Cheshire Railway Modellers

The photos accompanying this article were taken during the construction of Earles Quay and Toadflax, both layouts have the tracks totally embedded in paving.

To start with track is laid as normal on the baseboard, I glue it down but track pins work equally well. There is no need to ballast the track but if you are paving an existing, ballasted, track these methods will work just the same. Make sure the wiring connections are made before you start paving work, otherwise you'll need a team of road workers with scale pneumatic drills to rectify the omission.

When the tracks are laid I fill the areas between the rails up to or just above sleeper height with hardboard or plastic sheet. This cuts down the bulk of filler required which in turn cuts down the drying time between each stage.

(Earles Quay)

After the glue has set filler is added to the area to be paved and levelled out just below rail level. Allow everything at least 24 hours to set before doing anything else, in cold weather put the layout somewhere warm (if it is portable) or allow extra time for drying. Don't worry if this stage leaves a pattern showing the sleepers as the filler dries, it will be covered by the top layer of paving.

Using a ruler or other straight edge placed on the rails check that no paving is above the rail heads, if any is remove it with rough sandpaper or a rasp. Using a blunt knife or screwdriver score the surface of the paving with criss-cross grooves to key in the second layer of filler, then brush all the dust off the layout and carefully use a scraper or an old kitchen knife to add the top layer of paving. Use a broad scraper to run along the rails and ensure that the paving is not higher than the rails in any places where the trains may catch on it. The scraper should be kept wet and clean during this operation. It doesn't matter if it leaves tool marks in the surface but try and get the paving as level as possible.

Once again allow everything to set SOLID, failure to do so will result in an awful mess during the next stage. I know, I rushed the job with Toadflax.

When the filler has set use a craft knife, scalpel or similar (I used a Stanley knife) to cut the first incision along the inside of the rail heads. Take your time because this stage is crucial to the looks of the inlaid track. Once the first cut has been made you can widen the flangeway by repeatedly rubbing an old table knife with a serrated edge along the cut made by the craft knife.

When you have done this process for both rails use a stiff brush to remove the dust and test the track using an old wagon chassis or a washable wagon (i.e. one without painstakingly detailed weathering). Any rough spots will be felt as you push the wagon along the track, these can be further rubbed with the knife until the wagon runs smoothly.

If the flangeway has been made too wide it can be remedied by using more filler to patch up the error, allow it to dry properly before cutting a new flangeway in the repaired area. When all the track has got satisfactory flangeways use first rough, then smooth sandpaper to remove any toolmarks from the paving, these will include marks left by the scraper when laying the top layer of filler and any scratches caused while digging out the flangeways. Use the stiff brush once again to remove all the dust. This stage should also have removed any plaster from the rail heads, if not, use the fine sandpaper to concentrate on any offending areas.

 (Toadflax)

I then seal the filler using diluted white PVA glue but this is optional. I think it adds a little extra strength to the surface on my portable layouts, but wouldn't bother with a fixed home layout. The next stage (with the PVA sealant still wet if you have used it) is to liberally paint the road surface grey (dirt/tarmac) or creamy (concrete). A watery mix of paint and thinner will get into all the flangeways and ensure that there is no white filler showing. Allow this to dry then touch up with a thicker mix of paint and thinner where required. Allow the paint to dry then remove from the railheads using very fine sandpaper, then polish the rails using a small piece of card or hardboard.

If, as I did on Toadflax, you still have any unsatisfactory flangeways these can be disguised using flock to simulate grass growing out of the groove. Add a little bit of undiluted PVA to the offending area then dab flock onto it, the process is best done lightly, allowing each application to set before building up the grass further until it looks right.

Ensure that there is still room for the wagon wheels to pass as each application dries, if the flangeway does get blocked ignore it until the grass has set solid then carve it away using the craft knife. Again ensure that the rail heads are cleaned when the grass has been added.

Neither layout has pointwork embedded in the roadway, this can be done but I steer clear of burying the moving parts. The turnout on Port Abel is partially buried in the level crossing. This was done by adding matchsticks to form the flangeways then filling between them.

 (Port Abel)

In the case of Port Abel I used putty for the road surface but plaster filler will work just as well. The frog and checkrail flangeways of the turnout were kept clear of paving by filling them with Plasticine before laying the paving, I suppose that the moving parts could also be protected with Plasticine (which is removed after the paving has set) but I have not tried it. The tracks on the pier at Port Abel are not paved but do have ground cover over the sleepers, this was done in the same way as normal ballasting but taking care not the get the level between the rails too high for the wheel flanges.

I hope this little tutorial is of help, if I had thought about it at the time I could have taken photos of the actual flangeway cutting operation but it is simple enough to do. Ensure that the blade of the craft knife is sharp and keep it as close to the inside of the rails as possible when making the first cut. I found just the right angle to hold the blade after the first couple of inches of flangeway were cut, it will come to you naturally as you try making your own inlaid tracks. The big advantage of using filler is that any mistakes can be plastered over and done again before moving on to the next stage - invisible mending - and if there are still any rough patches a bit of grass sprouting out of the track solves the problem.

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