Making the Cut

Having nine different curve radii, Rokuhan's roadbed track line offers enormous track planning flexibility. But when you add in the option of cutting track to any length, the possibilities are multiplied tremendously. One really needn't be fearful of cutting roadbed track—it's not difficult to do, honestly.

The Gorre & Daphetid track plan would have been impossible to make so surprisingly faithful to the original without cutting track. The plan requires twenty-one cut pieces! (They're indicated in blue, below.) This is not as onerous as it may sound—it takes only minutes to cut a piece of track, and I was finished in less than an hour.

If you're already familiar with the process of cutting roadbed track, you need to know that it's quite different cutting Rokuhan's track; so, whether or not you've done it before, you'll want to read on.

Here are the tools and materials required:

  • razor saw
  • miter box
  • flush cutters (rail nippers)
  • small needle-nose pliers
  • hobby knife
  • sharp marking pen
  • ruler
  • liquid plastic cement
  • small brush
All of these items are available from hobby and craft stores, such as Michael's, and of course online as well.

Before getting down to business, you'll first need to determine the amount by which the track must be shortened. I've found this to be a simple and painless process using AnyRail track planning software. During plan development, I'll adjust flex track pieces to the dimensions required, and plug them into the plan as though they were sectional parts. This involves some trial and error, but it's simple enough to do, and the software is both very easy to use and highly accurate.

Once the plan is finalized, I'll copy all of the cut track parts into a new file, superimpose each customized flex piece over a stock track section (the latter highlighted in color, below), and print the file at 1:1. This creates a graphic guide that shows me exactly how to cut each piece. I simply place a piece of track over the graphic, and mark the length of the difference between the modified and stock track parts, which indicates the amount of material to remove:

Now here's the poop on Rokuhan track. As is the case for other brands of roadbed track products, the rails are locked in place on the plastic roadbed with index pins, which look like tiny roller bearings (below, indicated by the arrows molded into the plastic). Each piece of Rokuhan track has one pair of them, located in the middle of the section; by contrast, Micro-Trains track has two pairs of index pins for each track section. This seemingly trivial difference gives rise to the need for entirely different track cutting techniques.

Actually, with only one pair of index pins, there are two ways to cut Rokuhan track, depending on the length of the cut piece: if it's more than half as long as the original part, one method is used; if it's less than half as long, then a different method is used. The reason there are two methods is that the index pins can't remain where they are in the roadbed if the part is reduced in length by more than half.

In either case, there's something to bear in mind about accuracy. Unless the track isn't visible, such as in a tunnel or building, cuts should be made to match tie spacing for best cosmetic effect. This means the final length of the modified part may not be precisely the length that's specified. This really isn't a concern; except in very rare instances (e.g., a passing siding where the tracks are exactly parallel and connected at both ends), variations in track length of up to an eighth of an inch can be accommodated by the subtle flexibility inherent in sectional track.

The first method I'll cover is for cut track that's more than half as long as the original part. The first thing to do is mark the track for the portion of roadbed to be removed. This portion must be located between the index pins and the connector assembly on the end, both of which must remain intact. Place the track upside down on the drawing and, with a sharp marking pen, mark the spaces between ties corresponding to the amount of material to remove (ties are always located where you see square holes in the roadbed).

Then, using a ruler and the first mark as a guide, mark the bottom outer edges of the roadbed; this gives you a precise mark for cutting:

Remove the track connector from the end of the section that will be cut, and carefully set the two parts aside. It takes a fair bit of force to get the joiner out, so you'll need a needle-nose pliers.

Note that the two joiner parts come out together, but then separate; the metal part simply rests atop the plastic one. (Incidentally, you can see the secret behind the ability of Rokuhan's track to prevent rail misalignment: the shape of the metal joiner captures the rail base and guides it into place. Extremely clever!)

Place the track upside-down in a miter box and, holding it firmly in position against the back of the box, cut the roadbed with a razor saw (below). The first cut to make is the one closer to the index pins. Work slowly and gently, as it's easy to try and force the cutting to go faster, which greatly increases the risk of cutting into the rail—nickel alloy rail is relatively soft and easily damaged. When the cutting starts getting easier and you hear the sound of the saw on metal, stop. You're done cutting.

Slide the roadbed off of the rails, and place the piece back in the miter box for the second cut. This time around you can safely cut all the way through, since the rails aren't there to possibly damage. Use a sharp knife to clean up the two cuts. At this point, things should look like this:

Carefully slide the shortened roadbed piece back onto the rails. Flip the track upside down and, while holding the two roadbed parts firmly together, apply liquid plastic cement; keep holding the assembly until it sets.

You're nearly done; the only things left to do are to cut the rails flush with the end of the roadbed (below), and replace the track connector—it goes back in much easier than it came out, so you can just slip it in with your fingers.

As a final touch, I'll mark the underside of the roadbed with the length or radius and angle of the part so it doesn't get mixed up with any others of a similar size. The end product is all but indistinguishable from unmodified track:

And now for the alternate method, which addresses the different needs of making cut track pieces that are less than half the length of the original part. (Note that this method will also work for track pieces more than half as long, too, which will become a matter of personal preference.)

Here we must take into consideration the fact that the roadbed where the index pins are located will be removed, and the pins need somewhere new to go. The way to address this is to make the cuts on the ties, instead of between them. This opens up new holes for the pins. For the best cosmetic effect, the cuts require a bit more precision, so work carefully until you get the hang of it.

First, mark the roadbed for the cuts, which can be anywhere as long as the connector assemblies remain intact. This time, however, place the track right-side up and mark the ties closest to the cuts (below). Then remove both of the track connectors.

Next comes the cutting, which actually involves three cuts: the first one is necessary in order to release the index pins from the roadbed. With the track upside-down in the miter box, make the first cut just to one side of the pins (below), stopping when you meet the rails. Then, remove both roadbed pieces from the rails.

With the rails out of the picture, precise cutting is a lot easier, since it's done from the top of the roadbed:

Make the cuts such that the spikes are intact on one roadbed part, and absent from the other (below). This can be accomplished reliably by making the first cut just to the right of the spikes, and the second cut right down the middle of the tie. After cleaning up the cuts with a knife, this is how things should look:

Now slide the rails back into one of the roadbed pieces, then slide the other roadbed piece onto the rails. Ensure that the index pins are properly positioned in the holes, then apply liquid cement to the joint.

After trimming the rails on both ends, reinstall the track joiners, and you're finished. The cosmetic results depend on the accuracy of your cuts; if you did a good job, the modification will be virtually invisible:

Although the modification process may sound rather complex, it turns out that it's easier to cut Rokuhan track than Micro-Track. This is due in large part to the fact that much of the cutting is done on the roadbed with the rails removed. Indeed, you may find it preferable to use the second method (the one for shorter pieces) for any length of cut track, simply because the critical cuts are done from the top, sans rails.

With all of the track cutting done, the only thing left to do now is wait for the switches to arrive. Meanwhile, there's no end of other things to do, so although I'm quite anxious to receive the switches, I'll always have something to keep me busy.

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Copyright © 2011-2021 by David K. Smith. All Rights Reserved.