Hand-Laid Trackwork Photos
Some general photos of trackwork on my layout.
Tie laying in progress.
Ties stained. I used a dark walnut wood stain.
Using the NMRA gauge to check tolerances.
These track gauges made by Micro-Engineering are also quite useful for holding the rails while spiking them. The NMRA gauge should always be the final judge though.
Spiking.
Solder wires to the bottom of the rail so they're less visible. Tin the wire first and use an aluminum soldering probe tool to press the wire firmly against the rail while soldering. (The bits of slag ballast used for weight is my technique to do this without a second person to hold the probe. You kinda need three hands for this.)