Atlas track nails and ME

Atlas track nails and ME spikes work for me .  A nail set aids in the process.

I agree

I agree.  And if you have to take it apart and reposition it, you only have to pull the nails and then you can reuse both the roadbed and track. I also use a brad nail gun to put the cork roadbed down.  Goes much faster.
 

Have fun!

Mike

I have, in the past,

handlaid track with lots of spikes and flextrack with a few nails and can tell you that a brad nailer will destroy your ties.  Too much power and too hard to aim.  Clear caulk is the way to go in the 21st century.  Use map pins along the way or place soup cans on the track to keep it in place for a few hours when the caulk will be set up, and totally dry overnight.  Make a copy of your track plan and cut the track between the rails.  Use this edge to draw the center line of the track location on your right of way.  You will have a hard time spiking into plywood without first drilling a pilot hole,

nailing flextrack.

    Nowdays I just caulk down flextrack but in the past I have nailed it. To get in between the rails I use a small thin headed hammer such as a tack hammer. I use brad head nails, thin gauge maybe 3/4 " long.  Some plastic ties are soft enough to drive a brad thru without splitting but most need holes drilled in them. I start a nail in the drilled hole then slide the track into alignment and nail home into the wood underneath. It doesn't require a lot of nails as ballasting will glue the track in place anyway.Unless you live in a very dry climate I wouldn't leave a layer of paper under the track as it might start to mold.A penciled on centerline will do the same job with less risk.....DaveB

Roofing nails

Get a roofing nail air hammer, just shoot the nails down between the ties and the heads of the nails will catch a pair of adjacent ties and hold everything in place just great. Once you paint everything you'll hardly know they're there. If you need to take them up you can easily get hold of the nails with pliers. 

j/k

Pre-drill

I pre-drill the holes through the plastic tie/ cork roadbed/into the plywood.  I use a bit that gives a snug fit to the track nail.  I then lightly tap the nails with a small hammer and nailset for a snug, but not tight fit on the tie.  The idea here is not to hold the track down, but to hold it in place so it doesn't shift sideways.

I find that I don't notice the nails in the ties, but that may be because my old eyes don't see as well as they used to

Paul

predrill holes for nails

I was reconsidering nails for track laying so I did not have to pre-drill holes,... as I have been doing for the small truss-head screws I have been using with my staging tracks and my helix tracks.

But this morning I got out 2 sizes nails I had on hand and tried driving them with some needle nose pliers,....way too difficult to set them into my good plywood decks. The wood is too dense, and the small, thin nails too fragile.

Likely going back to the adhesive idea, but I do need to figure how I am going to tie the multiple turnouts down.

  "I got out 2 sizes nails I

Pushing in nails with pliers only works on soft material such as homasote. If you want to nail down the track just get a small hammer that can fit between the rails with plenty of clearance, then drill a hole the same diameter as your track nails thru the ties. Start your nail in the hole and when you are happy with the alignment hammer the nail home into the wood. Takes minimal co-ordination to hit the nail without hitting the track but if you are not comfortable doing it you can just place a large bolt or a flat end punch on the nail head then hammer on the bolt instead. I have no problem driving track nails into wood or plywood. I don't have any here now but if I recall correctly I used 20 gauge brad head nails about 5/8 or 3/4 long......DaveB 

Small Tool

I will say that doing it this way came up and bit me..I had two curves I had marked out and I layed track down. Come to find out the curves were not exactly right. I purchased a radii template and solved the problem..lesson learned..but I did want to point out things happen...

Mod Podge

I currently use a “thick” application of Mod-Podge to secure both my cork roadbed and track.  
 

Used Atlas track nails in the past applied to the center of the tie.  I found using a nail kit makes life a lot easier and helps avoid track damage.  
 

One thing I did not like with installing track nails is the vibration across the layout. 
 

Joe

@PosPita

This is one of my concerns since I have a very compact layout plan the requires pretty exact turnout placements/orientations.

To achieve this I figure the turnouts have to be put down first in their exact locations, then the adjoining tracks installed. But how to put those turnouts in their exact set positions, then pull the paper templates out from under them, all the while trying to adhere to the basic concept that the turnouts themselves should not be firmly affixed (particularly glued down).

And all of this further complicated by adding the cork roadbed.  
 

PS: I may have a look at that tool you referenced.

carbon paper

You could use the carbon-paper method to trace the turnout paper templates on your plywood then remove the paper. You don't have to trace the whole layout, just the turnouts that you're worried about placement for.

Method to the Madness

Brian,

Print out the track plan and or turnout templates. Place the templates/plan down where you want them. Lay/place the turnouts on top of the template, use large plastic thumbtacks to hold the template/turnout down. IF the turnout does not have holes for spikes at all ends, drill some so you can get the thumbtacks thru without damaging the ties. Tap them all the way down using a light touch from a tool. Trim the template edges to the ties on the outsides of the turnout

Take a good permamnant marker and mark the outline of the template/turnout. I then take a ruler, lay it alongside the outside straight track, and mark both ends of the track beyond the turnout. I also mark the throwbar area so if you decide to mechanize the switch, you know where to drill the hole. I always drill a whole even if at the time I have no plans to automate the switch, seasons and ideas/plans change so it's better to be prepared and plan ahead. When you get to the point of placing the turnouts down permanantly, just pull the pins, remove the template, place the switch down in the appropriate space and everything should line back up.

If you need to, keep the template/turnouts in position as you plot the track plan. I will say this..one of the best tools I have purchased has been a curve radii template for any minimum curve I want. IF I want 24" radii curves, I just make sure any curves are 24" or bigger radii and go from there.

One other note. I have found that, for me, I lay some track in any minimum radii I plan on and run cars on it to insure they accept my minimum radii plans. I have 2 anhydrous ammonia cars that say 24" minimum radii but when I run them on teh test loop, I can hear teh wheels brushing up on the tankcar frame.

@PosPita

I believe I am going to something just like you offered. I believe I will also pre-assemble groups of turnouts where they are closely connected, and thus not end up with any 'kinks' between them. Then I will locate those 'groups of turnouts' and come back and add the flex tracks that tie those groups together.

  "I believe I will also

Depending on how you plan to pre assemble the group and keep it all in alignment as it is installed, you might find it easier to just start with the center most turnout of the group and install it then work both ways out from the center installing each turnout in order till the whole group is installed. Then add the connecting  flextrack. The best tool for aligning turnouts is a sharp eye sighting low along the rails, that's how I saw the old SP section foremen do it in the old days....DaveB