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William from the UK made a comment on a previous blog which I have listed below for everyone starting out and wanting to know the best surface materila.
In reply to your query on my blog - see below brought the boat., as i have a lot of lake coverage, and i have brought the woodland scenics material for the water, my concern is now finding on the info!!, the covering should be 0.25mm thick then mentions 0.4mm thick, and to use acetate, The surface material is a key factor on lakes. I personally do not like the water mix materials as they give an unrealistic shiny reflection under lights which diminishes the Magic of the Magnorail System. I have used, and sell in our web shop, the embossed PVC material which has an effect that looks like small ripples on a lake and diffuses any reflected light. The trick is to paint the underside but it requires some preparation otherwise the paint will just scrape off as the magnets and rack underneath gradually keep rubbing against it. The other alternative is to print your water shading and stick that to the underneath of the PVC and in that way you can control your shading better via your printer. The thickness of the PVC and other surfaces is important as the the thicker the material, the harder the magnets have to work to drag the boats along. My Crater Lake and Echo Lakes layouts give you an idea of the effect that it is obtained. I have a YouTube video showing the preparation and application of the surface - https://youtu.be/MX8nobuOOdA what would you suggest, also i would like to buy the cars and bicycle, what thickness should this be, as i will have to paint or buy some road materials, again what would you suggest. thank you. Once again I have used a different approach to this as I am not a master modeller and if I can use other tools and technology to make up for my lack of skill, I will! I use my laminator (A3 size). I print my road bed that I whether it be it tarmac, dirt or concrete, with kerbing, manholes, rough edges etc, onto A3 paper - If you don’t have access to an A3 printer, you can take your files to an OfficeWorks or similar outlet and have them print it and laminate it. I do recommend that you have it done in a Matt laminate, as this also enhance the Magic with out getting horrible reflections from lighting. Real roads do not reflect street lights etc and neither should your layout. There is a video on this as well https://youtu.be/epfSQr9vmTU The PVC comes in large rolls 55cm x110cm and are about .5mm thick. The laminated paper ends up being .2mm thick I hope this answers a lot of your questions. I have been selling more product in to UK since Brexit as the European suppliers seem to be hesitant to sell to you lot. Check out prices and exchange rates though, Postage is probably a bit longer and higher, but I am always happy too advise via email as I am passionate about the Magnorail System.
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"Old Place" a viewer of our klatcho56 YouTube Channel wanted to know "How is longevity on the magnorail? It looks great, just concerned about having to rip everything out to repair it. Also, how much of an incline can it handle?"
The Magnorail System is constantly being updated where needed but the basic concept of a chain travelling through channelling is timeless, however, the drive system is the weakest link when operating as the motive power is transmitted through two rubber O rings that rotate against the side of the chain. New motors in late 2020/2021 have been upgraded across the starter sets with much quieter and higher torque ratios. We do sell replacement O rings in our web shop. Obviously the O rings will wear down over an extended period of time (Years not months) when handling heavy loads such as die cast vehicles or a large number of bikes or boats on one circuit. The solution is to plan ahead by ensuring the motor housing can be either dropped down from under the track, or alternatively have part of the roadway able to be removed. I always recommend that a road section above the drive housing be disguised by either a shed or shrubbery so that it can be lifted off to access the housing. The joint can be covered with matt clear tape so that bicycles and slider do not catch as they pass over the joins. The other point to having an accessible section is that you can lift off the disguise to show people how Magnorail works as they are usually mystified as to how your cyclists and vehicles are magically moving. As to inclines, Magnorail can handle the angles as the magnets pulling power is relative to the bicycles or vehicles grip. A steep incline would need need a stronger magnet on say a die cast vehicle than a plastic one. Bicycles should manage most inclines. The catch is the access and egress from the incline as a sharp transition from incline to flat would possibly have vehicles especially, to become disengaged from the track magnets. So the solution would be a more gradual transition. Check out theses two videos where sharper inclines are featured. https://youtu.be/4AhQA_8Py-s https://youtu.be/x91DP19ZR2Q We are always happy to answer your queries via email at magnorailoz@gmail.com The Magnorail System is constantly being updated where needed but the basic concept of a chain travelling through channelling is timeless, however, the drive system is the weakest link when operating as the motive power is transmitted through two rubber O rings that rotate against the side of the chain. The Magnorail System is constantly being updated where needed but the basic concept of a chain travelling through channelling is timeless, however, the drive system is the weakest link when operating as the motive power is transmitted through two rubber O rings that rotate against the side of the chain. An often raised problem for people with the Magnorail cyclists is when the cyclists throw back their knee like a Chicken or Emu when they lay down. Laurina from Western Australia brought this up again so here is the explanation I gave her. The solution is a small pin or piece of plastic inserted into the bicycle frame to restrain the legs from doing that. The photos show where this pin on some models comes preinstalled but also where to attach a pin if you are having this problem. Why it was not consistent across the range I don't know. The pin stops the thigh part of the leg from reversing its action. I spoke to Loek (the inventor of Magnorail) and he couldn't remember why they stopped inserting the pin but that aside, it is a fairly simple fix.   After a shaky start back in March, things have settled down in the hobby industry and people are getting used to the idea that exhibitions and shows are probably off for the rest of this year.
MagnorailOz regular attended many exhibitions in support of the various clubs in our home state of Victoria in Australia. Our own club - Grampian Model Railroaders cancelled its July exhibition and is planning for its smaller one in February at Ararat, a nearby town. Luckily being in Regional Victoria we have been able to meet again at our club rooms but under the strict distancing guidelines and recording of visitor details in a log book. With the demise of international air travel, our customers were hit hard as well as our suppliers, with delays over 4 weeks in getting parcels through the system. Some countries were either being stopped for deliveries all together whilst others were waiting over a month just to leave here once processed through customs. I am pleased to advise that things are getting back to some sort of normalcy with shipments to USA & Europe back to 10+ working days and New Zealand 5 working days. Some South East Asian countries are still experiencing delays up to 15 working days, but at this point in time we have not lost any shipment - they always eventually turn up. The various lockdowns have seen good sales for us as people obviously have more spare time on their hands with clubs and extracurricular activities severley curtailed. If you need questions answered before you purchase, check out our FAQ pages here on our web site, or go to our YouTube channel and watch one of the hundreds of vis=deos showcasing the Magical Magnorail System. Please stay safe - Happy Modelling - Clyde YES, WE LAUNCHED OUR CONCEPT LAYOUT AT AUSTRALIA'S LARGEST HOBBY FAIR IN MARCH! The "Proof of Concept" layout consisted of 6 Lego roadway base boards overlaid a Magnorail loop. I am pleased to say that it worked satisfactorily. We will start fine tuning the concept and put together a starter pack with extra magnets and instructions on how to get all your Lego cars, boats, spaceships and planes (on the tarmac only) moving along in your Lego cities. Check out our video on how we created the layout at https://youtu.be/HuRC_dLL974  MagnorailOz will be at the Sandown Model SHow for the Victorian long weekend March 7-9. The show held at the Sandown Racecourse Springvale, is the largest show in the state and covers a huge range of hobbies - not just model trains.. We will be in the first floor area so climb the golden stairs - or at leat go up the escalators or lift and call and say hello. See you there - Clyde
Whilst we have plenty of stock at the moment, if you are planning to instal al Magnorail System over the holiday period, don't leave it too late to order. We will be closed over the Christmas to New Year break but back on board January. Some exciting new items coming in 2020 so keep your eyes out here for details, but also our Instagram, Facebook and YouTube channel
Yes we did get stock through and we have fulfilled all our backorders (over 26 of them). The web site has been updated BUT it is summer holidays in Europe now and our manufacturer is away until the end of July when hopefully we can get orders going again, BUT another BUT, there has been difficulty sourcing the medium motors and they are supposedly arriving now at the end of August which means bicycle starter kits will be restricted until early September.
Once again, thank you for your patience as these teething problems are sorted - we know it has been many months but it will be worth it. We have been advised that stock is starting to flow again and we should be receiving some after Easter. There are still not huge quantities but Magnorail are trying to catch up with a huge back order across the world. It is as though the spark has lit a bonfire and model railroad hobbyists have seen the power of the Magnorail MAGIC in videos and in person at exhibitions. As promised, MagnorailOz will honour all its back orders first before placing new stock on the web shop. We will be offering either the creation of a PayPal invoice or direct debit. First time overseas purchasers will be given the option by invitation of a charge free money transfer through TransferWise for their first transaction between AUD$300-500. Check them out at https://transferwise.com and see how it works
We sincerely apologise for the delay which has been completely out of our hands but it will be worth the wait to bring a little bit of magic to your layout. This is a series of Queries and Answers from and to Anthony in the USA regarding his proposed Z scale Magnorail layout and he road surface thickness and materials to use.
Anthony When I search for A3 laminating pouches I see them with 3 mil and 5 mil thicknesses. Isn't this too thick? I thought if using photo paper you don't want it more than .4 mils. I tried printing out some samples of road patterns from the site in N scale size and only get something so small you can't really see what the pattern is. Maybe I need to play with my printer adjustments. I have seen some fairly thin laser cut cardstock roads that may work though I am concerned a little about their thickness. I believe they are all under 1mm thick. Anthony Hi Anthony If you are laminating, the paper can be 80gsm or standard copy paper. The laminating process automatically enhances the photo or artwork. I am sure you can find laminating pouches which are thinner as well as photo paper which is more light weight. Some pouches are heavier gauge as they want the finished product to be more robust for menus or placemats. If you go to https://www.globalplasticsheeting.com/mil-thickness-compared-to-mm-millimeter-and-inches you will see that US mil is totally different to international metric millimetres - so it is all in the translation - so you should be looking at about 1mil if you can get it. We also classify our pouches in microns and 80 microns is the standard laminate thickness here. I would suggest going to Staples or Office Depot and see if they have any off cuts from their laminating service area and check them in a micrometer so you know exactly the thickness you need. As you are you using z or N scale? The vehicles are lighter and the magnetism factor is enhanced I would assume and road bed thickness may not be as critical as you are moving lighter vehicles. A bit of trial and error, but I have found the Matt laminating surface to be reliable and also cleanable as slider residue can build up. The original suggestions for using photopaper recommended spraying with a matte medium after painting or coloring it. Does the friction from the sliders wear it away over time? does it need to be refreshed? I'm not sure yet which surface option I will go with but if I wanted to use the photo paper or a thin cardstock I want to make sure it doesn't get ruined in short time. Thanks! After 30 hours of continuous action at exhibitions, I generally get a soft cloth and some multi purpose cleaner and give the track a good rub down. This generally gets rid of any residue from the sliders plus all the dust and muck that accumulates from being in a dusty public place - just like trains, you need to maintain the track, so you want the roadbed to be reasonably durable which I have found my laminating option to work well. As you were talking about Z scale, I would suggest that any vehicles you have will be extremely light and you may get away with attaching magnets directly to the body of the vehicle. I have done this with the John Deere lawn mower you will see in some of my latest videos. I actually drilled out a small cavity so the magnets sit up in the body so that when placed on the track, they do not actually make contact but the magnets are strong enough to attract the the track magnets and get pulled along. With Z scale you should be able to get away with possibly even the pin head size magnets that came with your sliders and would normally be stuck on the sliders. I then stick a small piece of velour (comes in rolls with self adhesive back - craft shops or hardware stores should have it) and is used on ornament bases to stop them scratching bench tops. This has to be attached with the pile going the correct way so that it is smooth when the vehicle goes forward and reduces friction. Doing it this way means that your vehicle is running on its wheels but still being pulled along and if the bottom does touch the road surface, the velour should not mark the roadbed as easily whilst not impeding the movement. Hope this helps - try some experimenting. Remember if you use superglue and need to remove a magnet that might have flipped and reversed the polarity, you cause nail polish remover with acetone in it which frees the glue but be careful that you don’t melt your vehicle in the process if it is a light plastic. |
AuthorClyde has been involved for many years with the Magnorail system having initially built his own layout "Echo Lakes" featuring two concepts using the Magnorail System. In 2019 he rebirthed his layout as Crater Lake featuring four Magnorail circuits plus an Ho3 train line around the perimeter which is now the Magnorail flagship for exhibitions. Archives
June 2021
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