Track and Track Laying in Railway Modelling E-Book

Brian Taylor

• Herausgeber: The Crowood Press
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 147

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

Planning, designing and laying the track for a model railway layout can be challenging, especially if you have never done it before. This book provides a step-by-step guide to the techniques required and methods used in track design and layout. With content suitable for those who are new to the hobby through to the more experienced modeller, and some 200 images, it includes: an overview of the various forces that act on prototype railways and which determine the design of trackwork. The planning and designing of layouts, including the pros and cons of different domestic locations are covered along with baseboard construction for both portable and permanent layouts. There is a review of the track systems available and how to lay tracks, the tools and skills required, and problem solving. Wiring up both analogue (DC) and digital layouts (DCC), with diagrams are given and scales and gauges are discussed. Finally, there are hints and tips on ballasting and weathering track.

Leseprobe

Track and Track Laying

IN RAILWAY MODELLING

Track and Track Laying

IN RAILWAY MODELLING

Brian Taylor

First published in 2022 byThe Crowood Press LtdRamsbury, MarlboroughWiltshire SN8 2HR

[email protected]

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2022

© Brian Taylor 2022

All rights reserved. This e-book is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication DataA catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 78500 996 9

Cover design by Maggie Mellett

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Many thanks must be given to Sandra Kitchener, who looked after me during the major operation I had during the time I wrote this book, and for her kindness. Thanks also to Charles Bendetto and Allen Etheridge of The Old Barn Model Craftsmen – compatriots in building many model railways. And to Kelvan Gale, for his encouragement; and to Karen of ‘The Admin Tree’, who typed up the manuscript for me.

Thanks are also due of course to all the suppliers who have supported me over the years, particularly J. Morris and Engine Shed/Gaugemaster.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER ONE:A BASIC HISTORY OF TRACK

CHAPTER TWO:SCALE, GAUGE AND PERSPECTIVE

CHAPTER THREE:LAYOUT, DESIGN, PLANNING AND WHERE TO PUT A LAYOUT

CHAPTER FOUR:MAKING A BASEBOARD

CHAPTER FIVE:SET TRACKS, BASIC TRACK LAYING AND FLEXIBLE TRACK

CHAPTER SIX:KEEPING ON THE RIGHT TRACK, AND RAILS AND TRAIN WEIGHTS

CHAPTER SEVEN:WIRING AND SOLDERING

CHAPTER EIGHT:BALLASTING TRACK AND WEATHERING

CHAPTER NINE:SCRATCH-BUILT TRACK

APPENDIX: GAUGES AND SCALES

INDEX

INTRODUCTION

Many railway modellers were given model railways when they were children. I remember being presented with a basic Triang train set, which consisted of an oval of track and a 3F tank engine, with three wagons and a controller. I couldn’t get near this for a while, since my uncle and my father spent Christmas Day playing with it themselves! Or so it seemed to me.

Doubtless psychologists would say that it was my initial frustration at not being able to get near my own first model railway that fuelled my later passion for all things to do with model trains, and possibly the real thing, too. My first memory of seeing a full-size train was actually of one running on the London Underground.

In 1960 the Bluebell Railway, which was really the first preserved standard-gauge line, opened just three miles from where I lived. In fact the true first was the Middleton Railway, but this was an industrial railway, not a familiar single track, country branch line.

Station details. Sketches of line-side details drawn by the author on the Bluebell Railway, 1984.

The Bluebell’s first engine was a Brighton Terrier – Stepney. I was used to seeing the Terriers, as they were a familiar sight at Newhaven Harbour, near where my grandparents lived. Terriers could be seen trundling along the A259 road and across the old swing bridge with a string of wagons, serving the wharfs on the West Quay. For many years a source of traffic was a tarpaulin works. Each wagon from the works had a label, showing its destination. Local children used to pay nocturnal visits and swop the labels over!

The West Quay line had gone by 1963, and so had the Terriers. Fairly quickly the contrast between what could be seen on the Bluebell Railway, and what were familiar sights on the rest of the railway network, became increasingly great.

A box containing a phone.

In 1968 I went to college in Liverpool. When I paid a visit for an interview there, steam was still around in the area – but a few months later not a single steam loco was to be seen.

Of course, as things have turned out, there are now many preserved railways and plenty of steam engines running on them. Even without steam on the rest of the railway system, trains still fascinate young children, just as they have done since the days of Stephenson’s Rocket.

In terms of modelling railways, this is still a very popular hobby, with considerable trade support. Branches of the hobby, which at one time seemed to be quite obscure, such as narrow-gauge railway modelling, are now served by ‘ready to run’ items available across the counter or via the internet. This would have been unthinkable twenty years ago. Still, even with so many products available, for many people activities such as making baseboards, laying track and wiring up model railways seem frightening prospects. This book is about showing techniques and methods for building model railways from the ground up.

Door handle details.

Fire bucket.

Fire bucket sign.

Porters’ room sign.

First, we will look at scales and gauges. Then, planning and designing layouts will be considered, and the pros and cons of different domestic locations will be examined. We look at baseboard construction for both portable and permanent layouts. After describing the construction of what is the foundation of a successful layout, we look at the track systems that are available – first, sectional track types, then flexible tracks, which can be successfully used together.

One of the objects of this book is to describe how to lay tracks and deal with the problems that can be encountered along the way. We will also look at tools, and how to use and maintain them. For example, have you ever thought of servicing a hammer? We will also show how to develop the skills needed to make trackwork by hand, and even how to shape rails with a file.

There is no doubt that one of the greatest fears that potential modellers have concerning building layouts is wiring them up. We look at wiring in this book, and explain in simple language the various terms that go with it. How to wire up both analogue (DC) and digital layouts (DCC) is shown graphically. Finally, there are hints and tips on ballasting track, and also weathering.

As a preamble, the book contains a basic history of track, and takes a look at the various forces that influence prototype railways and determine the design of trackwork. Fortunately, when building model railways, we don’t need to take too much account of passenger comfort and safety, both prime considerations on real railways!

TERRIER LOCOS

Seeing a Terrier on Newhaven Bridge was always a thrill. Towards the destination of the line, the train could be seen passing Newhaven’s Napoleonic Fort, complete with moat and drawbridge. A little further down, the Terrier could be observed fussing around, shunting wagons in the fenced yard under the cliff. In the early 1920s a railway book described the Terriers as ‘old veterans’. In 1922 some were fifty years old! Quite a few are preserved. Terriers are very popular models, of course.

CHAPTER ONE

A BASIC HISTORY OF TRACK

Guided forms of transport infrastructure are found across the world and have been around for a surprising length of time. The earliest known examples seem to have used grooves cut into stone to guide wheels. The first known example of this was the Diolkos wagonway, which transported boats across the Isthmus of Corinth. Wheeled vehicles ran in grooves cut into the limestone and were hauled by men and animals. The date was around 600bc.

Wheel running in a stone groove.

By the 1700s, wagonways were in use across Britain, though there were far more in the north-east of England than elsewhere. Flanged metal ‘plateways’ took over from timber rails, but ultimately, flanged wheels ruled the day as they coped with curved sections of track more easily.

RAILS

By the time the famous Liverpool & Manchester Railway was opened, the need for stronger, heavier rails had been appreciated. These rails were T-section, and ‘fish bellied’ when viewed side on. A hangover from the very early days of railways is that the plates used to join rails together are known as fishplates. For many years, the men charged with laying the track were called platelayers.

Early rail.

Nowadays, most railway lines are laid with continuously welded rails. Previous to this, rails had been laid in 18m (60ft) lengths. Rails of this length were introduced by the London & North Western Railway in 1910, replacing shorter rails. The Great Western Railway originally used light ‘bridge’ rails on sleepers laid longitudinally. The track gauge was the very broad 7ft.

Principally, two types of rail succeeded the earlier forms. The first, known as Vignoles rail, is now referred to as ‘flat-bottom rail’. This type was invented by Charles Vignoles. With their cross sections like girders, they provided excellent support between the sleepers. Incidentally, the ‘sleeper’ name has been around since the seventeenth century, and denoted a beam sitting on the ground supporting the other beams. The American name for the same, in railway terms, is ‘cross tie’.

Bullhead track dated back to 1863, and was invented by Joseph Locke. He thought that if a rail was the same section top and bottom, it could be inverted – when worn, it could just be turned the other way up. Unfortunately the bases received a pounding as well as the heads, so the idea proved impractical! Nevertheless, this type of rail section was popular. The rail head was increased in size for longer wear of the head. The base was supported by cast-iron chairs. The rails were held in place by wooden – later steel – keys, which were hammered into place.

Wooden chaldron waggon for carrying coal.

Bridge rail with joint chair – early rail.

Tee-section rail.

Flat-bottom rail/spikes.

Bullhead rail with chair (left) and metal key (right).

Heyback fastening – track fastening.

Pandrol spring clip – track fastening.

It was common practice abroad to use dog spikes driven into rough-hewn timber sleepers to hold in place the flat-bottom rails, widely in use. This form of permanent way was rather looked down on in England, and was regarded as an inferior form of track.

The principal form of track in the UK for many years was bullhead with chairs, but the decision was made to change over to flat-bottom rails in 1948. This was because the lateral strength of flat-bottom rails was greater than that of bullhead rails.

Experience running high-speed trains during the 1930s showed that bullhead rails could not cope without high maintenance costs. By 1948, sophisticated rail fixings for flat-bottom tracks had become available.

HITLER’S STRANGE RAILWAY

Many years after Brunel conceived his 7ft-gauge Great Western lines, Adolf Hitler envisaged an ultra broad-gauge railway across Europe. It seems that some planning was undertaken on this, as it was one of Hitler’s pet projects. But unlike Brunel’s broad-gauge lines, it never happened.

CHANGE IN THE RAILWAY SYSTEM

There have been great changes in the railway system since the end of steam-hauled trains in 1968 (except for special trains and heritage railways). Passenger coaches have become heavier, and passenger speeds have increased considerably. Freight traffic has changed dramatically. Up until the 1960s, many trains were not fitted with continuous brakes and consisted of loose-coupled four-wheeled wagons. Freight was often in pick-up goods trains, picking up and dropping off wagons at wayside stations, which were much more numerous than they are now. The brakes could only be applied from the guard’s van and the locomotive when the train was in motion. Longer distance freight trains were the precursors of modern freight trains, having continuous brakes.

Pick-up goods train, with brakes only in the brake van and engine.

Modern freight trains impose very high longitudinal forces when coming to a halt. The vehicles all have brakes and can travel at 125km/h (78mph). Trackwork, ballast depths and formations have all had to change and adapt to the much higher static and dynamic loadings that are features of the modern railway system.

Of course, material technologies have played a major part in the development of the railway system. As train speeds have increased, so has the need for more durable materials and technologies. Materials have had to be developed to cope with the increased speeds and greater loads. Back in 1857, the then Midland Railway started laying steel rails to replace the wrought-iron rails then in use. In one location the new steel rails lasted sixteen years, when previously the rails on the site had to be replaced every few months!

All aspects of railway construction play a part in safety. For example, effective drainage on track formations is very important. In the early days of railways, drainage was sometimes neglected, through ignorance, and a number of major accidents are known to have been caused by this factor.

THE DYNAMICS OF TRAIN MOTION

A great deal of attention was given to the study of the dynamic behaviour of trains when they were in motion, particularly at speed. It was found that by raising the outer rails on curves, by amounts that depend on the line speed, curve radius and train weight, the chances of trains derailing became less. Raising the outer rails above the inner rails was known as ‘superelevation’, or in railway terminology, ‘adding cant to the rails’.

Superelevation – to balance the effective weights on inner and outer wheels.

FORCES THAT GOVERN THE PHYSICAL BEHAVIOUR OF RAILS

There has also been a growing understanding of forces that govern the physical behaviour of rails. For example, as a train goes round a curve, two force systems act on it. The first involves forces that ensure that a railway vehicle follows the curve of the rails, the most important being on the outer leading wheel. These ‘guiding forces’ are more related to train interaction with the track, rather than speed. The second force system concerns centrifugal force, and it is this force that is principally what the cant (superelevation) is designed to neutralize. We can experience centrifugal force on fast revolving fairground rides, but the thrills that these give us are not quite what we want on our everyday train journeys!

Actually, although the high speed behaviour of trains on curves has gained most attention, the combination of guiding forces and centrifugal force rarely reach a point where they are great enough in relation to the weight on a railway vehicle’s wheels for derailments to happen.

Railway wheelsets are coned, as an antidote to what are known as creepage forces. If a wheelset moves laterally towards one rail, the wheel diameter it is sitting on increases in size as it moves across the rail. The wheel on the other line, as part of the wheelset, moves across but is sitting on the smaller diameter part of the wheel. This movement causes creepage forces, which try to return the wheels to their original positions – in the track centre.

The return movement of the wheels can sometimes overshoot the centre and then return the other way with a see-saw movement. This oscillatory behaviour depends on the cone angle of the wheel – too shallow, and this interferes with its ability to guide the wheel back to the centre, too steep and the wheel will ‘hunt’ across the track. Energy is absorbed into the system via creepage and oscillation can grow, only being stopped by flange contact with the rail.

RAIL BEHAVIOUR UNDER PRESSURE

When a wheel runs along a rail with its flange away from the corner (‘gauge corner’) of the rail, the contact area is extremely small. In fact theoretically, contact between the wheel and the rail is only possible at a point. An infinitely large pressure would be needed where the two touched. Actually, both surfaces deform a little, and a ‘contact patch’ is created where they meet. The maximum area is around 100mm2. Under the wheels, the pressure is very great indeed: with a vehicle of considerable weight, it is in fact greater than the yield point of steel, and causes plastic behaviour of the steel near the contact point. The metal under the wheel would be squeezed out sideways if it wasn’t prevented from doing so by the rest of the metal in the rail. In fact the metal on the rail-head surface does move because of the intense pressure and the forces along the plane of the rail. This can be seen and is very marked when the curves are sharp and trains move slowly.

WHEEL BEHAVIOUR ON RAILS

The study of wheel behaviour on rails shows that when a wheel turns, it will move slightly more than the distance it should have done. If a brake were applied, movement would be slightly less than it should have been. These fractional increases or decreases are known as creepage. Creepage is caused by plastic deformations on a microscopic scale in the area of the contact patch, when wheels are moved under traction or brakes.

TRANSITION CURVES

If a train is approaching a curved section of track from a straight section, there will obviously be a sudden motional change where the train enters the curve. To avoid this situation, a ‘transition’ curve is needed, gradually changing its radius from the straight track to match the radius of the curved section.

Adding a transition curve.