Question: laying points on gravel/chippings...?

Zerogee

Zerogee

Clencher's Bogleman
Country flag
Those of you who lay your track loose on a bed of chippings or fine gravel - do you put something solid like a brick paver or piece of slab under your points, specifically under the moving blades, to reduce the risk of chippings getting stuck in the moving parts - or do you just lay them straight on the gravel and simply keep them clear by hand?

Jon.
 
I have simple laid points in the 'Ballast' for many years ( since '79!!!) excatly the same way as the track is laid

(Point types, LGB PIKO, Aristocraft etc, all radii(

Never had any problems, Majority of my points remotely worked, these days digital using single channel decoders.

You may occasionally get a piece of ballst in the point easily brushed off!!
 
Thanks Steve!
What material do you use for the final top layer of ballast? I'm looking at 6mm limestone chippings, a nice pale grey tone and sharp enough to knit together well.

Jon.
 
Hi Jon

I use oridinary gravel quite small for the base and bang it down with Mr Lumphammer!, then for the actual ballast i use 5 - 6 mm Limestone chippings which i can buy from a local hardware store just 1/2 mile away which is quite handy!!

Some garden centres sell Alpine Grit in several colours usually 10 or 25 KG bags which is sometimes advertised as 4mm but it is usually more expensive than the stuff i buy which is around £2.85 for 25KG.

I am in the process of laying track at the mo! Phot shows 2 points which are currently just laid on the base, when I am sure it is all ok, I will simple laddle the granite over all the track then brush it into position with a stiff brush, and then tamp it down between the sleepers etc with anything suitable (usually a bit of wood) Obviously I check the track with spirti levels etc to ensure it is level and no twists. The ballast will cover the wiring for the motors/decoders
It can be quite enjoyable if the weather is OK which at the moment it is not!!001.JPG
 
I've always tended to use slightly larger and out of scale ballast - about 10mm, because you need to be able to tend the garden as well, and this size of stone doesn't disappear up garden vacuums or hover mowers.

You can lay any track straight on it :D :D :D
 
Rhinochugger said:
I've always tended to use slightly larger and out of scale ballast - about 10mm, because you need to be able to tend the garden as well, and this size of stone doesn't disappear up garden vacuums or hover mowers.

You can lay any track straight on it :D :D :D
Click to expand...

That's a good point.....I do like the look of the small 6mm stuff, but I have considered mixing a small amount of cement powder with the final top layer of the chippings, then wetting it to bind them gently together (not enough to set them solid, but just enough to resist casual movement and the garden vac....). Is this worthwhile, or does it make for future difficulties, for example if I need to lift and re-align anything?

Jon.
 
Rhinochugger said:
I've always tended to use slightly larger and out of scale ballast - about 10mm, because you need to be able to tend the garden as well, and this size of stone doesn't disappear up garden vacuums or hover mowers.

You can lay any track straight on it :D :D :D
Click to expand...

Much the same procedure here. However, as small dogs (two different ones over the railroads lifetime), walk the ROW, birds find seeds and grubs etc. and the occasional foot finds it way onto the ROW I decided to place ceramic floor tiles, which have a simulated wood plank appearance, beneath each of my turnouts. This has alleviated derailments caused by ballast finding its way into turnout blades. The tiles were throwouts from a skip/dumpster.
 
Personally I would not recommend cement, i prefer to allow the track to float a little as I believe that the movement of the rail within joiner caused by the weight of a heavy train passing over helps to reduce corrosion within the joiner and loss of conductivity.( Graphite paste recommended as well!)

On my ver first line I had a section of track crossing a path, I concereted the track in place thinking it was a good idea, that section had to be re done without concrete in less than 12 monhts!

I find that once the ballst has been in place for a week or so it does lock together well and there is very little problems with bits of ballast escaping!
 
Like others here I have a track floating on ballast, all of it. However, I would offer some words of caution - You need to check the tie rods between the blades where they lie between sleepers on points as these can get jammed up with bits of grit (It's easy to lift up the cover on LGB/Piko and suchlike).

In addition always have a go around checking all the frogs, blades and check rails on points before a session as bits of grit/chippings can get lodged in there and cause derailments or jamming. I keep a small pointy stick (wood, plastic or metal) to do these little tasks. It's the birds and other little critters around the garden that seem to cause this (not to mention effects of wind and rain). No big problem really, I've lived with it happily for 10 years.

I tried 10 mm gravel as a base layer - as it does not lock the stone chipping "ballast" top layer kept on flowing down through it and exposing the gravel. Dug that section out and replaced with just stone chippings. Now no problem. Max.

Max.
 
I keep remembering things I do >>>> A quick squirt of WD 40 around rge moving parts of the points seems to aid thier longevity at the previous address some were probably 15 years old when we moved house ( downsized BIG MISTAKE, I think SWMBO doesnt agree!!)
 
I had a few earth coloured ceramic tiles under my point tie bars as Alan suggested in post #6.

Again these were 'recycled' from a skip....
 
When I first started I screwed down the track, and points, to either wooden battens between log roll (bad idea due to early rot of the log roll!) or to tenalised and 'Cuprinoled' stakes.
I used a lot of flexitrack and altered 'standard' curves using a Massoth trackbender. I did not use conductive paste and gradually some joiners began to lose their conductivity....lesson learned.

Track floating on ballast is fine as long as none of the track is under stress ie..flexitrack. It is best to have this fixed.
As to switches/points, I lay them on the ballast but they are either screwed to the stakes driven into the ground (tenalised and 'cuprinoled' timber).
Filcris plastic stakes are a good, if expensive option.

I have also used hooked metal ground stakes (like the ones used for tents). The hook goes over one sleeper.

If all of the track is of predetermined sizes and the track is joined well (some recommend using clamps for every join) then free floating should be fine.

As the temperature fluctuates, the track expands/contracts and this puts pressure on the joiners so that they can lose or have intermittent conductivity contact over time.
The LGB contact paste is a good idea to help avoid this but this also is where the clamps scenario comes into its own.

*What ever method, it is a good idea to grease or silicon the connections and rail joining bars/wires under the points.*

I use a selection of 2mm to 4mm sized ballast. I did use just 6mm in the past but have tried to go a little more realistic as I re-ballast.
I 'tamed' my garden vac by cutting the corners on the turbine blade. This means that it sucks the leaves but tends to not suck too much ballast!
 
I used to be all track bedding in "proper" ballast too but on the new extension I'm trialing a variety of methods to gain a feel for the future. Anyway I digress. All but one of my turnouts, old and new are laid in ballast, in my case a bedding sand / sharp sand with a top size of about 6mm. I do get little stones, twigs and leaves in the blades and under the tiebar but I flick them out as I check the railway before a run. Some turnouts are almost always clear a few need regular clearing, probably related to the about of direct rain they get falling on them.
I have bent up two bits of stiff 1.6mm dia wire into an L shapes and stuck into each end of a bit of wooden dowel. One l has a small leg the other a longer one and with this I can quickly hook or ferret out any offending wee stones. In the case of the one turnout bedded on mortar ferreting out silt and one day a wee worm! It's the ones stuck in the tiebar that take the majority of the ferreting. :)
It doesn't take long but I still might try that tile idea and see it reduces the frequency. :)
 
Gizzy said:
I had a few earth coloured ceramic tiles under my point tie bars as Alan suggested in post #6.

Again these were 'recycled' from a skip....
Click to expand...

Actually, as many here probably know, 'recycling' items, already owned, or discovered, can be very rewarding. Large scale is not cheap to buy so reclamations help budgets and boost the spirit. ;)
 
Thanks for the tiles idea - just found the ideal thing in local B&Q, some "mosaic" type tiles in dark grey slate-look finish, consisting of a 12" square tile made from 9 small tiles about 4"x4" on a flexy fabric backing.... perfect for me to cut into lengths of two or three small tiles to put under R3 or R5 point blades! Plus they are on a clearance offer.... ;)

Jon.
 
Result Jon!!
Don't forget to 'grease' all the contact bars, wires etc. I promise you it will pay in the long run......... just ask me how I learned!
 
Zerogee said:
So what kind of grease do you use on them, Mike?

Jon.
Click to expand...
I use copper slip on all contacts and in fishplate joiners....
 
Thanks Giz, I've got the LGB graphite paste for that.... I was thinking more of the grease that Mike said he uses on the connections and bus bars under the point, where I'm assuming it's simply to protect them against water - in this case I'd think you want something that is an insulator rather than in any way conductive, you certainly don't want a risk of shorting between the current-carrying strips from using anything even partially conductive...?

Jon.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom