Lay it straight!

[nachoman]

What brand of track are you using? The stiffer brands (shinohara and micro-engineering) are a little tricker to get straight once a small kink develops. But because they are more rigid, you are less likely to throw the "straightness" off while spiking. Make sure these brands are straight by laying the edge against a straight surface, such as the floor or a table, and bending as required until the piece is straight. Then attach to the layout. If a curve is needed, pre-bend the curve before attaching one end of the track.

If using the ultra-flexible atlas track, it naturally wants to be straight. With this brand it is simply a matter of following a center or edge line, and being sure not to throw it sideways while spiking. If you are spiking into a hard surface, this can be extremely difficult. I recommend gluing rather than spiking prefab track anyhow.