Why It Takes Time To Craft Hand Laid Model Railway Tracks On A Train Layout

Hand laid model railway tracks may seem like they are for the very expert railroad hobbyists

, but they can be more simple and fun than you may expect. Although laying your own track won't save you money, it will be more fulfilling and a way to be more exact in your hobby. This can also be a way to show off to your friends, especially because you crafted it yourself.

How to approach hand laying tracks:

First, you will want to consider the era which your track is going to be modeled after. As railways have become more modern since the days of steam, ties have also increased in size. This is important because you want exact replicas of the certain era you are modeling.

Second, the rail size does not particularly matter. You can use just about any size you want, but many train hobbyists recommend code 83 rails because they seem more realistic. This is for you to decide. You will also want to consider whether the rails are weathered or plain. If you choose to do your own weathering just know that will be an extra cost on your part and more time consuming.

Third, the spikes which you plan on using should be small enough not to split the ties. Obviously this depends on if you are using wood ties, which are also highly recommended by many train hobbyists. The spikes should be small enough that they will connect the ties to the ground without splitting and that they look realistic as well. The worst thing you could do is make the track look like it was pinned down with penny nails.

Fourth, your choice of roadbed is very crucial to your model. Whatever you are trying to model will determine what type of roadbed you will use. Consider the material and how well it will hold your spikes so that you will have less difficulty when laying your track.

Laying the actual track:

Laying each individual tie is very time consuming but that may be the way you like to construct your track. Other hobbyists have applied other methods to hand laid model railway tracks. Some use special jigs that they have constructed on their own that allow them to lay multiple ties at a time and with precision. You will just need to research this more if you wish to construct your railway faster.

Use a straight edge to draw a guide line in the roadbed to follow. This will help you be even more exact with your laying process. You may have to sand down your ties as you lay them because they may not be even. Especially if you are laying ties around a curve, you may encounter some difficulty with the different lengths, so keep sand paper handy.

As you lay the track on the ties you will want to remember to spike the rails every fifth tie, which is NMRA standards. Some hobbyists recommend spiking the rail every tenth tie and then returning when you have the entire rail laid and spiking the fifth one between those. This way you do not get to the end of the track and have improper distances between rails and have to go back and fix even more.

Some people prefer to use a straight edge again for measuring the correct distance between the rails on every tie. Others simply have the skill to "eye-ball" the distance, but don't test your luck with this too much. Hand laid model railway tracks are much more difficult, but they do leave more to be enjoyed when you have completed the entire task.

by: Mike S Williams

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