Allen Keller

Laying Down Your Model Railroad Track

Allen Keller
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Description

Laying down track is an essential component of creating your model railroad scenery. It’s also fun when you can get creative and add as much or as little detail as you want!

In this video, Allen demonstrates how to quickly and easily lay down track without using any spikes or nails. First things first, you want to draw a straight line for the placement to ensure accuracy when it comes time to lay down your track. By using a rubber roller and applying a little pressure, you can adhere the track to the roadbed to make sure the track is flat and securely applied to the platform. Finish off your track by adding some ballast and sweeping over with a brush to ensure the authentic railroad look and feel.

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One Response to “Laying Down Your Model Railroad Track”

  1. KEN QUELLA

    THIS VIDEO OF LAYING DOWN TRACK WITHOUT SPIKES OR NAILS IS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE. HOW DOES THE ACADEMY FEEL ABOUT IT. AND WHERE CAN IT BE PURCHASED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. KEN

We're using this Instant AMI Roadbed, it's like a butylated rubber. It never dries out. Some people worry about it, but we've had it down for 15 years, and we've had no problems at all. The first thing, Allen, is to draw your center line. I'll do that right now.

So for the track, you want to- This is for the track. All right. Next, we take our Instant Roadbed, and I'm going to take off the paper off the back and center it with the line that I have on the board, with the line that I have on the roadbed. Oh, you have to draw the line on the roadbed before you Yes. do anything else.

Okay. You just kind of push it down with your fingers, and try to get them... It's not that crucial, obviously, if they run a little off, but you're trying to line up the two lines, I know. I use a roller to roll it down with. Make it nice and flat, and that makes it adhere to the wood.

It doesn't come up. You don't need to nail it or anything? No. I won't have to do a thing with it. Another thing you may want to do is to bevel the edge.

We use the end of a screwdriver, wetted, so that it doesn't stick to the screwdriver handle, and roll it along the edge here to bevel the edge. Give your contour. Place the track on the roadbed. Make sure that it's centered. At this point, you can move it around a little bit as long as you don't press it down.

Just kind of let it lay there, and you can... It's very flexible at this point. Now we're going to adhere the track firmly to the instant roadbed. You can use a fair amount of pressure on this. I'm using a rubber roller here.

This is the fun part. So simple. It requires no spikes? No spikes. No sore fingers.

No little holes. Now Allen, if you take your hand and try to wiggle the track and see what you can do with it. No, you can't move it at all. It's down. Now, we're going to apply the ballast, which is a woodland scenic blend.

Fine ballast. And I'm going to demonstrate this now. I'll pour some out on the track here. Then you just take a brush and position it like you normally would with ballast to get it in the place that you want it. Yes.

You put a little more on than you actually need. Okay, but you don't have to put any glue down. No glue is necessary. Unless you want to hide some deep ties. You have to be sure that you use a fair amount of pressure on this to get it to adhere.

The next step is to take your brush and sweep it down to the new section. Now, do this very slowly here. So you can reuse the ballast to whatever's left over? You reuse the ballast, that's right. I see, I see.

Yes. Now this is, that's basically it Allen. You've got it.

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