PH designs sleeper spacing tool

[ThaneofFife]

5mm - many thanks.

[RSLR]

I like to view it positively in this way. Peco do steel sleeper track, C&L however do not. Peco do concrete sleeper points, C&L however do not. Peco Track is cheaper and you probably get an extra sleeper for every length of track, C&L track is more expensive and you get less sleepers per length of track. Peco points are inexpensive and ready made, C&L are however certainly not. Peco sleepers do not require a track base to form a good shoulder of ballast, C&L require a track base in order to have a shoulder of ballast there for creating more work.

At the end of the day it comes down to C&L has a price tag of £110 per box of 25 (this is often a problem if you have a huge layout), Peco however has a price tag of £55 a box of 25.

There are the key differences explained in great detail on RMweb already.

My personal view is life is too short to build every single point from scratch and have it 100% accurate, and then count every sleeper, every bolt, every nut, every key and every chair on the track. If your not going to live long enough to see it finished then simply it's not worth doing because ''you'll be dead''.

The advantage Peco track has over all others is it can be put down and trains can be running within a few weeks, no need to waste time building things that can be bought ready done although slightly less accurate. In today's world you might get the sunday and evenings off if your lucky so best to use the time wisely.

I say this because I'm currently building a large layout for myself, but positively looking at fine scale track I suppose if your with a group of people in a club or building a very small layout then Fine scale track is a good idea. As for me I see Peco Code 75 track a good compromise between time saving, realism and detailing, there for I gladly pic it every time.

These new sleeper tools seem a good idea and increase the realism but for ease of laying curves I believe a 'flexable' sleeper tool should be available, this would have the advantage of being used everywhere on the layout and for every situation, then the only compromise us basic average modeller has to put up with is point work - perhaps someone could invent a tool for this too!

Happy Modelling
Cheers, Reece

[BRealistic]

Question to (only) those who have actually re-spaced their peco streamline track...

 

During the process of re-spacing and laying the track, when and where do you think it's best/easiest to add your dcc droppers?  

 

Any hints before I make a start... would be gratefully received.  Just to add, I'd like to get the soldering done (to the underside of the rails) before I lay the track permanently.

 

Best wishes

[Norm81]

I have a couple of lengths mid-respace as in all webs between sleepers cut but no further yet, what I plan to do is choose where I want the dropper and slide the sleepers a good inch away either side to hopefully avoid melting sleepers. Then space them using the tool after the droppers are soldered but starting where the droppers are to make sure they end up between sleepers. If that makes sense.

[BRealistic]

Thanks Norm.  Completely understood!

 

I'm now thinking along the lines of re-spacing the first half dozen or so sleepers, making sure the first one relates well to the track it joins to, then putting marks on the sides of the rails that are precisely between, say, the 3rd and 4th re-spaced sleepers, then moving the sleepers away from the marks in order to safely solder the droppers.  I can then re-space those sleepers again... and continue with the rest.  

 

Having done that and removed the surplus sleepers off the opposite end of the track, my current thinking is to align the track perfectly in it's position (most of my track sections incorporate at least a bit of a curve), mark this out, make the holes for the droppers, and then set about sticking the sleepers down (neat copydex, I think), probably one at a time, with my tracksettas and whatever on hand. Temporary pins might help as well... will just have to see. 

 

Good luck with your endeavours, Norm!  I suppose my main concern is to ensure the sleepers on the section being put down relate well to the section (turnout maybe) it links to... which might not 'happen' if you start the re-spacing process from somewhere near the middle. 

Edited November 12, 2014 by BRealistic

[Norm81]

Good call in making sure the sleeper positions relate to the piece of track they join to, not as important for the test plank my current flexi in intended for, but it will be for the layout.

[Il Grifone]

The track with properly spaced sleepers speaks for itself.

I rest my case!

We could do with some track with random sleeper lengths as seems to be normal everywhere else but the UK.

This sort of thing:

 

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rtands.com%2Fwp-

 

https://www.istockphoto.com/it/foto/binario-ferroviario-linea-che-attraversa-binari-ferroviari-sulla-pietra-

 

Some nice dog legs on the second one!

Edited November 7, 2021 by Il Grifone

[Pete Harvey]

[letterspider]

How does the tool work on flexitrack curves, which are really hard to keep in place without adjustments?

Edited January 15, 2022 by letterspider

[big jim]

When I did my curves I glued the sleepers on the inner rail, laid the track and then put a dab of glue on the outer to secure it 

[Andy Reichert]

On 02/11/2021 at 07:17, Il Grifone said:

The track with properly spaced sleepers speaks for itself.

I rest my case!

We could do with some track with random sleeper lengths as seems to be normal everywhere else but the UK.

This sort of thing:

 

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rtands.com%2Fwp-

 

https://www.istockphoto.com/it/foto/binario-ferroviario-linea-che-attraversa-binari-ferroviari-sulla-pietra-

 

Some nice dog legs on the second one!

 

The first picture almost certainly shows the effect of maintenance on US track. Over the past century, US standard sleeper length has increased from 8 ft  at the turn of the century to 8ft 6 in for the transition era. and nowadays 9ft for heavy duty and modern welded rail. The new mechanised precision track laying and maintaining trains can pick out old damaged sleepers individually and replace them with new ones. So visually, you end up with well maintained track with a roughly 50% mixture of 8-6 and 9 ft sleepers all exactly centred. End on you can see the sleeper ends lining up with two distinct end positions as in the picture.

 

Andy