New to the hobby

Steve Paul posted:

Looking for some advice for a first time true "layout" builder. I have grown up using Lionel fast track so it has always been easy to put together. I currently have the wood work in place, layer the foam board and installed cork roadbed to the board. I have my track plan sketched out on the layout and am ready to start laying Gargraves track on to the cork board. Looking for some general advice as to how to lay the track on to the cork board. Should I use track screws and drill pilot holes into the track itself so that it doesn't crack or is there a simpler way? Do I need any  sort of track connectors to connect the gargraves track together? Will using track connectors make it easier for wiring? Any suggestions for tools I may need would be really helpful as well. Thanks in advance for any advice received!!

Steve

I used MTH ScaleTrax and drilled a very small pilot hole and installed the track nails. That combined with laying ballast held in place by wet water and matte medium will be more than enough to keep the track in place.  As for track connectors and gargraves, not sure. I soldered my connections and have had no issues with achieving a clean DCS signal. Good luck!

Welcome to the hobby. I feel that there are enough facets to the hobby to keep one interested for a lifetime of variety and interests.

I've been building an all Gargraves-track layout. I drilled pilot holes in the ties to prevent the wooden ties from splitting, then used small black oxide wood screws to hold it down. I used 1/4 spade connectors pushed into the track from underneath for my power leads. I ran leads to each section of track, and ran a heavy gauge power bus underneath the layout deck. Overkill? probably, but I have absolutely no dead spots on my layout. 

If bending Gargraves for the first time. I found the best instructions to be from Gargraves themselves, either packed in the box, or off their web site. I use cutoff wheels from http://www.gyrostools.com on my Dremel to cut the track. A hammer and a block of wood were all I used to bend and lay track well.

The connecting pins supplied on the ends of Gargraves track are sufficient to keep everything together. If you want to create blocks and electrically isolate sections, get a pack of plastic isolation pins from Gargraves specifically made for the job.

I'm sure others will chime in.