I have been experimenting with track spikes through ties outside of the rails as opposed to my current method of track nails through ties between the rails. Why, you ask? Because I cannot stand the appearance of track nails between the rails when viewed through the eyes of a mini-cam. The nail heads look like bowling balls.
When working with the track spikes, I am making extensive use of straight edge tools to get the track laser straight.
But, what I notice, whether using nails or spikes, is that the portions of the flex track between the nails/spikes can still move laterally. So, it requires a fair number of nails/spikes, closely spaced, to ensure that the flex track doesn’t move laterally. Maybe, that is the advantage of caulk over nails/spikes.
Anyhow, for those of you who use nails or spikes to secure flex track, how many do you use per 36" section of flex track?
i know this isn’t the answer you’re looking for, but some thoughts
for hand laid track, every 5th tie is good enough. but this is to prevent the rails from spreading apart and the wheels dropping down between them. the ties are glued in place. obviously not the problem with flex.
when reading Tony Koester’s article on hand laid turnouts, he always encouraged you to try, because you can always just scrap it up if you screw up. not very permanent (GE – good enough)
have you considered glueing down the track? you shouldn’t have to use a strong glue, just something to hold it in place. use nails to hold it in place until the glue dries or weights (especially if foam)
may i ask, why are you rebuilding your layout? best of luck
I use a track nail in every hole to keep the track in place then pull them after ballasting. A small dob of tie color paint fills the holes so the track cam doesn’t see them.
Mel
Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951
Good question. I build my current layout in stages, starting in 2005, then adding to it in 2007, 2009, 2012, and 2014. It was pseudo-prototypical in part and freelance in part. Overall, the track plan made little sense.
But, worse than that, it was not level and the track work was anything but straight. I have a love/hate relationship with it. When I bought the mini cam and filmed videos around the layout, I was aghast at how awful my track work looked. And, it was terribly overballasted. Other than that, it was fine. LOL
My new layout will occupy the same space and will follow a similar footprint. But, it will be level, and the track will be laser straight. To answer your other question, I have thought about securing the roadbed and track with caulk. In fact, that would probably be a whole lot easier than nailing or spiking. I have to think more about that.
Sheldon and Randy, and others who have recommended using caulk:
Tomorrow morning I am going to the club with the Pres. to look at our ‘wiggley’ track. I’m going to strongly suggest that we use caulk when we straighten the track out and for all future track laying.
Rich, I found that when I first layed the track, using track nails, everything looked good until a couple of days later, and suddenly the “straight” track wasn’t. I’m not sure why it changed, as the room temperature varies little, even between summer and winter, and the room is unheated/uncooled, but well insulated. Most of the wiggles could be easily corrected by pushing the nail-head in the proper direction, although a few needed to be pulled and repositioned. I do straights by-eye, as most are too long for any easily manipulated straightedge.
I left the layout for a couple of months, to see if anymore movement took place, but there was none, so I went ahead and ballasted.
I also solder all turnouts in place, and secure them with nails too: a floating turnout is trouble waiting to happen - most of the track I’ve lifted over the years has been turnouts that were no longer needed in the location where they were originally installed, and all were easily re-used elsewhere.
I soldered all of my rail joints, then cut electrical gaps where needed (DC operation). In all of the time that the layout’s been here, I’ve not had further track movement nor any buckling.
I don’t know what caused the initial movement - perhaps gluing the track in place prevents it, but if I need to remove track, as I have several times after ballasting, a soaking with “wet” water and a scraper lifts track or turnouts without difficulty and they’re completely re-useable (of course, for that, I also had to remove the nails - their appearance doesn’t otherwise bother me).
As Mel has suggested, if you use nails, simply remove them after ballasting. If you’re putting them near the ends of the ties, you should be using twice as many as you would if you simply used the holes provided by Atlas - one on each end of the tie used, and at about the same spacing as the almost-pre-drilled holes which Atlas provides.
I use neither nails nor caulk. I have founds screws with washers between the ties works well. Easy control so minimal downward pressure on the ties and allows a small amount of movement. When we are satified with postioning a small amount of white glue between the ties holds the track in place until ballasting.
Wayne, thanks for that short follow up post. Without it, I would have missed your longer post that was posted at the same time as mine, but yours showed up first.
I suppose that I am making too much of the mini cam videos that show my nail heads as bowling balls. On my current layout, I left the nails in place after ballasting, and I can still pull them all out. So, you and Mel and others are right about pulling the nails post-ballasting. Like you, I hate to use caulk because I am always pulling up track and relocating it. I have to think about this a little longer.
Also, I don’t understand the laser straight track obsession. Real track, except for continuously welded rail, is not all that straight. I mean its relatively straight. Over time it does become not as straight. The rail grows in the sun, and develops sun kinks.
Like Wayne l solder all my rail joints. I do not caulk turnouts, but I do install a nail or two in them. But generally they are well trapped by the ajacent track.
I use homasote roadbed, I like the more firm base. Guess that comes from my TruScale wood roadbed beginnings…
I use nails in all but the closely spaced holes for hidden track. Every third hole is spaced close to one of the other two, so in effect I use two nails every three holes. On curves I solder the joints and continue with the nails as described above right through the joint - the solder hanles the stress of curing the rail ends just fine.
On visible track I use spikes in the outer rails every 8-10 ties. I drill out the molded-on spikes and insert a track spike against the base of the rail as in handlaying. Much more time consuming, but I don’t have the big mid-tie holes to contend with later. I think I’ll try the remove-the-nail-after-ballasting approach next time - sounds much faster.
I forget the reason why I did this: On one section of track I used white glue to hold flex track down. Put a bead of glue where the track goes, smooth and widen the glue with a paintbrush, install the track and put some weight on it. I also used thumb tacks to hold the track in place. Let the glue dry.
I was afraid to use caulk in case I needed to remove the track. White glued items can easily be removed with a little warm water.
I use whatever it takes. There is no set amount. Sometimes I drill extra holes in the ties to keep the track from moving. I try to move the track by hand and if it moves, I add another nail or spike. Curves take more nails or spikes than straight sections. I am using mostly Atlas flex track which is springy.
My hand-layed track gets a spike every 5 ties, every 4 ties in curves.
I hate using caulk for tracklaying, with the blazing heat of 10,000 chili-fueled poops.
I use Micro Engineering track spikes, about four or five per 3’ section of track. I also do not understand the obsession with laser-straight track. I’m modeling 1980s Upper Peninsula Michigan and the track was anything but perfect. In fact, I bend my flextrack into a series of S-curves and then straighten it out again so the track ISN’T perfect. I also pull off some ties and spread the rest out a bit, and make some crooked.
