I looked at this article with great interest, being that I'll be handlaying HO track on one or more modules (code 70). The method sounded really good until Mr. Napper said he had to stain the ends of the ties once they were cut. That was a real turn-off for me. It's too much work.

I thought I'd share my method, not that I think it's better or anything, but it's what I've found is cheap and works for me. Caveat: I have tried this only on balsa ties. I have not yet tried it on basswood. I have also not read extensively on staining methods for ties.

I start with the lid of a Chinese food container, one of those rectangular ones, roughly 6 X 8 inches. I load in a squirt of brown craft paint and some water to make a wash or a stain. I then load in a few of my pre-cut ties and swish them around, turning them until all sides are stained. I remove them and set them aside. I then add a little black (just a very small drop!) and swish a few more ties around, then maybe I'll add a little white to make more grayish ties. You can go back and forth with the paints, varying the colors. In this way you'll get several batches of ties all stained slightly different colors. These can be your "main" ties, or you can keep them separate for "weathered" ties. Your call.

I find this very handy for low-traffic sidings, where ties will face a lot more neglect (I would think) before they are replaced, and may weather to a more varied degree than mainlines. Maybe I'm wrong, but I figure it would add more visual interest.