Wow, that HO scale ballast is just perfect!
My goodness, you do nice work. 
Mark in Oregon
Sarah, that is the best model track work I have ever seen in any scale. Excellent. You are a real inspiration.
Tom
Perfection defined. Museum quality work.
Sarah, very realistic tie condition, you nailed it! Your track could pass for the real thing. I also enjoyed watching your test run! You are a master model builder!
Rusty
Wow! Looks just like a real rail road. Everything from the spikes to the baseplates to the ties. Beautiful.
Can the modern guys do the Pandrol system in Proto 48?
. . . But you need to keep your trackwork level and incorporate gentle basements for curves and changes in elevation - OW-5 is maybe a bit more forgiving here.
That is true. But one can enjoy slightly narrow gauge without going all the way to scale treads and flanges. About 60% of my motive power is 17/64 scale, so it runs on O 4'8 1-2". Then I have my original solution to the dilemma of track gauge - On4.5. I use standard flanges and treads, so my sideframes are properly inset from the carbodies.
I tried Proto-48 wheelsets for a while. They were sensitive to temperature changes. My trackwork is not up to the job.
But Sarah's is - way to go! Track is a model, too.
@bob2 posted:That is true. But one can enjoy slightly narrow gauge without going all the way to scale treads and flanges. About 60% of my motive power is 17/64 scale, so it runs on O 4'8 1-2".
1. Then I have my original solution to the dilemma of track gauge - On4.5. I use standard flanges and treads, so my sideframes are properly inset from the carbodies.
I tried Proto-48 wheelsets for a while. They were sensitive to temperature changes. My trackwork is not up to the job.
But Sarah's is - way to go!
2. Track is a model, too.
1: Can you post some photos of that?
2: Very true. I think back in the '70s(?) Model Railroader did an article with that as a subtitle...probably written by one of the early proponents of "FineScale": Bob Hegge or Bill Clouser, maybe...
Mark in Oregon
@WBC posted:Wow! Looks just like a real rail road. Everything from the spikes to the baseplates to the ties. Beautiful.
Can the modern guys do the Pandrol system in Proto 48?
I'm not sure what you mean. The perfect man to ask is Shawn Branstetter, he's admin of Track Modeling & Detailing on Facebook.
Thank you all, I just put together Jay Criswell's cool stuff!
Hello Sarah,
This track work is simply amazing. Laser lined ballast on the inside and out of the rails and ties. If I didn't know any better, you might of worked for the DL&W track crew. I have been away for a long while with a medical condition, but I have to tell you that your track work is beautiful. Your 9000 looks real, I hope you have a photo page of your layout. I would like to see all of your work.
@DL&W Pete posted:Hello Sarah,This track work is simply amazing. Laser lined ballast on the inside and out of the rails and ties. If I didn't know any better, you might of worked for the DL&W track crew. I have been away for a long while with a medical condition, but I have to tell you that your track work is beautiful. Your 9000 looks real, I hope you have a photo page of your layout. I would like to see all of your work.
Dear Pete,
My friend and mentor, Matthew Forsyth, is a dyed-in-the-whool D&H man and I visited him in March near Scranton, PA. So I have a very good feeling about the mood of your prototype road since we went railfanning in the area. Very cool, the eastern roads.
Unfortunately I can not show you a lot more since I only started with the hobby by actively modelling stuff. A real layout is still very much in the future so in the meanwhile I build up my rolling stock and try to organise all the material, track, color, solder (really - the lead containing solder is already impossible to get) and other commodities that I will need in the years ahead.
Kind regards
Sarah
Beautiful what you have done Sarah, the track is really realistic I do the same thing what you do but what I see you go as far you can go I like that also in your locomotives. I hope to see more of this
your weathering is also very good.
Sarah, is it a 'California thing' - no solder with lead? We can still get it over here in England and it keeps (you knew that!). It's a while since I read about it, but there are real reasons we haven't had it universally banned. I'll see if I can find the reference. Have you checked with Jay and Matt? And Rod Miller who is an expert O-scale builder in Ca.
Jason
Here's a useful document 
https://www.rohsguide.com/rohs-lead-exemptions.htm
July 2021 seems to crop up pretty often....
Jason
Sarah,
Your track work is super fine.
I've done the same thing on my Carbondale RR. Some is hand laid and some hand scribed code 148 3 ft lengths. for the ready made track, I remove the rails, paint the rails and scribe the ties and reassemble. My RR is around the wall with a double main. I built it in my air conditioned third garage.
I sure hope you find the space to build your railroad.
Mine is 3 rail so I use a thin N scale rail for the 3rd rail in most foreground spaces. Everything runs super smooth.
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@Ron H posted:
Mine is 3 rail so I use a thin N scale rail for the 3rd rail in most foreground spaces. Everything runs super smooth.
Whatta great idea!
Mark in Oregon
Ron H - Very practical solution to the downside of 3 rail. Good thinking!
Hi Ron,
I like the look of the N scale middle rail. Is it the same height of the 2 outer rails? If so, what are you using to elevate the N Scale rail to match that height?
Steve
@Ron H posted:
Your track work is super fine.
I've done the same thing on my Carbondale RR. Some is hand laid and some hand scribed code 148 3 ft lengths. for the ready made track, I remove the rails, paint the rails and scribe the ties and reassemble. My RR is around the wall with a double main. I built it in my air conditioned third garage.
I sure hope you find the space to build your railroad.
Mine is 3 rail so I use a thin N scale rail for the 3rd rail in most foreground spaces. Everything runs super smooth.
Very nice! And very creative to use an N-scale third rail!!
Sarah
Your section of modeled track is truly fantastic.
Steve
Sarah,
I am happy to hear you made a visit to Scranton, I made a short video of my pride and joy. Although I didn't build, I did do all the leg work to get it built. This is the only blueprint 1/48th scale brass DL&W 4-8-4 Pocono ever made. The Pocono was made by Weaver Models, the passenger cars are Golden Gate Depot. I am running my 2 rail trains on MTH O82 realtrax with flat rail. I had MTH proto 3.0 installed in with smoke, some say why did I do that. I said because I can run it on AC or DC power, or DCC. Next time you get back towards Scranton, I live 1 hour southeast. I would like to meet you, maybe you can give me some advice on how to ballast track just like yours.
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@Steam Guy posted:Hi Ron,
I like the look of the N scale middle rail. Is it the same height of the 2 outer rails? If so, what are you using to elevate the N Scale rail to match that height?
Steve
Steve the N rail is not raised, but flat on the ties. The loco pickups still take power from the N rail with no problem. I've got one photo under a tender with regular height middle rail. Got lazy in some places
Thanks Ron for this info.
Steve
