Track planning

Track construction

Track construction DIY materials

- be sure to use a track cutter or a cutting disk for the cutting of rail sections.

- following this the cutting edge should be trimmed with a fine file

- it is advisable to bevel the section foot to facilitate the retraction of the track section into the grating foundation.

- never retract the section into the grating foundation with a side cutter, but instead use flat or needle-nose pliers

- in track curves avoid opposite rail joints, the track curve does not run evenly at these points, unsightly kinks arise here

- When laying track curves prebend the section prior to insertion in accordance with the track radius

- use flexible tracks with radiuses of more than R543 and as spacer pieces

- due to the colour treatment of the section in line with the prototype the relevant area on the section must be blanked prior to the soldering of cables to the power supply, a fibre optic pin may
 be used to this end

Track cleaning

Getting to grips with the dirt …..

When trains jerk, short locomotives repeatedly come to a standstill, or the wheels of a locomotive begin to slip on a "lubricating film" - then it is high time to declare war on dirt. This is because the reliability of the model railway is highly dependent on clean tracks, wheel sets, current loops etc. But vehicles that are covered with a layer of dust also hardly make an appealing optical impression. Because this has little to do with a preference for aged models. And also excavated objects where you instantly recognise the years of storage, frequently require a "cosmetic treatment".

The following items should initially be referred to as cleaning tools here: lint cotton, rags, brushes, cotton swabs or also toothbrushes with a soft cleaning head, ideally including electric toothbrushes. And wherever the dry cleaning on locomotive housings, buildings, etc. no longer produces the desired results, we have the appropriate assistant to hand in the TILLIG range: Our cleaning distillate (Item No. 08 977, see product database), which is ideal for cleaning and dust removal, and when used properly, neither attacks the material surfaces, nor the paintwork and imprints of the models.

At places where the dirt has really become difficult to remove, e.g. on the running surfaces of the wheels, then we do, however, recommend the use of a solvent such as ethanol. The same applies to stubborn dirt deposits on the track. You should never attempt to clean the track with sandpaper. Thus even tenaciously adhesive soiling or even (in the case of the former track systems) rust can be removed relatively easily using sandpaper. However, the initial good results are deceptive: This is because sandpaper leads to scratches and grooves in the track section as a result of which it becomes soiled or oxidised more rapidly shortly after its application. For this reason the use of glass fibre erasers is also contentious. Here too it is not possible to rule out the possibility that no scratches and grooves are left behind during the cleaning of tracks or wheel sets. In each case we recommend that you use our track cleaning stone (product no.08974, refer to the product database). If you use it then you can gently and effectively free soiled tracks from stubborn dirt.

And by the way: In just the way as it is when you are performing the daily household work, it is also very worthwhile to regularly do something about the dirt on your model railway. In this way you prevent major soiling problems right from the start. With regard to a clean track, it is, for instance, useful, to allow the rail cleaning wagon to also run in the in trains. They have a contact strip mounted on the wagon floor, which acts gently against deposits on the track surface. This type of wagon can be found in our TT Range as a two-axle boxcar of the DR, epoch III under product no.95291. For the H0 nominal scale we have the product no.76870 DR, Epoch IV or the product no.76871 DB, epoch IB in the range.

INSIDER-TIP

Older models in particular are sometimes so dirty that only a radical treatment helps. This applies in particular to the interior workings of drive vehicles (motor, drive unit etc.). An appropriate “household cure“ for this is the commercial available contact spray for electronic items. You proceed as follows here: After removing the housing, spray all the parts completely with the spray. Then place the locomotive "upside down" for a day or two on an absorbent surface and allow the dirt to so to speak "drip out". However, after this type of treatment not only the dirt has disappeared but also any lubrication. It is therefore to re-lubricate the moving parts (gears, bearings, motor shafts etc.). You can obtain gear grease in our range (product no.08974, refer to the product database). However, use it sparingly, especially if you are working with oil (e.g. sewing machine oil).      

However, please only use the method described here for older models with a high level of soiling, as any warranty claims would expire if you intervene in this way.

Creating construction plans or templates

Construction plans or templates for flexible points (H0-Elite or TT advanced track) can be created by railway modellers themselves using a simple program. This will find this programme on the website of the 0 track gauge Club Modelleisenbahnclub e. V. With this programme the required track geometries, also precisely for each scale, can be set and printed as a template.