Manufacturing track

Does anyone know of a way to build your own track? I can get the ties out of some wood but what would i use to make rails? This seems like a dumb question I know but i just want to try it. Thanks!

Hi cheese,

How to build turnouts, step by step you’ll find on my hobby website http://www.rhb-grischun.ca/E/html/track.html complete with a list of what you need and where to get it.

The track is even easier, what you need in addition to the tools I listed is a three point track gauge.

You buy rail from any of the suppliers. You can get different materials, Alu to StainLess in Code197 through 332

Happy reading and happy building!

Thanks for that article. I am still interested in building my own rails and after I do that i can build a turnout as suggested in your article.

Hi there,

Hmmmmmm, OK I get it! You want to produce your own rail profile!

Here are the methods (usually) used

Brass = drawn through a die

Alu = extruded through a die

Steel = rolled or drawn (depends on size)

The methods are usually restricted to a manufacturing environment i.e. these guys have all the machinery required from producing the tooling to running the rail.

Boy, I sure want you for a customer.
You seem to know how to spend a lot of money!

Check on the cost of a die, then check on the “minimums” required to have it pulled, plus shipping…

More than worthwhile on your 10,000 foot (20,000 feet of rail) pike.
Wood ties?
How many employees do you have to maintain it?
What kind of wood?
How much expansion and contraction in the wood (i.e. gauge changes)?
If you want cheap, and don’t give a randy rat’s hindquarters about how it looks, buy some Redwood heartwood, cut it to size but about 1/2" or more tall.

Find some 3/8 strap iron the width you want.
Cut slots in the ties, press the rail into the ties…then have your employees maintain it every day when the wood splits or the weather pushes the rail up out of the ties…

Of course, you could creosote the ties, and have ties nothing will hold into (I know…I have 500 creosoted ties in piles on the CCRy somebody talked one of the major manufacturers into doing…pushed his spikes in, got a hundred feet done, next morning all the spikes were on the ground).

Remember, it is totally worthwhile to re-invent the wheel…

TOC

Doesnt Phil Creer make his own track using aluminum channels?

Check out his website http://www.trainweb.org/toenailridge for a page on how he does it.

E-mail him via his website and ask him what he used.

Never thought of that one!!!
I’m having some worrying thoughts and reactions (me the smartass after my Dad said don’t do it!)with regard to rail expansion in really hot weather.I screwed most of my track down (leaving a lot loose for expansion)
OK --not loose enough.
Bloody good S bend though.
You live–you learn [:D]

The moral of this story folks is (sometimes)listen to the people that know best.

Adam
There is a gentleman in this forum whose screen name is Gscalechuffchuff. He built his own track. Look him up on the member list and you can get into his web site, which will show you how he made his track.
Regards
Bob

http://www.gscalechuffchuff.com/

[quote]
QUOTE: Originally posted by troybetts

Troy, [;)]

If we’d all do that there would be little to grumble about![;)][}:)][:)]

BTW one of my fav quotations (by “I don’t know who”): “The difference between smart and stupid people is; smart people make mistakes, stupid people make the same mistakes over and over again.”

Channel works GREAT if you aren’t going to use track power…
Curves are a little hard…

Had a local YEARS ago, in “0” gauge, decided to build a “1” gauge outdoors…had all his buddies come over, cut ties, did the roadbed, spiked rail, ran good enough.
Too cold for him in winter, spring came around, all the ties had expanded or shrunk, gauge all over the place, spikes out, unusable, ripped it out, gave up, then died (really).

TOC

Dave,

For just that reason I built the first turnout years ago, set it out there in wind, snow, rain, blazing hot sun etc. been there for going on four years.
Spikes still in there, gauge holds really well etc. etc. BUT after handlaying enough HOm track to last me for a while, I decided to just build the turnouts, go with flex track (Made in Canada) and do some other stuff instead i.e, write posts on fora. [;)][}:)][:)][:D]

PS did they guy get a t-shirt?? [:o)][:o)]

PPS What do you mean curves are a little hard… isn’t this to be a point to point railroad connected by a tangent??[:o)][:o)]

Thats what i need. Thanks for everyones help[:D]

I think I’m going to look in to making my own track… There’s nothing that looks quite as much like wood as wood itself. (Plus, at $10/3 ft section, I can’t afford much track at once.)

That’s one of the draws of this gauge (referring to the distance between the rails at which all the different scales run.), the ability to use 12 in : 1’ tools to create usable items.

hand-laying track:
http://www.trainweb.org/toenailridge/story1.html

This is all reinventing the wheel, our club here in Australia owns its own die and produces its own rail and it is terrific. failing that buy the rail from LGB flextrack. This a terrific way to go, I do it all the time and will take a lot of convincing that it is not the best way to go. The versatility and reduced costs are paramount.

Regds Ian