Ties for hand-laying track--why wood?

[Zox]

(No, this is NOT a continuation of a recent locked thread. So please relax and enjoy the show...)

This is probably a stupid question, as I've done no handlaying of track, except for a brief strip of "abandoned" right-of-way with ties but no rail.

That being said, why do modelers use wooden ties for handlaying? Is it tradition, or because that's what the real railroads use, or are there practical advantages?

I'd expect that strip styrene would be a better choice than wood. There's more variety of available dimensions (and those dimensions are more precise), no nasty grain issues, and since everything usually gets painted anyway the color shouldn't be a real issue.

I must be missing something here...so please enlighten me!

[John]

I'd expect that strip styrene would be a better choice than wood. There's more variety of available dimensions (and those dimensions are more precise), no nasty grain issues, and since everything usually gets painted anyway the color shouldn't be a real issue.

I must be missing something here...so please enlighten me!

cost .. wood is cheap

[wcfn100]

Cost is probably a big one.  Another could be that most HO hand laying was/is done with wood were they can spike the rail.  It probably just passed down from that.

For me, I prefer out of scale grain to no grain.  Besides, the simulated grain on plastic ties is worse than using real wood.  Wood will also take a stain which will always come closer to matching real ties over painting.  One last thing would be securing the rails.  Most use PCB and solder.  Styrene wouldn't fare to well under a heated rail.

edit: I'll add in that one of the more common glues to use to affix the rail is Pliobond, which I don't think is a good match for styrene as MEK is it's thinner.
 
But that's just one side of the arguement.

Jason

[Chris333]

This is Nn3 trackwork:

I used HO scale 2x4's for the filler ties. About every 6th tie is a PC board.

I painted it all, but the paint chips off the PC ties if I'm not careful. I think the same would happen with styrene.

[Mark5]

In larger scales (ie HO and larger) most hand laid track is (and least it was when I was a "hand layer") secured using .... (drum roll) spikes!

So wood works well there. You can use spikes in N scale but you'd probably want to use C55* to clear today's "not suitable for cutting pizza" flanges.

*I was planning to hand lay C55 using spikes back in the 80s after my C40 layout was dismantled in the late 70s.

[DKS]

I've used wood, PC board, all of each or mixtures of both, and back in the 80s I also experimented with styrene. That proved to be a valuable exercise. I just cut ties from Evergreen strip stock and heat-welded the rail to it with a soldering iron, letting the rail sink into the styrene just slightly. It bonded surprisingly well. I used it mostly for switches, and mixed it with flex.
 


After airbrusing, it all blended together quite well.
 

[ednadolski]

That being said, why do modelers use wooden ties for handlaying? Is it tradition, or because that's what the real railroads use, or are there practical advantages?

Really I think it simply comes down to individual preference.  That's the thing about handlaying - there is no universally "right" way to do it, and there are more variations than there are individuals doing it  Some folks like the strength of soldered construction, others like the look of wood ties, sometimes it's the time/effort/cost, etc.   That's a key reason for building test track - to find out what is practical, looks good to your eye, is worth your time & effort to build.  


Now if I can only remember which forum it was where I saw the thread on hand-built Unitrak....  ;D ;D ;D

[ednadolski]

You can use spikes in N scale but you'd probably want to use C55* to clear today's "not suitable for cutting pizza" flanges.

The P:87 spikes are quite suitable for spiking C40 rail:

[Puddington]

Dumb question number 46....what the hell is PC board ?

[Mark5]

The P:87 spikes are quite suitable for spiking C40 rail:

Cool. There was no such thing as that when I last hand laid C40. ;D

[Chris333]

PC boards are what computer circuit boards are made from. The whole sheet is copper clad, but to make a circuit board parts of the copper are etched away to make traces for electricity to flow. Fast Tracks sell PC boards that are chopped into the width of the tie we need. You can solder to the copper easy.

[DKS]

I painted it all, but the paint chips off the PC ties if I'm not careful. I think the same would happen with styrene.

Things improve a little after ballasting. The dried ballast glue forms a kind of clearcoat.

[DrifterNL]

Dumb question number 46....what the hell is PC board ?

No such thing as a dumb question, PC board is Printed Circuit board.
The rail is soldered to the thin layer of copper on the board, just remember to remove some of the copper or you will have a "fun" time locating all the short circuits.

[Philip H]

The P:87 spikes are quite suitable for spiking C40 rail:

That's sweet track work - are the spikes the only thing holding it down?

[daniel_leavitt2000]

The code 40 rail looks great on those ties. I do wish there was something a bit smaller, like code 30 or 35 or industrial trackage. I wonder if you could make steel rollers in a lath and pinch nickel silver wire to the proper size.

It would be awesome if we could get laser cut ties with spike holes for use with etched N scale spikes. The holes would be narrow enough to pinch the spikes which could have ridges to keep them in place. The spikes themselves could have ridges. This would keep the smaller spikes from loosening and keep the ties from breaking during installation.