Removing ties under laid flex track

[Teditor]

I have a situation where I need to install some new track sections and turnouts, any suggestions as to how to remove the ties under the end of fixed and/or ballasted track so rail joiners can be slid on, keeping in mind that I am dealing with Peco code 55 with the double flange.

[randgust]

Wow, well.... I've done it.   And I've now got a lot of Peco C55 out there.

What I do is simply take out the entire section of old track that needs the turnout, or whatever, and relay it.   I cut it loose by cutting it as close to vertical as I can with flush cutters (I have old Lambert Rail nippers), all the way to the tie base, and then soaking the ballast with a spray bottle to loosen the ballast.   lift it all out when it loosens up, leaving the original ballast behind.   Then I scrape the ballast out with a putty knife and put it in a bowl of water the soak the glue out of it.   If I'm trying to match the old ballast exactly, I'll dry it out on a paper towel and scrape it back off to re-use it.  But note that a real railroad would use whatever current ballast they have and the contrast between old an new ballast makes for a more interesting scene, actually, I've done that too.

Now, the ends of the old rails need to be cleaned up, I use a dremel with an abrasive disk and then a needle file.   The rail joiners under the existing rail is the challenge.   I'll carve as much as I can with an Xaccto around the tie end to free that up, but the 'final fit' to prevent a hump is to jam it in there as best you can and then heat it with a soldering iron to melt it down a bit so that there's no vertical hump at the joint.

I've done this to replace turnouts on a fairly regular basis, particularly where I'm changing old Atlas C80 to C55, and then cutting in Electrofrog Peco switches into C55 on my T-trak modules.   I had to relay the entire Flagstaff switching area this way.    The only reason I haven't relaid my entire main is that it's semi-modular in construction, and I use Atlas C80 sectional anyplace there is a joint, particularly the curves, as curve kinks at table joints are real issues for big steam wheelbases, I'm still realigning those occasionally. 

You really can't cut the ties out from under that stuff, but you can remove ties after youve got it out.

[Sokramiketes]

I carve away with an xacto knife.  For Peco, you'll be carving a slot.  For ME or Atlas Code 55 you can score the tie separators and then break them free to fully remove a tie. But that's risky with the double Peco base. 

[brokemoto]

I have done it with very careful use of  Xuron Sprue Cutter.  It might have taken several nips, but I accomplished what I wanted.  Mind you, I did this on Code Eighty tack and on industrial/yard trackage where the speeds are slower.  If I had to do something on a mainline, I did what @randgust  recommends:  I took out the section of track and either replaced it or did the surgery to the existing piece.

[NDave]

I've not done it with Peco track, but have had several occasions where I needed to remove a few ties from the end of a piece of previously-installed Atlas flex.

I use my rail nippers held in a manner to cut "top to bottom:" One jaw of the nippers below the plastic tie strip (My track is "glued" to WS foam roadbed  with caulk, so it's pretty easy to get the end of the nippers under the tie strip.), and the other jaw above the rail head... BUT... I use a thin piece a metal (I usually use the end of a thin stainless ruler, but any thin stock sufficiently sturdy so that it won't be cut or deformed) between the nipper jaw and the rail head to protect the rail. So when I squeeze the nippers to cut, only the plastic tie trip cuts.

After cutting the tie strip under both rails (if needed, depending on where the gaps in the tie strip are), I can wiggle the tie strip free from the road bed and slide it out.

Good luck!

[learmoia]

Peco makes ties with cut aways for rail joiners...

Does it make sense to pull the track your keeping up enough to get the last tie or two out, set the joiner slot ties into the ballast then lay the tack back down into it?

(this is why I don't ballast track..)

[dem34]

At work I use a small Xuron plier, put pressure on the rail above, take the ties off with a gentle twist, starting outside, then center, Each tie comes off as 3 pieces.

[nkalanaga]

Al:  That's how the BN was removing ties, in the mid 70s, in eastern Washington.  Cut the tie inside the rails, then the removal machine picked up the center section, set it aside, and "kicked" the two end pieces out from under the ties and down the bank.

Really annoyed people who had been used to a steady supply of used ties for farm fence posts and such!

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I wonder if you can get the "blades" for something like this and make a hand version.
 https://www.mtixtl.com/sxj-2precisionendlesswiresawwith2digitaltravelandtwoangleadjustablesamplestage-1.aspx

[mmyers]

Ed,
I have done it with some very careful work with a #11 Xacto blade and handle. Also with Xuron rail nippers or sprue cutter. I force the  blade sharp side up under the plastic ties n the part that is under the rail and between ties. Hold down firmly on the rail and fulcrum the blade up cutting the plastic below the rail. Then carefully nip away at the two or three ties to be removed.

Martin

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I've done that too. I like @NDave 's idea about using some metal on top of the rail head too.

[Teditor]

Thanks for all the replies, seems like patiently working the ties out with a knife and sprue cutters is going to be it, I have several sections to do, some ballasted and some not, should be fun (not!).
Ted (Teditor) Freeman
From the land down under.

[robert3985]

Just as a thought, if you're securely gluing your tie strips down to your roadbed, you COULD just precisely cut the ends of both the new track sections and the old ones so that they fit together (ideally touching each other)...and don't worry about putting rail joiners on.

Just run feeders to your new sections from your main power bus.

Another possibility is, if you aren't gonna glue the new sections down to your roadbed (or even if you do), you COULD cut thin strips (0.005") of brass, bronze or nickel silver that fit on the outside web of your rails (between the railhead and railfoot) and solder them on....using a 96/4 Tin/Silver silver-bearing solder, which is 5 to 6 times stronger than regular old Tin/Lead electrical solder.

OR, you could just solder short bits of 22AWG solid copper wires to the outside railwebs...either flattening them a bit, or not.

Seems like any of these solutions would be a LOT less work than going to all that trouble to remove part of the tie strip, doing all that while the track is still glued and ballasted to the roadbed.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[Teditor]

Sounds like a couple of options, thought about precise line-up without joiners and joining droppers, i have picked up on a method for adding droppers that works a treat, drill a #65 (.9mm) hole through the rail and solder dropper wires in, then trim the inside, strong and easy and don't need access from the rear for the rear rail.

[Teditor]

Finally came up with an idea that has worked well, melted the last couple of ties with a soldering iron levering the soft plastic out of the way with a small screwdriver, works well with just a bit of clean up with small files.