help with peco track

ACLR · Post by **ACLR** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 7:46 pm

whats the secret in laying out peco track. when i put a bend in it do i have to trim the rails to make it even ??

Matt · Post by **Matt** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 7:56 pm

Sorry. Have no experience with peco track

. One good piece of advice through-Never light up a meths fired mamod, or simular engine, on peco track. You'll set fire to the sleepers if you do.

ACLR · Post by **ACLR** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 9:34 pm

well thats what i bought it for to run my mamods on

andysleigh · Post by **andysleigh** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 9:47 pm

i use peco.
yes u do have to trim it.

SillyBilly · Post by **SillyBilly** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 9:47 pm

If you strat by laying it out to the basic radius you want it, then hold the centre while you pin it there, then bend and pin it. Using pliers pull the rail up so it's very close to the other rail. Then you've finished, check the other end, and trim the long rail to approx. the same length as the other. If you get what I mean?

Matt wrote:One good piece of advice through-Never light up a meths fired mamod, or simular engine, on peco track. You'll set fire to the sleepers if you do.

Nope, the sleepers are made out of thermoset plastic, and therefore is ok for lighting meths locos on

!

garratt100 · Post by **garratt100** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 10:45 pm

Matt wrote:Sorry. Have no experience with peco track . One good piece of advice through-Never light up a meths fired mamod, or simular engine, on peco track. You'll set fire to the sleepers if you do.

Matt, sorry - but you're talking nonsense!

You're obviously a very careless meths filler!!

With any sleepers that aren't steel or the like, you run the risk of causing damage to the sleeper if it gets over hot - just be careful!

As you did state yourself; "you've never had any experience with Peco track..."

Come to the South Arbury Railway sometime & you can run your Mamod without any 'fireballing' problems!

Chris.

garratt100 · Post by **garratt100** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 10:57 pm

Graham - wise choice, it's one of the best to use.

It'll last you forever & it's beautiful to run on!

There are many ways to makes your curves with Peco, but always get a smooth line - unlike the join from the Mamod straight to the Mamod curve...

Where your rails join, if possible try to stagger the join a couple of sleepers apart to lessen the chance of a kink.

One thing about Peco is that it's very bendy & i'd always put about 5/6 screws in per yard on curves.

I'd fix it down with a single screw through the middle of the sleeper, not too tight though or the sleeper will weaken at that point in years to come. Always pre drill your holes in the sleepers as well.

Points - put about 4 screws in on a point or it'll shift about

I've laid about 1600 ft of it in the garden & on 'Ttarrag Shed' & i'd always use it.

One valuable tip - take your time & get the straights straight & the curves perfect, you'll be rewarded with some superb running!!

Happy track laying!

Chris.

ACLR · Post by **ACLR** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 6:56 am

Thanks for the great information Chris. Im laying my track out doors in my garden railway. Hopefully this subtropical climate will be kind to it and last for may years. I will be laying it on clay pavers which have been concreted in place so will probly have to drill in plastic or wood plugs to screww the sleepers too. I wonder how good liquid nails would be. any will experiment and let you all know how I get on.

mhlr · Post by **mhlr** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 5:25 pm

I have yet to lay my PECO too. What I think I'll do (copying the method from another GR) is lay the track onto mortar (mixed with cemente colouring to give a lovely ballast effect) and the screw down. The joins, I may stagger them like the real thing.

garratt100 · Post by **garratt100** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 5:56 pm

ACLR wrote:Thanks for the great information Chris. Im laying my track out doors in my garden railway. Hopefully this subtropical climate will be kind to it and last for may years. I will be laying it on clay pavers which have been concreted in place so will probly have to drill in plastic or wood plugs to screww the sleepers too. I wonder how good liquid nails would be. any will experiment and let you all know how I get on.

You'll probably find it very hard to drill the hole in the concrete base exactly where you want it so if you drill between the sleepers & then put a 'bar' across the sleepers with a hole in it, you can put your screw through the bar & down into you rawlplugged hole.
As you tighten the screw, the bar will 'pinch' the sleepers down to the ground & you will be able to adjust where your track goes.

Chris.

ACLR · Post by **ACLR** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 6:53 pm

great Idea Chris thanks for that.

grumpfuttock · Post by **grumpfuttock** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 1:10 am

Chris, you explained that so well, and I heartily agree with you about staggering the joint on curves, is very important for good running track.

In answer to Matt's comment about meths fired loco's and Peco track :- I have run meths fired loco's on Peco track for many years. Only once did I have an accident and slightly melted a couple of sleepers, and that was my own stupidity

I had made a replacement burner for my Mamod, and had soft soldered the burner tubes to the supply pipe from the tank. That worked fine for a year or so, until one day the tank was slightly fuller than it should have been and the loco was on an incline, meths flooded the end burner tube and burning meths ran down its side, warming up the soldered joint, the burner tube fell off the supply pipe and burning meths poured out over the track ! The loco was removed immediately and the fire extinguished. Needless to say, I learned how to silver solder, and now my meths burners are all silver soldered.

I can honestly say I know many people with meths fired loco's running on plastic sleepered track (mostly Peco) and they have never had any problems with melted sleepers or fires. Like me, they have learned to be sensible when operating meths fired loco's.

ptlrcecil · Post by **ptlrcecil** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 5:27 pm

SillyBilly wrote:If you strat by laying it out to the basic radius you want it, then hold the centre while you pin it there, then bend and pin it. Using pliers pull the rail up so it's very close to the other rail. Then you've finished, check the other end, and trim the long rail to approx. the same length as the other. If you get what I mean?

Matt wrote:One good piece of advice through-Never light up a meths fired mamod, or simular engine, on peco track. You'll set fire to the sleepers if you do.
Nope, the sleepers are made out of thermoset plastic, and therefore is ok for lighting meths locos on !

Hey a bit of fire damage never hurt. A lot of the steaming up bays on the PTLR have melted sleepers. Its inevetible with mamods and engines with overflow pipes.

ACLR · Post by **ACLR** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 7:32 pm

thanks guys, another question when I stager the the rail the small track joiners dont fit between the sleepers what do you do then ???

ACLR · Post by **ACLR** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 7:35 pm

I have also been trauling google to find any info but there isnt much there :(

mhlr · Post by **mhlr** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 7:36 pm

I think it will have to be a trial and error method for us Graham!

ACLR · Post by **ACLR** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 7:39 pm

yes I think so Pete. will keep trying with it. I still need 2 or 3 more boxes and a some points to complete the change over from mamod track. will be putting it on ebay when im finished.

mhlr · Post by **mhlr** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 7:43 pm

I'm keeping my Mamod track (for now) to run inside, and may be one day, I could use it for a portable layout or a extension for my garden line... I might use it for a portable in my cellar, so I can use it on rainy days!!! (like now!)

For the PECO stuff, it will be trial and error, but I doubt it will be too hard. Just get a good pair of bolt cutters or a hacksaw.

grumpfuttock · Post by **grumpfuttock** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 2:29 am

I use a hacksaw to cut it, but it is important to file around ALL the edges of the cut before fitting the joiners, they will be easier to push on, and will fit better.

When I stagger my track, I push one rail of the next section of track through one, two or three sleepers of the previous section, and then add a joiner as it come through the sleeper, and then push the rails together, so the join is between the sleepers. The other rail is joined likewise on the next section, thus staggering the join over 2 sections of track with both rails helping each other to minimise the stress on each join, and keeping the joints flowing with the curve ( sorry if it's as clear as mud, I have the picture in my mind, but it is harder to explain. Especially at 3 am !!!) . Does that answer your question Graham, or am I misunderstanding something?

ACLR · Post by **ACLR** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 6:34 am

thanks for that it is very helpful but in a strait run the joiners are too long to fit between the sleepers

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help with peco track

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