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I started using the Central Valley HO tie strips when they were first released about 15 years ago. It is the most realistic track system I have seen. I glue several tie strips together to form a long (about 8 feet) stretch of track. I use cork roadbed which I then spray using Rustoleum Fleckstone paint. This paint does a great job simulating ballast. I really load the paint on the cork and while it is wet I carefully unroll the tie strips onto the "ballast" paint. I press it down so the ties are buried. That's it! No glue or nails. When the paint dries, the tie strip has permanently adhered itself to the roadbed. You then add your favorite rail in either code 70 or 83. I use Barge cement to glue the rails on the tie plates. It is a rubber based glue used in the shoe repair business. Once it cures. it is pretty permanent. I have laid hundreds of feet of track using these tie strips without one problem. Central Valley just released several sizes of turnout kits that match up with these tie strips. Their turnout kits are about as close as you can get to the prototype. <br /> <br />Dale
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