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Further to the article on tacking below. The person is using and old set of train bogies with metal wheels which of course will lead to tracking - The following could help.
If you look closely the blue chain links are finely engineered with a ridge that runs on the undersurface of the roadbed. Ensure your magnets are pushed in flush within the links cavity for the magnets. Any proud edge will rub on the surface. You should always have the roadbed perfectly flush with the top of the channeling so there is major lifting the chain as this may also precipitate the chain lifting out completely and jamming. The underside of your road bed is just as important so make sure you give it enough protective coats of paint as hard continuous use will wear away the surface covering both sides. Th only other option with your wheel hack is to get something like duct tape and cut a fine strip and wrapped it around the wheels so that it is not the metal running on the road surface rather the duct tape insulating it which should not track on your paint so easily. Hope this helps - Clyde
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The following query came through on our Facebook page
My "vehicle" has no wheels, so I have mounted a TT scale railroad truck on the underside of the vehicle. My concern is the metal train wheels will "scratch/leave rub marks" any surface paint as we see the sliders do. I am planning to use thin, clear acrylic as a top surface, with a dirt road surface painted on the bottom/track side of the acrylic and just paint the top of the acrylic with a matt finish to dull the shine. Do the magnets in the track and/or the track itself rub against the bottom of whatever ones uses as a top surface? The question that popped in my head is if the magnets on the vehicle will pull the track magnet up to run along the bottom of the road surface material, in essence defeating the purpose of using paint on the bottom side. My Reply was Tracking from tyres is common unless they are rubber, however if you mount magnets directly onto the chassis so they just clear the roadbed, they will still be pulled along by the track magnets but will not leave a mark on the roadbed. The more coats of matt finish will help and also a light rub over with steel wool will smooth the surface without removing the protection - it is like sanding it down! Paul from New Zealand wrote : Hi Clyde, I am interested to know what you have used to paint your road surface on top of the photo card. On all my roads to date, I have used black blackboard paint. After it is dry I rub grey pastel chalk over the surface giving a fairly realistic look. I am not so sure that this will be suitable for the magnorail surface as I presume it will leave a track mark. I would be interested in your comments. Our Answer was:-I actually print my roadbeds and then matt laminate them - I have a video on my channel in the Echo Lakes section on how I do this. What you are proposing is okay but I would finish it off with two or more coats of a matt varnish like Estapol. This will avoid obvious tracking on a chalky base. You can rub Estapol down once completely dry, with steel wool which will give it a smooth surface to get rid of any brush marks. Also I am steering people away from Sliders which do leave a tracking line, and suggest attaching neodymium magnets directly to the chassis on the front just in the middle above the axle or just in front. Check that the wheels are free running and not fixed to the axle as the Magnet will grab the axle if it is metal and stop it from turning. If that is so you would locate it just in front or behind of the axle. In most cases you only need one magnet but if it is a die cast truck or heavy vehicle, two magnets spaced to match the track magnets is the go. The magnets should be high enough to clear from the chassis to about1-2mm above the roadbed. Any track marks will be only from Tyres then and if Estapol'ed, a quick rub with a light rag with Turpentine on it or just a multi surface cleaner will clean up after a long run-in session or exhibition if that is what you are doing.. Hope this helps  PVC water effect sheets available in Web Shop 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. "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 [email protected] 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.  Fixing cyclist pedal action  Fixing cyclist pedal action 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. |
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
May 2022
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