It's been a little while since i have posted here and a lot has happened in the last several months... but i started building my benchwork and im finally putting plywood and roadbed down and i had a question in regards to using my old HO scale rails and putting them on On3 ties? has anyone else done this? I have a ton of old HO track and i would love to reuse it if i could... Please write me and let me know what think on this matter. Thanks
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it's not hard. I've hand laid a lot of 1/20.3 track. There are probably some good tutorials you can find by googling. two things you'll need are a good gage that will hold the rails in alignment while you spike them and good quality spikes.
How old?? Brass or NS? Sectional or flex? It might be fine for practice but I'd recommend new 3' sections of NS rail. As Ron mentioned, plenty of info online and in magazines.
Thanks for the replies... im still doing some research... im going to buy a track gauge and try some stuff out. One last question, do you guys know what is the best way to attatch the ties to the track? Is it glueing or soldering or is it spiking the rails to the ties? If spikes what spikes should i use? Thanks again for replying...
I glued mine. The best looking spikes will be HO.
However having said all that, some of the new flex track in On3 is gorgeous and would save you a lot of work.
Check out Micro Engineering. They have a full line of track, rail, and excellent spikes. I have used them exclusively for thirty years.
I model in On3 which is a very different venue from On30.
In On3 there are few choices. You have to decide the gauge first.
If it is On30, save money and buy new track. It ain't worth the headaches to use
recycled track IMO.
All the rail on my On30 layout was handlaid onto wooden ties.
I would lay a bead of pliobond glue, onto the bottom surface of the rail. Then set it aside to dry.
Then I would place the rails onto the ties, centering them using a rail gauge.
Then, using a soldering iron I would run slowly with it down one rail, just in front of gauge, all the way tot he end, then I would go back to the beginning of second rail and repeat the process.
The heat activates the pliobond and secures it firmly to the ties.
Then I would use HO spikes on every third tie.
Dave
Seattle
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