4-rail track without tears?

None at all!

The centre rail is just glued to the middle of the track as the pots disappear in filth very quickly. In scale, the centre rail needs to be just 1mm above the running rails. Because there are track pins in some of the sleepers holding the track in position, you get pretty close to scale height just by having these push the centre rail up slightly.

For the outer rail I just use track pins with the circular white collar from the Peco bits, with the N gauge rail glued on top. I miss out the fiddly 'pot' that comes with the Peco pack as I think it's far too fiddly and just too tricky to get 'right'.

According to Tueprunes data on the dimensions of the rail heights the fourth rail is only 1 1/4" above the running rail. This equates to 0.5mm in 4mm scale. I shall be having mine level too! I will probably use code 100 track with code 60 third and fourth rail. I wil use the Peco 'pots' for the third rail. I asked the Hornby Magazine people about thier 'Bay Street' layout and that is what they had used. They had no trouble with thier robustness despite doing several shows a year. I will use the 'pots' but not the collars to give a little bit of clearance. As for the centre rail I will probably use the collars left over to raise the surface up to match the running lines. I also have noticed that Bachmann locos have clearance issues as do Tenshodos with small wheels.

All I have to do now is start a layout........

By the way, Quality work on the display. It really looks the part.

It's when you use Code 75 track that you get the issues with fouling the 4th rail. A good check is to use a loco like a Bachmann 40 0r a Hornby 08 both of which have a nice bulge in their base-plates to house the drive gear- if they clear the 4th rail you have no trouble with the majority of stock.

If you are using tension lock couplings you will need to shorten reduce the length of the tail on the hook as that can foul the 4th rail and derail the train.

XF

I've taken a few more recent pics of parts of the layout, for use with the display in early May:

How to Cheat at 4 Rail seems self explanatory but what else might be Underground related?

Ok, just about to order a load of fine scale code 75 track and once my back is better will crack on with stage 1 of Harrow. The question is painting and ballasting with juice rails!

I usually like to lay the track, spray it grey and browns then dry ballast and weather the whole lot. The idea of an ink wash meant the glue lost key with the ballast and it started to fall off.

What are people's thoughts on adding the juice rails to this process? Fix all four rails then ballast? Ballast and the fix the juice?

Finally how should one clean the running rails???