I use Atlas c80 flex, and plan on gluing it with Liquid nails, the latex kind--atop WS foambed. What I don't like about it, is it's slow to dry. I have tried Goo, and rubber cement, but these will eat the foam that I lay the roadbed on to. Is there a latex-based rubber cement, or contact adhesive that I can find that will hold strong, yet not lose its grip when I wet the rails and stuff while ballasting? Any ideas?
I use spikes through those center holes in the ties to hold the track in place. Then I add the ballast and glue it in place using thinned white glue. When dry, I remove the spikes and the track is held firmly in place by the ballast. The benefit of doing it like this is the track can easily be moved later if needed by soaking it in water. Those other types of permanent glue would mean having to scrap any track and relaying new, if you want a change.
I've tried laying track with Woodland Scenics Foam Cement - it dries relatively quickly, and the white color will be hidden under the ballast. I hold the track in place with pushpins until the glue dries. I really don't know how well it will work in the long run, though. Pat
I wouldn't use any type of rubber and/or contact cement at all. Sure the stuff holds tight, but it sets too quick to use. You put down rubber/contact cement, let it air dry for a minute or two, so that it can get tacky, and then put your track down. You had better have that track put down straight the first time 'cause you're not going to move it once you have applied the ties to the glue! No coming back and removing a kink in a straight or smoothing out a curve. And when you want to redo any trackwork, after using contact/rubber cement, it is almost impossible to get the track up without tearing the ties and rails to pieces. The contact/ rubber cement will not release cleanly. About the only solvents I can see for contact/rubber cement is lacquer thinner. Oh yeah, lacquer thinner willl remove the cement from the roadbed, as it remove the ties from the track, and EATS up any other plastic it touches! I use about the same system Robin uses. I put a layer of white glue down on the roadbed, then put down my trackwork, holding it in place with spikes or naills. I let this portion of track dry. Usually overnight, you can speed up the drying process with a hair dryer(use as low a heat setting as posible), or set up a box fan to blow air over the new laid trackwork. After the trackwork has dried, I apply dry ballast and soak the ballst/trackwork with a 50/50 white glue/water mixture. Use a small squirt bottle and apply the white glue mixture slowly. Let it dry. And then remove the spikes holding the track down, the white glue under the ties and in the ballast will hold the track in place. When you need to redo trackwork, all you have to do to get the white glue to release, is soak it with water and the glue will release the ballast and trackwork. A little wiping with a damp rag and the roadbed and trackwork can be cleaned up of white glue. This way of putting down you trackwork takes a little longer to do, but you can get the track straight and your curves smooth because you have time to adjust position before your adhesive sets up. Not possible with contact/ rubber cement. I will have a lot of my roadbed ready, and be glueing down trackwork in several different areas at the same time. Just remember, the railroad is only as good as the trackwork, take your time putting down trackwork and your trains will run good from the start.
