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Before installation, I will nip tie ends with a hobby knife, nibbler or wire cutters. The amount of trimming depends on where the track will be laid. Not much on mainlines; a little more on sidings. Do not go overboard - a little of this goes a long way. Then, I paint the ties using grey primer spray cans (outdoors!) and touch up individual ties with miscellaneous wood stain that I have in the shop. This is more of a light overspray rather than fully painting them. Once again, a little goes a long way. You just want to break up the uniform black/brown of the plastic ties. Once installed, I hand bru***he rail sides with a tuscan red/rust color. One advantage of doing this after installation is that you only have to paint the rail sides which can be seen ; ) Never one to do more work than necessary, plus my theater background has taught me that what the viewer cannot see isn't there. (In a similar vein, don't paint track in tunnels -- will only cause electrical problems later where you can't easily get to repair) In both cases, when painting ties or rails, I little oil or Vaseline on top of the rails makes it easier to clean them later. You don't want to have electrical problems later. Hope this helps
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