Accutie makes the joints and screws, and the screws are 5/16 by the way. In some cases yes, we do use track bolts and nuts with two piece joint bars. We use them in places such as diamonds, steel rail road crossings, and where there are joints in tight curves. If you lay and set your curves right, you can get away from using the two piece joint Bara and use the spring loaded one piece clips. In some cases the joint can land on a tie, in that case you can screw the joint down on the tie. Once the track has been ballasted the track stays in place. Your question made me realize I have omitted the hardware part so I'll address that in a future video.
It depends on a few things. If you have a sharp curve the inside of the outer rail like the prototypes will wear down faster than a straight track. Also, the amount of traffic plays a part. We have a couple of curves that need the rail relayed which have had over 13 years of heavy summer use which is good. There's also old rail thats 20 or more years old that can be reused for spurs and sidings. Long answer short, it can last for a long time if it's taken care of.
Great video... PLEASE adjust the clutch on that drill, lol. Watching this, I wonder if it would be beneficial to drive in some guide rods (like rebar stakes) to help form the curve evenly. Putting holes in the Typar may not be ideal, but having the guide rods would probably speed up the process. Just a thought.
Once the track has been ballasted and leveled the curves stay in place. The drills are adjusted so when the rail screws bottom out the drill doesn't keep going and strip the ties out.
The black stuff is called Typar, or it's real name Geotextile. There's a few different kinds with different thicknesses and how tight its woven. On the higher elevations it's used to keep weeds and growth from coming up through the ballast and track. On the swampy areas it allows water to pass down but won't come back up through the track. It also keeps the road bed in place in the swampy areas. The stuff we use is 315 meaning it's very tightly woven and is the same stuff used in road construction and is what the Corps of Engineers requires us to use in wetlands. We get a 17 foot wide roll of it and cut the roll down to 4 and 1/2 feet wide and off we go. Once the track is down and the ballast and sub ballast are down you won't see the typar.
Great work dude, very informative video
Nice video thanks for sharing😊
Nice rail joiners. Who makes those? And do you still add nuts/bolts to the rail joiners to keep them in place?
Accutie makes the joints and screws, and the screws are 5/16 by the way. In some cases yes, we do use track bolts and nuts with two piece joint bars. We use them in places such as diamonds, steel rail road crossings, and where there are joints in tight curves. If you lay and set your curves right, you can get away from using the two piece joint Bara and use the spring loaded one piece clips. In some cases the joint can land on a tie, in that case you can screw the joint down on the tie. Once the track has been ballasted the track stays in place. Your question made me realize I have omitted the hardware part so I'll address that in a future video.
What kind of useful life do you get with the aluminum rail?
It depends on a few things. If you have a sharp curve the inside of the outer rail like the prototypes will wear down faster than a straight track. Also, the amount of traffic plays a part. We have a couple of curves that need the rail relayed which have had over 13 years of heavy summer use which is good. There's also old rail thats 20 or more years old that can be reused for spurs and sidings. Long answer short, it can last for a long time if it's taken care of.
Great video... PLEASE adjust the clutch on that drill, lol. Watching this, I wonder if it would be beneficial to drive in some guide rods (like rebar stakes) to help form the curve evenly. Putting holes in the Typar may not be ideal, but having the guide rods would probably speed up the process. Just a thought.
Once the track has been ballasted and leveled the curves stay in place. The drills are adjusted so when the rail screws bottom out the drill doesn't keep going and strip the ties out.
Nice work :)
I have a question... what's the black underlay stuff called?
I'm guessing it's being used to stop weeds growing through?
The black stuff is called Typar, or it's real name Geotextile. There's a few different kinds with different thicknesses and how tight its woven. On the higher elevations it's used to keep weeds and growth from coming up through the ballast and track. On the swampy areas it allows water to pass down but won't come back up through the track. It also keeps the road bed in place in the swampy areas. The stuff we use is 315 meaning it's very tightly woven and is the same stuff used in road construction and is what the Corps of Engineers requires us to use in wetlands. We get a 17 foot wide roll of it and cut the roll down to 4 and 1/2 feet wide and off we go. Once the track is down and the ballast and sub ballast are down you won't see the typar.
Have you ever considered bending the rail first? If you have, what is your reason for not doing so? Great video.
I'm pretty sure bending the rails are not necessary with the length of the track, it's like flex track I hear.