New rack

Frank Gallagher

Frank Gallagher

Well matured physically if not mentally
Started to lay some track last weekend


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Transition from level(ish) seems quite smooth I suspect leveling out again may not be quite so easy, I was thinking of trying to bend some straight sections, they are quite strong! Anyone done this before? I'm reluctant to use short sections of track as per LGB's method.

Lower station in front of shed


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I have a shuttle unit (analogue not LGB) which will go in shed with controller- I was thinking of using resistors in the track to smooth out the sudden stop-starts.

Ballast still needed, electrics installing in shed, top end transition and then.........
 
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When I first read the title of this thread I thought you'd put the wife in for some plastic surgery..... :rofl:

Taking things more seriously.....
Bending track in the vertical plane rather than the horizontal would take a LOT of effort, I would imagine - and of course a railbender isn't built to do it that way! I've never tried it, so this is purely off the top of the head, but I'd be inclined (no pun intended) to use quite a long piece of track - at least a 600mm if not a 900mm - so that you could get some real leverage on it. The tricky bit is going to be getting a gentle curve rather than a sudden kink (oo-er...).

Jon.
 
Short lengths of track with rail clamps perhaps....
 
Frank Gallagher said:
Cheers Jon,

I did try to bend an R1.....its now in the bin! Along with the wife:giggle:
Click to expand...


Haha....oh dear...

Actually, Frank, I've just had another (serious) idea; I have NO idea if it would actually work, but how does this sound....

Take a long piece of track - at least a 900mm, maybe even a 1200mm. Put one end of it under something heavy (a concrete block?) to keep it flat to the floor. Now put something like a housebrick under the other end, so the track is tilted at an angle. Now steal something like the wife's rolling pin, or something like a thick pipe - something you can roll along the track while applying quite a lot of downward pressure to it. Kneel over the track, facing the raised end, put the rolling pin or whatever on the track and exerting quite a lot of downforce on it, roll it up and down the "unsupported" length of the track a few times, checking to see what happens after each pass.

IN THEORY, I would think this MIGHT put a nice gentle vertical bend in the track; in practice it may well completely b*gger a twenty-quid-plus length of track, so don't blame me - but if you think it sounds worth a try, let us know how it goes.... ;)

Oh, and if you break the wife's rolling pin IT WASN'T MY IDEA, OK? :rofl:

Jon.
 
It's relatively straightforward. Here's some images of last years rebuild of my ageing Zugspitz rack layout.

You can see the transitions in the first image showing the initial test layout. Note it is unfinished at this stage (and the old lawn is still in place!). I used the wooden track bed to manage the slopes and adjusted it with wooden blocks and wedges to find the ideal slope transitions before finally fixing the heights of the supports. Long and short spirit levels are useful to judge the slope and the lateral track angles (especially on the curves).

Note the only heavy weight is the rack loco and the only short length was that of the 'detector rail' for the shuttle system:
intial rack slope.JPG

This is the final build (sans edging) of the very steep section curving round to the upper section. Note that the line the rack rail crosses is at the same level as the red RhB Bernina Express in the background:
rack transition 1JPG.JPG

This is the upper curve of the step section where it joins onto the longer more gentle long climb alongside the path to the terminus in the greenhouse in the distance. You can just discern the gradient change between the steep section and the straight, less steep, slope.
rack transition 2.jpg

The final (winter) image shows the transition at the top section into the greenhouse entrance. The curve at the top (with the grey weatherproof edging) marks the final slope change to the dead-level straight section that runs into the greenhouse. As a reference, the tunnel entrance is at about the start level/height of the rack railway.
decking.JPG

If you manage the transitions and keep them progressive (ie no sudden changes) I've not found the need to bend the track or use multiple short track sections.

Hope that helps.
 
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Well been busy doing other things BUT some progress.....

I clamped a double straight and then weighted the top end
20160824_190752.jpg

Left it for a week and a slight bend was just about noticeable but a little persuasion over my thigh and presumably because it had started to bend it folded nicely AND fairly easily.

20160824_190836.jpg
Bingo a smooth transition, now its bank holiday weekend hopefully some more progress will be made
 
Frank, your definitely making progress. Does the rack rail curve over the grass section shown in your photographs?
 
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