If you model other than a backwoods railroad for prototype appearance the track should have tie plates under the rail - they are very noticeable. IMO weathered flex track with tie plates looks closer to prototype than hand laid track without the plates. We all make compromises in our modelling - I use 5' gauge flex track and hand lay my turnouts using ROW castings). With over 120 turnouts on the railroad I chose to not install tie plates on the turnouts and skip some of the spikes. It's your railroad - you get to make the decisions regarding compromises with prototype practice and how you allocate your time and money.
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