any suggestions on how to respike a rail without replacing the the wooden tie? looking for a way to respike the rail/tie where there is already a spike hole in the tie.
i don’t spike every tie, so i know i can just spike the next tie. But if i’m spiking the end of the rail, i have little choice (i don’t use rail joiners.
i’ve thought is using cyanocrilate glue to stiffen the tie. I also assume i could use the stuff to just glue the rail to the tie, which may be easier than spiking
i’m using microengineering micro-spikes on HO. I have small spike which may be an option.
CA will stiffen the tie. I would respike it and apply CA, then hold it (the spike and rail) in place and apply some accelerator. You could hold the rail down with CA but I don’t think it would stay in place very long. At the ends, how about soldering a small bare wire across the joint? Put it on the rails on the opposie side from the viewing side. Use about an AWG 24 or so, or .025 brass wire.
You could try filling in the hole with Plastic Wood, let dry and respike. Comes in small tubes and tins. Has been out for years, sandable, paintable and drillable. Hardware store or Big box store should have it.
Unless the tie end has developed a split, I do not see the need to use any additional glue, since you are merely seeking to get a good grip on the rail, and fill in the spike hole at the same time. It might be simpler and neater to spike in a larger spike. If you have spiking with small spikes for code 83 rail or smaller, go up to bigger spikes for code 100 rail. Once ballast is in place, you will be the only one to know that the individual spike is larger. If the couple of spots where I had to use finishing nails to hold rail in gauge have been lost to the casual viewer, you will do just as well once all is finished.
Another way is to drill a bigger hole where the old spike was, then glue in a similar sized dowel to fill that bigger hole. When the glue is dry, respike the rail. Pre drill the hole for the spike (make it a few thousandths smaller than the spike). I think CA is brittle when it has cured; the glue joint between the rail and tie could break instead of flex, try to use a glue that doesn’t dry hard (Walthers Goo comes to mind, I’m sure there are many others that will work).
A little trick I learned from an old carpenter. Put a little glue on a wood splinter a little less than the diameter of the hole and drive the new spike in. You could probably use those flat shaped tooth picks. This also works for stripped out holes for threaded fasteners such as plastic truck bolster mounts. But instead of wood use shaved plastic bits and model cement.
If the spikes won’t hold, you have probably split the tie. Driving a “splinter” wedge will only cause further damage and greater spliting. This “dowel trick” is for larger stock for screw repair (hindges, locksets strikers) and really won’t work on such a small piece of basswood. If that grain on that problem tie just allows continued splitting as you try to reposition and anchor the spikes, the CA method is really the only choice w/o replacing the tie. Soldering a small wire also as mentioned would add some additional insurance to keep aligned and in gauge.
When LION ran out of Celotex board, he bought some pink foam. Nails went in real easy, but did not hold tightly. OK, so they held lightly, the track stayed put for more than five years, afterall, nobody told me I couldn’t do that.
NOW, LION has mounted magnets under his trains so that they will trip the signals as they pass. Works reall cool. Also pulls the track nails out of the foam.
LION fixed this by running a pead of Elmer’s Tacky Glue right down the whole length of the rail, payin particular attention to placing some over the top of the offending nails. The clue dried clear, the nails and the tracks will stay put. Bring on the Trains.