fun and stress relief

Oh yeah, Happy birthday too!!! Hope you get rolling stock and locomotives.

Pete, I don’t see too many people willing to join. How many people, besides myself, would be proud to declare themselves “butt modelers”?

#383

happy birthday from me too.

enjoy the one day in this year, when you can do nothing with a clean concience.

#384

Happy Birthday my friend.

Aw shucks, little buddy (GilliganSpeak) the ribbing is the price for All the Excellent Advice we gleefully push on you! (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

Good advice for the Sensitive, but as I learned many many moons ago, with all the possible net-misunderstandings and cross emotion corn-fussions, sensitivity is a liability! Better to take all with a grain of salt and not personally. Too many times we find out no malice was ever intended … after all, we are guests in Bob’s train room.

Happy Rails,

John

#385

Birthdays you are allowed to sleep in .(http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

Happy Birthday Devon buddy old pal !

#386

Happy birthday Devon

#387

Sean I was up at six caulking the siding. it’s getting hot around here almost 90 and it’s not even noon. And this is the sunny side of the house. But the caulking is done. Will finish the shingles in short bursts between long glasses of iced tea. It will be ready for paint by days end. Then onto the cabinet.

Thanks for the birthday wishes everyone.

John I am not the sensitive type. I dont think I have ever been offended. I generally think people are teasing only to find out later they meant it. I just am a happy guy that really doesn’t let stuff bug me to much. And not for very long when it does.

#388

Well other than the final piece of trim that I need my wife’s helping installing the siding is ready for paint. My wife is the painter so I will put her to work. Once it is painted I will do another article.

I am going to start actual Railroad stuff today. Whoop whoop. I am going to frame the cabinet much like a house. PT 2X4 on the concrete and then frame with regular 2X4s. It will be sided and trimmed to match the house. For the top I have decided to try an experiment unless someone talks me out of it first. Since the top needs to be weather tight I was thinking of doing it in PVC boards glued together then doing something for color. But that is pretty spendy and I have an alternate idea. I have used that rubberized paint stuff you see on TV called Flex Seal on a few projects and I love it. Water proof and holds up so far everywhere I have used it. They now make it in a roll on product. I am thinking of using some 1/2 OSB for the top and then completely coating the top with the flex seal. This should, I would think be just fine and since its black and rubbery I think it would make a nice top just as is. Can anyone think of any reason not to try this?

Also when it comes to laying the track on the yard top. will I need split jaw rail clamps here or can I get away with regular rail joiners and then just fasten the track down well. If I do it when it is hot out can I pretty much butt the rails together and then screw the track down say about every 2 feet. My thinking is then the rails will shrink when it gets cold. Am I messed up in my thinking. The weather right now is about as hot as it ever gets. I am totally open to all opinions. on this. Remember aluminum rail so it will expand and contract with hot and cold.

#389

Devon, I vote for doing the top as you describe, even if it doesnt work out as planned it will be easy to fix. Still in the 112 plus range here, so after fun days of being outside toiling away, I see no reason to go back out after I arrive home. Love the look of the home’s battens, it going to reallylook cool when finished.

Maynard I took up your … dare?

Devon, show us pictures of the birthday presents!!! hope you had a good day

Edit: re read earlier post and you said 49lbs of TRACK, so my bad. missunderstood, thinking if you were refering to track you would have used feet.

#390

Really dig the look of the triple batten Devon. The place is looking good. Having seen what happens to my code 250 aluminum in the hot summer sun, I’ll encourage you to use lots of expansion joints. I just use rail joiners. I would recommend every 10 to 15 feet. on the 10 foot side if the section is dead straight. Ive witnessed one borderline nasty sun kink, and one other so so. I have to add two expansion joints in to cure that soon. Good luck, and have fun laying that track!

#391

Well, if the track is laid at full expansion, then it would only contract from there. But how much? Would the resultant gaps be too large? These and other questions, I have no idea what the ultimate answer is.

#392

Randy Lehrian Jr. said:

Really dig the look of the triple batten Devon. The place is looking good. Having seen what happens to my code 250 aluminum in the hot summer sun, I’ll encourage you to use lots of expansion joints. I just use rail joiners. I would recommend every 10 to 15 feet. on the 10 foot side if the section is dead straight. Ive witnessed one borderline nasty sun kink, and one other so so. I have to add two expansion joints in to cure that soon. Good luck, and have fun laying that track!

Randy, how much of a joint are you leaving?

#393

David Maynard said:

Well, if the track is laid at full expansion, then it would only contract from there. But how much? Would the resultant gaps be too large? These and other questions, I have no idea what the ultimate answer is.

This is kinda what I am wondering. If I am laying it in the hottest time of year on the hottest days then I would think I could but them darn near directly. Its in the mid 90’s and we occasionally see 100’s. But specifically when it comes to the yard they are mostly straight runs. I am wondering if I go fairly tight and if they need to expand would they just push to the end of the track. Seems to me without knowing anything I should be fairly OK in the yard. Now contraction will be a matter of wait and see.

Out on the mainline I will use clamps. But what and again on hot days I can butt them up. As the weather cools I will ba able to look at the track and see whats going on won’t I. I really am guessing here. Temps swings go from100+ to 10-20 below. and with Aluminum I just wonder how mach it will expand and contract in 6 feet of rail.

#394

Your idea of using the “Flex Seal” should be fine if you get a good coat and coverage, but I would not use the “Black”. The black is only going to generate more heat under the track. I would use a light color then cover everything with a grey ballast or even chicken grit.

#395

Devon said

“I have used that rubberized paint stuff you see on TV called Flex Seal on a few projects and I love it. Water proof and holds up so far everywhere I have used it. They now make it in a roll on product. I am thinking of using some 1/2 OSB for the top and then completely coating the top with the flex seal. This should, I would think be just fine and since its black and rubbery I think it would make a nice top just as is. Can anyone think of any reason not to try this?”

Devon,

These two products I would not recommend for yor application. Flex Seal claims it “lasts for years” how many is that 2 or more?. I see no where about it being UV Resistant which is VERY important. There are many more reliable “real construction” alternatives to As Seen On TV hokum.

OSB is not a product to to be used in the way you propose. It will fail if exposed to any moist environment. Sealing the top is not enough, for what you are doing you’d have to seal top bottom and sides. In your climate it may last 3 years. If you must use wood try marine grade plywood with rolled asphalt roofing and add a slope to the cover. Your first option PVC board was the forever solution. When you do see OSB used for roofing it’s covered with 30# tar paper then whatever type roofing material needed.

#396

I keep coming back to.this myself. I think I will suck it up and do PVC

#397

I tried spray on Flex Seal as a roof coating on one of my model buildings. It didn’t even make it through a winter before it started flaking off. Big waste of money in that application.

I get a solid half inch of expansion in a 6 ft stretch of aluminum track. I’ve started using zip ties to help hold the track ends together, especially on a tangent.

#398

LOOK RAILROADY STUFF!!!

Here is the framing for the yard cabinet. I have already got some of the siding on it.

#399

Lookin good.

#400

No top rim joists?