code 40 rail ties

[Anonymous]

Are ties made from pc board available or how is code 40 rail fastened to the ties.

[Anonymous]

Hello jerryk,

There are a couple schools of thought on this. The most effective method I've seen is to solder the rail to printed-circuit board ties, such as those available from Clover House (P.O. Box 62M, Sebastopol, CA 95473). This is the method that Walt Huston and Pete Thomas use to build for their N scale Burlington Northern Onyx Division layout, which is featured in Great Model Railroads 2003. You'll also find a very similar method explained in chapter nine of "Trackwork and Lineside Detail for Your Model Railroad" (Kalmbach). The article from which the chapter was derived was published in the September 1998 Model Railroader. You can order a back issue online at http://store.yahoo.net/kalmbachcatalog/mrr980901.html.

The other method is to glue the rail to the ties with Pliobond, a contact cement-like adhesive available at most hardware stores.

In my opinion soldering the rails to PC board ties results in stronger and more reliable construction that's easier to adjust with a track gauge -- and without the health hazards Pliobond presents. Pliobond has some nasty solvents in it that are best left in the jar.

Hope this helps,

Paul Schmidt
Contributing Editor
Trains.com