Testing, testing 123...

Okay, so I picked up all my stuff from the local pusher and got around to making a test section to try some of the hand lay techniques from the web.

Everything works! I attached the N scale cork roadbed down onto the plywood with wood glue, then after drying, attached the ties to the cork with Mod Podge. This is pretty much the same thing as acrylic matte medium, without the price tag. 

I stained the ties with washes made from PollyScale Railroad Tie Brown, Grimy Black and SP Light Grey. Then I attached the rail using contact cement and ran a soldering iron along the rails to heat the cement and get it to set. The small metal pieces on the wood are the N scale track guages for gauging the rail. 

The white plastic jig you see in front is for making tie strips. It's two sheets of .040" stryene with a .080 x.125 strip on the back and .040 x .100 spacers between the ties. As you can see, I have another strip of ties already in the jig, ready for tape. 

The next project is to make a test jig for my turnouts to make sure they work.