Is that the light blue kinda' sticky stuff ya' use to put things on walls and such? My Mom used that stuff awhile back, works good.
Kurt, I finally got my track and glued it with a hot glue gun, same as my unitrack. I am doing a layout on a hollow core door however. I must say I really like the track. Every one of my loco's run better. I will post pictures as I get things going. So far I have to say it is really great. Now I am putting my old layout away for a later time. Excited about trains again!
By the way Kurt, if you use the hot glue gun make sure you tack the track on your curves from the inside, not the outside, otherwise you will get a very slight effect of the train tipping going into corners. Form the inside you will get a slight effect of the train slightly tipped to the inside which is what a train should look like.
Got my oval starter kit and the straight section kit and boy, is it sweet lookin'!! Can't wait to start haulin' the freight!! I'm thinkin' of lightly spraying it with a rust colored spray to give it a weathered look.
I think that the new MTL track would look perfect if we paint the rails Floquil Roof Brown , then chalk the whole track with Bragdon's Ash Weathering Powder which will hide any gloss from the plastic roadbed. -Robert
I got a wild hair last night and bought a package of Rit-Dye, "cocoa brown" and put a test piece in it. Guess what? The roadbed is now a nice flat brown! No painting needed, (unless you want the rails a rusty color for realism), it didn't harm anything! I learned this a long time ago when I used to run Remote-control cars. Ya' mix the powder with water and dip anytype of plastic in it to dye it that color.Takes about 2-3 minutes for it to soak in. Then just rinse it off, but wear gloves while doing it.
Ohh! that sounds cool, can you post a picture of how it comes out? I am very interested in neat new ideas like that. -Robert
I ordered a starter pack, and a straight track pack of the new MTL track to mess around with. I'm off to the GATS to run on our new modules. I'm also picking up the track, and another GP35. I just love the way they run. Train Day! -Robert
I just got my MTL starter track pack the other day. It's great stuff! Looks and connects just like the Kato Unitrack. My locos run smoothly on it. I look forward to the turnouts next year! As for the GP35, I'm tempted to go ahead and get the PRR, although it's not my favorite road. I've read nothing but favorable comments about it. Doug
Since its the 24th all ready, why not wait to see if they have a new release next month. I want to get another one, but I am not going to get another Penn.
Well, i have my GP-35. now i need some track. waited all week to get to caboose hobbie in denver -- and they are out of the new track (if they even had any). it's on order. what i want to know is how to plan a track plan. would the software for an atlas template work about right for the Z scale track templates? also, how easy will it be to disconnect glued down track in order to substitute turnouts at a later time? otherwise, i have to sit around with nice engine and rolling stock waiting for "someday" before getting a layout going. ugh. there are things i can do, i know, but much still depends upon using the correct (available) radii and assortment of track. either that or begin hand laying, which i'm not thrilled about. so what are others using or planning? dave f.
thank mike, you are right -- caboose has (and has earned) a good reputation. let me clarify -- the n-scale guy didn't now if the track had come in. the computer showed it was part of their order, but showed none stock. that is what i meant by -- "if they even had any". perhaps i should have added "...yet!" it is a real joy to be able to go to one train store and get just about anything, in any scale, one would see in a magazine. they are not perfect, however, and don't always have the "one thing" someone wants. but they will order it. when i go to denver (and caboose) i spend hours. it's fun to collaborate on kitbash projects, etc., with really knowledgable modelers. now ... i need to know how to plan track so when it comes in i can make something good happen. dave f.
David, That is great news! The new GP35 is awesome and the MTL ballasted track is extremely good. I have heard the MTL turnouts are to match the Marklin turnouts in size and dimension. If true, it will be easy to swap the Marklins with MTL when they are released next year. I would simply tack down the turnouts and adjacent track so it is easy to lift and replace later. The MTL track does have pin holes to make it easier to secure to roadbed. Radius is a good question. The MTL radius are 195mm. The broadest sectional radius curve from Marklin is 220mm. After that, flex is the way to go. It really depends on the locos and train you are wanting to run. The larger the better in my opinion. Most Z locos handle 195mm without difficulty, but the larger 6 axle locos really prefer the 220mm and above. Sorry, I can't help you with track planning software. I am more of a build as you go kinda guy. Rob Kluz
I got my MTL track last night at the GATS, and opened it up to give it a snap, and it joins together real easy. Much easier than Marklin. The sizes look the same as Marklin track, but I am not sure if it is. Just add a turnout to their lineup, and this track is the real deal! Price is good too! As fat as the GP35's go, I ran a 15 car train with 2 GP's all day today, at about a scale 35mph, and at the end of the show, when I pulled off the locomotives expecting them to be warm, but prepared for them to be hot, much to my suprise they were COLD TO THE TOUCH! Yup! Cold! No heat generated at all. I was in such disbelief that I had Steve pick up the other one ans see, and he agreed, there is no heat generated, making these locomotives the lowest friction Z Scale locomotives I have ever ran! I'm going to try and put a F7 shell on one to see how it fits. -Robert
