How do they stick?

[Anonymous]

i was wondering if i bought rails and cut the ties myself
how do you join the two together?
what if you buy the ties? do they slide on the rails?
how expensive are the plastic ties ???approx???
is it worth cutting all the ties?

any help would be helpful!!
Thanks
Super Chicken

[cabbage]

I have both bought pre-made track and assembled track. I now only buy pre-made track....

This is because the grind taken to make just ONE piece of track is colossal. YES it is cheaper to assemble your own track and YES it looks very nice. If you are making UK style track then Tenmille is the best that I know of, Brandbrights system is very attractive -but the price isn't....

You have to ask yourself at roughly 2 hours per metre of track -is it worth it against simply slicing open the box and start pinning it to the planks and running on it inside of 2 hours?

regards

ralph

[Anonymous]

yea i think that it is worth it in the long run because of the $$$ you will save, and i know that i made it.................thats a accomplishment itself!!!

and i like too challange myself
(sometimes) haha

Super Chicken

[FJ and G]

I like the look of handlayed track and real wood ties so that's what I do. Storebought track has too perfect a look. To each his own.

[kstrong]

The rails are spiked to the ties, just like the prototype. You can buy spikes from a few different manufacturers; Llagas Creek and Micro Engineering come to mind. Best to pre-drill the holes, so to avoid splitting the ties.

As for whether it's worth it, you'll have to answer that for yourself after you build a few sections. I agree with Dave in that nothing beats the aesthetics of hand-laid track with real wood ties. They just look fantastic. You have to weigh that against the time and effort involved in making the track. I had originally planned on hand-laying the track on my railroad, but events (a new baby) conspired to convince me that time was of the essence, since I would no longer have the winter to build all the track. As such, I bought commercial track and switches, and had the entire railroad built from the first load of dirt to the golden spike in two months' time; with the actual track laying taking just three days. Aesthetically, it's not quite what I'd ideally want, but realistically it's far superior to having no track laid at all, which is what I'd still have today if I had decided to hand-lay.

Your situation will undoubtedly be different, so build a few sections and see how you like it. If it suits you, then go for it! You won't be disappointed. If it doesn't, then use the commercial track. You won't be disappointed there, either.

Later,

K

[cabbage]

Hmmmm.....

Here in the UK our track assembly is a little different!!! Take a sleeper, drill the two 3mm holes 32mm apart for the chairs to sit into. After you have made 24 of them pick up two 915mm lengths of rail. Oil the rail and slide on 24 white metal chairs for each length. Position each chair above the 3mm hole and epoxy bond it into the hole. Space out each sleeper to the correct distance. Using a pair of snipe nose pliers 'nip' each white metal chair to hold the rail, (taking care not to break it). Put to one side for the epoxy to set.

Repeat....

regards

ralph

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know what CABBAGE is talking about??? or is it just me being a green horn?

[Anonymous]

Super, it is called seperated by a common language, I didnt catch it all (specifically the need for holes when using epoxy, but I am not handlaying my track), but I know a sleeper is a tie to us. I am pretty sure a tie plate is known as a chair over there? but availablity of scale tie plates in US is for hand laying is beyond my knowledge. I do know that some places in the world (specifically the UK) they dont use spikes, but steel spring clamps to hold the rail to the ties, hince why he uses pliers to attach the rail. I hope that helps

[cabbage]

Super,

Well, speaking as a colonial brat, no I am not English but Rhodesian, I will have to try to remember the American term for these things. Unfortunately I have my copy of P.Ransome Wallis's book 'The Encyclopedia of Railways' packed away.

Anyway these are 'lifted' from the Brandbright web site and show the 'English' method of track laying...



and here are a few chairs (the last two are used in making points (switches))...



The reason you epoxy the chairs to the sleepers is I hope now obvious -the sleepers fall off the track when you lift it otherwise.... In my travels as a boy with my father I saw sleepers made of concrete, sections of tree trunk split in two and steel pressed ones -where the track was welded to it.

Bulawayo 'shop' was a great place for a boy to learn about trains!!!

Before I emigrated to the UK at the age of 14 all my parts had to be shipped from Euston Street in London UK to Bulawayo in Rhodesia via Cape Town Union of South Africa. It could take 4 months for your order to arrive.

regards

ralph

[Anonymous]

Cabbage, I intended no offence, just trying to explain as best I could. [:)] Thank you for the epoxy answer I was curious.

[cabbage]

No offense was taken!

In my domestic environment I have a wife with broad East Lothian Accent (she is from Dundee) and my son who now speaks with a broad South Derbyshire accent, and then there is me -who still speaks with a High Veldt drawl -even after all this time!!!

regards

ralph