is there any problem with reusing old track?  I mean dug up track that has been glued down and or ballasted?

any issues or problems to look out for?

what about reusing old points?

cheers


tim

Depends on what sort of track if it's Kato Unitrak then it is designed to be lifted and relayed

 

There should be no problem if the ballasted track is removed carefully. There are a number of posts on the forum that contain information on how to do this, if you check out the trackwork threads or use the search function.

Peco points are particularly fragile and require extra care. 

If it's been stuck/ballasted with PVA then soaking in warm water should clean it up nicely


Paul

My ONLY advice regarding points is to take care and look carefully at what, if you ever do, are buying.

I made the mistake of buying a bundle of 5 points, the top one was OK but not wonderful but the other 4 that were held together with VERY sticky tape were really crappy sorry, rubbish with the frogs worn away!  They had obviously been lifted and NOT carefully.

Other than that I cannot say because I anm constantly using track that has been laid and lifted several times by myself but not ballasted or stuck down.

Regards, Peter.

Unless you can inspect used track or know for sure it's in good condition
it's probably best to avoid s/h stuff , especially with points.

Track is relatively cheap and it's not worth the bother of fitting
dodgy stuff.

Hi
I have successfully used old Peco flexible track and points even though they were covered in dust and grime. I put them on the garage floor and  steam cleaned them using a household steam cleaner with just the jet (no tools attached). A surprising amount of muck was dissolved just by the steam. They came up as new. I then allowed them to dry by either supporting them on wood blocks or hanging them up. Not sure how much ballast and glue can be removed by this method it will depend on the glue used I expect. As the steam requires no mechanical scrubbing it does not damage the small parts on points.

Cheers

Mac