Concrete Tie strip for N Scale and Code 40 Rail

[narrowminded]

But the ones you and Simon mentioned are British, correct?
So the dimensions are different than U.S. standards? Seems that the benefit of these is that they are depicting the U.S. prototype.

@Simon D. Thanks for your interest and that link.  It's a pretty clever system.  You can't help but admire a fellow who is willing to put that much effort into something like that. 

The 2mm track product linked above looks like a well thought out system with various benefits, especially to the British modeller.  There are many viable options for track that various gauges of wheel sets will roll very nicely on but there are very few if any that will match the US standard detail being pursued in my efforts, all while being relatively easy to work with.  That's the sole point of this effort.  It started as a need for my own Nn3 projects where track, turnouts, and related items were simply not available.  As that came together I found that what I had learned had broader application with unique benefits.  That's what's being pursued here.

Some of the products I'm developing just aren't available for love nor money, like Nn3 or several variants within a basic track scale, detailed to specifics of the installation like branch track vs: siding track.  All of those variants just aren't practical to produce with standard production methods.  The real point of my effort is a highly detailed US style track that will withstand pretty close scrutiny and can be produced in short production runs with attention to prototypical detail that just is not available in standard offerings... as well as being relatively easy to work with.  As far as robust?  It is totally suitable for handling and installing and really bullet proof once installed on a board.  Did I say it's pretty easy to work with, too?


 

[Philip H]

But why do that??? When we can print all we need with the Photon and get exactly what we want. It's a hell of lot cheaper.

Well for one thing not EVERYONE owns a Photon yet . . . .

[RAILCAT]

What is the plan for these items. Share the print files?
Share the files for a fee?

[narrowminded]

What is the plan for these items. Share the print files?
Share the files for a fee?

At this time the thought is to sell the tie strips in 8 packs yielding just over 3 feet of track, the lengths that rail is furnished in.   Turnouts will likely be furnished RTR.  There will be Youtube videos for install instructions.  Those may start soon to adequately describe the product and will be a series to fully detail and demonstrate each step.  And being this early in the project, all of this is subject to change.

As far as ordering goes, at this point I'm not sure what the demand will be for a special product like this and with Youtube videos available for very complete product information, a simple E-mail contact with the required order and shipping information should suffice to get things started and may be as fancy as it ever gets.   If there is any immediate interest an inquiry would be welcome.  Just send me a PM and we'll take it from there.

This venture isn't to have a business (I did that and retired from it) but to share nice, practical, usable products to discerning modellers.  The product is the first and only concern, fluff will be at a minimum, and pricing is to cover the costs.  

This is still in development so let's give it a chance to see what interest there is before to get too far into the weeds.

[Missaberoad]

I've been watching this thread closely and the branchline track looks amazing! The spike detail rendered much better then I thought it would...
I'm definitely up for some to experiment with... Not sure if it's the solution for a whole layout but I'm excited by the possibilities...

[narrowminded]

I've been watching this thread closely and the branchline track looks amazing! The spike detail rendered much better then I thought it would...
I'm definitely up for some to experiment with... Not sure if it's the solution for a whole layout but I'm excited by the possibilities...

Thanks for the encouraging words.   And once it's seen how easy it is to work with you may be less worried about doing a LOT of it.

At this point, in terms of difficulty, I'd say it's a LOT easier than handlaid but slightly more involved than just laying Atlas flex track.  I don't think it's so much that it's harder to do but does have a few extra steps.  But with it being code 40 with previously unavailable details, all tailored to your specific application, it might very well be worth the little bit of extra effort, especially in highly visible areas.

[Maletrain]

All I can say is "Wow", and ask where Tom put the "drool" emoji!

I will definitely be wanting some of the standard gauge wooden ties for both mainline C55 and branch line C40. 

[railnerd]

So how crazy would it be to actually try and get this injection molded?  I assume the big cost is machining the tooling.

But something photon-sized for printing would be small enough that maybe it could go on a small machine?

some "yard spacing" would be awesome as well.

-Dave

[ednadolski]

The package with the concrete tie strips from Mark @narrowminded just arrived today, and I have to say, these parts look amazing!   I haven't had the chance yet to do anything with them yet, other than grab a few quick pics (next to a bit of M.E. C55 flextrack, of course).  Be sure to zoom in on the full-size images:







I did notice a very small bit of step aliasing on a few of the sloped surfaces, but this is only noticeable in the close-up pics under a strong cross-light.  In-person it is not visible at all, even just inches from my 'ol schnozz     (I am also struck at how monstrous the C55 rail looks in the close-ups  ).

I'm really looking forward to getting started with the painting and weathering.  Many thanks, Mark!  You did a great job with these! 

Ed

[ednadolski]

Those wood tie strips look really nice!   I do have a few comments/questions:

- Overall impression is very good: substantially better than any kind of flextrack available today.

- I like the way the ties are made with the ends offset.  I notice tho that the spacing between ties looks rather uniform, compared to the handlaid example that @robert3985 posted. In that pic you can see that the tie spacing varies considerably, and the ties are also not nearly so parallel.  (Not a concern for concrete ties, which are very uniform on the prototype.)

- It might be a good idea to install the strips in alternating orientations, to reduce the chance of a 'repeat' pattern emerging.

- Is there any sort of wood grain in the tie tops?   Perhaps that could somehow be embossed, or added by hand (X-acto blade, dental pick, hacksaw blade, ...). One would have to be careful not to damage the tieplates & spikes, and not leaving ragged or stranded edges.

- Having tried the Proto:87 tie plates and spikes, I'm very interested to see how these look when painted and weathered.  It will have to be done carefully  because if the colors are too close then the details will become harder to see.

- It would also be very interesting to see what these look like with the rail installed in individual, 39 scale-foot segments, and with (etched?) fishplates holding the joints together.  Might be a bit time-consuming, but that's a look that would be hard to coax out of flex track.

Ed

[narrowminded]

The package with the concrete tie strips from Mark @narrowminded just arrived today, and I have to say, these parts look amazing!   I haven't had the chance yet to do anything with them yet, other than grab a few quick pics (next to a bit of M.E. C55 flextrack, of course). 


I did notice a very small bit of step aliasing on a few of the sloped surfaces, but this is only noticeable in the close-up pics under a strong cross-light.  In-person it is not visible at all, even just inches from my 'ol schnozz     (I am also struck at how monstrous the C55 rail looks in the close-ups  ).

I'm really looking forward to getting started with the painting and weathering.  Many thanks, Mark!  You did a great job with these! 

Ed

Thanks @ednadolski .  I am really glad you like them!   Your pictures are sooo much better than mine.   I'm anxious to see what you can do with them.  

[Simon D.]

@narrowminded

@Simon D. Thanks for your interest and that link.  It's a pretty clever system.  You can't help but admire a fellow who is willing to put that much effort into something like that.

I posted the info as I thought the comparison between production techniques might be interesting, obviously the product is very different.

I really like your efforts too - all power to your elbow!

Simon

[amato1969]

@narrowminded, wow these look really really good, especially the varied tie ends!  I may have to reconsider using ME flex.

Did you use ACC to attach the rails?  Or are they just placed on the ties for the photos?

  Frank

[narrowminded]

@narrowminded

I posted the info as I thought the comparison between production techniques might be interesting, obviously the product is very different.

I really like your efforts too - all power to your elbow!

Simon

@Simon D.  I really do appreciate the link as there's always something to be learned.  That method is very nice and I'm sure it's pretty robust when installation is complete.  You can see what I'm attempting to accomplish, low volume yet high detail without being too difficult to work with.  Thanks again and wish me luck as this progresses.

[narrowminded]

@narrowminded, wow these look really really good, especially the varied tie ends!  I may have to reconsider using ME flex.

Did you use ACC to attach the rails?  Or are they just placed on the ties for the photos?

  Frank

Thanks, @amato1969 .

Those rails are glued in using the tried and true glue for hand laid track, Pliobond 25.  The generic description of it would be a rubber contact cement but it seems to be a little more than just any old rubber cement.  That brand specifically has proven to be very effective for this service and bonds well to the rail bottom as well as the tie bed (the tie bed takes glue and solvent based or acrylic paints really well).  But the biggest reason to use it it is that it remains slightly resilient when cured so can help accommodate small expansion and contraction changes that all installed track experiences in service.  CA might be used on some smaller components in the turnouts (yet to be determined) but is not suggested for longer track runs for this reason.  This will be more or less important depending on base materials and the climate that the board is exposed to.

Details on the application of this glue, and much more, will be part of the description and instructional videos that will be made as part of the project.  We're still in the tweeking part of things, getting the details the best that they can be, but those videos will be made to assure a good experience working with this system. 

What will probably be a good idea for those entertaining using this track laying method is to get a few feet for practicing the install methods.  A small section, maybe a highly visible siding, would be an excellent choice for this or a small diorama especially just for photographing, where these code 40 track details might really help to show off your latest custom rolling stock project.