# i have 60 foot of rail. whats the best way to...



## fordfreak05 (Dec 22, 2010)

i have 60 foot of rail. whats the best way to put the rail together.. i just bought 200 ties off the bay.. what screws should i use and i have to use 10 ties per for or so? do i need tie plates . or are they just for looks . cuz that does not matter then. i want it to look good but does not have to look 100% real

thanks jason


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## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

10 ties per ft?? are you hand spiking?


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## fordfreak05 (Dec 22, 2010)

i dont know thats why i am asking. i figured screws to the wood ties. but what screws and how many ties per foot

and yes i will hand screw them

jason


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## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

Jason 
Personally i think it best to just buy tie strips. 
American if your into standard gauge. I had hand spiked for years with different types of ties, and gave up. 

But I'm sure now many will jump in.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

If you want to 'spike' your rail to ties, you don't use screws. You use spikes, other wise you use a strip of injection molded ties that have the spikes molded in. They slip on the rails before you lay the track. If you want curves you will need a rail bender, you can buy or make them from simple one rail at a time to delux dual rail benders. Depending on what your rails are made of, you might be able to hand bend softer metal, but watch for the rail twisting. 
Read through the beginners forum. 

Welcome aboard. 

John


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## Nutz-n-Bolts (Aug 12, 2010)

Hi Jason,

If you want to model 1:29 or 1;32 Scale Here is a lin to some tie strips that would be correct for that:
http://www.train-li-usa.com/store/track-ties-c-54_92_156.html

If you think you like to model Narrow gauge railroads at 1:20.3 Scale then the ties in this link would be more what you want:
http://www.switchcrafters.com/ez-catalog/X381875/15

Both "Scales" come in strips in 9 inch or 12 inch lengths. You will have to slide the rail into the ties under the molded in spikes. 
Be care full If you intend to use the rail you have you have to buy the correct strip for the code or size rail you have and even some times there are differences in the same code so it's best to get a sample strip to test fit before buying a bunch. Have Fun !


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

It is all well and good to tell the OP to go buy the correct ties, but what does he now do with the ones he has ALREADY purchased?


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## fordfreak05 (Dec 22, 2010)

thank you . i guess i will just use 5 or so ties for now and just need to know what screws to use? i looked at plastic ties but went with the ceder ones.. just do not want to put all the work in with the wrong screws as i want it to last and will match the ties later.


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

I would not think you would need tie plates, except for two possible reasons. 1) if the wood is extremely soft the rail might press into it due to the relatively narrow foot compared to the tie plate; I don't see this a a problem. 2) the tie plates may help you place the spikes in uniform looking locations.

I have only used scale spikes; I have seen two different sizes 3/8" and 1/2".... or is that 1/4" and 3/8"???? anyway I think the smaller ones looked the best and found the larger ones tended to split the wood ties if I didn't predrill the holes... but then predrilling the holes helped me locate the spikes for proper gauge (I used a fixture in a drill press to locate the hole locations, pre-drilled all the ties and then went about spiking the rail down). I know some people have used pin-brads with round heads and others have used the nails that have elongated heads like are used in brad nailers... some have even filed off one end of the head to produce an offset head like RR spikes have (just for looks), but that seems an awful lot of work... not that spiking rail is not a lot of work anyway! If you predrill, be sure to make the hole small enough that the spike is still gripped tightly by the wood!

As for using screws... I have seen photos of using screws, but I have not seen any uniformity in what type to use... I have seen pan head and counter sunk heads, and I suppose there are ardent supporters of either type.

I made a spiking tool to use... a length of square steel with one end slanted at about 5 degrees (to angle the spikess under the rail slightly) and two slots in the end just wide enough to hold one spike each. This helped produce a uniform pattern when putting two spikes on each tie on one side of the rail. I bent it at an angle to make it easier to fit between the rails when spiking inside the gauge. Here is a drawing of something similar.











Spiking rail down is tedious, but can provide some satisfaction when you get a long length done and it looks good. Still, 30-ft of track is a lot of spikes! I used a small blade screwdriver that fit the slot and hammered (small tack hammer) to drive the screwdriver against the spike head to seat the spikes. I usually put two spikes on one side and one on the other and then the reverse at the next tie... i.e.: 3 spikes per rail per tie or 6 spikes per tie. I did 1:32 scale which put about 12 to 15 ties per foot, and that makes for lots of hammering! 6 * 12 * 30 = 2160 spikes!


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Also on spikes: 

Stainless steel spikes are normally very smooth and will not rust. They work but can work loose over time with expansion and contraction. 

Steel spikes will rust and lock themselves into the cedar ties really well, BUT the heads can eventually rust too! 

It, of course, depends on your environment, but no universal zero maintenance solution seems to have been found. 

I was hoping someone would come up with SS spikes with corrugations on the body to keep them from pulling out. 

Greg


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## fordfreak05 (Dec 22, 2010)

the whole reason i asked the ? is to find what works as i bought the ties. mistake i guess . they are super small the tie plates must be even smaller and spikes like a needle )) i bought some little nails with barbs. they do not hold into the wood or the track to the wood.....i figures there would be some screws that will work good i guess not thanks jason


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## fordfreak05 (Dec 22, 2010)

i made spikes from the nails and that seams to work good any glue to keep it all there?


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## fordfreak05 (Dec 22, 2010)

here are a couple of pics dont know how to do them small i hope these are ok. what ya think?


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Not bad! 

To save time and spikes, you might see about putting 2 on one side and 1 on the other and then reverse that for the next tie. (Two less spikes per tie.)


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## fordfreak05 (Dec 22, 2010)

spike transformation


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## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

you must have alot of time on your hands.


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By NTCGRR on 12 Jan 2011 03:16 PM 
you must have alot of time on your hands. 

yeah, but it sure beats pushing boulders around doing landscaping!


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