I want to try soldering my own track for a section of my layout.
I am happy that I am equipped and capable of the soldering, but whee is a good place to buy the sleepers and rail, and what is the best type of gauge to get please?
I recommend you use Peco code 80 nickel silver rail.
This will be the same rail as the Peco 009 track and points and make joining the track you make to the Peco track easy.
I think the Peco code 80 rail is part number il-4. This is 6 one-yard lengths of rail and costs about £16.
The next issue you are going to have is that the copper clad sleepers are not the same thickness as the webbing under the peco rails on Peco track so when you join your hand made track with the peco track you will have to adjust the depth of the trackbed to ensure you do not get a 'step' or slope in the track height.
Sorry I do not know who now sells the sleepers anymore. I previously used single sided copper clad PCB cut into strips the width of 00 sleepers and then just cut this to the length I needed. However, I think there are health issues involved with the dust created cutting this material now, but I guess others will know where to get it.
Quote from: B.Meldon on April 15, 2020, 14:57
I recommend you use Peco code 80 nickel silver rail.
Sorry I do not know who now sells the sleepers anymore. I previously used single sided copper clad PCB cut into strips the width of 00 sleepers and then just cut this to the length I needed.
Thanks Brian, for now I only need 30cm of rail, and I have some off-cuts that I could sacrifice for practice to see how I get on with it. I have plenty of sheets of PCB so if i need to cut them I will, and fortuatley have a filtered breathing mask to minimise the risk :-)
I take it that the DCC concepts N-gauge gauge will be OK to use.?
(https://www.dccconcepts.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/DCG-RGN9MM-content-w.png)
You can check on the Net Fast Tracks for home made track. A Canadian company. Expensive but amazing stuff.
There's still plenty of suppliers for copper clad sleepers. Your issue is that the "ready cut" sleepers are cut for SG lengths, no-one does NG ones (not that any NG railway actually standardised their sleeper lengths!). From what I remember Julien uses 3mm scale SG sleepers for his layouts, you can get them from 3SMR, otherwise get the strips. Or for other bits try Marcway in Sheffield.
http://www.3smr.co.uk/
http://www.marcway.net/
There is a bit of a selection here for longer lengths:
https://www.railroomelectronics.co.uk/Copper-Clad-Pcb-Board/Copper-Clad-Strips/Page1.aspx (https://www.railroomelectronics.co.uk/Copper-Clad-Pcb-Board/Copper-Clad-Strips/Page1.aspx)
I had a go at making my own 3-point gauge. I'll see if I can dig out a photo.
Thanks everybody, thee is plenty to be going on with there :-)
Stephen