Hand-laying On30 track

[Matt Bumgarner]

Can anyone point me to a good online tutorial for hand-laying On30 track? If not, can you describe the process to me here?

I am planning on building a point to point layout and have certainly identified Micro-Mark's flex track and turnouts, but I am intrigued by their Code 83 rail as well.

As best I can tell for handlaying (which I won't do on the turnouts), one needs to solder two parallel rails together with PC board ties at some interval and fill in the space with stained ties.


So my questions first are:

1) What interval should I solder the PCB ties?

2) Anyone have a good source for the wooden ties? I saw rail, joiners, gauge, spikes at Micromark, but no wood ties.

3) I am planning on putting the track on a foam base (The Lawndale Rwy did not have a heavily ballasted line). However, I am afraid that the force required for a spike to puncture the wood tie will more than likely force the tie deep into the foam.

4) Assuming I can can a spike into the tie without deforming the foam, should I use a drop of glue or other material to hold the track down. I'm not real sure how well the spikes will grip in the foam.

Yes, I could elminate a lot of this by going with the flex track, but I've done enough HO to be flex'd out and On30 looks big enough for me to actually see the spikes, and it looks like it might be fun. Or not.

Thanks for any assistance,

Matt Bumgarner

[japasha]

Matt, I don't believe you really need the PC strips. One extra step. An easier method is to use flex track and remove ties as you spike the rail to the wood ties. You can leave a few platic ties in to maintain gauge as you work.  For all the effort required, unless you absolutely have to have hand-laid, I'd use the Micro Engineering track and switches unless you need something special.  It's hard to beat the quality of those turnouts and now the track.

Having laid a nice portable layout by using Code 83 and very modified Atlas switches, I can tell you that the best bet is to use ready made whereever possible.

Spiking individually is pretty easy, I use a pin-vise with a #69 drill to predrill the ties. Makes life much easier and works quite well. Write me for more details.

[SRRL Maine]

Hi,
I found the fixture at Fast track http://www.handlaidtrack.com/index.php
gives excellent results and the on line instructions are excellent.
They use PC ties and I highly recommend them.
(NO i do not get a discount for recommending them) but their products speak for them selves.
Cheers,
Daniel in Victoria

[Jim Goodridge]

Hello Matt,  I use a combination of hand laid and flex track.  I have not handlaid my turnouts and have stuck with PECO.  I cut all of my ties by hand.  Use 1/8 inch thick basswood sheets and a balsa stripper ( I was using a utility knife and a straight edge until I almost cut off the end of a finger).  It takes 2 passes of the balsa stripper to cut through but it is still very quick.  You can then cut the ties to length with a razor saw and mitre box.  It really goes very quick and you can make the ties the size that looks right to you.  For spacing I use a piece of flex track to get the spacing and glue the ties to the sub roadbed with ordinary white glue (let them dry overnight before spiking.  I do not predrill the ties (too lazy) but my subroadbed is strong so pushing the spikes in with needlenose pliers works fine.  I have not used foam but would think you would deform it unless you predrilled.  I stain the ties using rubbing alcohol and india ink applied with a brush before the rail is spiked.

This is just my opinion - hand laying track is fun and can look really good - but it does take time.  I also am a little cheap so I find that by cutting my own ties I can actually save money.  That is only with On30 flex, there is no way you could handlay track as cheap as you could buy Atlas HO code 100 flex.  If you have the time and inclination handlaying is great but if you need to get running go with flex.

When I was in HOn3 I laid my mainline with flex and handlaid my sidings, that way I could still do a significant amount of handlaying while getting the mainline running quickly.  Also it is way easier to lay out nice curves with flex compared to handlaying - but everything is possible.  As with all of our modelling skills, practice helps.

Best Regards
Jim

[Woody Elmore]

Matt - there are some people who make their own ties from strip wood. It is not as tedious as it sounds. I used to use thies by Kappler but I don't think they are still in business.

Get yourself some HO track gauges (including, of course the NMRA gauge). Look for the smallest spikes possible.

In my old club we used to spike down one rail using a straight edge or template. Then we did the other using several gauges. (A machinist member made gauges for us from round brass stock.)

My suggestion would be to practice. Get a three to four long piece of whatever you use for roadbed, glue down some ties, and spike down one rail, then the other.
Most people I know use a needle nose pliers but there are spiking tools out there.

The soldering is done with smaller rail - code 70 or 55 because the spike heads are really big with smaller rail. Tou can easily spike code 70 if you have small enough spikes.

I made a tie jig with my radial arm saw. All I needed to do was insert the ties, which were prestained (Flouquil grimy works nicely). Then you pick up the ties with a length of masking tape.

[the Bach-man]

Dear All,
Micro Engineering flex track looks great, as do their turnouts. The LID turnouts look great, too!
Have fun!
the Bach-man

[terry2foot]

Clover House make both PCB and wood ties in a range of sizes.

The PCB ties come with wood strips to make them the same height as the wood ties.

I find the "S" scale standard gauge ties suitable for the handlaid track on my On2 layout. They have to be cut to length, but I don't find that a problem. You might find that these also work for On30.

I use the PCB ties at intervals for turnout/switch construction, and at the end of sections on plain track, and fill in with full height wood ties elsewhere.   


Terry2foot

[ebtnut]

I think Mt. Albert makes O narrow gauge ties.  You can use "On3" ties without qualm.  I have cut my own ties on a table saw, using clear pine one-bys.  You need to make a filler for the saw slot (I used Masonite), and you will need a hollow-ground, fine-tooth blade.

However, I generally go along with the recommendations to use the RTR track materials.  Weather up the ties and paint the rail sides dirty brown, and the track will look just as good as hand-laid.  I hand-laid my On3 trackage, because back then the only choice was the Kemtron/Precision flex track, which I didn't particularly care for.  I used BK HO point-frog kits for my turnouts, simply lengthening the closure rails and widening the point spread with new tie rods.  But that was 12 years ago. 

[Woody Elmore]

Kappler has an ad in the current Gazette so using their ties is an option for hand laying track.

I don't know the dimensions of their On3 ties but I would use them as is.

[morrisf]

Model Railroader magazine is advertising that an article for hand-laying track will appear in the December 2007 issue. You may find the info useful.

Morris

[amdaylight]

Matt,

So my questions first are:

1) What interval should I solder the PCB ties?
As is mentioned above with code 70 and code 83 rail there is no reason to use the PCB ties, I agree that this only adds an extra step and will cause track problems. When you use PCB ties you rigidly mount the rail to the substructure and there is no way for the rail to expand or contract with heat and cold, and yes I have had problems with kinks and such with soldered rail.

2) Anyone have a good source for the wooden ties? I saw rail, joiners, gauge, spikes at Micromark, but no wood ties.
Mt Albert (http://www.mtalbert.com/ ) has both full size and profile ties in both 6’ and 6.6” lengths for narrow gauge along with switch ties.

3) I am planning on putting the track on a foam base (The Lawndale Rwy did not have a heavily ballasted line). However, I am afraid that the force required for a spike to puncture the wood tie will more than likely force the tie deep into the foam.
I can not speak to this problem, but it does not take a lot of force to get the spike into the tie. You might want to use something like homesote or something similar to provide a good base for your track. I have used the homesote product from California Roadbed (http://www.homabed.com/ ) in the past, and this product will hold the spikes quite nicely. Just because the railroad that you want to model did not have a great track bed does not mean that you should not have one. If you use a road bed of some kind you can hide it with the scenery after the track has been laid.

4) Assuming I can spike into the tie without deforming the foam, should I use a drop of glue or other material to hold the track down. I'm not real sure how well the spikes will grip in the foam.
You really will need to either glue the ties to the foam or to the sub roadbed, for attaching either to the foam I would use the “foam” safe Liquid Nails. I have never relied on the spikes to hold the ties to the sub roadbed; I have always glued them to the roadbed and then spiked the rails to the ties. One of the reasons that the ties need to be glued down first is that you need to lightly sand the top surface of the ties to get an even tie height, even though the manufacturers try to get the ties all the same height it does not always work that way. Some ties may have a little more glue under them, there might be a slight hump in the roadbed and the tie might not be level side to side. One the final leveling of the tie is done then I restain the ties just before I install the rail. I don’t worry about the dark colored stain between the ties as the ballast hides it and when I say ballast I mean dirt, gravel, sand, weeds and any other thing that I think should be there.

Yes, I could eliminate a lot of this by going with the flex track, but I've done enough HO to be flex'd out and On30 looks big enough for me to actually see the spikes, and it looks like it might be fun. Or not.
Remember this is HO track; it is not any larger or smaller than regular HO track. The main reason to hand lay track is to get a better looking final product than you can get with any other means of laying track and the satisfaction that comes with having done it yourself. One other advantage is that you can custom fit the switches to your situation rather having to try and fit what you want into your space with somebody else’s idea of what a switch should be.

Remember if the track is not as perfect as you can get it YOU WILL HAVE PROBLEMS with derailments and other operational problems.

Andre Anderson

[japasha]

I have been repairing layouts for friends that have used foam roadbed. My advice is not to use it. It has no way of anchoring your ties and rail other than glue and that will not maintain gauge at all. I recommend cork or Homosote roadbed. Both are easy to use and provide a great noise barrier and will resond to temperature changes well.

I go four feet  unless on  curve for expansion joints. Very few problems as I use railjoiners at those locations that are not soldered.  I solder in other locations where a joint is required.

If you are using Woodland Scenics foam core components in your track work, Be aware that the material can settle and move over time.  (If you use it, try using cork glue to the top with the woodland Scenics glue. This is a good way to go  if you are using their foam products.

I use the 6'6" Mt. Albert ties and they look spot-on when ballasted. As I adapt Atlas switches to my trackwork, I have had no problems with them mnounted on Mt. Albert or Kappler switch ties.   I use code 100 and code 83 rail.