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When it comes to building track, consistency is the key. Try and make jigs and spacers for the straight track
and curves so you can accurately make more track years later. My track width is 10 inches between the rails.
I get questions about why 10 inches. The answer is simple. That was the width my first train needed. I built
the engine first and then designed the track to match.
Living in Texas we do not get much snow but ice does occur from time to time. If it is too bad, I just don’t run the
train that night. Other nights I sprinkle sand on the rails to provide traction for the wheels. I keep a plastic water bottle
filled with sand near the track just for this purpose.
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Most people build a small section of straight track to get started and use that to build their engine on.
I suggest cutting several blocks of wood to exactly 10 inches and use these for spacers. Mark on them so you
don’t throw them out. Instead of using cross ties for this test track I like to use MDF or a piece of plywood
to mount the rails to. This will give you a work area to set your tools and parts on and give you a
flat surface to take measurements from. Here is a picture of the one I built. Note the spacer blocks holding
the rails apart. Clamps hold the rails in place while I screw them down to the MDF.
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The straight track is simple to build but I will add one note for keeping the rails a uniform height.
The rails are formed by ripping a 2x4 in half to form two 8 foot long rails. I suggest using a table saw
to rip the boards. After ripping the board, be sure to keep the rail that was between the fence and the saw
blade separate from the rail that was on the outside of the blade. You are going to want to send the outside
board back through the saw and place its factory edge against the fence this time. This will ensure both rails
are exactly the same height when the track is built. Buy all your 2x4’s at the same time and from the same
stack of wood. This will just help keep things consistent.
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Now to build the straight track just place two rails on the ground with the cut edges facing up.
Place your spacer blocks between the rails and use a large framing square to line up the rail
ends before clamping. The cross ties are made from 1x4s cut to16 inches long. This maximizes the
lumber available in an 8 foot long board because you can cut it into 6 equal length pieces at 16
inches. As a note, my cross ties are only 15 inches. This is because at the time I was given a huge
stack of wood and most pieces where 15 inches or less. I used what I had available but I wish they
had been 16 inches.
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To attach the cross ties, be sure to use some outdoor rated wood glue and outdoor rated deck screws so they
don’t rust. I use 4 screws per cross tie. Two into each rail. Space the cross ties so that distance between
centers is 12 inches or less. This will allow you to attach C7 or C9 lights around the perimeter of the
track as most of these lights come in 12 inch bulb spacing. These track lights can make a significant
difference in helping light up the train at night. As you can see I did not think about this when I made
my track so my spacing does not match the lights but still works ok.
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The curve track. This is the mystery part for most people. I did extensive research and testing trying to
come up with the cheapest track corner I could find. I even attempted to laminate thin strips of wood to
create the curves but did not have good success. After many trips to the local hardware stores to just
walk the isles, I finally came across something that works. It is called Pvc Brickmould. It will not rot,
does not absorb moisture, is paintable, and can be nailed, sawed and drilled like wood. The best part is it
is flexible enough to bend without splitting or cracking. The price currently runs about $11 for an 8 foot
piece at my local Home Depot. Here is what the product looks like.
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This is a picture of the jig I made for my curved track. The distance between my curved rails is exactly 10 1/8 inches
so that is 1/8 inches wider than the straights. The radius for the inside rail is 3 feet. The radius for the outside
rails is about 4 feet. I left about 10 inches of rail extending beyond the main curve section. This extra bit of
rail is straight and helps make the transition to the straight track. The rails in the picture are inserted upside
down and sticks above the jig just a little bit. This allows the cross ties to be attached while the rails are in the jig.
I used 1x4’s cut in wedge shapes to hold the radius shape because I had a big stack of free scrap boards to do this.
I would now recommend using 3/4 inch plywood to hold the shape.
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Here is all the track I built the first year. As you can tell by the timestamp on the photo this was taken right before
Thanksgiving. I was way behind and still had to paint the train and stain all the track pieces.
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To connect each section of track I cut and pre-drilled wooden blocks I call these track connectors.
Here is what they look like installed.
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My yard is not level so I use wooden stakes to keep the track elevated. As my train has evolved and got heavier,
I have had to add additional stakes along the track to keep it from sagging as the engine rolls over. The stakes
are driven into the ground and screwed to the outside of the rails. The excess sticking up above the rails is cut off.
The stakes get shorter each year but they are reused on other parts of the track the following year. To make the track
installation go faster, I water my lawn a day or two before setup to make the ground softer, so the stakes are easier
to drive in.
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Here is a picture of a manual track switch that Dick Miller used on his train layout. This allowed him to send
the train into the back yard each night for storage and to recharge the batteries.
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