How I make track (video)

[gregh]

Originally I made my track from aluminum bar and slotted sleepers but when I found a ‘cheap’ source of brass rail 15 years ago, I began making my track by nailing the rail onto treated pine sleepers.
I’ve recently been making 20m of new track to replace some aluminium-bar track from 20 years ago.
So I thought I’d make a video to show others how I cut the timber sleepers, fit the nails, attach the  brass rail and make the rail joiners. The end of the video also shows some pics of 5 and 11 year old track to show how it ages.

Here’s the 8 minute video:
[size=10pt]http://youtu.be/egPggh9X16A[/size]

(excuse my first foray into narration.)

Finished product:-


And some 11 year old stuff.

 

[3Valve]

Simple but brilliant. Thanks for sharing Greg

 

[Beddhist]

Thanks for sharing that, Greg. I must try this myself. The challenge now is to find more rail...

Regards,
Peter.

 

[ge_rik]

Really interesting stuff, Greg.
Couple of questions:

What sort of wood do you use for the sleepers? It looks finer-grained than the pine we get over here.
Have you ever used brass nails v steel? Not sure how long steel would last over here

Rik
PS - Great to hear the bird song in the background - a bit different to the sparrow cheeps we get here

 

[gregh]

Thanks Rik.
The pine plantations here use Radiata pine if that helps you!! I only assume that's what the wood is. I just go to the local place that makes lattice, and buy the wood from them without caring what it is.
Others use hardwood, but that's too hard to mark the nail holes using my jig method.
I haven't been able to find 15mm brass nails here. Only Escuthcion (sp?) pins with big heads. And they cost the earth! like 5c each whereas I can get 1000 steel ones for $7.
I know you Poms think it's dry in Oz, but in Sydney we get over 40" of rain a year - more than London I think. It's just it rains heavier here for shorter periods (IMHO anyway). So maybe steel would be OK for you anyhow? Only one way to find out.



Yes, I didn't notice the birds till I watched the video. Ther big gum trees in the yard are in flower and lots of lorikeets in them at present. And at night the fruit bats which I don't like and would gladly exterminate if allowed. But since there's only about a billion of them they are endangered and protected.

 

[royale]

Great info and very useful.

 

[fridge]

Very interesting and very well explained and illustrated. No use to me at the moment for G scale, but I have a part completed Gauge 3 line which might benefit from your method.