Never heard of nailing in the spikes? I'll have to see if I can find and post a picture of the tool that is olde rthan me that I used back in the days when I nailed my track in. It's like a nail set except that it is grooved to fit over HO spikes. We used to lay a lot of the track right on the plywood, and my Dad used it to hammer in spikes and I just followed along. The ony time I didn't need to hammer spikes in was the one N scale layout I built on Homasote - that one I could just push them in. There's no way I was just pushing spikes into plywood without a hammer (a small hobby one, not a big framing hammer). The Homasote layout I could jsut push them in by hand (and pull the track right up without first removing the track nails, I will add. I guess my definition of 'holding' is different than some people's - any fastener I can just pull out isn't 'holding' in my book). All the plywood based ones, HO and N, needed some tapping with the small hammer. The nail set tool kept the hammer away from the rails and prevented damage, the only danger was over-driving the nail and deformign the ties, but that wasn't hard to avoid.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Seeing as my current layout is on foam, sewing pins. (Temporary until we move.)
My last layout, (until disassembled) was caulking.
Next layout I will again use the caulking.
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
rrinkerNever heard of nailing in the spikes? I'll have to see if I can find and post a picture of the tool that is olde rthan me that I used back in the days when I nailed my track in. It's like a nail set except that it is grooved to fit over HO spikes.
Randy,I recall that tool but,never found the need to buy one because I usually use pine or cedar shelving board for my ISLs.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
The hammer I use is a small tack hammer used for upholstery. I have no problem driving nails into plywood or MDF. Like my old boss in construction said, "Hit it like you mean it!"
Use a nail set so you don't smash your thumb.
The nail puller I use is similar to this one:
Also instead of using needle nose plyers to remove nails might I suggest you use dykes because they might give you a better grip on the nail.
Doughless How do you drive spikes into 3/4 ply to secure your roadbed to the ply? Do you hit the spike really hard with the hammer, cuz I can barely drive anything into 3/4 ply or 3/4 MDF without bending it. I know track to roadbed is different, but as far as taking it up and changing radius or correcting mistakes, you have to move the roadbed too, so you have to renail the roadbed.
How do you drive spikes into 3/4 ply to secure your roadbed to the ply? Do you hit the spike really hard with the hammer, cuz I can barely drive anything into 3/4 ply or 3/4 MDF without bending it.
I know track to roadbed is different, but as far as taking it up and changing radius or correcting mistakes, you have to move the roadbed too, so you have to renail the roadbed.
I use small tacks and a tack hammer to secure the Homabed. I can pull the tacks out with a needle nose pliers, and if it makes a little gouge in the Homabed so what, the ballast will cover it.And for yards and industrial areas I glue a sheet of Homasote to plywood to cover the whole area. I laid an industrial park with 15 industries and 20 car spots in an afternoon.
Disclaimer: This post may contain humor, sarcasm, and/or flatulence.
Michael Mornard
Bringing the North Woods to South Dakota!
carl425I don't use nails anymore, but when I did I held them with a pair of needle nose pliers and whacked them with a tack hammer. As long as the jaws are thicker than the height of the rail, the hammer will hit the pliers before it can hit the track. After making sure the track was aligned the way I wanted it, I'd finish with a nail set.
I used to have a small narrow head hammer that worked great for track nails. It got lost among many moves from California to Indiana to Texas to Indiana to New York, back to Indiana, tack to New York and finally to Virginia. *whew*
One hammer that did survive is a small ball-pein hammer that is just right for hammering in Atlas track nails. I like that method so much continued using it on my most recent layout constructed 2014-2017. I typically hammer the nails in part way, and then use a nail-set with a small head that works perfectly for the Atlas track nails, to drive them to just above the tie surface.
When secured that way, the flex track has a slight bit wiggle room so I can sight down the rail and push it slightly this way or that to make sure it is aligned just the way I like it. Of course when ballasted and the ballast is glued, the track won't shift any more and I can pull out the nail so there is no visible nail head. A tiny bit of filler can be put in if any holes are visible and after the track is weathered you can't tell any offensive track nails were ever used. Spikes are also used but those look like they should and stay put.
These days I'm using caulk to hold the track to the Homasote roadbed and wood glue to hold the roadbed to the plywood subroadbed. I lay out center lines on the plywood and carefully glue down the roadbed. Track is held for curing with Ribbonrail alignment gauges.
I like nails because track is instantly secured and yet still slightly adjustable. I don't have to wait for glue or caulk to cure - which is nice.
Bobs your uncle!
Do it right the first time, no adjustment needed.
Even after building a 16x19' a 14x26' and a 10x18' layout, I still can't get it right the first time. More power to you if you can, but Murphy's law seems to get be part of my track laying process. On the last layout, I had to remove track and a bench work section twice to deal with some issues in the layout train room. Other times I've decide to revise some track after putting it down. Add to that I ended up having to take all my layouts down and move and having nailed all track, it was very easy to remove and preserve. Should I get much farther on the next layout, obviously track will get ballasted and glued and well, thats the goal right? Of course for those who Murphys law doesn't apply (I didn't think there were any) or who can get it right first time, maybe glue isn't so bad.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
rrinker Never heard of nailing in the spikes? I'll have to see if I can find and post a picture of the tool that is olde rthan me that I used back in the days when I nailed my track in. It's like a nail set except that it is grooved to fit over HO spikes. We used to lay a lot of the track right on the plywood, and my Dad used it to hammer in spikes and I just followed along. The ony time I didn't need to hammer spikes in was the one N scale layout I built on Homasote - that one I could just push them in. There's no way I was just pushing spikes into plywood without a hammer (a small hobby one, not a big framing hammer). The Homasote layout I could jsut push them in by hand (and pull the track right up without first removing the track nails, I will add. I guess my definition of 'holding' is different than some people's - any fastener I can just pull out isn't 'holding' in my book). All the plywood based ones, HO and N, needed some tapping with the small hammer. The nail set tool kept the hammer away from the rails and prevented damage, the only danger was over-driving the nail and deformign the ties, but that wasn't hard to avoid. --Randy
Remember the old Kadee Spiker? I don't think I've laid eyes on one personally.
https://kadee.com/htmbord/spiker.htm
It looks like at least they still have parts for it?
I have heard of the tool that has the groove but I've had good enough luck using needle nose and/or a nail set to push spikes in but mostly I use them on Homasote area's so far. They hold well enough. I ran trains on all that rack no issues and track stayed put just fine. Will it hold up under Hurricaine Irma? Proabably not, but it holds fine while testing and shaking down and if you want permanent, after track is ballasted with adhesive, it's moot right? Even in yards.
Randy, I have a tool similar to that which you mention, and it was what my dad used when he built my first layout when I was a kid. However, it has a wooden handle and was not intended to be used with a hammer, so no hammer was involved in the track laying, which was Atlas code 100 brass rail on fibre ties. Most of the turnouts were Atlas, too, built-up from kits - I still have the templates and instructions. He did scratchbuild a very nice #8 turnout, too. The layout was only a 4'x8', with a central control panel. All turnouts were manually controlled from the panel via cable, with working switchstands - I wish I still had the layout if only to see the mechanism for that in detail. Uncoupling was also remotely-controlled mechanically, using Kadee K-type couplers.
I have a fairly good collection of hammers, including tack hammers, ball peens in various sizes, framing hammers, trim hammers, metal-working hammers, and sledges, but any used on the layout would have been only to frame the support structure for the open-grid benchwork, as it's mostly 2"x4"s and larger....it was conveniently "left-over" when I built the house. I also managed to accidentally over-order select pine 1"x2" when building the kitchen cabinets, which proved useful when building the open grid sections, although most used 1"x4"s.
I just now looked for that track nail pusher, but can't seem to find it amid the clutter.
Wayne
Bayfield Transfer Railway Doughless How do you drive spikes into 3/4 ply to secure your roadbed to the ply? Do you hit the spike really hard with the hammer, cuz I can barely drive anything into 3/4 ply or 3/4 MDF without bending it. I know track to roadbed is different, but as far as taking it up and changing radius or correcting mistakes, you have to move the roadbed too, so you have to renail the roadbed. I use small tacks and a tack hammer to secure the Homabed. I can pull the tacks out with a needle nose pliers, and if it makes a little gouge in the Homabed so what, the ballast will cover it.And for yards and industrial areas I glue a sheet of Homasote to plywood to cover the whole area. I laid an industrial park with 15 industries and 20 car spots in an afternoon.
I guess the conversation veered off without me realizing it. Somewhere upstream, somebody mentioned pulling up nails and reinstalling them to realign track during construction. I realign things during construction too. However, I never find myself in a situation where I'm ONLY realigning the track on the roadbed, and not realigning the roadbed ALSO...track and roadbed together. So pulling up and reinstalling nails into 3/4 ply or MDF would be a little more work than what I would want. Especially if it takes a few iterations. With caulk, I use a putty knife to pry up, and even just wet the caulk and it gets sticky again, or use a little bit of caulk, and it carries the flex track to the new angle it since its still affixed to the roadbed.
That was my point of view. Reinstalling roadbed to slightly change the angle or radius of a curve of track, and I couldn't figure how you could deal with ply or MDF and avoid using a hammer.
If its just a matter of affixing track to the roadbed, yes, I understand. You don't need a hammer and using nails is as easy as pie. I just never had the reason to just realign the track and not the roadbed too, so that procedure never came to mind.
- Douglas
I use Liquid Nails to glue Kato HO Unitrack to the pink insulation foam, then scenic around it.
As compared to later Shinohara sectional curved track that I installed on the black foam Woodland Scenics roadbed when enlarging certain curves, the Kato Unitrack is actually very quiet once the scenery around it is glued down with white glue.
John
I use #19 X 1/2" brads. Work as well as Atlas track nails at one quarter the cost for same quantity.. Purchase mine at my local Lowe's. They cost $1.30 per package compared to $5.95 for the Atlas track nails...
Doughless...That was my point of view. Reinstalling roadbed to slightly change the angle or radius of a curve of track, and I couldn't figure how you could deal with ply or MDF and avoid using a hammer. If its just a matter of affixing track to the roadbed, yes, I understand. You don't need a hammer and using nails is as easy as pie. I just never had the reason to just realign the track and not the roadbed too, so that procedure never came to mind.
There's a curve on the upper level of my layout that needs to be moved, either as a whole or by slightly tightening the radius at one end of the curve. The track is nailed to the cork (and possibly partway into the plywood on which it sits).I plan to cut the rails somewhere beyond where the curve ends, then pull the track nails from at least three quarters of the curve. The cork is glued to the plywood with contact cement. Once I decide where the change in radius will begin, I'll lay half-sections of cork, upside down, with the angled edge butting against the inside angled edge of the cork of the original curve, effectively increasing the width of the roadbed by half.The track will then be re-installed on its slightly more tightly-curved path. I'll then use a utility knife to cut the edge of the new cork to a suitable width and angle, and do likewise on the old, outer edge of the original curve. These cut-offs can be removed with a scraper, and any remnants covered with ballast or groundcover. No need to remove all of the roadbed, so only half as much new cork required for the relocated curve. This works just as well if you need to widen a curve, too.