64 Collectable Model Trains: Track Laying
Description
This article is from the Model Trains FAQ, by Christopher D Coleman with numerous contributions by others.
64 Collectable Model Trains: Track Laying
Always screw your track down! Many locomotives have gone from mint to
good condition with a few too many derailments on loose track
sections. I recommend slotted, pan head, sheet metal screws (yes, even
if you're going into wood). #4 size for O-27 and #6 size for O.
Tinplate track is designed with flexibility of layout design in mind.
A pair of lineman's pliers, or better yet track pliers (get these from
parts suppliers), are indispensable when assembling track. Also keep a
supply of spare steel and fiber pins on hand. Cutting custom length
track sections is often necessary in more complex layouts. To do this
clamp the rails, not ties, between two blocks of wood. This will
prevent bending the rails during cutting. Cut along the wood, from the
top of the rails to the bottom for a straight clean cut. Reaming out
the inside of tubular rails is often necessary before inserting a pin.
Use dull wire cutters or needle nose piers to squeeze the track around
the pin at the base of the railhead. Many track pins also have a rut
in either end so that the railhead sides can be pressed in and prevent
slippage.
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