Do you hand lay your track?


TLOC said:
I have found handlaying track to be enjoyable but sometimes frustrating. I love to see all those spiked tie plates. If you have the time, patience and don’t want it tomorrow it’s a great way to go.

TomO
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I won't be in a hurry. At 70 years of age, I may never run a train on a layout again. However, it's the process of building the layout that I enjoy! I am not like many people today. I can order something from a hobby supplier online; or, by phone and be content waiting for its arrival. I won't be building the layout for the expressed purpose of the finished product being the goal! It is the journey that is the goal and draws me to this hobby! This doesn't mean that a supplier can take forever sending me the things I've bought!!! I keep track of my purchases and I track the time it takes to receive and if a supplier doesn't seem to cut the mustard, he never gets another order! Right now a company called San Juan Details is very close to getting the AXE!
 
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TLOC, I had seen a video on setting up the Bronx Termanal Layout on Train Masters TV. I just watched it again to see if I can determine what Mr. Warris used to spike his track to. There are some edge on views while the layout is being assembled that I stopped the video when I got to them. All I can say is it appears to have a Plywood top of about 3/8ths thickness and three plys. It may be some type of furnature type plywood and almost looked like there might be a layer of Balsa or Pine as the top layer. I'm going to see if I can get Mr. Warris to explain what he used.
 
This thread has maybe played-out. If that is the case, I want to thank all of you who have provided information for me.
 
Ash Pit said:
This doesn't mean that a supplier can take forever sending me the things I've bought!!! I keep track of my purchases and I track the time it takes to receive and if a supplier doesn't seem to cut the mustard, he never gets another order! Right now a company called San Juan Details is very close to getting the AXE!
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Well you might be walking a tight rope there. Often companies that produce very unique and uncommon things are just a guy or couple of guys (in this case Bob Stears and Doug Junda ). Then throw covid lockdowns shortages of manufacturing supplies and it could take a while to get things built after the order is placed.
 
Iron Horseman, you are correct. I was unfair in my Judgement of San Juan Details and would like to retract what I stated above! I have called the company to ask why an order placed on December 15th had not been received yet. There had been no order placement acknowledgement received and so I had a right to be concerned. The phone call clarified the process of fulfilling an order for the company and I should have my order shortly!

However, I will stand by the admonishment to KEEP TRACK of what, from whom and when, you have placed an order for something!
 
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i only hand lay specialty trackwork. For instance, I needed a crossover on a curve and off the shelf turnouts did not come close to what I needed. Here is the unpainted final look at it.
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Ash Pit said:
However, I will stand by the admonishment to KEEP TRACK of what, from whom and when, you have placed an order for something!
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I needed that admonishment a year ago. I ordered (or thought I ordered) a ton of stuff. Specifically the Rapido Ski Train, BLI Christmas 4-6-2, BLI NP A-3, Lionel Polar Express extra cars, the Santa Fe sets from Walthers, amid a bunch of lesser things. Well, the items started arriving but they didn't. I got the extra Ski Train cars from Spring Creek, but not the others. I thought I should check out what happened to my order... Well I am not at my home computer I am sheltering away from covid invested Denver so couldn't find the order. Called several of my normal vendors to see if they had my pre-order and finally found it. For the locos though I found them sitting in my "Basket" on the vendor's site. I had never actually ordered them. Same for the BLI Christmas loco. I started seeing them on e-bay, but mine didn't come. So in this case I assumed I had also not actually pushed the order button. So I ordered one. As soon as it came, the other one I had pre-ordred showed up so now I have two! Yikes what a mess.
 
Renegade1c said:
i only hand lay specialty trackwork. For instance, I needed a crossover on a curve and off the shelf turnouts did not come close to what I needed. Here is the unpainted final look at it.
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That is one thing I credit the Platte Valley MRC for. Had it not been for the original members of that club I would have never attempted to hand lay track, and therefore never realized how really easy it is.
 
Has anyone used Ceiling Tiles as a replacement for Homasote? This material is found at almost every lumber supplier and comes in 2 X 4 foot pieces. I would say it is lighter than Homasote and therefore not as dense; however, it may hold spikes, O.K.
 
I did a test comparison between Homasote and a ceiling tile. I found the ceiling tile to be pretty soft and it's spike holding power to be pretty week. So, I've answered my own question.
 
I've handlaid on cork, and while the cork might not hold spikes very tightly, the spike holds just fine in the wood tie, and it's not like that's what's securing the ties/etc to the table, just the rail. The ties are glued down ("thanks captain obvious").
 
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