Kay-Dee Spike Gun

[Anonymous]

Back in the 60s and 70s, Kay-Dee marketed a specialty tool for spiking hand-laid trackwork. This gadget looked similar to a staple-gun (and, in fact, was a modified staple-gun, which would split specialty staples as part of its action), and had built-in gauging tools. I used to use one, and the thing could turn an hour-long spiking job into a five-minute breeze.

Unfortuantely, this tool is long out of manufacture. Would anyone out there have one that they no longer use and would be willing to part with? I have a plethora of the specialty staples available, but have long since misplaced the tool itself (in the course of some six or seven moves).

[Anonymous]

I suggest looking for yours, as the few I have seen on ebay went for over $200

Hope you can find it.

[Anonymous]

Two hundred dollars? Yeouch!!! Then again, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised; heck, I've seen the old Dark Tower game go for that much out there.

So far, I haven't seen a Kay-Dee Spike Gun out on eBay, but I'll keep my eyes open; even at those prices, it is worth it in time saved.

[Anonymous]

Just got off the phone with the folks at Kadee. Turns out that they get quite a lot of requests for the old Spike Gun. What would the folks here think about some sort of organized way of requesting this great tool be brought back; a letter-writing campaign, a petition drive, etc.?

[snowey]

I think that's a great idea! How do we get started?

[Anonymous]

Well, short of getting everyone here going on a petition (which I don't think is going to happen), we start by writing our own letters to the folks at Kadee. I've already done so (and have spoken with them on the phone); you just need to do the same, and to tell anyone else who wants one of these wonderful tools to do so as well...

[Anonymous]

I looked up the ad for this thing in a 1969 Model Railroader. It looks really handy, but staple guns I've used pack a lot of punch. Didn't the spike gun distort the rails when it shot the spikes in?

Also spotted an article in a 1977 MR about a guy who made his own spike driver, though you need a small lathe to shape the metal tubing he used. Still had to push or hammer the spike in, but I guess it made it easier to position.

Tom Chmielewski
associate editor, trains.com

[Anonymous]

So far, Tom, I've seen exactly one site claim distortion from a Kadee Spiker; everyone else who has gotten their hands on one has loved it.

[ACLMark]

I've used the specialty spiking pliers marketed and sold by MicroMark and they're certainly better than plain old needle nosed, but I'm sure not as quick and handy as a gun. If Kadee isn't interested in building and selling the spiking gun again, maybe the folks at Micro Mark would be interested. I have several of their tools, all top notch.

[dknelson]

Anonymous

I looked up the ad for this thing in a 1969 Model Railroader. It looks really handy, but staple guns I've used pack a lot of punch. Didn't the spike gun distort the rails when it shot the spikes in?
Tom Chmielewski
associate editor, trains.com  

Edited post: MY BAD!  I must have accidentally scrolled into a deep page of the Forum and failed to note the age of the posting I was replying to!  

Dave

 

My recollection in talking to guys who used it is that that, yes, the Kadee spiker gun worked best when the ties were laid on a very hard and firm foundation that did not yield, and some guys reported that it was so powerful it pushed both rail and ties down, presumably due to a "soft" roadbed.   Note that that was before foam was used.  

Someone once told me, and this may be pure urban legend, that the spiker gun was pulled off the market because the nice chrome finish had a nasty habit of peeling off -- so, not related to mechanical issues but cosmetic ones -- and that Kadee either lost interest or was not able to find a better manufacturer. 

Again that may be pure legend.

Dave Nelson

[Geared Steam]

Dave?

this is so unlike you? 

[wp8thsub]

Anonymous

Didn't the spike gun distort the rails when it shot the spikes in?

Yes it did.  Some friends of mine used a Kadee spike gun on a few old layouts back in the day.  All of the rail involved was code 70 laid on wood ties glued either to Homasote or pine lath.  None of the rail could be re-used on later layouts because of how the Kadee tool distorted the rail, causing it to curl.  There was a slight bend at every spike location (which could clearly be seen due to the shiny spots on the rail weathering), which cumulatively gave the rail a nasty vertical curve.  In addition, I recall seeing lots of nicks in the rail heads.

[gmpullman]

wp8thsub

None of the rail could be re-used on later layouts because of how the Kadee tool distorted the rail, causing it to curl.

Maybe it's time to ask Kadee develop a system more like this:

http://www.pandrolusa.com/

Scroll down in the products here to see how to deal with "curly rail syndrome" or the more familiar CRS!

http://www.pandrolusa.com/products/deStressingRollers.php

I need a set of those de-stressing rollers after dealing with a particularly grueling day at that j-o-b!

Really, though, I'll bet a wood or composite tie could be developed for hand-laying track where every 4^th or 5^th tie could have a "snap-in" type of clip like a zipper to retain the rail instead of the somewhat unwieldy "Spiker"

Just thinkin' out loud here... Ed

[NP2626]

Do you guys realize you are responding to thread that went dormant in February of 2001? 

[steemtrayn]

NP2626

Do you guys realize you are responding to thread that went dormant in February of 2001? 

 

I PM'd Anonymous to let him know I have one of these spikers and I'd give him a real good deal on it. For the life of me, I couldn't understand why he kept ignoring me . It all makes sense now. Thanks, NP.

[maxman]

steemtrayn

I PM'd Anonymous to let him know I have one of these spikers and I'd give him a real good deal on it. For the life of me, I couldn't understand why he kept ignoring me .

Maybe you didn't notice, but "Anonymous" has posted 282,463 times.  He/She is not just one individual.  I believe that every time someone closes their account their screen name is removed, but the posts remain.

[rrebell]

Just like any tool, the spiker was fine if you know how to use it. They removed it from market as parts of the staples could fly out when used and some people do not use eye protection, this was a liability they did not need for the amount of sales they had. Brings a point though, why don't the people of China offer a knockoff?

[riogrande5761]

This is the 3rd old thread I've noticed "necro'd" from ancient forum history in the last couple days.  How do people dredge these up from 6 to 14 years ago?

[dknelson]

riogrande5761

This is the 3rd old thread I've noticed "necro'd" from ancient forum history in the last couple days.  How do people dredge these up from 6 to 14 years ago?

 

I think I know why or how I did it.  Right above the blue bar that says Topic  Replies  Views, there are boxes where you can jump to other pages of forum threads.  The last box takes you to the very last page, and it is so labeled.  However, on similarly organized websites that box is "next" - so out of habit I probably hit it for "next" page, went way back to the Cretaceous era of Trains.com forum postings (or maybe Triassic?) and never noticed the date.

 

If the zombie threads are all of the same ancient age my hunch is that others are in the same habit as I of thinking the box is "next" when it is really "last."

 

My bad!   Mea culpa.  Mea maxima culpa.

 

Dave Nelson

[riogrande5761]

Ah... I see.  Oh, btw, I didn't realize there was another geologist on the forums!  I remember going on field camp back in 1984 and there were some rocks our professors were showing us at a spot in Montana from the pre-Cambrian era @2.5 billion years old - I didn't get me one - most of the students were collecting rocks right and left.

[Geared Steam]

dknelson

 

 

riogrande5761

This is the 3rd old thread I've noticed "necro'd" from ancient forum history in the last couple days.  How do people dredge these up from 6 to 14 years ago?

 

 

 

I think I know why or how I did it.  Right above the blue bar that says Topic  Replies  Views, there are boxes where you can jump to other pages of forum threads.  The last box takes you to the very last page, and it is so labeled.  However, on similarly organized websites that box is "next" - so out of habit I probably hit it for "next" page, went way back to the Cretaceous era of Trains.com forum postings (or maybe Triassic?) and never noticed the date.

 

If the zombie threads are all of the same ancient age my hunch is that others are in the same habit as I of thinking the box is "next" when it is really "last."

 

My bad!   Mea culpa.  Mea maxima culpa.

 

Dave Nelson

 

Most of us get it Dave, stuff happens. 

[IRONROOSTER]

Geared Steam

 

 

dknelson

 

 

riogrande5761

This is the 3rd old thread I've noticed "necro'd" from ancient forum history in the last couple days.  How do people dredge these up from 6 to 14 years ago?

 

 

 

I think I know why or how I did it.  Right above the blue bar that says Topic  Replies  Views, there are boxes where you can jump to other pages of forum threads.  The last box takes you to the very last page, and it is so labeled.  However, on similarly organized websites that box is "next" - so out of habit I probably hit it for "next" page, went way back to the Cretaceous era of Trains.com forum postings (or maybe Triassic?) and never noticed the date.

 

If the zombie threads are all of the same ancient age my hunch is that others are in the same habit as I of thinking the box is "next" when it is really "last."

 

My bad!   Mea culpa.  Mea maxima culpa.

 

Dave Nelson

 

 

 

 

Most of us get it Dave, stuff happens. 

 

Nothing wrong with revisiting an old topic.

I haven't thought about the KD spiker in years.  When I first started out 40+years ago, I thought it would be fun to have one.  But flex track has gotten so good, I don't see the need for one anymore.

Enjoy

Paul