09-04-2009, 12:13 PM
Kurt's suggestion is a good one to consider - you'll have to decide how important that artistry is to you.
However, to play devil's advocate, I'd suggest going with the flex - not so much to save time, but simply because, properly weathered, it will look better than handlaid track.
The number one reason to hand lay track is to obtain track configurations not possible with commercial offerings, with the opportunity to "build it yourself" a very close, in my opinion, second. Beyond those considerations, though, you'll get more prototypical detail using flex, unless you opt for handlaying to Proto87 standards, with tieplates, joint bars, and four spikes in every tie. Of course, the extra steps required to fully utilise the details available with flextrack will themselves take additional time. I certainly didn't bother with handlaying or much in the way of weathering my flex track, either, although I'm contemplating the latter on either my second level extension of the layout or on a completely new layout.
Whatever you choose, I'm sure that it will look good and function well, so the choice remains "up to you".
Wayne
However, to play devil's advocate, I'd suggest going with the flex - not so much to save time, but simply because, properly weathered, it will look better than handlaid track.
The number one reason to hand lay track is to obtain track configurations not possible with commercial offerings, with the opportunity to "build it yourself" a very close, in my opinion, second. Beyond those considerations, though, you'll get more prototypical detail using flex, unless you opt for handlaying to Proto87 standards, with tieplates, joint bars, and four spikes in every tie. Of course, the extra steps required to fully utilise the details available with flextrack will themselves take additional time. I certainly didn't bother with handlaying or much in the way of weathering my flex track, either, although I'm contemplating the latter on either my second level extension of the layout or on a completely new layout.
Whatever you choose, I'm sure that it will look good and function well, so the choice remains "up to you".
Wayne