Removing and re-using track

[MarkOg]

Gents

I have a large double loop layout up in the loft with around 13 motorized points. I may be able to move it to the warmer surroundings of the garage! Most of the track is pinned down, but unfortunately it is also all ballasted using 50/50 PVA. Given the cost of the track and points and their relative newness, I'd like to reuse the track and the points. Therefore

What is the best method of dissolving the PVA and releasing the ballast so I can then remove and re-use the track/points. Not too bothered about saving the ballast?

Once the track is released from the existing boards, can I soak it in anything to get it like new?

Many thanks

Mark

[Bufferstop]

My experience is that the PVA does not actually stick to the sleepers. Slide a metal ruler or similar under the sleepers, slide it along until you encounter a pin, remove the pin and repeat, untill you can lift a section of track. Hold It over a large sheet of paper then poke out the ballast from between the sleepers. Put a clean bag in the vacuum or use a small bagless one. Collect the recovered ballast. I use it for sidings and yards, mix it in with some new ballast. There's no rule that says all the ballast must be the same shade, there can be a distinct change in colour where a section has been re ballasted.

[centenary]

Remove the point motors and track pins first. Then spray lots of water onto the ballast, let it soak in and keep wet. Then use something like a 3 or 4 inch wide putty knife or wallpaper scraper to get under the ballast and track. Gently break the ballast, any trackbed and track up slightly from the baseboard. You might also want to remove or cut out the fishplates before trying to separate the ballast \ track from the baseboards

[Bigmet]

Coming late to this. The processes recommended will work so much better (more quickly and 'co-operatively') in warm weather. A useful piece of kit is a deep sided plastic tray long enough for flexitrack pieces - garden centres have them for putting flower pots in - four feet long and six inches deep will accomodate a lot of lifted track for prolonged soaking of the ballast until it readily falls off. You really want the ballast adhesive to have all the strength of the skin on rice pudding to avoid even minor damage to the rail chairs in particular.

[Mountain]

Flat bladed scraping tool of some sort?