Hello I getting ready to hand lay my ho track I would like to know what kinda glue do I need to use to glue the wood ties to the road bed. thanks
Almost any kind of glue will work. If it is a very hard glue, you want to avoid getting it thick. A hard thick glue, such as used in plywood between plies, will curl spikes.
I have used white and yellow glue; I recommend diluting them to half strength with water, to avoid getting them too thick. I have also used powdered wood glue, mixed less than full strength.
I am looking forward to trying diluted matte medium and latex caulk the next time around as experiments.
You do want to coordinate the glue setting time with how big a stretch of ties you lay at once, and how fast you lay them. I also add an initial layer of ballast while the glue is still wet, so I prefer a somewhat slow setting glue. The next evening or day, I will come back to sand, vacuum, and restain the ties before spiking rail.
Just my experiences
Fred W
I too would be in the white glue or diluted matte-medium camp. I’ve also had luck with the paste type that I brush on until it is a pretty thin coat. The problem with the paste type is that it dries really quick, so one must be ready to get those ties down fast.
The problem with the white glue is that it eventually turns brittle. I had a layout done in 1983, by the year 2000 the rail was just popping and cracking off the road bed.
Please pardon my lack of knowledge, but is it absolutely necessary to glue the tracks to the sleepers as well as spike them?
No, but that’s not what the IP asked. The question concerned securing the wooden ties to the roadbed.
Personally, I anchor the ties under my hand-laid specialwork to the roadbed with grey latex caulk. It is forgiving about allowing ‘tweaking,’ for a few minuted at least. It also seems to help the spikes get a grip on a stack of rather soft materials (medium balsa ties, card stock track template, extruded foam roadbed.)
I have had specialwork laid in this manner in service for over three years now, with no problems involving loose spikes or failed adhesive.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
No. I’ve used just spikes to hold the rails to the ties for years. There are those who glue their rail instead of spiking. Generally, Pliobond or Barge’s Cement are preferred for gluing rail to ties (sleepers).
I would not want to try placing rails on ties that were not already glued in place. Way too many moving parts without special jigs! Which is what the OP asked - gluing the ties to the roadbed.
Fred W
I hand laid N scale track a loooonnnngggg time ago. I followed this sequence with the ties:
1 block sanded the cork roadbed
2 spread about 6" of carpenters glue (yellow) on the roadbed and placed the ties, repeat as necessary.
3 block sanded the ties
4 stained the ties
5 balasted the ties and glued the ballast down with the usual white glue/water/soap souution
6 Let it all dry really good and lay the rail, with spikes.
My feeling is that the ballast glue helped keep the ties from splitting.
Here’s the results:
Ok thats what I thought I have tryed both kinds of glue and when I go to sand them seems like I get a lot of ties coming off what is the propblem
When I did mine, I kept the glue full strength and applied it fairly heavily - like a good coat of paint. Then I let it dry completely after embedding the ties in it. I also used fairly fine sand paper - 120 grit.
You didn’t say what roadbed you were using. Assuming a wood products roadbed like pine, Homasote, cork (I dislike cork, especially for handlaid track) and unpainted ties, white or yellow glue or adhesive caulk or matte medium should hold well enough for light sanding pressure. Painting the ties or using a water-based or heavy stain in advance might reduce the holding power of the glue.
I use a sanding boat - a piece of 1x2 pine about 9" long - with a strip fine grit sandpaper cut from sheets. The bottom end corners of the boat are well rounded so as not to snag the ties. I sand until the stain or color has been affected on all ties, meaning they should now be level. Then I reapply diluted stain as desired.
Fred W