Handlaying track

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I’m gonna try my hand at handlaying track and I was wondering if anyone could point me to get more information and supplies to do it, thankyou all

2

Fast tracks jigs for when it comes to making turnouts.

3

There is a very recent thread (last few days) over on the ‘layout/layout building’ forum related to this subject that has some good links in it, go check it out I think it’s what you are looking for.

Have fun & be safe,
Karl.

4

rail, ties, spikes, needlenose pliers, vise, rail nippers, NMRA gauge, PC ties (to make throw rod).

all I use.

just knowledge

5

jadormdrache,

Here’s the link to the thread that Karl was refering to: http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=41594

Tom

6

thankyou all)

7

I am building an HO layout based on the Washington, Idaho & Montana Ry., a backwoods common carrier in North Idaho, as it appeared in 1955. I am on a tight budget, so I was already planning to handlay track when I was shown a document indicating that the WI&M used very few tie plates during that period. So, using handlaid track is more prototypical for my railroad!

My benchwork is several sections of 1/2" plywood covered with 2" pink extruded foam. To give my track spikes more to bite into than the ties, I have used Liquid Nails to glue Homabed to the foam, and white glue to attach the ties to the Homabed. Laying straight or curved track is pretty simple using a pair of three-point gauges, needle nose pliers and and NMRA gauge for final check.

As for the turnouts, I have combined two techniques following articles by a gentleman (whose name I can’t recall) in the May 1978 MR and one by Tony Koester in the Dec 1989 MR. I bought a bunch of PC board ties (mostly the standard .062" ties and one package of the “low profile” .031" ties for the throw bar) from Clover House (Fast Tracks also makes these), and I lay them in place of the wood ties in the spots where the gauge must be held. I follow the Koester techniques for laying and ballasting the ties (I sand the wood ties until they are level with the PC ties, being careful to not remove the copper layer), laying rail, hand filing points and frogs, and forming the guard rails. I solder the rails to the PC ties first, and when I can run a car through the turnout smoothly in all four directions I come back to place a few spikes in the wooden ties. Using “low profile” ties for the throwbar reduces problems with loose ballast keeping the points from moving easily.

I just built the first one this way and it has worked out really well (my earlier attempts were all wood ties with not as nice results). It took me less than 2 hours to lay rail after the ties were in place, and I expect the next ones will not take nearly as long.

8

One thing to try to lay your hands on is a Kadee Spiker. You can find them on Ebay occasionally, but (not advertised) you can order the parts from Kadee and build one, which I did. I believe they’re around $130 now.