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Renowned MR contributing editor Tony Koester helps take your modeling skills to the next level by walking you through the process of handlaying a turnout on MRVP’s HO scale Winston-Salem Southbound layout. In part one of multiple videos, Tony first discusses turnout terminology and components, before he starts cutting, installing, and staining wood ties. Of course, Tony imparts plenty of helpful insights along the way!
Thanks Tony this will help me a lot since I have rail but no ties to go under it I am going to make mine from scrach and buy spikes.
Mr. Koester is a top-notch teacher. I have a place on my layout that may require hand-laying since no commercial turnout can be found. After watching this segment, I feel like this is something I can approach with less uncertainty than before. Thanks, also, for keeping the “mistake” in the final edit – it’s refreshing to see that starting over when an error is discovered is no big deal!
Tony makes it comfortably easy for one to try their hand at building a turnout (switch). Made a few by hand in HO with and with out a fixture. The real fun is when you need or want to build a curved turnout in N scale. That’s fun. I’ve seen some very talented modelers in my time that have shown our local groups how to do this. My thanks go them for sharing.
Just watched this segment again because its so interesting. I do have a question for why you ballasted the ties, prior to laying the rail?
Interesting Tony… never have tried this before and not sure if I ever will, but you’ve taught me a lot. And I’ve cut Homasote at my neighbor’s garage before!
I get my ties from Trout Creek Engineering in Buena Vista, Colorado. That saves a lot of time.
I have always wished I could do that kind of dead pan delivery of humor.
Tony have you ever considered doing stand up?
Just love hand laying track and Tony does an excellent teaching job. But the crème de la crème is his advice to cut Homosote in "your neighbors garage" !! LOL
It doesn't get much better than learning from the master. Looking forward to the next segment!
Great video, I've often had the desire to try a hand laid turnout. Tony makes it look so easy. Thank you
Very nicely done and informative. I'm working in N scale and using the Fast Tracks jig with PC Board ties, and had quite a bit of trouble with the intervening ties. Had I seen this video six months ago, I would have done things quite differently! Good knowledge for the future, though. I'm looking forward to the section on laying the rail.
Excellent tutorial on laying track, took away a lot of the mystery form. Thanks
Great, as usual, Tony is a good teacher and the process is exactly why I subscribe to mrv.
Great video…..thanks for sharing….
More more more! I've been afraid to hand lay track but this is looks like something I could do!
COOOOLL!!!
Terrific segment Tony. Always wanted to watch a pro hand lay track, you were great. I especially like your technique because you don't try to make it look perfect just emulate the real track gang method. Great information.
Sure wish MR had scheduled this production about five months ago when I started from scratch hand laying track. Tony makes it look like fun, which I think it is. A couple of coments, I use double sided tape on a template printed from the Fast Tracks site to layout and space turnout ties. I then pick up the ties with masking tape that is sticker than the two sided Scotch brand tape. I do hand lay ties in curvers but use a couple of sets of ancient Tru Track to space and layout straight run ties.
Cutting Homosote with a table saw is a very dusty proposition. Tony's right about doing it in the neighbor's garage. I did mine outside with one of my old contractor light weight table saws. Had to rake up a pile of paper dust when I was done ripping strips from a 4×4 sheet.
The yellow carpenter's glue is a polymeric formulation (polyvinyl acetate) and does set hard in a mater of a couple hours. However, I have used a very sharp chisel to remove glued down ties when I goofed. Was able to clean up the ties and reuse them.
I have opted for precut ties to save time and hopefully obtain uniform sized ties. I do sand down the ties before laying track. Looking forward to more good tips on actually spiking track in coming episodes.
The best part of hand laid track is the cost of turnouts compared to purchased ready track. I think it is fun building turnouts from scratch and you have a complete knowledge of how they work when you have built a couple.
Great series!
A very informative video. I have never had the guts to handlay track but Tony makes me want to try. I like Tony's style and presentation. Even though I don't have plans to do handlaid track I am really looking forward to the next installment (s) as this is about the best presentation that I have seen on the subject.
The best demo of laying ties that I have seen!! Good job, Tony.
Along with being informative Tony always makes it fun to watch! Looking forward to seeing more!
I really like Tony's dry sense of humor regarding cutting up the homasote in a neighbours garage, good tip, and I'm also looking forward to the next video on laying track
I noticed in measuring the #5 switch that the ruler does not start at zero on the O scale section (it's an extra foot divided by inches and THEN 0, 1, 2 etc. So the segments were 26' long and 6' wide. It all still works out correctly but for novices, you might want a reminder about where zero is at on the ruler.
As always Tony K a great presentation I have followed your articles for years. I put you up there with Allen, Armstrong, King and others.
Excellent and informative video Mr. Koester. Looking forward to next one on hand laying track.