Spikes

Tie Plates

Tie plates were not always used for narrow gauge tracks. But normally they were found at least on turnouts and in curves. They are 5" to 10" wide and about 1/2" (HO 0.15 mm) thick. Tie plates for HO are too small and too difficult to build for me. I omit tie plates on my tracks.

Tips

Tools needed

• Moto tool with a cutting disc or alternative needle files (Swiss files) and lot of patience
• Regulated Soldering iron e.g. from Weller
• Fretsaw
• Wire cutting pliers
• Needle nose pliers
• NMRA Standards gage for HO and N
• track gauges for HO and N e.g. from Rail Craft

Soldering tips

• use a regulated soldering iron e.g. from Weller
• use small diameter electronic grade solder
• flux is already included in the electronic grade solder (additional flux is not needed)
• solder only from the outside of the rail
• clean all surfaces: the rail, the PCB, and the tip of the soldering iron (dirt is the enemy of a good quality soldered joint)
• heat both the PCB and the rail before adding the solder
• remove excess solder with desoldering braid (Soder-Wick)

How To Scratch Build a Narrow Gauge Standard Gauge Crossing

As far as I know there is no commercial narrow gauge standard gauge crossing available. It takes me about 4 h to build a "diamond" from scratch. You need only only some code 70 rails and PCB cross ties.

Step by step instructions to build a crossing from scratch:

Print out a template, e.g. from Fast Tracks http://www.handlaidtrack.com/ the HO 30° Crossing Template. Reduce one leg to 9 mm (HOn30) gauge and glue the template on PCB (I use white glue).

How To Convert an Atlas N Code 55 Turnout to HOn30

Commercial available HOn30/H0e/009 turnouts from Peco, Tillig, Technomodell, and Roco have too heavy rails (Code 80/83) and too wide angles (15 °, less than #4). You can build the turnouts from scratch, but for me it is difficult and to time-consuming to build the heel of the switch (especially the hinge) and the frog. The N code 55 turnouts from Atlas are available with frog numbers #5 and #7 (for details see http://www.atlasrr.com/Trackmisc/ncode55.htm). Code 55 #5 turnouts are exactly what I am looked for. They cost about $10 each. The only thing you have to do is to replace the small plastic ties with larger PCB ties.

Print out a template, e.g. from Fast Tracks http://www.handlaidtrack.com/ the HOn30 #5 Turnout Template and glue the template on PCB (I use white glue). Lay the N gauge turnout on the template and mark with a pencil the frog and the toe of point on the template. Remove the rails from the plastic ties. Remove the pins from the frog and the guard rails. Glue the crossties to the template. Solder the straight stock rail to the ties, use a straight edge as a guide.

Solder the frog to the ties. Use a NMRA N gauge to check the distance between the stock rail an the frog. The lead (distance between toe of point and frog point) is 75 mm. Solder the second stock rail to the ties. Check the gauge between the stock rails and between the stock rail and the frog. Solder the two rails to the frog heel (frog point rail) and to the frog toe (closure rails). Use a N track gauges to ensure the right distance between the rails. Solder the two guard rails to the rails.

Solder the switch tabs to the heel of the point. Make sure that the rails are in line. Cut gaps into the copper foil ties.

Put the turnout in warm soapy water and remove the turnout from the PCB. Fill the gaps with filler, sand and paint the turnout.

HOn30 #5 Turnout in Comparison With Shinohara HO #6 Code 100