On GSM and here there are often requests for information on maintaining a good electricity supply through the track with many requests asking how frequently the electrical connections should occur. Responses normally cover graphite grease, rail clamps etc. Since I have had a very satisfactory Sunday concerning track laying I thought that you might find my experience of some interest.
I had my track temporarily laid on some paving slabs. Unfortunately these are not far from the front door and during the winter our dogs redesigned the layout a little. I did consider relaying it all but knew from experience I would be repeating the exercise throughout the summer.
We do have a terrace that is around half and half gravel & slabs but until recently it was so overgrown that I could not lay track there. However the bad 2008/9 winter killed off some of those plants and late autumn last year we cleaned up the terrace removing a lot of the stuff that was there.
Last Sunday was the first dry and warmish day we have had so I took my courage in my hands, picked up the track and relaid it on the terrace. Since I was having to weave it around the remaining plants and ornaments I just laid it as it came with no grease, clamps etc. By the end of the day it was all laid with just half a dozen small pieces left over. It forms a sort of unbalanced pear shaped oval and turns out to be 164 feet long.
This Sunday I thought that I would move to the next phase. I knew that I was going to need to undertake a lot of work to get anything operational, remember I had not even cleaned the track, but I thought that I would start by putting a train on the track and seeing how it got on. It totally surprised me when it got stuck in only two places. Since I am using Aristo-Craft track I used screws to connect the track in those areas and sure enough I had no further problems all afternoon.
Towards the end of the day I got my camera to take some photographs to show you all but of course the batteries were flat. However I will load some as soon as I can.
I had my track temporarily laid on some paving slabs. Unfortunately these are not far from the front door and during the winter our dogs redesigned the layout a little. I did consider relaying it all but knew from experience I would be repeating the exercise throughout the summer.
We do have a terrace that is around half and half gravel & slabs but until recently it was so overgrown that I could not lay track there. However the bad 2008/9 winter killed off some of those plants and late autumn last year we cleaned up the terrace removing a lot of the stuff that was there.
Last Sunday was the first dry and warmish day we have had so I took my courage in my hands, picked up the track and relaid it on the terrace. Since I was having to weave it around the remaining plants and ornaments I just laid it as it came with no grease, clamps etc. By the end of the day it was all laid with just half a dozen small pieces left over. It forms a sort of unbalanced pear shaped oval and turns out to be 164 feet long.
This Sunday I thought that I would move to the next phase. I knew that I was going to need to undertake a lot of work to get anything operational, remember I had not even cleaned the track, but I thought that I would start by putting a train on the track and seeing how it got on. It totally surprised me when it got stuck in only two places. Since I am using Aristo-Craft track I used screws to connect the track in those areas and sure enough I had no further problems all afternoon.
Towards the end of the day I got my camera to take some photographs to show you all but of course the batteries were flat. However I will load some as soon as I can.
