Is this the quickest way to fix track down for gluing? If you glue your track down, you’ve probably encountered the problem or how to secure it in place while the glue sets.
There are various techniques, including using pins and screws as discussed before, all of which work well.
They are however fiddly and time consuming.
If you’re eager to move on, Peter John Morris has come up with a quick and simple alternative.
Once you’ve applied your chosen adhesive, place the track into position, and then just nail it down.
Once the glue has set, the staples can be pulled out. It’s a lot quicker than drilling holes and avoids any risk to your rails by using hammers to insert pins. It also holds the track firmly in place which isn’t always the case if you chose to weight it down instead of fixing it.
Obviously, this depends on you using a soft wood for the baseboard. I doubt a stapler would be able to push staples into MDF but otherwise it’s a quick, effective, technique to hold your track in place while the glue sets.
Just make sure you place the staples across the sleepers and well clear of the rails.
Andy is a lifelong modeler, writer, and founder of modelrailwayengineer.com. He has been building model railways, dioramas, and miniatures for over 20 years. His passion for model making and railways began when he was a child, building his first layout at the age of seven.
Andy’s particular passion is making scenery and structures in 4mm scale, which he sells commercially. He is particularly interested in modelling the railways of South West England during the late Victorian/early Edwardian era, although he also enjoys making sci-fi and fantasy figures and dioramas. His website has won several awards, and he is a member of MERG (Model Railway Electronics Group) and the 009 Society.
When not making models, Andy lives in Surrey with his wife and teenage son. Other interests include history, science fiction, photography, and programming. Read more about Andy.
This also works when gluing track to polystyrene boards. Once the track is glued, simply push in masonry nails to hold it in place and pull them out again the following day.