tie dying

[Anonymous]

You want to cut all your own ties??!! Sounds like some kind of masochistic thing I would try. In fact, I had thought of making them out of twigs to simulate the ties on a early 1870's low budget logging railroad. Then the realization of time it would take set in and I decided to buy precuts. Well more power to you John! Pre-cut ties are usually made of sugar pine. It should be a soft wood so the ties won't split when spiking them.

As for the roadbed, I think foam would be awkward to spike track on. It would crush downward and be difficult to keep the rail in gage. Also the roadbed should also hold the spikes to keep the track in place. There is no doubt foam will not hold spikes.

Then there is cork. It's arguable that cork will hold spikes. I have read it will and won't.

I have done a small amount of hand laying rail so I'm not an expert. I have done quite a bit of research on the subject. Apparently the most common roadbed used today for hand laying rail is Homasote. Pine and/or Upson board was favored before Homasote caught on. Milled pine and Upson board roadbed is still around but is very expensive and not easy to get. Tru-Scale and Ribbonrail are two brands that Walthers sells. However, the Tru-Scale roadbed is out of stock, but they do have some from Ribbonrail http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/170-9010.

Homasote is the best choice because of its sound deadening quality and ability to hold spikes. It's readily available too. I highly recommended that Homabed be sealed before installing it.

Here is a link to a posting of the subject of roadbed for hand laying rail from a couple weeks ago http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=30657

[MACKINACMAC]

If I were to make my own ties out of strip wood , what type of wood is good to use? Bass, Oak, Maple, Mahogany, etc.
Also what size would I use?

And one more question regarding roadbed.

Should I use cork or since I like the WS foam roadbed can I use that?

[Anonymous]

I use a wash of non-water proof India ink. The longer they soak, the darker they come out. You have to experiment with the mix ratio ( I use two or three tablespoons of ink to a pint of alcohol) and the soaking time (from a few hours to when all alcohol evaporates) will yield a range from weathered silver to a new tie oozing creosote.

[Jetrock]

Tie dyeing? Modeling the 1960's, are we?

[bogp40]

Just remember pre stained ties once glued down will need some sanding so touch up staining may be nec. Varying coloring with the ties looks good. Many times before laying track or ballast ,sections are restained for effect. Bob K.

[CBQ_Guy]

This looks like a useful site for "hand laying track". I put the term into Google. Got lots of hits.

http://www.railwayeng.com/handlay6/hndly-h3.htm

[Bob Hayes]

I used to glue the ties down first, sand them so they're level, and stain them with liquid shoe dye.

Bob Hayes

[Anonymous]

A mixture of alcohol and powdered wood dyes used in furniture building and repair makes an excellent technique for staining naked ties. I made the mixture in a glass jar to the color that appeared right, then added the ties and let them soak overnight. Dip them out and let them dry. Alcohol does not raise the grain as water would. With different colors of dye from walnut to oak one can vary the appearance of the finished ties as they do on the prototype.

[dieselfan04]

When I first got into hand laying I tried cutting and staining my own ties. I used stains you could get from your local hardware. Since, I have started using pre-made and stained ties. The work goes much faster and the stain seems to penetrate the ties deeper. After sanding the ties they take on a used sunbleached look. If you do stain your ties do so before installing or the glue may block the stain from penetrating the ties.

[johnkruse]

I'm venturing into handlaid track for the first time and am considering pre-coloring my ties by using a wash or stain of artists oil colors in turpentine. Has anybody tried this and which colors do I need to get a realistic variation.