laying road bed

cpNscale

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Nov 13, 2003
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www.trainweb.org
Just recently returned to the hobby after a 20 year drought.Use to model HO but was young with limited money so didn't get much experiance with road bed and such.
Now im model n scale and need advise on laying cork road bed on turn outs.
 

Arlaghan

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Sep 9, 2003
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S. FL
cpNscale,

I'm getting ready to do exactly this on my NTRAK module. If you are patient, I will photograph the process and post it here for you. I don't waste money on the pre-fab turnout pieces of cork, when the long strips can be used just as easily. Give me a day or two and I will post the process.

-Alex
 

NScale

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Nov 8, 2003
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Hope you can share this with us Arlaghan. I would like to see that done because I am just before laying new track myself.
Thanks!
 

Arlaghan

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Sep 9, 2003
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S. FL
In the meantime...

Rather than have you wait, I took a picture of an already completed area of a turnout for demonstration purposes. If my explanation is good enough for this picture, you can get busy - I will still take pictures of the process tomorrow or the day after, however.

(To make this easier to explain, I have labeled the 4 pieces of cork A, B, C, and D in the picture, and outlined them in green.)

Here's what I do:

You should have your track plan drawn out already, it makes this a lot easier. First I lay the easy complete sections (A and B).

Next, I take a strip of cork, and lay it along C. I let it overhang completely over the top of piece B. I tack it down with pins, then, along where it meets B, I cut it with an X-acto knife. Should have a nice pointy end. Glue it down.

After C is down, I take piece D and do the same thing - let it overhang completely over C and pin it down. Taking my X-acto knife, I cut piece C removing the beveled edge where piece D covers it (the big white arrow). When that is removed, I then cut piece D along where it meets piece C and glue it down.

If you follow these steps, its pretty easy and you can cork your entire layout fairly quickly. The trick is to have LOTS of pins handy. I bought two packs of 100 and found that is not enough! :D :D
 

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Arlaghan

Member
Sep 9, 2003
658
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S. FL
Guys,

As promised, I made a more detailed, step-by-step how-to for laying cork roadbed under turnouts. Turns out the area I did was a crossover, which is a little more work, but I think it came out nice. Here is the thread.

-Alex