ways to model bad track for slow speeds

[PennCentralFan]

Do you guys notice that when you first layout your track on top of the wood board before you place down cork and so on that there are parts of the track if your using atlas section that are wobble or do not rest completely on the board? I working on a new layout and I'm test running it on track just laid on top of board and there are parts of the track that are unlevel and when the train goes over the track it wobbles and the cars sort of sway from side to side as the weight of the locomotive pushes down on the track there is a rebound upward as the lighter cars pass over the track.

What's neat about that is if you go to fast you have a derailment caused by bad track and you have to go real slow just like in reality. I wonder if you could lay down cork and then track and then ballast or something and build in the wobble by having unlevel track. Would it be worthwhile? In the goal for ultimate realism would you possibly ruin your layout?

I think it would be neat to have a part of a layout where you have to go slow or the train will derail.

Any ideas of how to do this?

 

[steamhead]

Like everything else in this hobby, you have to compromise. While the appearance of ondulating track is really neat, the hassle of constantly adjusting train speed to prevent derailments when going over these areas can really get to be a hassle. If you want to go that route, I would only do it on sidings...never on the main.

 

[nscaler711]

i have an idea
STOMP on the track some WOOHOO

or you could slightly bend the rail out of shape with your fingers (works great on flex track)

 

[Travellar]

I'd say to bevel your roadbed slightly before laying it. Just make sure it's a REALLY slight bevel, because the effect will exagerate itself with running trains.

 

[ezdays]

...I think it would be neat to have a part of a layout where you have to go slow or the train will derail.

Any ideas of how to do this?

Yeah, sure do, just have me come over and lay your track for you. sign1 sign1 sign1 sign1 I can guarantee you trouble spots that show up long after you've ballasted.

 

[Biased turkey]

Flextrack ( from Atlas or Peco ) is the way to go if you want model a poorly maintained industrial spur.

I'm starting to build a micro layout right now using Peco Flextrack and it will include a poorly maintained track with no roadbed ( just a little ballast ) and an ondulating track with some grass growing between the rails.

 

[railohio]

I'm modeling a southern Ohio branch in the 1970s so I'm going to pull out all the tricks to modeling rotten track. My "mainline" is a former mainline so it'll go on a cork elevated right-of-way with some remaining cinder ballast and just a few weeds. There's also a former passing siding that's been truncated as a short runaround so there's a freshly ballasted connector at one end and some rails in the weeds beyond that haven't been pulled yet. All the industrial spurs, save for one, will be set in mud, even though only one of them is in a parking lot. The one nicer spur will be a recent addition to a new industry (or rather the new industry) that will look almost new, like the run-around connector.

The other side of the layout will feature an abandoned diamond with a Chessie mainline. The abandoned right-of-way to the diamond will look like an older removal, but still be visible. I'm also going to have a freshly removed second track on the Chessie line, probably by leaving ties in ballast but not having any rails or weeds growing yet.

 

[Mountain Man]

Do you guys notice that when you first layout your track on top of the wood board before you place down cork and so on that there are parts of the track if your using atlas section that are wobble or do not rest completely on the board? I working on a new layout and I'm test running it on track just laid on top of board and there are parts of the track that are unlevel and when the train goes over the track it wobbles and the cars sort of sway from side to side as the weight of the locomotive pushes down on the track there is a rebound upward as the lighter cars pass over the track.

What's neat about that is if you go to fast you have a derailment caused by bad track and you have to go real slow just like in reality. I wonder if you could lay down cork and then track and then ballast or something and build in the wobble by having unlevel track. Would it be worthwhile? In the goal for ultimate realism would you possibly ruin your layout?

I think it would be neat to have a part of a layout where you have to go slow or the train will derail.

Any ideas of how to do this?

For Early Western American Narrow Guage this would be very realistic!

 

[Ralph]

On page 52 of Model Railroader's Model Railroad Planning 2007 magazine there is a picture of a model of a poorlymaintained branchline that looks as if it could be represented by creating several subtle kinks in flex track and by removing random ties. Add weeds and sparse ballast with lots of oil stains.
Ralph

 

[MCL_RDG]

All ya gotta do is...

...take a fine tooth straight screw driver, and "dink" your track as if that's where joints would be (don't do it at actual joints- geez)
and have sunk from hammering of wheels. Blake and I did it on an HO Club layout for a rip track- the guys got awfully sore until they realized the locos couldn't care about nothing except electrical contact as far as power goes. It has to be subtle- enough to tickle the eye and remember- a good place to start collecting "gunk" in them thar dinks. The dinks bowed the rail a trifle, enough to notice and scale wise- OSHA, NTSB and a few others woulda been there for sure.

I seen a train operating across from NYC in Greenville Yard- well the remnants of- and as a fully loaded 50' took a length of track- the whole length raised up and mear touched the bottom sill- Blake will remember that one. WE waited by- thinking we'd see the loco lay down on its side- alas not.

Good run on sentence- neat memories- modeled and otherwise!

Mark:mrgreen:

Try it and get back to us.

 

[Jim Krause]

Us logging modelers don't know anything else exists.

 

[sumpter250]

Go for it! However, keep it within easy reach......just in case you forget the speed restriction. :mrgreen:

 

[Travellar]

dinking rails, huh? I may have to do a touch of that to all my mainline.

 

[trainnut65]

I have one place in my N scale layout that is like this. has a dip in it. i did not mean for this to happen it was just there after i got all the ballast down. but i don't have any trouble with the cars jumping off at this point they seem to run just find over it.