MTL Flex Track

Smith & Sons

Don has been in contact with them to screen it even finer for Z. I have S&S N scale stuff that I ran through my own screen and love the stuff.

Maybe Don knows how to order this new Z scale ballast? Scenic Express sells it, but I don't think the new finer blends are there yet.

These are the colors they currently make:
http://www.sceneryexpress.com/products.asp?dept=1107&pagenumber=1&sort_on=&sort_by=

 

I'm a little behind on this. The ballast comes from Smith & Son and is available through Senic Express. Status on the Z: Harley Smith has the 60 mesh screen and has done a little sifting. In the last few weeks I have missed him twice at the LHS so next week I WILL call him and see where we stand. I'll post the poop as soon as I get it. Should I not post anything by Friday, Jan 5, rap my knuckles as I expect to be up to my eyebrows in a couple of projects [Z and non-Z] and as all us old timers know we can easily forget.

 

I am going to pick up some 60 mesh ballast from Harley Smith this Saturday. If anyone is seriously interested I might consider picking up some extra to send on to you. I don't know what colors he has or how much it will cost. If I remail don't forget a small amount is fairly heavy since it is real rock. Last night when I talked with him he did tell me some rock just did not break up into small pieces.

 

Topic Lost!

Hey guyZ, you might want to start another Topic Heading about Ballast. It may come in handy down the road for anyone searching for this topic.

I hope someone posts photos of this fine ballast once they put 'er down!

Hobo Tim

 

There is already another topic heading. I started it several months ago. The subject got over here as someone asked me the status within this string.

...don

 

Hello Gang,
Have any of the MT track experts here tried to solder MT Flex sections of track together with any success? I have some MT Flex but the sections are so short I'd like to solder them together in 3 or 4 section lengths. Especially on the curves as I'll be using as large a radius as I can and in some places that will be about 18" or 46cm. I'll be hooking the track up to my Lenz DCC system and I want as few connections as possible, each section of soldered track will be wired to the main buss. If anyone has experience doing this please let me know. Thanks.
Bob

 

You shouldn't have a problem soldering the sections together. You should clean the joint area with alcohol as I have found just enough oily residue (really really small but enough) I can tell on the bottom side of the track where I solder does not flow as well as Peco or Marklin until I clean it. It will solder well enough without cleaning, its just faster and better if you do.
I suggest you get a track gauge to assist in heat sinking. Solder with a 15 or 15W iron or temperature controlled iron around 600F. MTL flex has really small track spikes, nice and prototypical but much easier to melt than the huge ones on Peco or Marklin.
Make sure your track is prelaid (flexed) as it will be more difficult to bend 2 or more sections of flex as it will have to push or pull thru a lot more plastic.

 

HI Bob;

To add to what Jeff said, I use medical hemistat's to clamp to each rail to help absorb exess heat so as not to melt the plastic ties. I solder a pair of feeder wires to the bottom of each piece of un-cut flex track I use. Its a bit over kill to have feeders every 12" or so, but i'm doing it for a futuer DCC reason. I plan to add a signal system and I want DCC block detection, so with so many feeders, is will be easy to isolate many sections. In addition, if you use"fast tracks" hand built turnouts, you will want feeder wires on each of the intersecting tracks, and power for the switch machine.

As Jeff said, cleaning is important. I pre-wash all my track in a simple Ivory soap and water solution, and rinse and dry them completly. Pre bending the track is a must, as the inside rail will slide through the ties and need cuttting once measured out. A little trick I use when joining track is to not worry about the ties under my rail joint area. With the track properly cut and the edges filed I use regular rail joiners to postion the track together properly. I put my MTL track guage over the connection point to hold the rails in gauge when i solder. Then I use the Hemestat clamps and a little flux on the connection and solder it. When I have both connection soldered, I cut a small section of plastic ties from a scrap piece of MTL flex, and insert the correct numder of ties under the rail joint. Run the gauge through the connection point several times, and bend/adjust the track as needed.

To tack the track down to the cork road bed, I use pins to set the curves and hold the track while I apply a small coat of diluted white glue and water over the ties. Let this dry over night, and it will form a weak, but strong enough bond to hold the track without the pins. I usualy cut back my cork at a 45degree angle at this point to form the bank of the road bed.
The Next step is of course weathering/painting. This I do with the airbrush and Poly Scale D&RGW building brown (don't laugh, I like the color on my ties). I have found that two well diluted coats gives me the look I like. The diluted brown paint puts a nice rusted color on the shiny rails, while dulling down the glossy black look of the plastic ties to a faded black color. A little Poly Scale grimmy black in a few spots for added weathering, and I like it. Once weathered, I find that the rail joiners are hard to spot, and after balasting, it becomes even more difficult to find them.


Balast is the final finish and what will perminantly bond the track to the roadbed. I use a personal mix of Woodland Scenics fine balast that I sift through a fine mesh screen. I use the same diluted white glue and water mixture to set the balast, and "Wha-La" i'm done!

Hope some of this helps......

Tony B...
Wasatch Z Club

PS: Be sure to get the paint off the tops of the rails ASAP after you weather them. I use 600 grit wet sand paper to remove the paint and polish the rails. And of course remember to seal all your final work with a matte finish or Dul-coat.

 

Thanks for all the excellent information, it will all be put to good use. I'm going to be using Woodland Scenics N Scale track bed in the 24' rolls, I have a pile of it here so I'm going to use it up. I'll cut it to Zed size after it's glued down. A sharp #11 cuts through it like butter. The track will be glued down too, I'll use Eileens Tacky glue for that. I used that on an N Scale layout and threw the nails away, no more broken ties from hammer hits. I like the idea of painting the rails for a more realistic look and I can use the airbrush for that too. I remember reading someplace that you could cut the plastic ties on the bottom of the flex track pieces to make curving them easier. In N Scale Atlas Flex has the plastic ties in about 4" sections so I might try something like that with a piece of MT Flex, see how it works.
Bob

 

Hi Bob;

I'm happy to hear you got some decent info out of my post. The MTL flex bends very well and should not not need and additional cutting to make it bend. A neat trick for bridge code tie spacing, is to cut the small tabs that seperate the ties, and slide the ties closer together. This works nice.

For cork road bed, i use 1/4 or 1/8 inch thick cork tiles that i buy at Staples. I rough cut there shape about 25% larger than needed. After the track is glued down, I cut it with a #1 or #11 exacto blade at a 45 degree angle to form the bank of the road bed. I like two different thickness's so I can vary the hight of the bank. Out here in Utah, we have some high and steep banks due to grading, so this looks the best for me.

Tony B...
Wasatch Z Club

 

You certainly won't be spiking track down to Woodland Scenics foam core, nothing will hold. The Eileen's tack glue works very good too. Yellow glue (wood / carpenters) works better than the white glue and if you do use the white glue, make sure it is not the School Glue. That version is not as strong and is easily soluable in water compared to the non-School white glue. I don't glue my track down. That's all done during ballast time. Simple tack in down woth Tacky glue, CA adhesive (in select spots) or thumb tacks. Then spread your ballast, then wet water spray on (water with ~1-2 Tablespoons of Isopropal Alcohol). Then drizzle on the 50/50 white glue/water until it is thoroughly soaked. It's not going anywhere after it dries overnight.

I solder onto the bottom of the rail joiners were needed. One advantage of this is not having to solder in the small gap between ties and thus not destroying the spikes on the adjacent ties. Also, you can simply mark where the feeders will go, drop the track into place and then fish the pre-tinned feeders up under the joiners and simply reheat the bottom of the joiner to solder the feeders. Much easier than trying to get in between ties. You shouldn't have to solder to the sides of rails.