Ply or Plastic Sleepers?

[Phil O]

If you can when using copperclad, I would recommend that you gap and test before you use them, it's easier to make sure that they are electrically isolated without the rail in place. I put the "timbering" on the template and mark where I want the gaps with a feltip pen. It's also easier to control the cut through the copper. It does get a bit hairy when constructing diamonds and slips, making sure that you don't remove to much copper where you need to solder rail.

 

[Pencarrow]

I'll go for it!

Beam on stops, and knowing your talents for carving it, I'm betting plastic.

Sleepers under the stops, ply

Sleepers on the adjacent track, plastic.

atb
Simon

Beam on the stops is wood, distressed a little. All the sleepers under the rails are plastic.

 

[simond]

Beam on the stops is wood, distressed a little. All the sleepers under the rails are plastic.

Bah! Foiled again!

 

[dibateg]

I've used a mixture of ply and plastic sleepers on Basford North. The plastic chairs grip the ply very well using butanone. In preference I would use ply now, I've had some experience with turnouts built on plastic sleepers going tight to gauge. Both on Basford and other layouts in the past. Not very much, but with 31.5mm track on a curve it's become a minor problem on occasion. This piece has been in place for a year, and after a derailment, I checked with the gauges and at the point of derailment they were very very tight. It probably wouldn't be noticed if they were laid to 32mm.


Regards
Tony