This thread was started in December, 2022
Karl.A
December 2022 edited December 2022 in O Scale Builds
Old ties stacked up or just lying around are a great space filler when you just don’t know what to put there.
Many modellers use them, but I was never happy with how they looked. Some people just cut some strip wood to length, colour them and glue them down, but that never looked right to me.
Quite some time ago I came up with this simple process to improve the look of my own ‘old, used ties’.
Personally, I think it adds more to the scene and adds that extra level that’s needed, especially when we spend so much time on the structures themselves and working on Brett’s amazing details.
I generally like to use 6" high x 8"wide x 6’6"long ties, but that’s personal preference, and about right.
Grain and stain as usual, rough up the ends and colour, then put them next to each other held down with double sided tape. Mark in the rail spacing on each end tie.
Lay a piece of scrap wood that is roughly the width of the rail foot in place and dab on some rust coloured chalk.
Once complete remove the wood to check…
Repeat the process for where the other rail would have been.
Drill or use a pin to make holes where the spikes would have been, these can then be highlighted with a pencil.
Also dust some black chalk down the center to simulate oil drips etc.
A quick and easy enhancement that is subtle, yet to me makes a big difference and one that is never done or thought about.
2014
2022
Comments
mikemettelka
December 2022
Love the idea…
Karl.A
December 2022
Thanks Mike.
Jim M
December 2022 edited December 2022
Great tip. Thanks so much. This is a very valuable idea
admin
December 2022
Yep, great idea, simple, effective. Worth the extra effort for sure. Thanks for sharing.
kebmo
December 2022
outstanding tip!
brownbr
December 2022
Love the idea. I have a couple of piles of used ties on my layout and they make a very nice detail.
I have always put the oil stains down the middle of the ties like you did here. Below is a reference pic I took while on a train ride in Cripple Creek. The oil stains drip onto the outside of the rail in real life. Don’t know if this will make me change my approach but though you would be interested.
vietnamseabee
December 2022 edited December 2022
Interesting!!!
Terry
KKarns
December 2022
Its all in the details!
Dave_S
December 2022
Karl,
Thanks for sharing this nifty tutorial.
Later, Dave S. Tucson, AZ
Jerry
December 2022
Great tip as usual Karl!!
Jerry
kebmo
December 2022
cool find bryan.
randyp
December 2022
A wonderful tip as usual Karl. Randy
TomMich
December 2022
Nice detail for a detail!
MuddyCreekRR
December 2022
Outstanding ideas and well done…you can also go to extreme’s with grunging up the tie if you want…
KKarns
December 2022
That’s elevating standard modeling to elite modeling…
Joel
December 2022
A simple way to bring more detail. Who could ask for more. Thanks Karl.
Karl.A
December 2022
Thanks for the responses everyone, glad you enjoy it.
sdrees
December 2022
Karl, you might make me redo my stack of ties that I have done on my layout.
Karl.A
December 2022 edited December 2022
Sorry Steve, haha
Bryan, that picture looks to be 2’ gauge which is very narrow and therefore the locos would overhang the track considerably.
This means the drive rods, pistons and running gear would be unusually well outside of the rails and any oil drips would fall there as your picture shows.
While I was looking at many track pictures today, they are surprisingly clean, even vintage pics, it was actually quite hard to find many images with substantial oil deposits.
As a side note, Shays and the like always dropped oil on one side of the track due to their drive train configuration.
Great pic, hope you enjoyed the ride and thanks for sharing it with us.
brownbr
December 2022
I did a similar search yesterday Karl and found the same. That won’t stop me from dirtying up the ties though.
Yes, it was a very narrow track. This was our loco along with the source of oil.
We also took a ride on the Georgetown loop. Best described as harrowing. It was a wider gauge and as seen here no oil on the tracks.
Also went on the Royal Gorge route. It’s amazing how they got rails through the Rockies.
Jeroen
December 2022
I really love this post. Not only because of what you are doing to those ties. That in itself is superb work. But it made me realize there is so much more to consider when starting to add details to the… well… details. Especially in O scale there is so many things you can do. I can never look normally at a piece of stripwood again…
mikemettelka
December 2022
Last summer my wife and I did both the cripple creek and Georgetown railroads. Didn’t take any pics of the track, but had a blast going over the bridges… (my wife, not so much as she is terrified of heights)!
CarlLaskey
December 2022
I did some track work on Saturday lots of trees also.
randyp
December 2022
Wow!!! Carl your work is so realistic. You should do a clinic. Randy
kebmo
December 2022
needs more trees…
waynelp
December 2022
Here is shot of what Steam Engines will leave on the ground. This is at the Cumbres Depot, Cumbres NM, the C&TS RR.
Wayne
kebmo
December 2022
messy things aren’t they?
vietnamseabee
June 2025
Here’s a thread from '22 that I think warrants being to life again…another one of Karl’s techniques
ALCOALCO
June 2025
Great find! Thanks for giving it a new life.
Karl.A
June 2025
Thanks for ‘popping this up’ Terry.
A quick, simple space filler.
glandesjr
June 2025
Hi Karl:
Man the railroad looks so real. I can’t even tell the difference. What superb modeling.