As I operated the layout, it became apparent that some of the early magnetic ramps were set too high and caused the glad hands of the couplers to scrape the tops of the ballast over the magnets. You can see the lighter color as a result of the scraping in this picture. On the main line, I was also getting false uncoupling as the strong magnets drew the cars together.
So, I have to remove the old magnets and reset the screws for the magnets to get more clearance and a slightly lower strength. You can see that I have rewet the glue that holds the ballast over the ramps. You can see the heads of the screws after I removed the magnets.
I then had to go back and clear out the old ballast once the water evaporated and the ballast was loosened. You can see the depth gauge that I will use to reset the screws. This was not a major problem because it was essentially setting the screw tops even with the subsurface material under the track. I used the broken toothbrush head as my scrubber/broom to clean out the area. The old magnets are lined up along the right side of the picture. I cleaned them up once they were removed and reused them. I was surprised that some had started to rust so I am hopeful that this process was only short term.
This is a finished installation using the old magnets awaiting paint on the tops of the magnets. After that dries, I will insert replacement ballast and then glue it all down.
Here are a couple more installations on the main line. The top ballast has been removed and I am about to tighten the screws down and clean out the old ballast.
depth Here are a couple of views as I use the depth gauge to ensure that all screws are the same before I place the magnets back in place.
A closer look of the gauge engaging the top of the screws.
This whole procedure is a multiday process due to waiting for the paint to dry and then the glue to dry once the ballast is replaced. I am going to have to spray paint the track to try to blend the new ballast with the old.
No comments:
Post a Comment