If we are to construct part of the trackwork with copper-clad sleepers the question of insulation arises. We had some discussions last week and I've found this on Colin Craig's site ( http://colincraig4mm.co.uk/#/track/4532596088 ) which matches some of the ideas we had.

2. Depending on the situation, I have used two systems of "breaking" the copper cladding, which are both simple and effective:

a) For plain track I use the system established to finalise tab removal on my FFA/FGA kit. A fine mini sanding disc is used in line with the sleeper length, before assembly; the copper is feathered off where it is removed and the break is completely invisible after painting. The critical part is avoiding grooving by using only light pressure and continuous gentle movement in the operation. The minidrill is preferably mounted in a drill stand and the sleeper held against the rotating disc to give maximum control.

b) Alternatively, for cosmetic baseplate fitting, the track can be assembled, and a very light cut made (track cutting disc in a minidrill) just inside the rail, so that it is invisible from the normal viewing side of the track. The cosmetic baseplates are secured with cyanoacrylate or epoxy with a sufficient film thickness to prevent a short circuit (a simple short circuit "tester" can easily be set up to confirm satistactory results) ; If you want belt and braces, then a small square of tissue paper can be located under the cosmetic baseplate; the chosen adhesive will soak through the paper to provide the bond, while at the same time ensuring positive insulation. This second system is ideal for the complex insulation required on the crossing end of turnouts,

Rod Hall at 04:05AM on May 19, 2009

If we are to construct part of the trackwork with copper-clad sleepers the question of insulation arises. We had some discussions last week and I've found this on Colin Craig's site ( http://colincraig4mm.co.uk/#/track/4532596088 ) which matches some of the ideas we had.

 

2. Depending on the situation, I have used two systems of "breaking" the copper cladding, which are both simple and effective:

a) For plain track I use the system established to finalise tab removal on my FFA/FGA kit. A fine mini sanding disc is used in line with the sleeper length, before assembly; the copper is feathered off where it is removed and the break is completely invisible after painting. The critical part is avoiding grooving by using only light pressure and continuous gentle movement in the operation. The minidrill is preferably mounted in a drill stand and the sleeper held against the rotating disc to give maximum control.

b) Alternatively, for cosmetic baseplate fitting, the track can be assembled, and a very light cut made (track cutting disc in a minidrill) just inside the rail, so that it is invisible from the normal viewing side of the track. The cosmetic baseplates are secured with cyanoacrylate or epoxy with a sufficient film thickness to prevent a short circuit (a simple short circuit "tester" can easily be set up to confirm satistactory results) ; If you want belt and braces, then a small square of tissue paper can be located under the cosmetic baseplate; the chosen adhesive will soak through the paper to provide the bond, while at the same time ensuring positive insulation. This second system is ideal for the complex insulation required on the crossing end of turnouts,

Rod

Theres some good stuff in that, I must admit I like the idea of 'cutting' the sleeper closer to the rail so that the gouge is concealed by the rail height. Have you had a chance to price up whats needed for constuction?

I now have a FULL set of keys, so see you Weds evening...about 08:00pm?

Mike

Mike

The difficulty I see with option b (as written with the cut immediately adjacent to the rail) is that you introduce another potential shorting route with the cosmetic chair – hence the reference to tissue paper to provide insulation (sounds like a lot of faff to me and building in a future fault that’ll be hard to discover). A more practical variation might be to make the cut immediately adjacent to the chair. In any case it’s a matter for trials I think.

An attraction I see in option a is that wafting a sanding disc over the sleepers will soften up the edges a bit. One of the issues I have with copper clad is that it can be very sharp edged in a non-woody way.