Main Street U.S.A. Platform
Train Track Kit Instructions
Introduction
Working with the Disneyland Main Street U.S.A. Platform
A letter to collectors, from Robert Olszewski
Soon you will begin to assemble your Main Street Platform. To make this experience as positive as possible, each of you will need to change from being a collector and cross over to becoming a hobbyist.
Understanding this statement and embracing it, will enable each platform owner to enjoy this project in a way that they could never have imagined. The following statements will help everyone to accomplish this change from collector to hobbyist.
The majority of products offered in the collectible market require only that an item be placed on a shelf or hung on a wal. Once this is done, the object can be enjoyed simply by viewing it. All of the buildings and attractions in the Main Street U.S.A. program were designed with this in mind. However, if the individual wants a larger experience, then the transformation from collector to hobbyist needs to occur.
This transformation will begin as soon as you start to remove the buildings from their bases and place them into the platform unit. By the time the track is in place and the train is operational you will have developed a high comfort level in working with the platform and most importantly, a sense of ownership. As you begin, I would follow this premise "Change the base, not the buildings." The material the base is cast in is softer and will be easier to alter with simple tools, so don't force any pieces into place. The base units, street and side gardens have been designed to be moved around until you find just the right placement.
Spaces or Gaps. Everyones layout including mine, will have spaces and gaps. No final action should be taken on these until all the Main Street units are in place. Once all of the units are in, then a final alignment should be made.
The best material to fill in the gaps will be the easy to work with strips of balsa wood. Painted the right color and easy to alter, the balsa strips will also be the easiest to remove and replace.
Currently, we are exploring some simple flower bed units that will also help transition the gaps that occur between the hedges and the sidewalks. We will keep you updated on our progress.
Some people have asked why have the gaps occured? It is simply because of the casting process. A tool and die approach would have been prohibitive in cost as they orders from Disney did not justify this approach. I knew that Gaps would occur and as I see the final project come together, I have no regrets on my decision to go forward with the platform. The alternative would have been to not do the project at all.
My final thought is this. As you gain more confidence when working with the base you could feel free to alter it in anyway and in any direction your imaginations can take you. This is where the real fun will begin.
Robert Olszewski
DAY ONE
Placement of Train Station, road and Sleeping Beauty’s Castle.
Note: Due to the casting process, the size of all parts (buildings and platform) will vary. We suggest that all buildings be pushed flush to the center street edge. If your platform is going to be moved around, i.e., from room to room, we suggest that you glue the Train Station into place. Balsawood or hobby wood can be purchased at most hobby and craft stores. Only a small amount is needed. Select a thickness that matches the thickness of the rubber risers in your kit. We suggest gluing in the Train Station as it the only unit that will affect the Train Track. Eight one-inch wood strips, secured with white glue should keep the Train Station in place, when turning unit sideways to carry through narrow passage ways such as doors and hallways. Any moving of this kind should be done with utmost caution as the weight of the Train Station will want to pull away from the base if tilted upside down.
Place in Diagram
To check height of the Train Station track bed ends. The first layer of cork in the platform should be even with the Train Station track bed.
Laying First Layer of Cork - DAY TWO
I am breaking this out in days as it is best to take your time and be patient during these steps. Trying to get too much done in one day will cause you to make mistakes. I have laid 4 sets of track in these units and have had the best success when I took my time and enjoyed getting the right results.
Do the curves first. Start with the curve by the Snow White Castle. What you learn here will make the Train Station curve easier. Take one complete strip and lay the cork in the straight section directly behind the castle. Do not use glue yet. Take a pair of scissors and cut the cork every 1 ½ inches starting at the curve. Cut only to the center line. If a section falls out, you can glue it in later, once you are happy with the fit, it’s time to glue. If cut right, the cork should take the curve and lay down naturally. Mark with pencil in the track bed where the cork ends, so you can see where to end the glue. Remove the cork section and apply a generous amount of glue to the track bed. Brush out the glue so it is evenly spread over the entire surface with the glue evened out, lay-in the cork section plus any of the small units that may have fallen off. Keep the cork in the center of the track bed with an even amount of empty space on each side. For extra clearance for trees, the platform track bed is wider than the cork. It is not necessary to have the platform road bed completely filled with cork. Later, the ballast or gravel will cover the openings where the cork does not cover.
Next, do the curve next to the train station. The first layer of cork will fit right up to the train station track bed but will not cover it. With the train station set in, but not glued in, cut the cork angle so the cork fits up against the train station track bed. Cut the 1 ½ splices to take the curves and check for fit. Mark the end of the cork strip to show where you should end the glue. Once you are satisfied with the fit, brush out a generous amount of glue in the platform track bed. Do not glue cork to train station edge.
It might be a good time to check the castle and cork for any lifts and if you find any lifts just add more glue.
Laying in the cork between the curves.
When adding in the straight lengths between the curves trim the ends of the cork so the angles match the curves already in. The fit should be tight. Before gluing, mark the place where the power unit hole locations are, when gluing, add some glue to the ends of the cork that connects to the curve endings. If the cork lifts where the ends meet, put a small piece of scotch tape to connect them together.
Next, lay in the cork in the straight area in front of the train station. Make sure that the cork does not hang out over the edges.
Once all cork is glued in, keep checking for any lifts and make corrections. When the first cork layer is in, let dry until the next day.
Day 3 Time to check the track and glue train station in place.
Find mark you made for the power line and cut a small hole, to fit the wires through. Cut the hole as small as possible. If the hole is too large, you will need to plug it later so gravel doesn’t fall through.
Day 4
Remove the track and complete 2nd layer of cork. Follow the same sequence you did no the first layer of cork. Curves first, then straight.
When you lay in the curve over the train station, the process will be the same but you will need to remove two small sections of cork to fit around the fake gravel on the right and left side of the train station. Do this by laying in the straight section. First, mark the cuts with a pen, remove the 2 sections and proceed to cut the curve with 1 ½ “ spaces. Lay in the cork and make any adjustments before applying glue.
Don’t forget to mark the dot for the power supply lines.
C. Time to check the track.
Assemble the track, and lay track in track bed.
1) Oval
Instruction Change: For better placement to have the entire track run closer to the center of the track bed, I removed (1) 5/8" track unit from Section D.
2) Straight, Front
The extra 5/8" piece can be added here. The purpose of this check is to make certain the transtation track bed is properly aligned with the platform track bed so that the train cars clear the station building edges.
Once the track is asembled and in the track bed, take a box car fromn your kit and set it on the rails and push it past the station. This simiple check will assure you that you can move ahead and glue the station in place.
For your information, besides providing a road bed, the purpose of the cork is to absorb the sound of the engine so it runs quietly. Running the same engine on a piece of plywood without the cork would make for a noisy unit. Because the cork is so easy to work with, any mistakes you feel you have made can easily be corrected. Just fill in any mistakes with scrap pieces of work so relax and have fun and enjoy yourself.
Day 5 Laying Track – be patient and take your time.
Cut power line hole and place power lines down through the hole and to the outside of base. Even though the track is only connected with track connectors and not nailed to cork, you should be able to do a first test run to check for placement as close to center of track bed and check to make certain cars miss the train station over hang.
Front Straight Track –
What you do with the front straight track section will be based on whether you intend to connect this section to another layout. There is no intention by Disney to create other lands at this time. The straight track section was included and extended so a larger layout could be added. If you intend yourself to actually run cars on the straight track section, you will need to make some modifications to the railroad ties. This is necessary so an engine and box car can make it pass the ????. The modification needed is as follows. Assemble the entire length of track and lay on cork so the track is centered right and left. On the end of the train station track bed you will see two fake gravel sections at each end. Cut the railroad ties that are next to these units so the track can shift toward the train station. This extra shift will allow enough room for an engine and cars to make it bypass the trees. If you do not intend to ever actually use this section, then just lay in straight track in nail in place.
Once you are satisfied with the track placement you can begin to nail down the track to the cork. We have used standard industry materials when possible, but we were not able to find track nails shorter than the ones provided. Because the road bed is a hard resin, the nails will not go into the resin surface and will set too high on the surface of the plastic railroad ties causing the train to sop. To over this we have to choices:
Once you cut a few of these it will get easier. To set the track placement, nail down only lengths of 12” apart. Run the train and look for problem areas. Track laying will require the most patience. To test your track, run the engine with one or two box cars on it. As the train travels around, the problem areas will become obvious. Now is the time to make adjustments look for these problems.
The nails for the railroad ties in front of the train station will need to be cut to a one cork thickness, not a two-cork thickness.
Once the track is completely nailed in place and tested, a tiny spot of super glue could be applied to the edge of the railroad ties and to the nail heads. Be extremely careful not to get glue on the metal rail lines.
This final spot gluing will secure the track placement and ready the track for the next step. Let the unit dry for 1 day before testing with the engine and box cars again.
If the test goes well, you are ready to add the ballast.
Ballast (This will take more than one day)
To do ballasts properly, we suggest you purchase Woodland Scenics Instruction Guide from your local hobby or train shop.
As an artistic recommendation, use the smallest rock size or ballast size you can find. Also you should look at the colors available and mix your own color combination. The travel or ballast at the park appears to be a gray rock. You can purchase a straight grey rock and lay in dry section to see how it looks. Use a vacuum to remove it before you go on to the ??? final application.
To do this properly it is imperative that you fall out the instructions completely as outliner in the book. Covering the track with masking tape is a must and will take a long time. Do it right and take your time.
The book should take you to completion.
Doing this will take some time but you will have a project you will be very proud of, especially as you add your own individual custom accents.
People may ask why we chose this particular track approach as it is fairly complex to install. Atlas was the only company that made a 9 ¾ radius curve that could fit a 30” table width. If we had used a snap track 11” radius, the width of the unit would have increased substantially and would not have been as compact.
Note: NEVER use steel wool to clean your track. Rubber track cleaning tools are inexpensive and readily available at all train stores. Clean regularly to remove engine oils from the track to assure consistent high performance from your engine.
Power Hook Up
Collectors should be aware that the power lines enclosed in our kit are designed for all standard train transformers. The transformer that came with your train was designed for a different track system but it can easily be adapted to fit your layout. Simply trim ½ inch of plastic from both power lines to expose ½ inch of wire. Twist each wire separately to increase the wires strength. Bend wire back in a U-shaped loop and insert each loop into the black tab on the wires of your transformer. Tape to hold in place. This simple adaptation will save you the purchase of a new transformer as the transformer you already own is adequate to do the job you need.