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I have only about a total of 1' of track length to put down in a couple of spots before the track work on this part of my layout is complete. 
I hand-lay my own track...but now I'm out of spikes! [
!] I've used 1/87 or 'large' spikes (whatever they scale out to be) for my track work however, instead of spending 8-10 bucks for the spikes plus shipping and then waiting around for the order to come in, I decided to just make my own...Don't need no stinking pre-fab spikes here, slick! [:-bigmouth] The only material required is the standard round-headed straight pin. Not the ones with the larger 'pearl drop' or ball-shaped heads, but the flat disk shaped ones. Why pin spikes? Well, I can make them on an as-needed basis cranking one out in less than 10 seconds, ready to use. And they're free! You see, it's really umm...errr...OK, OK...my wife has plenty of them! 
The pin spike, being longer and with a narrower shaft than a pre-fab spike, will easily push right down through the tie and pink insulation foam road bed without getting the feeling that I'm driving a nail. The spike head, being a bit smaller in profile, also works well for the code 83 rail I'm using by allowing the spike to be pushed straight down without having to be angled in order to clear the rail top and grab just the base. Another problem that I've had with pre-fab spikes is the spike splitting the tie [:-censored]...no chance with that happening here because of the smaller diameter spike shaft. For this application, I'm not gluing the rail down first and then using spikes as a secondary track gauge stabilizer as I did with my other hand-laid track. Instead, I keep my rails in gauge using my rolling track gauges from railwayeng.com, my custom turnout supplier...
Next, I dip about 1/4 of the pin into super glue and simply push the spike in place. The 'push-down' action evenly distributes the glue on the pin and contact surfaces of the tie and foam road bed as the pin sinks in making a strong hold-down against the rail base with no tie splitting, either.
I've also had pre-fabbers meet resistance and hang up on the way down through a tie for some reason resulting in my having to push harder and then missing the rail base altogether and smashing the tie! [!][!] About now, you're probably ready to scream out, "Be more careful!" or "Just get one of those no longer produced spike tools that sell for outrageous prices on eBay!" [:-dunce] But this method is really so easy and goes so fast, there's no need to buy anything else. Here's a horrible close-up photo of what the spike/rail/tie looks like...
Well, you get the idea. The spike head will blend in well once weathered along with the rails and ties. The only downside to this is actually sitting down and making the spikes. But being retired and having more time than money, I can see myself cranking out batches of these ready for use when I need 'em. I like these so much they may become my spike of choice!
I hand-lay my own track...but now I'm out of spikes! [!] I've used 1/87 or 'large' spikes (whatever they scale out to be) for my track work however, instead of spending 8-10 bucks for the spikes plus shipping and then waiting around for the order to come in, I decided to just make my own...Don't need no stinking pre-fab spikes here, slick! [:-bigmouth] The only material required is the standard round-headed straight pin. Not the ones with the larger 'pearl drop' or ball-shaped heads, but the flat disk shaped ones. Why pin spikes? Well, I can make them on an as-needed basis cranking one out in less than 10 seconds, ready to use. And they're free! You see, it's really umm...errr...OK, OK...my wife has plenty of them! The pin spike, being longer and with a narrower shaft than a pre-fab spike, will easily push right down through the tie and pink insulation foam road bed without getting the feeling that I'm driving a nail. The spike head, being a bit smaller in profile, also works well for the code 83 rail I'm using by allowing the spike to be pushed straight down without having to be angled in order to clear the rail top and grab just the base. Another problem that I've had with pre-fab spikes is the spike splitting the tie [:-censored]...no chance with that happening here because of the smaller diameter spike shaft. For this application, I'm not gluing the rail down first and then using spikes as a secondary track gauge stabilizer as I did with my other hand-laid track. Instead, I keep my rails in gauge using my rolling track gauges from railwayeng.com, my custom turnout supplier... Next, I dip about 1/4 of the pin into super glue and simply push the spike in place. The 'push-down' action evenly distributes the glue on the pin and contact surfaces of the tie and foam road bed as the pin sinks in making a strong hold-down against the rail base with no tie splitting, either.
I've also had pre-fabbers meet resistance and hang up on the way down through a tie for some reason resulting in my having to push harder and then missing the rail base altogether and smashing the tie! [!][!] About now, you're probably ready to scream out, "Be more careful!" or "Just get one of those no longer produced spike tools that sell for outrageous prices on eBay!" [:-dunce] But this method is really so easy and goes so fast, there's no need to buy anything else. Here's a horrible close-up photo of what the spike/rail/tie looks like... Well, you get the idea. The spike head will blend in well once weathered along with the rails and ties. The only downside to this is actually sitting down and making the spikes. But being retired and having more time than money, I can see myself cranking out batches of these ready for use when I need 'em. I like these so much they may become my spike of choice!
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