I build the first few turnouts using template from San Diego N scale club here http://www.sdsons.org/Club%20Documents/clubstandards.html
</font>[/QUOTE]Oops, sorry about the first response, new member! For a good selection of printable tie templates in all scales try Fast Tracks, http://www.handlaidtrack.com/tie-templates.html Tim
Oops, sorry about the first response, new member! For a good selection of printable tie templates in all scales try Fast Tracks, http://www.handlaidtrack.com/tie-templates.html Tim [/QB]</font>[/QUOTE]Thanks Tim They look good as well. Funny thing is, is that a number 6 from Fast Tracks is alot smaller than the San Diego N scale club one. Anyone know why? Cheers Bruce
It could be the scaling, or I notice that the handlaid track #6 is for Nn3, not standard gauge N. Otherwise check your scaling on both--offhand I don't remember the exact % (30-35%IIRC), but the SDNS templates had to be enlarged. Nice touch on the Handlaid track site for including a scale. kirk
I'm am sorry, and nodima is right, the SDSONS template is not correct size. I completely forgot that I had to resize them when I used them. I didn't know about the other link (http://www.handlaidtrack.com/tie-templates.html) , so thank you, it has been bookmarked. And I would probably use templates from that one if they are correct scaled, just so you dont have to deal with scaling it. After you have build a few with template, you will see that building without is really not that difficult.
Ummm In another thread I have indicated that I am now going HO scale. One comment from jkristia has me, ahhhh, worried For hand laying HO scale track, are the PC ties/soldering used or must you use spikes? This could make a difference, maybe...... Cheers Bruce
Bruce, Use PC ties spaced about every 3 or 4 apart in the turnouts. The rest should be wood ties. You should use wood ties for regular rail. I would urge you not to use spikes, but use hot glue on the bottom of the rail base to hold things in place for the reason(s) I listed on page one of this thread. I cut a notch on the end of the hot glue gun nozzle to slide the rail through as glue was placed on it. Let it set and then when your'e ready to place the rail on the ties, just run a hot soldering iron across the top of the rail to soften the glue and fix it to the top of the ties. It's easy!
Bill, I think this is the first time I have heard of using hot glue for attaching the rails, but it sound like an interesting idea. A couple of years ago when I was struggling with installing my first Tortoise switch machine, because I was trying to mount it using the little screws, someone recommended me to use hot glue, and now a switch machine is installed in 15-20 seconds. Is it just the regular 'hot glue' hot glue you use or is it something special?, and I would imagine that the solder iron has to be hot, more than 25W?. Sounds like it worth giving a try if I decide to try my hands on HO track laying.
Hi Bruce, For HO I'd say you can either solder or spike, whichever you're more comfortable with. I spike myself, and I've never had the problems Bill mentioned about spikes lifting or whel flanges bumping on them. Over sized wheel flanges (like old AHM locos) will bounce over spiked code 70 track, but my solution to that is not to use those locos. When you go below code 70 to code 55, spikes become a problem. Here I've used pliobond, but wasn't thrilled with it, may try the hot glue Bill mentioned, or solder. BTW, it is important what you use as roaded when spiking. Cork and foam roadbed are not going to hold spikes. I use homasote, used to buy the 4x8 sheets, now I buy the Homabed roadbed. Easy to spike into and holds spikes well. I understand pine works well also but have never tried it. After gluing down the wood ties, sanding level and staining, I ballast prior to rail laying. Once you've ballasted the adhesive you used to ballast will prevent spikes from moving. Gary
Thanks Guys I was worried there for a bit that I would have to learn how to spike things Bill, I might just take a look at the hot glue thing. Could make life a whole lot easier! And Gary, thanks for the tips on the roadbed. That was going to be my next question. As for the solder or spike thing, I don't know which I will be comfortable with yet, I haven't started my test sections yet....total hand laying newbie here Cheers Bruce
I don't think you will have any problems these days with flanges hitting spike heads. Most everything made has RP-25 flanges and if it doesn’t, don't buy it. I spike code 55 with small Micro Engineering spikes and they don't hit RP-35 flanges. I also use Homasote and I have never had a rail come loose. My friend uses cork roadbed and he spikes. His layout is new (he is just building it) so I can't say how that is going to work in the long run. I glue the ties down, sand the tops, stain or paint the ties, glue down the ballast and then spike the rail. My friend glues down the ties, sands the tops, stains or paint the ties, spike the rails, then ballast. The glue form bonding the ballast helps hold his rails down. I like to ballast before spiking rail because I don't like to pick ballast out of the moving parts of the turnouts. I like how the cork is a consistent thickness and the ties are easy to level. Homasote (the stuff I have been buying) is very inconsistent and I have to do lots of sanding. I track dips here and there on my layout but I model a branch line and that doesn't bother me.
Ok Next question. I will be modelling 100% steam in the 40's/very early 50's. Apparently tie sizes were different in the steam era. So would I use the half-profile ties and be somewhat correct? (HO scale remember). Oh, and tie spacing - does anyone have the spacing numbers for mainline and branch line? Cheers Bruce
And while the above question hangs in the air, I'll ask another one How do you guys join hand laid rail? Do you use normal joinres and solder them or just butt the rails together and solder, or something else altogether? I am about 2-3 weeks away from starting (everything is coming from O/S) so I just want to be ready for my test laying.... Happy New Year to All! Cheers Bruce
I have just butt joined the rails, with a PC tie on each rail, this has worked fine for me, at least I haven't had any problems yet, only thing I learned is that the joins has to be offset, so if you have a join on the left rail, the right rails join will be a couple of inches after. I probably doesn't matter when you spike rails, as the spikes will hold the ties in place, but I had a problem where on a curve, the track started to straighten out when I ballasted the track, oops, I forgot that the ballasting would dissolve the white glue used for the ties.
Jesper - sorry for taking so long to find this to answer your question about glue sticks. I use 1/4X2 inch sticks that you can buy in any grocery store, hardware store or crafts store. It does not take much heat to soften the glue so you most likely will not have to use any special soldering iron. I would recommend that you use a good heat sink in front of and behind of where you are working. I use a couple of large sockets (tools). You will probably have problems at first getting the glue applied to the bottom of the rail base thin enough to prevent little beads of glue forming under the rail and between ties. I had that problem too, but with a little practice as to glue gun trigger pressure and the speed of moving the nozzle of the gun over the rail, you will get it figured out. Coaltrain - I would expect the problems I had with flanges bouncing over the tops of spikes were mostly due to the fact my spikes were not set down fully where ever that problem happened. Sometimes I found it very difficult to drive spikes home without causing a waahoo (vertical curve) in the rail. Most of my locos are brass with RP-25 flanges, so the cause has to be my lack of skill to drive spikes. Bruce - there's a whole bunch of ways to connect rails, or at least provide electrical conductivity. My method is to use rail joiners. I connect the rails together with a joiner .. then score the tie(s) along both sides of the joiner lightly with a Xacto knife. Then remove a very thin sliver of wood tie between the two scores. This prevents the rails at the joint to have a "waahoo" (vertical curve). Happy new year you guys!
Ironhorseman made a good point that I forgot about. I also will remove some of the wood below the railjoiner to avoid the bump in the rail. It is not so important on the bigger rail (83 and 100) but on code 55 it is very important.
Woohoo!!! My rail and ties order from InternetTrains.com has shipped. Have already got my PC ties, so in a week or two I will be starting my adventure... Can't wait!!!
