# Yet Another Track Laying Question



## inxy (Dec 10, 2010)

So I nail or screw my track down and apply road ballast. How does one get a faulty switch out of the system for repair ?


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## Reckers (Oct 11, 2009)

You plan your nailing/glueing with that in mind, and it's a very good question. I prefer to use a soft adhesive like silicone caulk and put it under a tie or two: you can generally lever the tie up and pop the silicone loose without damage. I also make a practice of not glueing the track immediately before or after a switch, or the switch, itself. Unless you are planning to stand the layout on edge for storage, you aren't going to need to secure the track to survive a tornado: the idea is to simply keep it from sliding around or connections from loosening. I'd use glue to tack it down at either end of a straight stretch, then dab under every other track or so on the curves. IMHO, you only resort to nails or screws if you have good reason to. The bottom of a descending curve, for example, gets a whole lot more stress than straight track as your train comes down and you'd want it to be rock-solid. As for the ballast, all I can offer is that if you make a mess, you have to clean it up. *L* No one said model railroading was easy!


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## inxy (Dec 10, 2010)

I like your thinking - I'll proceed along those lines.

Thank you for your thoughts.
Bruce


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