03-26-2021, 08:00 AM
When I used ME spikes for my hand laid track I used to snip the head of each spike with my rail nippers to deliberately make them smaller. Its tedious work for sure, however it made them look better once inserted into the tie and it also made laying the track easier. I could put the shank of the spike right up against the bottom of the rail and insert it without worrying that the larger head might force the rail out of gauge by pushing the rail inward slightly.