Tacks vs glue, the pros and cons!

[Lairdy]

Hello,

I’m in the process of relaying my track with peco Setrack oo gauge.

I was just wondering what your thoughts are on tacking or glueing the track down straight onto plywood.

What is better in your opinions and why?

Many thanks

Dave

[morairamike]

Hi.

I used Hornby and Peco set track. I laid the track on ballasted foam. The foam was loose laid and the track pinned down with tacks. I drilled pilot holes in my plywood for the tacks. The space between the two individual tracks and between the tracks and adjoining scenery was ballasted afterwards.

My track was laid 2019/2020 and is still in place.

[Gordonvale]

I buy tack packs from the local hardware shop, 15mm x 1mm, qty 950,

rather than the shorter Hornby ones, pack qty 130,

for half the price.

Don't bang them all the way in, so they're easily removed with pliers, 'til the track sits right.

[96RAF]

I used track pins throughout apart from where I transitioned off a slope and tapered shims were needed which where glued in place and the track to them.

The advantage of pins (or screws) being you can more easily lift track if say a point goes south and needs replacing, etc.

I have not ballasted my track yet, maybe later when I am convinced running is 100% reliable.

[Brew Man]

I use screws, 6mm I think though you can get them a little longer. I used pins on my first layout but got fed up with them bending if the hammer didn't fall exactly square. That said, screws can bend as well if care isn't taken. One advantage of screws is they are easy to remove if required.

[Bulleidboy]

All of my layout, with the exception of points and crossings is Peco Code 75 Streamline Flexitrack. I used a self-adhesive cork underlay, and then pinned the track down. I found I could push the pins into the ply boards with a pair of pliers. The main curve on my layout is a twin track with a greater radius than 4th - so using Tracksetta gauges allowed the pins to be pushed through the slots in the Tracksetta gauges. So my vote goes to track pins.

[ColinB]

I use both tacks and glue dependant on where it is going. On the Peco code 100 flexitrack, I use Peco pins and m1.6 screws on the points. My baseboard though is fibreboard. With the parts where I used MDF or plywood you need to drill before you put the pins in, that is usually where I use glue.

[threelink]

Given that loose ballast has to be glued in place, I tend to pin track temporarily and secure it and the ballast with dilute pva, removing the pins when the glue is dry. Hot water will soften pva sufficiently to allow track to be lifted at a later date, if required. In my experience, pinning or gluing track directly to the baseboard tends to transmit and amplify noise whereas gluing to a sound absorbing material tends not to. For sound deadening I use dining table heat protection mat stuck upside down to the baseboard with impact adhesive.

[Topcat2018]

Not tacks or glue but screws!

My currently under construction baseboard will consist of inexpensive 12 mm chipboard with a layer of (expensive) 10 mm cork on top. The expense of the cork is somewhat offset by not using an expensive base material like plywood. The cork will provide sound insulation and most heavy-duty wiring can be buried in it, with very thin ribbon cable used for light duty wiring such as points and signalling (I use motorised points, not solenoid) laid on the surface and camouflaged. This will I hope minimise the amount of time I have to spend under the baseboard on my arthritic knees.

As I don't think track pins will grip in the cork, to secure track I will use tiny black crosshead screws 12 mm long, of which I bought a load from China.

The concept is that the track fixing arrangements will cause minimum damage to the baseboard in the event that I want to change the layout, so definitely no glue.

I also don't want a lot of wires dangling under the baseboard as I will be using this space for wheeled storage drawers stacked two deep.

The support frames for the baseboard will consist of modular wooden frames made of 60 mm x 18 mm timber with space between the legs for the storage drawers, and will be bolted together to form a rigid structure.

[threelink]

@Topcat

That's a well thought out arrangement.

[Lairdy]

Thanks to you all for this.

I had never thought of using screws before but it sounds like a good idea!

plenty to consider.

Thanks again

Dave

[Topcat2018]

@Lairdy

I bought mine a while ago but you probably won't have to look as far as China. If you search for "track screws" on Ebay you will find lots of different sizes at reasonable prices available in the UK.

[Lairdy]

Thanks Topcat.

Away to look now

[TVR1707822112]

I use Hatton's Track pins and PVA glue to lay my track on top of cork. I also added thin bits of carboard superleveation on the main curves on the running line.

Sorry about the bluntness of this response - I don't want to get done by the moderators for active promotion of other brands.

Hope this helps and best wishes.

[ColinB]

I think if you name all of them then there isn't an issue. I stopped using Hornby pins as they were too thick and not long enough, they also split the Peco flexitrack. As my layout is on cork and fibreboard I use Peco pins on the flexitrack as I said earlier and m1.6 screws on the points. Pins don't seem to work very well on the points. When you ballast, the whole lot gets glued down by PVA glue although I have got to admit the PVA never seems that strong, so I wouldn't use just PVA glue, plus with fexitrack you need something to stop it "pinging" back. I don't know how good the new pins from DCC concepts are, again for me they look a bit chunky.

[Potterton]

I don't understand why Hornby changed the appearance of their track pins. The old, (original), pins had flat heads whereas the current ones have a round head. When building my current layout I had a number of packs of old stock to use up as well as having to buy new ones. In the picture below the track on which the Blue Pullman is approaching is fixed with the older ones as is the track next to it, but the left hand track is fixed using pins as currently supplied. The flat headed pins are almost invisible, but the round headed pins remind me of the old Marklin stud contact system for three rail loco's.

Apologies for the tube of paint in the road on the left. flushed