Rail

That will work but may be more expensive if you are going to build a bunch of turnouts. 

same rail for turnouts

I think it's always a good idea to be consistent with rail manufacturer.  There are subtle variations. 

Page 43 of the August 2016 issue has a comparison picture of 3 manufacturers.  For example, the difference in web thickness can be problematic for rail joiners. 

  http://mrhpub.com/2016-08-aug/online/  

There's lots more info in "Make It Run Like A Dream".

http://store.mrhmag.com/store/p131/ebook/run-like-a-dream-trackwork

I did the same

When I moved from HO to On30 the Code 100 and 83 flex track didn't look right so I striped the rail from the ties, cleaned them up with steel wool, and laied them on wood and pc board ties. If you have the rail then I don't see any problems. One advantage of having dead rails is that I could have used old brass rail.

Learning to lay your own takes some time but I take the process in bites so never spend too long at the desk. Before breakfast was my normal 10-20 minutes a day and before long had quite a few done. Think about controls while at the workbench (or kitchen table in my case) so you have holes drilled in throw bars where you want them and wires soldered to frogs when it is easier to do.

I've been following your design and look forward to seeing what can be done in a more compact space.

@Dave

Only need about 12 turnouts so not too worried. Easier than trying to source Code 83 rail up here in Canada.

buy flextrack or bare rail?

  The main advantage of Peco to me is the turnouts so if handlaying them I might go  with Micro Engineering or Atlas flextrack depending on which was cheaper from my source. As for flextrack or bare rail you can do a search for bare rail and compare it to the track, ripping the track apart only takes a few minutes so I wouldn't worry about that aspect......DaveB

Code 83 rail in Canada

Hi Greg- Fast Tracks, based in Canada, sells Microengineering code 83 rail.  You can even pay in Loonies.

http://www.handlaidtrack.com/rail

Dennis

@Dave

My supplier has Peco Code 83 $0.83 cheaper than Atlas Code 83. That's nearly $40 for the 45 pieces I intend to order. 

@Dennis

I'll look into that, thank you!

Generosity

I picked up a parcel at the mailbox today from Neil Erickson. It contained numerous pieces of short but usable Code 83 rail. Hope to start turnout construction Sunday afternoon. 

Thanks, Neil, you are a kind and generous gentleman.

Great news!

@Greg - you are most welcome. 

An elderly gentleman asked me to help demolish his layout in 2010. It was a large 16' x 24' purpose built structure for the layout and was filled with trains and track. He kept the engines, sold the rolling stock and donated a bunch to our local museum where I'd donated a small layout. The plywood roadbed and ballast ballast in waterproof glue made it nearly impossible to save the switches and track but I did strip a lot of rail from those pieces and built my layout with those as much as possible. 

I know that he would be glad you can use some of the railroad as much as I am happy to share. To be honest, I wish we had a way to share tools online here as the point and stock form tools from Fasttracks are a real time saver and help create very nice and consistent components. Consider purchasing the pair. They sold on EBay  today with only one bid.

A good bastard file is also a good investment. Some have used a bench grinder but a few few swipes is all that is needed with a sharp file. Making the parts is surprisingly fast. You will get the hang of soldering with a little flux and find it relaxing if taken in short bites (at least that's how I do it - MC is really fast at this).

Not all rail is created equal