jwhitten It occured to me this morning that it really doesn't matter how well the matchsticks hold spikes if you're using the PC ties to hold the gauage. After that, everything else is largely ornamental.
It occured to me this morning that it really doesn't matter how well the matchsticks hold spikes if you're using the PC ties to hold the gauage. After that, everything else is largely ornamental.
You could also glue the rail. I used Walther's Goo years ago with good results, but I'm sure similar products will work just as well..
Enjoy
Paul
You might contact these folks and see what kind of price they will give you on bulk ties.
Good luck!
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Obviously the length doesn't matter as long as they are longer than 30mm they can be trimmed to the correct length. The thing I noticed is the "official" HO ties, from the commercial sellers, are slightly taller than wide, which roughly corresponds to the 7" x 9" profile for a real RR tie, versus the matchsticks which all seem to be square and can range from 2.0 - 2.5mm, depending on style selected, which would make them either 7" x 7" or else 9" by 9" (approx fullsize dimensions). The former would be about the right height, but slightly narrower, but not enough to notice I think-- Fast Track's ties are about the same. If you did notice and cared, you could use them for sidings and secondary tracks. The latter would be the right width for full-size ties, but a smidge taller (by about 0.6mm-- a teensy amount). Since you would probably want to sand the tops anyway, this does not seem to me to be a problem.
maxmanjwhittenCan you point me to a source for HO ties in bulk? I've been looking for somewhere to buy 20-30 thousand of them without breaking the bank. Here's a source for ties, http://northeasternscalelumber.com/osc/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=3_94&products_id=254 Obviously the price shown is not comparable to the matchstick price. On the other hand if you really need 20-30 thousand you might contact them and see if they'll make you an offer you can't refuse.
jwhittenCan you point me to a source for HO ties in bulk? I've been looking for somewhere to buy 20-30 thousand of them without breaking the bank.
Here's a source for ties, http://northeasternscalelumber.com/osc/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=3_94&products_id=254
Obviously the price shown is not comparable to the matchstick price. On the other hand if you really need 20-30 thousand you might contact them and see if they'll make you an offer you can't refuse.
I followed the link (thanks!) and found the HORRTIES... 750 per bag @ 14.95 / bag. The description says "HO Scale basswood railroad ties 7'x9'x9' 750 pc per bag". I'm guessing they don't *really* mean feet for all of those sides.. so let's figure it at 7-inches x 9 inches x 9 feets...
I did some research this morning and the two most common tie sizes (standard gauage, not counting switch ties) are 8'6" x 7" x 9", and 9' x 7" x 9".
Comparison “HO Scale RR Ties” and “Match Sticks”
Standard Gauge Tie Dimensions
Length
Width
Height
8' 6”
7”
9”
9' 0”
“Ideal” HO Scale Dimensions (nearest mm)
30.0
2.1
2.6
32.0
HO Scale wooden ties data from commercial dealers found on the Internet
Listed Dimensions HO Scale Tie Sellers (mm)
Seller
29.7
2.0
Kappler Mill & Lumber
29.0
2.5
Fast Tracks
Also checked these sellers but they did not list actual dimensions:
- Northeastern Scale Lumber
- Micro Engineering
Addendum:
- Wood types listed were: Birch and Bass (Basswood)
Matchstick data from commercial dealers found on the Internet.
(Google search terms: “Wooden Matchsticks”, “Matchsticks”, “Match Splints”)
Sampled Matchstick Dimensions (mm)
Notes
40.0
41.0
3.1
“Creative Wholesale” Bulk Deal 60,000 for $60
42.0
2.2
50.0
53.0
- 40 x 2 x 2 and 42 x 2.2 x 2.2 were most commonly listed
- Wood types listed were: Birch, Bass (Basswood) and Aspen
- Average price range for bag of 10,000 was $10-15 USD
howmusWooden Matchsticks at one time many years ago were quite commonly used as ties in HO. Guil Mack, owner of Tiger Valley Models, used several thousand of them to hand lay something like 1700 feet of track in his model railroad. That said, I think for the price and availablity, you would be much better off buying scale wood or precut HO ties than using match sticks.........
Wooden Matchsticks at one time many years ago were quite commonly used as ties in HO. Guil Mack, owner of Tiger Valley Models, used several thousand of them to hand lay something like 1700 feet of track in his model railroad.
That said, I think for the price and availablity, you would be much better off buying scale wood or precut HO ties than using match sticks.........
Can you point me to a source for HO ties in bulk? I've been looking for somewhere to buy 20-30 thousand of them without breaking the bank. What dimensions (in millimeters please)? I have found matchsticks available in several lengths and in either birch or bass wood. What type of wood do you recommend? The best price I've found the match sticks so far is about $10-15 bucks per 10,000. Is there a better source for actual HO-scale ties?
Also what about rail stock? (Code 83 & code 70)? I've alrady got a lot of it but I'll probably be needing more before I'm done. Do you know of any good, inexpensive sources for rail stock?
Thanks for any info--
John
Certain small fireworks come with wooden sticks that also look about the same size as wood matches .... I suspect that the quality of wood for wood matches is low and that they would tend to split when spiked. That is not to say that there is not model railroad use for the sticks, just that using them for ties could be very frustrating.
At a craft store my wife bought a package of "Forster [brand] Mini-Sticks" -- a 500 count for $2.29. They are about the size of small wood matches. There are many model railroad uses for these sticks, from actual modeling (a wood trackside platform) to using them to apply glue or serve as shims or spacers. But I doubt the quality of the wood is good enough to spike.
Dave Nelson
They are usually fairly uneven, so sanding would be necessary.
I haven't used them as ties, but they're good for a lot of other uses,and since we use them (fireplace length) to light the wood furnace, and various candles around the house, why not salvage the unburnt sticks for modelling?
I also have a bag of standard length matchsticks that I got years ago that I use whenever appropriate for some project, I consider them as part of my scrap box parts stash.
I assume these are match bodies left over from when you cut the heads off for some other "fun" projects that involved loud noises?
No reason to let them go to waste, be sure to sand them after gluing them down so that they are even.
johncpoI experimented (Not played with) fireplace matches many years ago for trying the idea of hand laid track, I found the best answer to be in using bass wood or balsa wood for the ties. Besides matches of any kind unless stored properly could cause a flare up in your house. You might want to stick with the tried and proven. Not preaching, just some advice johncpo/ building models since the early 1960's and still learning
I experimented (Not played with) fireplace matches many years ago for trying the idea of hand laid track, I found the best answer to be in using bass wood or balsa wood for the ties. Besides matches of any kind unless stored properly could cause a flare up in your house. You might want to stick with the tried and proven.
Not preaching, just some advice
johncpo/ building models since the early 1960's and still learning
I promise I'll wait until Mommy comes home... and then make HER spike it all down...
Seriously though, you can buy just the sticks without the match-heads at about 10,000 for $10-15 bucks. You can get them in a variety of wood include bass. Birch seems to be the most common. And that's also the material I've seen a lot of "HO-scale RR ties" from the dealers made from too. The sizes seem to be very close.
What was your experience with them when you tried it? Did the spikes stick okay? Did they split or anything like that? What type of wood were the matches you experimented with?
Seems like an expensive way to go vs. basswood strips.
Has anybody tried using wooden matches as HO scale ties, for hand-laying? They seem to be about the right size, perhaps just a tad tall. And it goes without saying you'd wanna cut the heads off-- or else simulate some hot-box journals... Whaddaya think? The matches I've investigated seem to be made of birch wood, same as ties you get from the dealers.