A question of spikes ...

Gordon Dobson once again brings up a question, well actually he brought it up on Model Rail Radio and just reminded me that I had promised pictures. The issue was about what spikes I was using. I said Micro Engineering, but that I had to cut the head of the spikes to use them, which was taking a lot of time. Here are a couple photos demonstrating why it is necessary.

 

In the left photo, you can see an unmodified spike on the left and the cut spike on the left. The unmodified spike head is 1/8 of an inch, or 6" in O scale. Even better, it's 1 foot in HO. The cut head is about 1/16, still too big, but better, at least.

On the right, the modified spike is on top and the unmods are below. The width is also adjusted to look better.

I have a supply of these spikes, and thus I am using them. Many times, I have been using relatively unmodified spikes on the back of the rail, since it can't be seen. (Yes, even I will do the "good enough" thing if it really is feasible.)

Technically, the best spikes are the ones from Proto 87 stores, but they are pricey and take a while to get. They also can be a bit of a pain to work with, but the pliers I am using do help in that regard.