I've asked Perry about how he went about extending his point motor pins and this is what he told me :-

"When I needed some Peco point motor pin extensions, Peco provided as many as I needed free of charge when I wrote to them and enquired as to their availability. The extensions consist of a length of stiff 'wire' and a short section of brass tube to connect it to the motor pin like a ferrule. I used Araldite to fix mine in place. One word of caution though; I seem to recall that there are two different sizes, but I'm damned if I can recall how I worked out which I needed. I believe Peco supplied details of the alternatives and I went from there."

Hope that helps.

As the thread is called cork or foam i thought i would quickly say i am now just using a new undertrack material it is another B &Q special it is a laminate floor underlay which is a fibre board easy to cut with a stanley knife 6mm thick and is very cheap compared to underlays supplied in the model community.

Last night i did test runs on my upper levels which has some of the fibre board.

I have used cork, woodland scenics underlay and grey foam underlay before.

This fibre board is the best yet i have used for sound it really deadens the sound no more tinny wheels sound it sounds very similar to a real train sound when running allong the rails.

I will post some piccys in my layout thread tommorow probably.

Im not sure but it looks like Kev has used it on his layout im not sure thou

cheers Brian

My baseboards are "open-top".  My track bed is carried by ply risers and the actual frame is just to attach the whole thing to and keep it rigid.

Depending on how far below "datum" your baseboard frame is, you can easily incorporate embankments, culverts, viaducts bridges and any below track level scenery you need to.  It does take a bit more planning but overcomes the mentioned point-motor problems because the track base is still board.  This can be single track width, double or even a whole yard/station/town etc.  Whatever you like.  Access underneath for wiring and other odds and sods is just as easy as with "normal" flat topped baseboards.

Additionally, here in France at least, foam (Styrofoam) is not cheap !!!! 

i use the same stuff as HP, i can't fault it. i think it was about 10  quid and enougth for a medium size layout. it is grey in colour and been talked about a few times on the forum. my track is the same as petermacs and makes wiring easy. i tried useing the exstended pin on the peco point motors, you have to be spot on with alignment. the pin has a tendency to bow when throwing points therefore loosing power. i ended up cutting holes in the baseboard and using the same method as HP and Jeff. you can see from the pic the holes and the card to cover the holes. the card can be put in place before above the baseboard before setting in position.

 

If it is the green board Brian, then yes it is the same as i have used.

It is very easy to work with as you say
 

 In fact i have about half a dozen spare if anyone wants them, although they will need to be collected as they are a bit too fragile to post

 

Guys thanks for all the explanations that you have given, Brain using floor underlay is a great idea, I think that I have heard of it being used before, most likely on here, but that will do the job in every way.

Matt

Thanks for showing how Peco motors are fitted, we have only ever used Tortoise and SMP motors before, but we have already ordered Peco motors along with the points, and your images have helped.

Alan, just as a reference point for you, here's a photo of the Peco point motor fitted directly to the base of a Peco point. This was taken from an earlier thread I did on DC cab control.

Since coming across this foam trackbed <a class="user_link" h…)_AND_{EOL}&categoryId=35 I have used nothing else.

It is far more flexible than cork, which I used previously.  It can be bent to the required curve (by just removing thin slivers on the internal side of the bend) and is much tidier for fitting points.  As it is foam, thin slits cut into it allow parts from below through it (for example, the 4 x metal prongs on a Peco point motor and the central pin) but also hide these parts and close up around them to seal any gaps.  Yes, you need to cut a hole in the baseboard to enable the point to be fitted directly to the base of the point but because of the properties of the foam mentioned previously the finish is much neater than using cork.  It also means that ballast doesn't drop through the baseboard on to whatever is underneath.

John

Can you please re check the link

Thanks

Bromsgrovemodels.co.uk)_AND_{EOL}&categoryId=35

[user=285]Alan[/user] wrote:

John

Can you please re check the link

Thanks

Mmmmm… sorry about that.  I have tried editing the post 5 or 6 times to get rid of the duplicate and the url HTML code but the software wasn't having it!!

I had the same problem but finally managed to get the single link in a post and it works fine.

Thanks to both John and Bob :doublethumb

Is that £30 for 50 lengths ?  Each length is apparently 24" long so at £30 for 100ft works out at nearly £1 per yard.  That seems expensive to me - or does it ? :roll::roll::roll:

ST1461 Woodland Scenics HO Track-Bed Strips 2ft

 






ST1461 Woodland Scenics HO Track-Bed Strips 2ft (Pack of 36).
OO/HO-scale Track-Bed strips 2 feet long each. 72ft Total length

£18 so thats 75p a yard i dont know if the one John has is a better product but the price is not a lot dearer than the woodland scenics.

As with all things if you have a large layout it does seem expensive but if you have a smaller layout it is certainly well worth looking at

cheers Brian

I used the Woodland Scenics foam Track Bed on my layout. It came in a box of 24 feet in length at a price of $9.99 (US dollars). I required six boxes to complete the layout, and I still have a few feet left over.

So far I have had no problems with it at all. I have even had to cut through the track bond to fix a joint. Once I was done you could not tell that I had done anything to it. I had no problems bending it around a 36 inch radius. My smallest radius is 34 inches and it went around it with just a little persuasion. I used 2 inch long pins to hold it in place until the glue dried. Two pins (one inside and one outside of the curve) every five inches.

If anyone has any other questions, just ask.

Wayne