bending track pins and making noise

Hi Everyone                 40 (very) odd years ago I was a master at bending track pins, and I am still a master:oops:, there was a lot of noise when the trains were running.But this time I invested in a *Pin/Nail pusher" from the Cornwall Boat Company, it must be me doing something wrong??:???: because the pins are still bending. In the real World, okay trains make a noise, but I don't need the rumbling of the baseboard interfering with the "on board sound" fitted for me by Paul Chetter. I read that if I use "Copydex" to hold down the track, I have the option to reposition the track?? should that become necessary, and the latex acts as a "Buffer"? making the passage of the train much quieter.                                    all the best  Kevin

To stop pins bending, pre drill using a pin vice an #70 drill.

Hi Ron              Now, why did I not think of that:oops: (no rude answers please) I have a pin vice, or two and a set of mini drills.I really would like to achieve silent running, apart from the diesel specific sounds of the 08 Shunter, and I do not want to use foam, cork might be okay?? but the latex idea of copydex sounds "Rubbery" and might do the job.               ATB  Kevin

Kevin

If you glue down your track you dont need to use pins, you can use them to hold the track while the glue dries and then remove them, just dont push them all the way in.

All of my track has been glued down without any use of a pin.

I have a bag of pins as they make good door knobs when scratchbuilding.

Hi Andy              Thank you for your reply, you were non specific about your choice of "Adhesive" and if you had ever tried "Copydex",it is the question of whether or not?? one can achieve running without the "Baseboard Rumble" that I am also interested in, speaking of which, my plan to run my trains(apart from the shunting Puzzle, that is) on the soon to be built Viaducts, this might open a whole new"Can of Worms" for me to deal with.                          all the best  Kevin

I think you could mount your track on angels' f@rts to try and achieve quiet running only to waste the entire effort as soon as you ballast the said track.

IMO the only saving grace of Sundeala was that its open structure tended to absorb sound. Oh, and moisture and paint and split tea et cetera!

Plenty of underside cross bracing helps to stop the baseboard becoming a 'drum-skin' as does gluing pieces of cork table mat to any open underside areas with contact adhesive, much as that piece of black sticky stuff under a stainless steel sink stops running water sounding like a giraffe peeing on a tin shed roof.

Doug

Grumpy, after having stripped and replaced chair/settee cushion covers. So there. Bum.

Hi Doug         Thank you, as it happens I have cross bracing every foot or so,but I now realise that with my latest plan set in South London, that I might have dropped myself right in it, with a long? "Low Level Viaduct" and an Embankment/ Viaduct combination. One doesn't have to be crazy;-) to begin building a new layout later in life:)?? but it does help. ATB  Kevin

Use this stuff - Tracklay Sales, model railway underlay and ballasting - it'll solve noise and ballasting at one fell swoop. Can't praise it highly enough- been using it for years. Here is a link to how I use it. - Tracklaying with Tracklay - Ben Alder's Blog - RMweb -.

HTH

Hi Ben             Thank you for your advice, I might look for a suitable piece of 9 mm MDF and make a "shunting plank", and give your idea a go. With a lot of "Toing and Froing"  It can prove your advice. Good or Bad?? But for the main board, which isn't much bigger I will try to pursue the direct Track to Baseboard approach, that some modellers choose.                     ATB  Kevin

Hi Kevin,as Andy stated you don't need track pins if you glue your track. I used closed cell track underlay stuck down with PVA and then used Copydex to glue the track down. I used the push pins as used on notice boards to hold the track while it dried also to hold the curves in place as i used flexitrack. It's also ballasted and i don't notice much noise. I do model N scale though.

Hi Alan                 I only joined the club this year and I have read a lot of very good ideas, the idea I liked about holding down the track is the one with "Tins of Baked Beans", but, I think I went one better?? I opened the tins and ate the beans with sausage, egg and chips, then I washed out the tins and filled them with fishing weights, that really works well. But seriously I am weighing up the pros and cons before I proceed, but when I build the shunting plank I think that will be the best way to go.  ATB  Kevin

As per others here, I pre-drill the holes for the track pins - I  use #75 for Peco pins so there is some element of grip still there.

In my case, I deliberately mounted the track directly to the baseboards for the visible sections of the London Underground lines, but on cork underlay for the rest. I wanted the underground trains to roar and rumble, like the real ones. The direct mounting also allows more audible clickety-clack noises at track joints.

Hi Kevin,

Use cork or foam underlay glued to the baseboard, glue the track to the underlay. Track pins are not necessary. Position the track with regular pins either side of the rails between the sleepers. Baked bean tins are ideal for getting the right weight while the glue sets. Empty ones filled with concrete are even better.

One other way to get the "rumble" down is to use acoustic foam underneath the baseboard. Or high density acoustic panels used in cars glued to the underside. The idea is to stop the baseboard acting like a drum.

Nigel

Hi Jeff              I never realised that about Underground Trains, maybe?? that is why I'm going deaf, in my left ear, at least??For the moment, I intend to build a shunting plank "Test Bed" for all the ideas that are forthcoming, and there are still a lot of viaducts to be built.                          all the best  Kevin

Hi Nigel          The "Lead" fishing weights were redundant and available, and I don't mix concrete, now that I have the "Bit between my teeth", I will push ahead with the Shunting Plank test bed. All the ideas including "Track Laying", "Point Control", etc., etc., can then be proven, spending my time between "Harvest" and Viaduct " building, excuse the old term "playing trains", as I don't know the correct term.                              all the best  Kevin

Operating I think is the correct term when playing trains Kevin! :):)

Cheers
Ron

. . . or "Testing."    :cool:

A test plank is a really good way of building up skills and testing ideas Kevin. Definitely worth the go.
cheers
Marty

Passed Driver wrote:

Hi Nigel          The "Lead" fishing weights were redundant and available, and I don't mix concrete, now that I have the "Bit between my teeth", I will push ahead with the Shunting Plank test bed. All the ideas including "Track Laying", "Point Control", etc., etc., can then be proven, spending my time between "Harvest" and Viaduct " building, excuse the old term "playing trains", as I don't know the correct term.                              all the best  Kevin

 Hi Kevin,

Go ahead and play trains (Play: engage in an activity for enjoyment and recreation). I had a great time playing trains over the weekend on an 80' foot layout. Fast clock, operating schedules, way bills for the freight cars and threading the freights around the varnish. 

If you can find it, "Playing with trains: A passion beyond scale" by Sam Posey is a great read written by a serious modeler. Playing trains is not just for 6-year olds and Thomas.

I like the idea of lead weights, I'll give it a try (recycled lead shot), although baked beans work OK.

Nigel

I am a bit different in having glued my track down with black acrylic sealent (Poundland gutter sealent), it grabs fairly quickly, goes off in around ten minutes and is fairly easy to lift the track using a wall paper scraper or pallette knife if you need to.

I use map pins or weights to hold the track while it dries.

I am not bothered about the noise, although while playin…. I mean testing I do not have much noise but then I only have baseboard where I have track at this point.