# longer tie strips



## amich35 (Jul 2, 2010)

I have some older LGB 8' diamter curved track pieces in need of some new tie strips. Can someone please direct me to where i can find some that will fit? All I seem to be able to find are 1 foot pieces....

thanks

Mike


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

LGB and USA Trains and Trainli only made 1 foot pieces.


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

I know of no ties strips longer than one foot, from any manufacturer.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Maybe the answer is: LGB made longer tie strips for the sectional track, but you cannot buy anything but 1 foot ones?

Greg


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

I just looked at a new 4 foot piece, and a 18000 curve, they both have 1 foot ties.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Well, that answers that... so I guess upon closer inspection, the OP will see that his tie strips are in 1 foot quanta

Thanks for straightening me out Mike.. seems Aristo was the same way.. I thought someone made them longer, but Llagas Creek ones were even shorter, 9" and 5". 

Greg


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

My Llagas Creek ties were just 4 ties per section (code 215, std gauge). They were hard enough to side on from the end of the rail...I'd hate to have to do 1-ft long strips!


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Yeah, like in my post where I said some Llagas were 5".

I understand they were a really close fit, and really helped to lubricate them to assemble. I also saw some "assembly jigs" which supported the ties so pressure was put on all of them to get the rails in more easily.

Greg - 420


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

I made a fixture to hold 2 rails upside-down and bought the tool they sold to push the ties as a group (just a square-tooth stick with the teeth spaced the same as the ties).

I used a Dremmel tool as a router to rout two straight 1/8-in. wide grooves, 45-mm apart, in a wide board to hold the rails for the straight sections and then had make a huge compass to hold a Dremmel tool to make two 8-ft radius (16-ft dia) grooves (again 45-mm apart) to hold the rails for my curved sections (first time I have ever had to buy materials, to make a fixture to make a fixture, to build something!) I sprayed a rag with Armour-All to rub on the foot of the rails as a lubricant.

I also beveled the edges of the ends of the rails to facilitate getting the ties started.

I would install one set of ties and slide them about 1-ft up the track, then install the next set. Them move the 1st set to the middle of the track section and move the 2nd set about 1-ft up the track. Install another set and move the 1st set to the other end and the 2nd set to the middle and the 3rd set about 1-ft up. Install another set and move the 2nd set to the 1st set at the end, the 3rd set to the middle and the 4th up about 1-ft. I kept doing that until I had all the sets on the track for one 10-ft section.

Took a while, but with the Armour-All and the tool to push the sets, I did 150-ft of track in a couple of hours. A relatively pleasant afternoon's pastime. 

The "tool", the fixture, the Armour-All and beveling the edges of the ends were all a part of making the task pleasant... those AND knowing I'd soon have a track to run my trains on!


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

​


Greg Elmassian said:


> Maybe the answer is: LGB made longer tie strips for the sectional track, but you cannot buy anything but 1 foot ones?
> 
> Greg



No.

If you look at longer sections of LGB sectional track, they put a brass "rail joiner" every "metric foot," even if there is no joint there. This is for a consistant look and requires separate tie strips for each "metric foot."


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## Ironton (Jan 2, 2008)

On the Llagas Creek track I used what I had to assemble them. I used a lubricant from my sailboat, it was used to lubricate the track the mainsail lugs rode in. Very slippery stuff. I also knocked off the corners of the rail with a file so it was not sharp, just a tiny bit.

Anyhow, I wiped the lubricant onto the bottom of the rails with a cloth. Then I started one of the longer sections of ties onto the rails onto the rails. Once it was on both rails I laid the track upside down on carpet and slid the ties to the middle. Very easy to do. Then I continued the process, alternating the ends until the rails had ties all the way down. Did not take long once I figured out the carpet trick.


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