Comparing Rokuhan track and MTL track, I can say that the Rokuhan track is more consistent, easier to snap together, and flatter. I do prefer it now that I have both. The MTL track did NOT sit flat! This Rokuhan track is very close to flat. I got a 1/4-inch gauge (old drill bit) and the MTL track's gauge was fine. The problem was definitely that the one piece had a bend / dip in the outer rail of a curve. Replacing that piece helped. But I do think I'm a Rokuhan boy now. I have also come to the conclusion that my long 8827 engine needs to take it easy around these curves regardless of the track I'm using or some wheels can pop over. Thanks for the thoughts, markm, on fastening the track. My plans have changed a bit since I started this endeavor. I now am building a layout on a 2'x2' plywood base, starting with a basic circle going around the area. I'm still up in the air about how I'll fasten the track to the ply. I've tried a few approaches already and didn't like some of them, like the caulking, which got messy and was too permanent if I want to expand my layout, it's hard to "lift out" a single piece or two. I got some of the Rokuhan screws and I really do like these guys, they screw into cork or foamboard really well it seems and I can hold them straight with a small screwdriver rather than awkwardly trying to pound in nails. Some downsides of cork and foam, though: when I run my trains on top of the extruded foam, the noise is REALLY amplified. And cork is a very expensive material to get thick enough to screw the track into. I could cut the cheap 1/8" cork I have into the shape of the Rokuhan circle of track and layer it with glue, I suppose, rather than coating the entire 2'x2' layout with thick cork. I could also screw straight into the plywood, but I'll need to dig around in my garage for a small enough drill bit (I swear, I have to have one somewhere, but these screws are tiny!)
If you are using a plywood base with foam over that, the noise is dampened a great deal. I am using a frame built with 1"x3" boards with a base of 1/4" ply over that. I then have 1" extruded foam and the ply quiets things down a lot. I am also using Rokuhan track and it has been very robust and reliable. I am a fairly new comer to model railroading and I opted for reliabilaty so I did not get discouraged with finicky equipment. Good luck. Trey
Glad to hear you like the Rokuhan and that the spare MTL section got you running ok on the original loop. I have a shipment coming from Peter Post Werkzeuge tomorrow. Within it, I have a bunch of the Awls seen on this page: http://zscalehobo.com/peter_post/peter_post_numbers.html That is a tool for starting holes ... Cheers!
Surprisingly, last night I found that the Rokuhan screws are small enough that they can gently screw directly into plywood even without a pilot hole, all with no cracking of the wood.
