Ties and rail

Thought Micro Engineering was still in business?

Forum member Jay C took over Lou's business. There was a delay due to regulations I believe, but he's trading again now. There is a website in the works I think.   

HTH

MWB - Yes, Micro Engineering is selling rail. Their quantities are greater then my needs and they have discontinued selling ties.  Lou Cross would sell rail in smaller quantities - good for my purposes.   But thank you - a useful contribution.  BTW, how is everything in Omtose Phellack ?  !!!

Pete - Looked up Jay C's profile and he says he is owner of "Right of Way".  Is he contactable? Or what is the current status of the business?

Mark,

Contact me if you can't find ties. My e mail is in my profile.

Don

You could go to Kappler for ties if need be, they are pricey, or you can cut your own?  

mark s posted:

MWB - Yes, Micro Engineering is selling rail. Their quantities are greater then my needs and they have discontinued selling ties.  Lou Cross would sell rail in smaller quantities - good for my purposes.   But thank you - a useful contribution.

Ah, well you need less than a bundle of rail, that's different - maybe someone here would have that to sell you?

Ties are easily gotten from Kappler as already noted.

 BTW, how is everything in Omtose Phellack ?  !!!

Very quiet.....  It is an old and isolated place full of emptiness.  An ideal place to distance one's self from the masses.

Pete - Looked up Jay C's profile and he says he is owner of "Right of Way".  Is he contactable? Or what is the current status of the business?

Shoot Jay an e-mail and he will probably respond

Heck Mark I have some of Lou's steel rail...code .148.  I bought a bunch back in the day and I am working on a smaller 2 rail layout so I don't need it all anymore...I am going to have plenty of spare rail so I can spare some unless your after a different code or NS.

mark s posted:

MWB - Yes, Micro Engineering is selling rail. Their quantities are greater then my needs and they have discontinued selling ties.

1) Suggest the WTB for code XYZ/Quantity rail.  I have some that I'll never use, but a) have to find it, and b) have no idea the code XYZ/Quantity until I resolve a).

2) I believe Micro Engineering lost their tie source.  It's ditto for HO, HOn3 ties from them, too.   OTOH, the number of our (LHS) customers who even REMEMBER hand-laying track, much less having the time/inclination/skill/cajones to do so anymore, has seemingly dried up.  (The allocated peg-wall space has long been given over to more 'exciting' products with more frequent 'turns'.)

3) There are a surprising number of folks out there who have the equipment and time (small kerf modeler's table saw, e.g.) to cut you a big bunch of ties....for a negotiable fee.  But you have to tap into a different group of folks.   Any woodcarving/woodworking local groups you could contact?  Any old fashioned/specialty/custom lumber yards (NOT the 'Big Box' purveyors of pre-cut lumber!!) who might have a lead on a customer of theirs who works in the smaller realms of cut wood? (We do in our area.)  These are sources of possibilities. Of course, the same individuals would not likely want to crank out repetitive volumes of the same sticks to supply a whole industry....ergo, your/our/ME's problem du jour.

Just some random thoughts....FWIW.

KD

3) There are a surprising number of folks out there who have the equipment and time (small kerf modeler's table saw, e.g.) to cut you a big bunch of ties....for a negotiable fee.

I cut almost all of the ties on my layout using a 12" band saw with a 1/2" blade using 3 different stops clamped into the table.  Get some good clear dry white pine, poplar or whatever that you want to use and you can turn out plenty of ties, fast.  Try to keep the fingers firmly attached to the hands!

But, despite the advantage being that you get ties with saw marks and some variation in color, you still might want to use the neatly polished cut ties from Kappler.

Yes, I'm here but I don't know all the rules for OGR so I try to keep a low profile.  Right-O'-Way is in business but the website still isn't up.  My photographer is a little slow.

Please contact me directly for further info.

 My email address is listed in my profile but Mark's isn't so I can't contact him.

Jay

With the right equipment, ties are relatively easy to make. I use a table saw for the first pass, the wider top/bottom. This leaves circular marks on the most visible part of tie. I made a special drop in for the table saw so the thin stock wouldn't fall into or get wedged in the blade slot.  For the height, I use the band saw. I clamp a fence to the table, and can cut several pieces at one time. Using a chop saw, I again cut several pieces at one time. I use a Lamp Black and water mixture to stain the ties, then spray them with water base urethane floor finish to give them a shiny tar look, and it also seals the stain.    These ties were cut with the band saw on the wider part, as is evidenced by the vertical lines. I took my measurements from several ties that were tossed to the side of a local line.

Don

O Scale Ties => Northeastern Scale Lumber Company, Methuen, MA

http://www.northeasternscalelumber.com/

I believe northeast went out of buss a while ago.

Rick Rubino posted:

I believe northeast went out of buss a while ago.

I had heard that models and kits part of the business was spun off, but the core scale lumber line of product is still in business- 2016 price list is available for download off their web site.

Just contacted Jay on his email, so am awaiting his response.  Thank each of you for your generous offers.  Let me see what comes back from Jay, and if he is unable to fulfill my request , I will be back with each of you.

You all have reconfirmed my life-long experience that, generally, railfans and model rails are extremely friendly and generous people !

Don - Very nifty gon and tie load !

MWB - Keppler sells only 8' 6" ties. I desire 9'........think they look better with our 5' gauge rail spacing. Lou Cross had sold 9 footers.

Just completed an order with Jay for my tie and rail needs. Lightning fast response and most courteous, accomodating interaction.  Right O' Way is back in business !  Give 'em a try!

Again, thanks to all who offered assistance.      

mark s posted:

MWB - Keppler sells only 8' 6" ties. I desire 9'........think they look better with our 5' gauge rail spacing. Lou Cross had sold 9 footers.

Kappler does sell tie stock to cut to whatever length you like - useful for those funkier switches.  I have a bundle of 50 somewhere in the shop.

But, I'd still just cut my own - commercial ties are just way too perfect and polished smooth.  I guess I can live with the 1/8" shorter length or cut them to whatever in length then, but overall appearance of the wood is something else.  Just don't make ties from red oak. 

Just don't make ties from red oak.

......or styrene !!

Guess nowadays one would have to cut his own switch ties.......good suggestion from MWB.

mark s posted:

Just don't make ties from red oak.

......or styrene !!

That's what I use for mine, but they are for loads and such, not for hand laid track. I work for a school district, and we get a lot of deliveries on skids, so I use the oak slats. I save the worst looking pieces for scrap ties. Glad you found a source for your needs.

Don

Yeah I have some of Kapplers "switch ties".....just cut them to whatever length you need.

Mark,

Please look in the tie section of your catalog for "TSK".  It's a set of ties cut specifically for laying turnouts/switches.

Jay

I made all of mine out of white pine.  Probably better to look for sugar pine, but my ties for the most part worked great.  I glued them with white carpenters glue, and they were attached well enough to survive a belt sander.

I used a table saw to cut the sticks, then a mitre box to get the correct length with a very fine hand saw.

The suppliers are telling me clear sugar pine is getting hard to find and very expensive.  They also mentioned Blue Pine which I had never heard of.  Apparently there is a beetle that's killing millions of pine trees and the wood from these trees has blue streaks running through it.  My first though was, hey we're going to paint or stain them anyway, what difference will it make?  I'm curious what others think so please share your thoughts.  The other thing I read about this infestation doesn't mention sugar pine (the preferred material) so maybe it's a moot point.  Need to study some on this subject.

Hey Chris,

Did you get my email about the construction of the tower for your drive?  Really wanted to talk to you about it.

Jay

Jay C posted:

The suppliers are telling me clear sugar pine is getting hard to find and very expensive. 

That's what they were saying 20 years ago, too. And, why I cut my own......

The also mentioned Blue Pine which I had never heard of.  Apparently there is a beetle that's killing millions of pine trees and the wood from these trees has blue streaks running through it. 

New one to me.

My first though was, hey we're going to paint or stain them anyway, what difference will it make?  I'm curious what others think so please share your thoughts.

Stained all mine with MinWax in a coffee can back when coffee came in metal cans......having ties made of several types of wood results in some variation - if everything is perfectly uniform it's too perfect.

The other thing I read about this infestation doesn't mention sugar pine (the preferred material) so maybe it's a moot point.  Need to study some on this subject.

Just getting any good clear stable wood is hard to do and increasingly expensive......  The old shelving in my labs is 100% clear sugar pine..........

I've used poplar (back when you couldn't get Kappler) with great success. 

Jay C posted:

Hey Chris,

Did you get my email about the construction of the tower for your drive?  Really wanted to talk to you about it.

Jay

Huh?  Are you asking me?

Chris,

Yes!

Jay

No I haven't received any emails.

That's too bad.

Would you mind emailing me so we can talk?

Jay

Email sent to your profile email.

a couple of us were doing some hand laid track work a week or so ago. Fun!

Jay Criswell's Right of Way parts are the best by far. Photos courtesy Right of Way (c)2016

Erik,

Thanks Bud!  Having a great photographer helps a bunch!!

Jay

Nice job....lot fun huh Erik?

It's a blast Chris! 

Well you guys did some beautiful work, it came out great!