Cork Track Strips Light N (6 x 0.6 m)

Cork bed for track, N gauge, 3.6 meters

A set of cork strips for building a bed under track in N gauge. The box contains six strips of sixty centimeters each, three point six meters in total, and the finish is light. The profile matches the smaller gauge, so the bed is not oversized in proportion to the model.

Why not use a bed from a larger gauge

Because the permanent way would be too wide and too tall. In N gauge every millimeter shows and an oversized bed lifts the track above the surrounding terrain more than reality warrants. A correctly chosen profile, by contrast, keeps the proportion while retaining both functions of a bed: the shape of the slopes under the ballast and the damping of noise between track and baseboard.

How to lay the strips

• Draw the route on the baseboard and glue the strips along the line
• Glue with PVA glue and weigh them down until dry
• On curves, nick the strip slightly on the outside
• Sand the joints flat
• At turnouts, make up the shape from a cork sheet

Who it is for

For builders of N gauge layouts who are laying out a line. The manufacturer is a German company specializing in scenery accessories, and production takes place in Germany. In the small gauges it goes double that unevenness in the bed will show in running qualities, so it pays to sand the joints carefully before the track is laid. At turnouts and station areas the strips are made up with a cork sheet cut as needed. Before you cover the bed with ballast, run the longest train you intend to operate over the line.