Staples as spikes

Classic Toy Trains Forum
1

Here’s a boring subject that won’t get many reads, but I’ll pass it along anyway.

I have some heavy-duty staples that I turned into very satisfactory spikes but cutting them with lineman’s pliers.

Each staple forms 2 spikes that I use to spike 027 to wood ties.

(ran out of HO spikes and found these work just as well)

So there, that concludes another boring topic to most.

2

It’s boring only if you drill holes in the ties first…:wink:

3

FJ & G,

Not boring. Keep them coming. Although I use tubular track I am very interested in your adventures of building a more realistic track using tubular components and wire.

There have been comments on the Super-O track that it wore out pickup rollers faster due to the thin rail. Have you any experience with this?

I always wondered about replacing the current center rail with something that fit into the existing clips and fish paper, but had a narrower profile to be less obvious. If you look at an 0-27 uncoupling section (magnet section) - ever notice how it has a rail with no lower flange, but it still is secured by the clips and fish paper on the ties. This is a nice looking profile and it would be interesting to have this for all track. Your use of 12/14 GA copper wire for a center rail tends to accompli***he same thing.

Regards,
Roy

4

Thanks guys.

Roy,

I’ve not had any trouble with roller wear but I’ve not been running the “wire” for years and years so cannot vouch.

However, I have examined Scaletrak and it currently uses the thinest rail of all the tracks currently made (notice I said currently).

The middle rail on Scaletrak nearly approaches the thickness of a 16 ga or so wire.

The beauty of the copper center is that copper conducts electricity very well–at least from my own running experience–and it blends in with the ballast a lot letter than a black or silver rail; and the relatively large 027 rails make it nearly disappear.

I almost went with Code 150 Atlas 2-rail rails, but it made the 14-ga wire stick out a lot more. It was much easier bending those rails than the 027, which bend alright but tend to bend in the areas that have tie crimps in them so caution is advised.