Couplers, sub roadbed and other goodies...

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Michael P Gabriel 22 years ago

Hi,

I've been reading posts until I feel I can never read another again! My poor eyes. What I decided to do is to retro-fit metal KD couplers on all my rolling stock and then uncouple by hand if the uncoupling causes me undue grief. I only have 5 turnouts on my 4 x 8 layout anyway! If it doesn't cause me grief, all the better. I don't care if they do not look real either. This after reading a zillion posts of complaints about couplers.

But as yet I have not decided which way to go on the layout bed...again, after reading posts of good/no good foam, good/no good glue, good/no good whatever, for days now!!!! I gave up and already built a grid for my 4 x 8 layout. Starting with (2) 1 x3's x 8', to which an upright 1x2 is glued and screwed, forming each of the 1 x 3's into L-beams. Across the L beams, perpendicularly, I attached 1" x

2"'s, upright, a foot apart, extending 6" beyond the L bems on both sides of the grid., The glued and screwed 1 x 2's cross beams form 4 x 8 gridwork. Now, I either cut 3/8th" plywood to follow the layout and attach the it to the grid work. As to elevated track I plan to use risers attached to the 1 x 2 cross members. Splicing the 3/8th ply is a hurdle I must consider....perhaps using metal plates from Home Depot and 3/8th's inch wood screws.

Before I begin the 3/8ths plywood sub-roadbed, I still wonder whether a layer of foam might be better, using foam for the elevated roadbed as well, and cork subroad-bed. Decisions, decisions, decisions!!!

I wonder whether I'm really going wrong using the 3/8ths sub-subroadbed. Or, going wrong by not adding a sheet of 2"red or blue foam the the gridwork and forming the elevated road bed out of foam.

Thanks for being my sounding board!

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David J. Starr 22 years ago

The Kadee magnetic uncoupling ramps work, and it's fun to do your uncoupling by just the proper locomotive moves. As far as keeping the train coupled and on the track there are just two things to check. You want all the couplers at the same height. If one car carries its coupler low and the other carries it high, you will have the odd accidental uncoupling. You can check for this by just watching the train go by. All the couplers should marry up properly. If you see some high/low ones you need to shim up the low cars (a #6 flat washer under the trucks). For instance most legacy Athearn cars need washers to get the couplers up to the right height. Your NMRA gage has a cutout for coupler height, and there is a very nice (but pricey) coupler gage from Kadee. You want to check your gladhands. A low flying gladhand will snag on turnouts and derail you. When you find a low gladhand it often means the entire coupler is low. If the coupler is truly at the right height you can bend up low gladhands with pliers or the special gladhand bending plier from Kadee.

A good splice can be made by butting the plywood roadbed together and placing a splice plate of 3/4" wood under the joint. Glue the splice plate to the plywood with white glue or carpenters glue and drive some

1" wood screws thru the plywood and into the splice plate. Once the glue sets it will be quite strong, perhaps as strong as the original plywood. Your construction method will allow you to have a deep river valley, dropping well below the surface, and spanned by a dramatic bridge or trestle.

I've never used foam myself, but it has a good rep. David Starr

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me 22 years ago

pricey? It's only $3.90:

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highly recommend this if you want to make sure your couplers are the right height.

I always bend mine right out of the package, just to be sure. I make sure it has a little bit of an upward bend on the tip of the gladhand.

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omingmak 22 years ago

Go with foam, it is light, easy, and works beautifully. All our modules are built on it - it is the standard for our moidular club and there has never been a problem with it - see

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or "railwaybob.com" for details on building with foam. - and go with Kadees, they are worth the effort to change out, and if you want a switch where you don't have a ramp use a bamboo skewer, they work fine, again, thirty guys swiching trains all do it that way, and it is easy.

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Steve Magee 22 years ago

I don't know if you want to try it, but I have had good success for roadbed using a roll of black, foam like material used as an expansion joint in concrete work. It is about 10mm ( 3/8" ) thick and comes in 20 metre rolls, the 50 mm version ( 2" ) coasts locally $19, about $15US. It comes in widths up to about 200 mm I'd guess. The local name is Abelflex, I'm sure your local Home Depot stocks a similar item. I glue this to the subroadbed, then glue the track onto the foam. I predrill my track and turnouts, and pin in in place using household pins. This holds it while the glue dries. I use something called "Bondcrete" as my universal glue - it gets used gluing track, timber, wooden craftsman kits, plaster, etc and it holds great. Sort of a super Elmers White Glue. Commercially it is used to bond concrete (duh) to existing concrete when patching or adding to an existing slab. Is also used as a sealer under paint - wall and paving. See! Another use on the layout - as a size on the trackbed prior to scenicking!

Steve Magee Newcastle NSW Australia

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Paul K - The CB&Q Guy 22 years ago

````````` I had a friend in the hobby years ago, who's since moved away. He had a small pair of vice-grip pliers which he had set to just the right point where he could put the top jaw on the top of the knuckle, and the bottom jaw on the bottom of the gladhand "hose". When he squeezed the pliers into the the locked position the air hose was bent up to just the right amount. Of course, getting this setting initially took a bit of trial and error, but sure seemed like a convenient, reliable time saver, IMO.

Paul - "The CB&Q Guy" Modeling 1960's in HO.

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Couplers, sub roadbed and other goodies...

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