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Track laying in any scale of railroading is one of the more important aspects of the hobby. However, too often people take short cuts here and wonder later why their trains don't run well. Take time to plan out your route, radius, grades and then lay track correctly the first time. This will save a lot of aggravation later on. In 7 1/2" gauge, you and visitors will be riding on the track so you want it done correctly.

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Most of the track used in the "G" scales comes sectional and pretty much ready to install. The sections that are flexible most often use tie strips that you slide the rails onto and the track is held in gauge. Track laying in 7 1/2" scale is a little more labor intensive. While it is true that you can actually buy ready-made track sections, they are rarely used due to costs. Rail is normally purchased in 10' or 20' lengths, then you buy pressure treated wood in 2x4-10' lengths and cut this into 8 sections, 15" long each for the ties. You also need 124 screws and washers for each 10' track panel built.

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After the ties are cut and stained, you place them into a 10' track-making jig, which holds 31 ties correctly spaced apart. The two rails are placed on top of the ties and are held in place with rail gauges mounted on blocks between the ties in several locations. The rail is held down tight against the ties with temporary cross clamps over the top of the rail.

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When screwing down the rail to the ties, two things are important. Make sure the screws go straight down into the tie and not at an angle, the same as when driving a spike on the prototype railroads. When being installed, one of the rails will have to be slid to match the end of the previous section. Screws that are installed at an angle can allow the tie to fall off the rail when loosened to slide and they do not hold gauge properly.

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