Ben, I’ve tried Grandt Line and Tomalco tie plates, but they are too bulky and way too much work, IMO. So I paint tie plates where I am not using flex track. Another compromise. Roger
From: pickycat95 Sent: Monday, March 26, 2012 6:22 PM To: [email protected] Subject: {S-Scale List} Re: Flextrack Spike Heads Very interesting, Roger. I see spikes, joint bars and some other detail and do-dads, but where are the tie plates? :) I love laying track, but tie plates were a step too far for me. My next layout will be with flex track. Ben Trousdale --- In mailto:S-Scale%40yahoogroups.com, "Roger Nulton" <roger.nulton@...> wrote: > > Since I am currently building the turnouts for my Shops engine terminal, I > have my inventory of various spikes laid out, so I took some measurements > with my calipers: > > >Monon mainline spike heads vary, but are 1 1/4â - 1 1/2â wide and 1 > >1/2â - 1 3/4â deep (I have a bunch that Iâve collected over the years); > > >Tomalco flex track spike heads scale out to 2 scale inches wide and 2 â > >deep. Shinohara heads are just slightly larger; > > >Proto 87 â150% HOâ spike heads are 1/2â wide and 3â deep; > > >Micro Engineering âMicro Spikesâ are 1 1/2â wide and 3â deep; > > >Micro Engineering âChisel Tipâ are 2 1/2â wide and 4 1/2â deep; > > >Walthers âCode 70â are 3â wide and 6â deep; > > >Micro Mark âSmall Spikesâ are 3â wide and 8â deep. > > In my opinion, the âMicro Spikesâ look the best, even though they are > tedious to drive and donât hold the track as well as the others. Another > shortcoming they have is that the shape of their head is rounded, but this is > not noticeable once the rail is installed, painted and weathered. I also > choose to use flex track as much as possible, as I think it looks more > realistic. Attached is a pic of a turnout under construction, showing some > âMicro Spikesâ, some old Micro Engineering âSmallâ spikes, and some > Tomalco track in the background. > > Your opinions may vary. Ha! > > Roger Nulton >
