Saturday, October 10, 2015

Little bitty bits of wood II

It's starting to look like a railroad!
3,500 ties so far. Glued down, sanded and stained.
Think I have to buy more ties soon.
Ballasting has started, and once that is done out comes the rail.

6 comments:

Jeff Leslie said...

Glad I found your blog! I plan on using Fast Tracks myself on my upcoming layout. I'll definitely follow your progress and will be looking forward to seeing how FT works out for you. Keep the updates coming!

Jeff Leslie
http://crookedriverrails.blogspot.com/

Pierre Oliver said...

Jeff,
Welcome aboard.
I'm a huge fan of the Fast Tracks products. Have been from day one. Doesn't hurt that Tim is a friend and is only an hour away.

Bill Bear said...

Pierre,
Good work and quick. What do you use to stain the ties? On my first layout I used mineral based stains that stunk up the house for two weeks. I am ready to stain 4000 ties on this layout and am looking for alternatives.
Thanks, Bill Bear

Pierre Oliver said...

I use a tie stain from Hunterline.
http://hunterline.com/products/copy-of-dark-brown-11acdffd-6019-4575-b6d1-fe8bb55ca9ba

Very happy with this product. It's alcohol based and won't stink the house out.

Jeff Leslie said...

I hope you don't mind me asking questions here. I can move to email if you'd like or we can keep it here so others can read them as well.

I plan on handlaying as well and people think I'm mad for doing so on my first layout. This is something I've been mentally preparing for though for many years now. I like precision but I also like anything that will make the job easier without getting bogged down making scratch-built turnouts and I think Fast Tracks is going to be the answer.

I see you have pre-mounted Quicksticks turnout ties to your layout. I assume then you are using the turnout jigs to build the turnout on your workbench? Are you using the drilled or non-drilled Quicksticks?

Pierre Oliver said...

Jeff,
From where I sit, you're not mad at all. While the initial outlay for the jigs appears daunting, they pay for themselves within 6-8 turnouts. You get a turnout that is better built than any commercial offering and it's DCC friendly from the outset.
I used the Twist-ties on the last layout for the many curved turnouts I required and was very pleased with the results. The only issues I had were a result of a very unstable basement and 2 very harsh winters in a row. This time I'm going with the Quickstiks and soldered up turnouts because I can. They're easier to wire as well.
I'm using the drilled Quickstiks for added security when the turnouts are plunked into place. Nothing beats a mechanical fastener!
Feel free to email direct if you wish, I don't mind.