Which cork roadbed for an Atlas #5 turnout? Is it considered a medium or large radius turnout?
Thanks!
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I presume your planning on buying precut cord switch blocks. A #5 is a small/medium radius. But consider just using the regular cork strips and creatng your own, it's simple, and cork cuts easily.
Bob
A numbered turnout does not have a radius as such but rather an angle expressed as a ratio of divergence. There is an effective radius or substitute radius based on angle of divergence over the length of the turnout.
An easy way to lay the cork is to simply draw out the centerline of each right of way then alternately lay half of the roadbed and fan apart as you pass through the points. I find that using a 5/8" brad gun shooting every couple of inches will get the cork in place very rapidly. If you can not get the air pressure adjusted low enough shoot through a dummy top spacer of scrap cork to have a necessary height of brad remaining.
Midwest Products also sells cork sheets in two widths, about 5" and about 11" I use the narrow ones under my Atlas O turnouts..
Also note that cork roadbed is intended to be a base for track and is usually covered with a suitable ballast once the track is laid. So it doesn't necessarily need to be artful, just a level surface that's all. You can cut it and fit it and also sand it as you please and small gaps are tolerated and disappear once the aforementioned ballast is added.
Good Luck!
Bob
