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Forum locked This topic is locked, you cannot edit posts or make further replies.  [ 4 posts ] 
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 4:37 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jul 07, 2009 5:29 pm
Posts: 24
So I lay out my yard ladder and finish the turnouts with FT great tools. I start the mainline around and use up my supply of Micro-Engineering HO scale Low profile ties. I am now unable to find any locally, and have heard they were even discontinued. I have been looking all over the Internet to little or no avail.

Any suggestions for what else I might use to match up with these low-profile ties?
Would it be the end of the world as we know it if i switched to full-profile ties while using FT PC board ties?

Thanks,

Thomas


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PostPosted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 5:35 pm 
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Joined: Sat Aug 13, 2005 10:48 am
Posts: 365
Location: East Texas - USA
Thomas,

Several suppliers have low-profile ties. Not exactly a match for the ME low-profile. Mt. Albert, Kappler, and Northeastern each supply them. Kappler and Mt. Albert offer 8', 8'-6", and 9' versions in sugar (white) pine. Northeastern has the 8' in basswood. I find them all to be better than the older ME ties, which were undersized in width and highly inconsistent.

Mixing with standard ties is not a big problem. True, you may have to transition at the change - but that's a modest bit of sanding or shimming. Using the full profile with the PC ties is actually a good thing. It puts the tie bar up off the roadbed.

Try a bag of each and make you own selection. There's lots of ways to use the un-chosen ones for scenic revetments etc. (as well as just a differing area of track).

-ed-

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-ed mccamey-
COSLAR RR - http://www.coslar.us/
NMRA Standards and Conformance Department
PROTO & FINE Scale Coordinator
I estimate I have about 5 pounds of coupler springs somewhere in the vicinity of my workbench.


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PostPosted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 6:35 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jul 07, 2009 5:29 pm
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Ed,

Thanks for the quick reply. I bought a bag of Kappler 8' sugar pine low-profile cross ties. I put them in the FT tie-jig, and they did not work. I will look for some of the other brands you mentioned.

The Kappler ones were shorter and not as high, the tape i had been using to pull them out of the FT jig and place on layout would not even grab them they were so low.

Thomas


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PostPosted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 10:24 am 
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Joined: Sat Aug 13, 2005 10:48 am
Posts: 365
Location: East Texas - USA
The FT tie jig is set up for full profile 8'-6" wooden ties. The turnout fixtures are set up for the PC ties which are thinner.

-ed-

_________________
-ed mccamey-
COSLAR RR - http://www.coslar.us/
NMRA Standards and Conformance Department
PROTO & FINE Scale Coordinator
I estimate I have about 5 pounds of coupler springs somewhere in the vicinity of my workbench.


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