Fastening MTL track with nails

Hey gang,
I super glue my track, but the question is asked, what nails, brads, etc. are used to nail down the MTL flex track? Those are mighty small holes so question is, what do some of you who nail flex track use?
Thank you,
Loren
Z Train Things

Loren,

I've been using Walthers Code 70/83 Spikes, number 948-360 to nail down MT flex track through cork roadbed into pink foam or Woodland Scenics risers. I will still probably put some glue down before ballasting, but these do a pretty good job of holding the track down and in place.

Todd

Hey Loren

I gave up using any type of nail at all becuase they look so horribly out of scale on the finished layout. What i do instead is to stick the track in place with double sided tape or glue. I find that once you balast the track in, it becomes permantly bonded to the layout, and pretty much impossible to move ever again.

Tony B...
Wasatch Z ClubB)

I think you got your answer there Loren, nails are fugly. Just glue. Plus, what are you honestly going to nail into that 1) those little nails are going to hold into and 2) do it without bending them ?

Like Tony says, once you get it drowned in glue/ballast, it generally gets held down well. I super glue mine in place (more like tack it) as I am laying the track. Then double check, add a few more tacks and then ballast.

Now, the MTL flex is Delren based plastic so not too much sticks to it as well as you would like. One way I found to improve it greatly is to roughen up the back side. I use a 1" belt sander (vertical, with top 'safety' cover off). I draw the backside across the running belt and then blow off the debris. Super fast.

I have several flat and round scrap metal pieces I use for dead weights (lay the 2" rounds on their sides and the self-center in the track). Some times I need pins (plastic push pins to sweet talk curves. Also, I prefer to paint my track once it is down. This way the joiners get painted too, along with the ties. When doing joints in curves, I found that you can't get a smooth transition at the joint as you can't get a perfect curve all the way to the end of the flex, even using a track gauge to tweak the last inch of the bend so I prebend the track as best you can for the curve and then scrap the last inch of the rail. (note, don't forget to seperate the last 4 ties as they help hold the rail straight). Also, I haven't had good luck with putting rail joiners on the last 1/2 of rail, even though MTL thinned out the ties so there would be enough clearance. It always pushes the rail up a bit at the joint plus there are no rail spikes there so I cut off those first 4 unspiked ties and then seperate the next 4 so the are not all bonded together (this way it is easier to bend).

Jeff
SF Bay Area Z