Train "Cartridges" - rail or bent metal ?


D

DALDEI

Member
I've been reading about "Train Cartridges" as a way of storing rolling stock and getting it onto and off of staging area. The books I've read show how to make it by screwing 2 strips of L-shapped metal (aluminum?) to a piece of wood.
I was wondering why this instead of say using flex track glued to wood, and siding to keeps the cars from falling off. I'm wondering what the advantage is of using the metal approach. Do the cars come easily onto the track ? I would imagine there is more room for misalignments if the cars are not on a track, so how to make them roll easily onto the rail ?

My goal is I want to keep my cars "out of sight" from the kids so the track isnt to tempting, but easy to get back on when I want to use it.


Suggestions (and pictures!) welcome !
Thanks

-David
 
Sure. Check here:

http://tmrc.mit.edu/progress/reports/2008/6/

These are made from a strip of soft pine which we normally use as roadbed, with two plastic L-strips stapled to it. These form both a track on which the cars roll, and a barrier on each side. This strip is made for corners of drywall plaster, and you can buy it at Home Depot. Metal L-shape is much more expensive.
 
This is really great, youve given me some good ideas. Question, how do you get the trans from these "cartridges" onto the track ? Do you have any description or diagrams or pictures of how the cartridges attach to track ?
 
Since you ask--I took some pictures to show how it works. It's really the lowest of low tech, you put the cassette on a flat surface that's the plywood that our staging yard tracks are laid on. Then roll the cars out onto rails that start where the cassette ends. You do have to line up the cassette accurately, but it's easy. There's a metal strip glued to the plywood to deal with the height mismatch between the cassette and the rails, which lifts up the end of the cassette slightly.

http://files.myopera.com/John98wbr/albums/661338/IMG_4671.JPG
http://files.myopera.com/John98wbr/albums/661338/IMG_4672.JPG
http://files.myopera.com/John98wbr/albums/661338/IMG_4673.JPG

Note that in the last picture, there's a moving train in the background!
 
Wonderful ! This was the 'missing link' for me. Low tech is good tech.
I noticed in this detail you space the plastic "rails' just the right width appart so the flanges of the wheels sit *inside* the plastic ... that is key! I was imagining the cars sliding sideways inside the cartridge and being impossible to line up.

Also I note you built what looks like a "frog" on the 'onramp'. Is this do the duty of a re-railer without having to look like one ? Nice !
Thanks for the pictures It makes a lot more sense to me now.
 
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