Recently I was pondering how best to apply production techniques to Jubilee track in 1/32 scale. I wanted to build a small portable layout/test-track to display my new range of kits and parts in this scale. Two-foot is 0.75",exactly the same as On3, so we can use track gauges for this gauge and Peco Code 100 rail is used throughout, although smaller rail could be used. Patterns were made for the track panels and cast in resin. This gives a good effect when ballasted and the track panels are easily handled. The rail could be laid to 16.5mm gauge if desired.

Picture 1 shows a completed Type 2 point and an as-cast point base. The patterns for these were made from styrene strips for the sleepers on a 4mm acrylic base. The sleepers are solid and lack the pressed steel open effect but as I intend to ballast up to the tops of the sleepers I didn’t consider this to be a problem. The acrylic base is drilled for feed wires and a slot is milled for the tiebar. Patterns were prepared for right- and left-hand points and a Y. Also a standard 15’ length of straight track and a curved panel. Simple open-topped moulds were made in silicon rubber and sufficient casts made for my immediate use with some spares. The panels are thoroughly scrubbed to remove any traces of mould release that may be present and the tops of the sleepers are lightly sanded before the rails are fixed.

Picture 2 shows the underside of the completed point. Note the feed wires to the rails and the arrangement of the springs to the point blades. The small black dots are the ends of the track spikes used to ensure a mechanical fixing to the rails. Initially I simply glued the rails down with superglue but I found that temperature variations in the conservatory where the layout was being built soon caused the rail fixings to fail. The spikes although not prototypical give a good impression of the rail fixings.

Blue insulation foam is used as the sub-base for the layout. Here the track panels are temporarily set in place. The foam is easily grooved to take the feed wires which are colour-coded: green is the backmost rail, yellow for the nearest and red for the frog. Bus wires will be added to the front of the layout for the feed. At an early stage I decided to use DCC as the preferred mode of control, mainly due to the increasing improvements in sound decoders, but also for the simplicity of the wiring. This does, however, mean that the frog needs switching, but more on this later.

Here the track-bases are glued down to the foam. I used No-More-Nails as an adhesive - after making appropriate tests to ensure compatibility - which comes in tubes and is easily applied as thick strips. The track-bases are gently pressed down into the fillet of glue. To take up any inequalities in the thickness of the track-bases they are not pressed fully flat, but just far enough that adjacent panel rails are level. Cosmetic fishplates will be added later. The large lumps of steel shown ensure the track doesn’t move whilst glueing. Note also the feed wires now glues into their grooves. All the rails have dropper wires to the bus-bars to ensure electrical continuity. The underframe shown is one of the superb skip kits formerly available from Bantock and Lantz and now available from Slaters.

The next picture shows the completed point in-situ, painted, ballasted and weathered. The ground throw is a readily available plastic item and the microswitch can be clearly seen at the other end of the tie-bar. In due course it will be further disguised.

I am very pleased with the overall appearance of the track and I am gratified that others have found it favourable too. Further developments in this scale will be forthcoming over the next few months as time permits.

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