Model Trains 76 - Hither Green TMD in O Gauge. Laying The Tracks. A How To Tutorial

Project Chunnel, an O gauge depot layout of Hither green, based around 1990.
baseboards are built. points are wire, time to get the track down
we start laying Peco Track. This is how I do it. Any questions, please ask

[@leilacentral1883]

Another cider drinker! I love o gauge and I like what you have done so far. I’ll be following this with great interest. I’ve been working in the 40 degree heat on the layout as well, but with just a small fan. Really envy you having the aircon! All the best Clint

[@47606odin]

aircon was the best money i ever spent

[@cheekytek]

Real smart progress on the engine shed - nice little update buddy - you and Steve smith have me hooked 😂 And I’m Still saving the O pennies 😉 👍 Garry

[@47606odin]

Thanks Garry. My biggest headache lies ahead, i have to build a traverser, or a cassette system yet. not sure which way to go there

[@cheekytek]

My mate who has an O gauge layout which is end to end 4x30 made one end into a traverser By making a wooden jig that had just enough track for largest stock that he turned by hand or slide to next track Was very effective and simple 👍

[@47606odin]

@@cheekytek i have a plan and idea in my head, just got to make it. i will be probably a sliding cassette system

[@musoseven8218]

All looks fab, I'm slowly catching up with your back catalogue 👍💜✌️ Can I ask, on that Peco Y point, how close to the chairs did you cut your sleepers? Thanks in advance👍💜✌️ I've laid one Y and I've got two curves diverging away (working with the weird point geometry and between 5' 6" and 6' O" using track setters, the MK1 eyeball and mirrors etc) as it's a branchline junction etc. I've tried interlacing the sleepers - no joy. I've cut some and they match perfectly, look like angled timbers/sleepers👍🤞, but the ones closest to the point itself? Getting the rails to meet without removing chairs is nigh on impossible. I've laid a lot of track in other scales up to SM32 in my time and never had this issue. I want a neat job as it's outside on MRN and won't be ballasted (if I can help it). I don't even see how to place in a spare, "floating" sleeper in a gap with replacement chairs etc😲🙄🤬😥 I tend to leave the chairs alone and cut down and fettle the fish plates instead. I'd just got the main running line sorted - although in reality the real "mainline" is the diverging branch going into the garage - so I'm loathed to lift that and start again. Perhaps in the cold light of day, in 48 hours or so, I'll see the light and get it finished, but for now a neat solution evades me🙄🙄 Any advice gratefully received ✌️💜👍😉😊

[@47606odin]

I’ve got to be honest here and say I just chop off chunks of sleeper and didn’t actually measure them. Some are shorter than I wanted. However, to assist in fine adjustments and interlacing etc you can cut the webs off between the sleepers so you can vary the spacing a little which is also prototypical

[@gppsoftware]

There are numerous problems with these Peco turnouts as they date from the 1970's. We haven't had them upgraded like our 4mm friends have. One of the problems with Peco 7mm turnouts is that they are cut far too short on the crossing end and of course, they have the unprototypical 'bent' sleeper at the end. Real turnouts have continuous sleepers until the inside of rail head is about 18mm (for O gauge turnouts) and this permits several extra full-length sleepers. I have a video on my channel which covers these modifications. Once you get out to this separation, the need to cut sleeper lengths rapidly diminishes and the whole thing looks a lot better, especially when you also remove the unprototypical 'coffin' between the switch blades!

[@StephenWilliams]

Ian, I notice that you have trimmed the sleepers right back, almost to the chairs, where the inner two rails converge at the point frog. Is that prototypical or is it just a means to an end that will largely be buried under the ash-like ballast/ground surface? The reason I ask, is that I have seen point-work where the sleepers are interlaced and also where extra large sleepers are used that run under all four running rails.

[@47606odin]

places vary, some were interlaced, and some were cut. the trouble with interlaced sleepers is that it becomes difficult to tamp under the sleeper to make the bed firm. mine are a bit shorter than i was hoping, but i will cover that with a bit of ash and maybe some dead weeds and stuff just to camouflage it a bit

[@StephenWilliams]

@@47606odin Thanks Ian.

[@steamonscreen7848]

What did you use to cut the sleepers to size ?

[@47606odin]

i used my razor saw

[@ianfraser1215]

is the track peco flatbottom flexi

[@47606odin]

Pecos version of bullhead track

[@SolmonGTrauth]

What track do you use ?

[@47606odin]

It’s just Peco for ease