Trackwork Handbook: Setup Checklist
Caution:
If repair or adjustment is required on a module, let the module
owner know and have him/her take the necessary action.
Don't do it yourself unless you are specifically asked to do so.
Caution:
As always, be extremely careful not to disturb details on modules
as a setup is being assembled.
Take time to notice what's close by before doing anything.
1.
Take the time to set the height and level the adjoining modules
before working on any of the following checklist items.
Nothing will work well if the track on
adjoining modules are not level with each other.
Care taken at this step will make the following checks much
easier. Some of us on the West
Coast have begun to use a laser level to level both modules from
end-to-end and all of the setup as well.
We use a white painted 1” x 2” stick held vertically with a line
drawn at the level of the laser beam when placed on the track.
We then move the stick from the track at module ends to set the
level of all of the modules in the setup.
2.
Check to make sure track on adjoining modules is aligned
horizontally (from side-to-side).
Sight down the track from one direction
and the other to see that the rails at module joints are in alignment
with each other. Avoid any
misalignment that will create a jog to one side or the other.
Sometimes a straight edge can be used along the outside of the
rail, but take great care not to dislodge the rails at module ends.
Here's a good example of what to avoid. There are two side-to-side
offsets in the two closest module joints. Happily, they were fixed
before operations began
3.
Check to make sure track on adjoining modules is aligned
vertically (up and down).
This is a harder check to make,
especially since it's all too common for track to rise up or fall off a
bit at module ends. Use a
straight edge held against the rail tops if it is safe to do so.
I use a flat, high-quality block of ¾” birch plywood that is
1-1/2" wide and 5-1/2" long that is cut very cleanly with a fine bladed
saw. Sliding this block
back and forth across the module joint will immediately indicate which
rail ends are high or low relative to the other.
I make adjustments in height until the sound made when sliding
the block back and forth is either silent or the same.
4.
Check to make sure that the track on adjoining modules is
level.
If the track on adjoining modules isn't
level, a twist at the bridge rails will occur.
The best way to check for this is to sight across the rail ends
and the bridge rails after they are installed.
Because occasionally track at module ends drops off to one side
or the other, a module endplate might have to be tilted one way or the
other to compensate for a slight twist in the track at the module end.
5.
Clamp modules together tightly.
It's not unusual for modules to be
bumped or jostled while setting up or during a setup.
This is especially true for modules that provide a passageway
from one side of the setup to the other.
Clamping the module joints tightly will help.
If in doubt, use more than one clamp.
6.
Make sure that there is room for the track joiners.
If a module fails to provide room for
track joiners underneath the rails at module ends, the bridge rails will
bump up and the rail on the module will be placed under stress.
This is especially important if thicker, insulating joiners are
used for the occupancy detection and signaling system.
7.
Use bridge rails that match the size of the rail on the
adjoining modules.
This sounds too obvious to mention, but
I have replaced mis-matched bridge rails a number of times.
The problem avoided is “loose” bridge rails that rattle around in
the rail joiners and cause derailments.
A common problem is using Micro Engineering bridge rails with
Walthers track.
8.
Use bridge rails of the proper length.
By this I don't mean exactly 2" long
bridge rails. Rather I mean
bridge rails that leave only a small gap at either end, being neither
too long nor too short. Cut
custom lengths if necessary.
Smoother running will be the result.