How many of you hand lay your own rail?

In my world, it's about time. I'm 59 years young. The layout I have is a fair size. I did not lay my own track or switches. I have maybe 10% of the scenery done. Still have to place a fee bridges. So there is still a tremendous bit of work to be done. Are Layout ever 100% complete? I don't think so. In our imaginations there's always something to make better or add.

We haven't even mentioned working on locomotives and rolling stock. Something always needs new or different trucks. Stirrups, ladders and other details always are acquiring attention. The list of locomotives that need paint seems to always be growing.

It's a never ending adventure. Depends how, where and what interests you the most to where your focus is. Mine is everything, locomotives, cars, details, track and scenery. Running the trains is the goal.

So it's all about time, and we definitely don't have an abundant amount of that.

John

Coeurd Alene, Idaho

I almost went down this path but then I decided it wasn't worth the time given the amount of track I needed to lay. I am still considering it to get custom radii in spots.

I have helped do it on a relatively large HO layout for a friend's club (he was the track maven). Advantages? For one thing, looks realistic since you are spiking down the track with spikes, like the prototype. You also can choose the rail code/size you use, and the ties. And because it is handlaid, it looks like the 'real thing' since it is usually laid by people and you get natural variance (ties not perfectly aligned, the way the spikes are) (I realize that it has changed with things like pre done sectional track in the prototype or using concrete ties).

People also lay it different ways. Some make the track in a jig, where the ties lie in depresssions, the track is aligned by the jig as well, and you then spike it (kadee used to have a stapler like thing that spiked both side of the rail at once; cheating according to my friend).

Others glue the ties to the roadbed, then they had a jig that held the rails at the right gauge, and spiked it. another method I saw was where over a length of the track to be, they marked the lines for the rail on the tie surface, then spiked the rail to cover that line. They still had to align the second rail laid, make sure it was in gauge. Curves are similar, with a jig it is a lot easier then gluing down the ties then spiking IMO.

As far as turnouts go, to me not worth the effort (my friend would grumble that I am just lazy; on the other hand, he has done so many it probably is easy for him). If I was going to hand lay (thought of doing it with my three rail layout, decided that Ross looked great) I would do the track and buy switches.

Many years ago, in "another life", I hand-laid some of the track on an HO scale layout I was working on at the time. I found the task to be relaxing and rewarding. However, I was not pressed for time, as John has alluded to in post #2.

This hobby can be enjoyed many different ways by many different people. Hand-laying track is but one of the hundreds of ways we can enjoy this hobby. Personally, I enjoyed it.

Mine is all hand laid code 125 with all the switches built in place.  Good music and it's almost a zen thing.  I also made maybe 80-85% of my own ties.

Time may be an issue, but cost is another issue.  Also, hand laying track actually goes a lot faster than you might think and building the switches in place gives you the freedom to follow whatever track plan you want vs. that being constrained by the limitations of commercial track.

I've been hand laying all my turnouts and much of my mainline track using code 125 rail for about the last 15 years and wouldn't have it any other way. Most I build permanently in place, but some are removable such as this L/H #10 that spans two module sections, (excuse the mess, just moved and getting modules assembled back together.

There's a bit of a learning curve in the beginning, like many things, but once one gets the fundamentals down, they're actually simple to construct. They do require more time to build, it usually takes me several days for a build. I've never compared costs so not sure about that, but believe the cost is less than purchasing a commercially available ready to run turnout. Most importantly to me is the level of detail and functionality of hand laid turnouts which imho far surpasse that of any commercially available. There is a very nice selection of castings/detail parts available from Right O Way to build in regular O scale, or if one chooses for Proto48, which can also be used for O fine scale if one doesn't want to change track gauge.

John

I built my previous layout that had about 500 feet of track.    I handlaid it all.   I bought some switches that were all the rail prefabed and soldered on straps.    You spiked them down, and then removed the straps.    Than I just started buying point and frog assemblies, it was cheaper.    A few switches were scratch built.    It started slow, but I learned and found I lay about 6-9 feet of track an hour, maybe more.    It was a 2 step process.    I made a tie jig a bit longer than 24 inches where I could set in ties at the spacing I wanted for 24 inches of track.   I then laid a strip of masking tape on the ties and lifted the string out of the jig and turned it upside down.    I put white glue on the ties and then set them in place where I wanted the track to be.    I would do a bunch of that one evening, and then come back the next evening and lay rail on the ties.    It seems daunting  until you try it.  

On my current layout, I handlaid all my yard area.    I wanted the  yard to look buried in the dirt and stuff and was thinking about how much material that would take over the ties.   Then I cam up with the idea to just lay a piece of luann underlayment plywood over the area and just spike the rail to that.   It came out just fine.

With turnouts getting close to 100 apiece, an option is to buy cast points and frogs which are availalbe from one of the suppliers, Old Pullman maybe.    That is a pretty easy way to hand lay switches.    One idea a friend  used was to glue the ties for a switch to a piece of roadbed he was using and then build the switch on his workbench.    he could then tack it in place on the layout and if needed remove it without destroying again (for reuse).

One than that helps a lot with hand laying is to get a couple of 3 point track gauges that allow you to hold the second rail in gauge hands free while you spike.    You lay the first rail, and then gauge the second to it.     Back in the day I did, I estimate the cost of buying ties and rails was about 1/3 the cost of prefab track.

Thanks for all the replies!  I am not worried about time as much as learning and having the experience of doing it.  As I design my layout I may order some supplies and get a feel for it.  Turnouts still seem daunting to me...so I need to do more research on it.

I went down this rabbit hole when I was researching layouts and turnouts and saw videos on handlaid track.

This is my layout design so far (16'x8').  I used all Atlas track for the design except for the crossing which is a Lenz in the proper angle.  According to the program it is 999" of track...so very manageable.  There are a few areas for custom cut flex so I think that would be good for handlaid track also.

@Roll The Dice, I applaud  you for thinking about hand laying the track, and I’m  sure you are capable. A friend of mine, although deceased, Louis Ertz, built a beautiful two rail O scale model railroad in his beautiful home in Memphis Tennessee. I always visited him when I was in Memphis.  Rich Melvin did a beautiful video of his model railroad on OGR THE VIDEO #5, and I recommend you getting that awesome video to see this mans amazing workmanship. Good luck in this new adventure. Happy Railroading Everyone

Yup, been hand spiking rail for the better part of 57 years.  First when I was 8 or 9 with my dad on true scale road bed In H0 ,  Since then I have done work in most of the scales and to this day hand laid track on wooden ties gives you  the best look.  Dont get me wrong  I have used sectional track and flex track, bout nothing compares to hand laid.      It seems many today are willing spend hundreds and thousands for engines, thousands for layouts , and still use crappy plastic based track

Ten years ago  I took down the ready made stock Track and very used abused third hand Old Pullman #6’s and decided there was too much track and turnouts for that given space in that overdone plan. Gave the stuff away at a show. Moving a few years up, I hand laid a double slip turnout  with code 100 rail just to see if I could. it was so enjoyable, I then made two curved #6’s. I made some low profile ties for them to rest on, the kind that represent the embedded in the dirt. I was able to place and lightly adhere them on paper sheets. Stored away for a long time. Some weathering and some ballast will be next obvious constructive step. Theres enough of it that I can alter as needed. I remember the process was a lot easier with  tri-gages and an NMRA track gage.
it’s a challenge to think too much about it. I found that it’s a real living in the present activity. We don’t really know how much time we have left. I get lost in the moment as Track hand laying is really a joy to create.
Btw, there are some great tools available for tracklaying.  Jigs are helpful. You can Make your own.
Experiment you might like it!

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. 

My friend, David Stewart chose hand laying for his 3000 sq ft O-5 foot gauge Appalachian & Ohio layout.  He also cut his own ties.  He has repeatedly states that his reasons are cost, design control, and enjoyment.  I don't know what the final footage is but it is a lot!  Main tracks are code 125 with sidings and spurs using code 100 rail. A few areas with close up scenes have (or will have) full spike and tie plate detail, but most of the trackage uses 4 spikes every 5 - 6 ties.  All turnouts are built in place.  David did the lion's share of the work but fellow modelers Vince Griesemer and Craig Linn contributed significantly.  This layout is specifically designed for freight and coal operations under CTC control.  Power is NCE DCC with all turn outs have powered frogs. Roughly 3/4 of the turnouts are remote powered using Tortoise motors with the remaining branch-line and switching districts using Caboose Industries manual throws.  Track laying is pretty close to 100% complete with nearly all of the track laid in less than 10 years.

Hand layed track and switches with Lou Cross right o'way components on my Linfield Northern and Southern at age 31.

New layout started in 2015 Atlas track components at age 59.

been there , done that.

john

Thanks for all the replies...I figured a lot of you had done it.  I think I will start small and practice laying regular track and maybe try my hand at a switch on the workbench first.

I have seen ROW frogs and switch parts and Fast Tracks.  I like the jigs of Fast Tracks, but it isn't cheap to get started.  What methods have you done or products do you use for your switches?  Other options besides the 2 listed above?

In the early 1950’s MR had a series of articles on how to build your own turnouts, crossings, and even slip switches.  The key take always were tips on how to pre- bend the rail before starting to file the points and frogs.  While today I mostly use ROW castings, when I need a custom fit (like a long turnout built into a curve) I file my own points and frogs.  The things required are ties, spikes,  rail, track gauge, a good file, soldering iron, flux, solder,  pliers, and a vice to hold the rail while you file the sides of the rail.  Making your own points, frogs, and guard rails is not difficult.  Anyone can do it - but it does require care, patience and additional time.  It is well worth the effort to get a smooth flowing look to the track in special viewing locations.  Custom turnouts also can be space savers on yard track ladders - check out the ladder on Dave Stewart’s A&O posted above.

Building your own turnouts can basically be divided into 3 basic categories:

• Build your own turnout from scratch starting with just plain rail.  You file the points, bend the rails and solder to form the frogs and guard rails.  This results in the cheapest turnout construction and lowest cost of entry.  Turnout can be built to fit the location but obviously takes some skill to do this.  The resulting turnout appearance is decent but not the greatest.   If you go this route (or next bullet), I would recommend picking up one of those 1" belt sanders from Harbor Freight or Amazon as they will definitely speed up the filing process where needed.
• Build your own turnout using Fast Tracks jigs.  This has a relatively high cost of entry and restricts you to a turnout frog number based on how many different size jigs you purchase, e.g #5, #6, etc.   If you plan on building many turnouts, this can save you money down the road as the cost per turnout goes down the more you build using these jigs.  It is not the most cost-effective choice for building a small number of turnouts, especially if you purchase a varied number of different size frogs fixtures.  However, the skill level required is less (this is basically a "paint by numbers" operation) and speed of which you build the turnout is faster using these Fast Tracks jigs vs. bullet #1.  The resulting turnout appearance pretty much matches that of bullet #1.
• The final method to build your own turnout is to use castings akin to those offered by Right-O-Way.  This has a medium cost of entry but that cost is really based upon how deep you want to go into the ROW ecosystem and the appearance you are after.  Since it is basically an "a-la-carte" menu, you can control the cost per turnout and the level of detail in your resulting turnout build.  If you go for the "Full Monty" turnout route that includes all the ROW tie plates, rail braces, guard rails, etc., then you are going to easily get close to $100 or more per turnout and you still have to do the work to build it.  However, the resulting turnout appearance is second-to-none.  ROW also offers a number of different frog sizes to choose from so you still get the freedom to fit the turnout to the location and not bound to what a jig is built for.  The skill level to build a turnout using ROW parts is probably close to that needed for building a turnout with the Fast Tracks jigs - the layout and assembly of the turnout is a little more involved than Fast Tracks but on the flip-side you don't need to file your own points or build your own frogs since there are casting for that, so it kinda balances out in that regard.

Here are some piks of an O Scale "Full Monty" ROW #5 turnout built on a piece of Homasote along with a comparison in size to an HO scale locomotive and HO Scale #6 Walthers Code 83 turnout.

Scott

I hand laid the track on my layout, so I could get it to look like the prototype....

I wanted to get the rough, under-maintained look of secondary Short Line & industrial trackage.

It all works, too - here's a video of a train taking the siding in the upper photo at speed, to show nothing derails....

https://youtu.be/6bOf8f9iZlY

Normally trains roll & sway down it at the very sedate speeds the prototype would.

@Rick Bacon where can we see more of that layout? Looks impressive!

@SundayShunter that track work looks exactly like a secondary short line. I love the way the equipment bobs and weaves going over it.