{"id":2373,"date":"2013-10-24T00:21:50","date_gmt":"2013-10-24T07:21:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/?p=2373"},"modified":"2021-02-06T08:37:13","modified_gmt":"2021-02-06T16:37:13","slug":"sleight-of-hand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/index.php\/2013\/10\/24\/sleight-of-hand\/","title":{"rendered":"Sleight of Hand"},"content":{"rendered":"<div\n    class=\"pld-like-dislike-wrap pld-template-2\">\n    <div class=\"pld-like-wrap  pld-common-wrap\">\n    <a href=\"javascript:void(0)\"\n       class=\"pld-like-trigger pld-like-dislike-trigger \"\n       title=\"\"\n       data-post-id=\"2373\"\n       data-trigger-type=\"like\"\n       data-restriction=\"ip\"\n       data-already-liked=\"0\">\n                           <i class=\"fas fa-heart\"><\/i>\n                    <\/a>\n    <span class=\"pld-like-count-wrap pld-count-wrap\">    <\/span>\n<\/div><\/div><h3>A break from building turnouts<\/h3>\n<p>I decided to try something more relaxing: hand laying track.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-2373 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-1.jpg'><img width=\"200\" height=\"149\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-1-200x149.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Getting ready to spike\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-2383\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-1-200x149.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-1-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-1.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-2383'>\n\t\t\t\tGetting ready to spike\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-12.jpg'><img width=\"200\" height=\"149\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-12-200x149.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Adding the opposite rail\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-2386\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-12-200x149.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-12-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-12.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-2386'>\n\t\t\t\tAdding the opposite rail\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-13.jpg'><img width=\"200\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-13-200x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Hardboard curved to make a guide\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-2387\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-13-200x150.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-13-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-13.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-2387'>\n\t\t\t\tHardboard curved to make a guide\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-17.jpg'><img width=\"200\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-17-200x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Laying ties along curved hardboard guide\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-2388\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-17-200x150.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-17-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-17.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-2388'>\n\t\t\t\tLaying ties along curved hardboard guide\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-22.jpg'><img width=\"200\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-22-200x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Laying ties along curved hardboard guide\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-2389\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-22-200x150.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-22-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-22.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-2389'>\n\t\t\t\tLaying ties along curved hardboard guide\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-29.jpg'><img width=\"200\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-29-200x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Straight edge used as a guide\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-2390\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-29-200x150.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-29-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-29.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-2390'>\n\t\t\t\tStraight edge used as a guide\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-30.jpg'><img width=\"200\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-30-200x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Straight edge used as a guide\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-2391\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-30-200x150.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-30-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-30.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-2391'>\n\t\t\t\tStraight edge used as a guide\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-5.jpg'><img width=\"200\" height=\"149\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-5-200x149.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Tie plates spiked to rail\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-2384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-5-200x149.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-5-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-5.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-2384'>\n\t\t\t\tTie plates spiked to rail\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-9.jpg'><img width=\"200\" height=\"149\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-9-200x149.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Adding the opposite rail\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-2385\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-9-200x149.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-9-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hand-Laid-9.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-2385'>\n\t\t\t\tAdding the opposite rail\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Homemade-Flex-1.jpg'><img width=\"200\" height=\"149\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Homemade-Flex-1-200x149.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Taping Ties Yields no Flex\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-2374\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Homemade-Flex-1-200x149.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Homemade-Flex-1-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Homemade-Flex-1.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-2374'>\n\t\t\t\tTaping Ties Yields no Flex\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Homemade-Flex-2.jpg'><img width=\"200\" height=\"149\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Homemade-Flex-2-200x149.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Taping Ties Yields no Flex\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-2375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Homemade-Flex-2-200x149.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Homemade-Flex-2-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Homemade-Flex-2.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-2375'>\n\t\t\t\tTaping Ties Yields no Flex\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Homemade-Flex-3.jpg'><img width=\"200\" height=\"149\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Homemade-Flex-3-200x149.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Glue to mirror and cut loose FAIL\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-2376\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Homemade-Flex-3-200x149.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Homemade-Flex-3-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Homemade-Flex-3.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-2376'>\n\t\t\t\tGlue to mirror and cut loose FAIL\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<h3><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Why did I think this was going to be a real chore?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Guess what. It&#8217;s fun to lay track! And&nbsp;it&#8217;s even more fun building track in place on the layout. After spending the last&nbsp;nine or ten months unsuccessfully building what is essentially hand laid sectional track, its nice to have a success. I think I&#8217;m going to rebuild my turnouts in place also.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Ties<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>I&#8217;m using Kappler HO Scale 8&#8242; 6&#8243; Cross Ties. I glue them to the roadbed with tacky glue, I&#8217;ve also had success with matte medium. I&#8217;m also gluing in some <a title=\"Fast Tracks - PCB Cross Ties\" href=\"http:\/\/www.handlaidtrack.com\/CopperHead-HO-Scale-PC-Board-Pre-Gapped-Crossties-p\/ch-ho-x.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fast Tracks PCB Cross Ties<\/a> at key points. &nbsp;I use the <a title=\"Proto87 Stores - Switch-Works Fixtures\" href=\"http:\/\/www.proto87.com\/product1978.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Proto87 Stores Switch-Works&nbsp;Straight Track Fixture&nbsp;<\/a>to space the ties.&nbsp;I sand them to a uniform height. I distress the ties with a wire brush and an exacto knife.&nbsp;I stain the ties with alcohol and sepia colored India ink (Video &#8211; <a title=\"YouTube - Finishing and Staining Wood Ties\" href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wenAGWAJbCA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Finishing and Staining Wood Ties<\/a>).<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Spikes<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>I&#8217;ve&nbsp;switched to&nbsp;using Proto:87 Stores longer HO spikes and quickly exhausted my supply.&nbsp;I&#8217;ve&nbsp;ordered several more frets. They are awesome, they drive all the way through the tie to the homasote roadbed! They are much easier to handle than the small spikes. I&#8217;m not bothered with gluing tie plates in place before laying rail, I simply slide them under the rail and spike! I was previously using the small spikes (because they are so short they do not penetrate through the full thickness of the tie.) and I bought several thousand of them, but the small&nbsp;size makes them&nbsp;difficult to handle.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Tie Plates<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>I&#8217;ve been using the Proto:87 Stores heavy duty tie plates (8 hole), but they are a bit of a pain to deal with, mostly because the fret contains several variations of tie plate. Most of the variation has to do placement with simulated spike heads&nbsp;vs. actual holes that spikes can be driven through.&nbsp;There are a couple of plates per fret that&nbsp;do not have any simulated spike heads, I wish I could order a whole fret&nbsp;of them.<\/p>\n<p>I ordered some Proto:87 Stores <a title=\"Proto87 Stores Cosmetic Tie Plates\" href=\"http:\/\/www.proto87.com\/media\/cosmetic-plate-fret-600.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">cosmetic medium duty (4 hole) tie plates <\/a>to use on the lighter weight track portions of the layout like the Odom Lead. I haven&#8217;t received them yet, but the picture shows they omit any simulated spike head and have a full 4 holes open for spiking. I wish this type of fret were available in a heavy duty 8 hole tie plate.<\/p>\n<p>I plan to use some <a title=\"Monster Model Works 8 Hole Tie Plate\" href=\"http:\/\/monstermodelworks.com\/HO-Scale\/HO-Tie-Plates\/HO-Scale-Tie-Plate-Code-70-83-8-Hole.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">8 hole tie plates from Monster Model Works<\/a>&nbsp;on the SIG Runaround Track. I&#8217;ve ordered&nbsp;a package and can&#8217;t wait to try them out. They are thicker than the Proto87 Stores tie plates (.003&#8243; at the rail&nbsp;base slot) vs. Monster Model Works tie plates (.008&#8243; at the rail base slot), so they can&#8217;t really mix and match with the Proto:87 Stores plates, but I see no reason they can&#8217;t be used separately&nbsp;on discrete sections of track.<\/p>\n<p>The advantage I see to the Monster tie plates is that the will be easier to handle. The Proto87 Stores tie plates bend easily,&nbsp;slip easily while spiking &amp;&nbsp;while easier to slide them underneath the rail,&nbsp;the&nbsp;slim profile&nbsp;also makes harder to compensate for any&nbsp;uneven ties.<\/p>\n<p>&#8230;..<\/p>\n<p>So now, I&#8217;m anxiously awaiting more supplies (spikes and tie plates). In the meantime I may have enough time to lay in some more ties while I wait.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"pvc_stats total_only \" data-element-id=\"2373\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> &nbsp;5,104&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A break from building turnouts I decided to try something more relaxing: hand laying track. Why did I think this&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2384,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[103],"tags":[161,104],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2373"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2373"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2373\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2558,"href":"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2373\/revisions\/2558"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gregamer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}