STEP BY STEP

1

This ‘HO/OO’ track has a 7mm centre-to-centre spacing and a 4mm gap between the sleepers which is too close together for 4mm: 1ft scale. Some research is recommended, as prototypical sleeper spacing could differ. For my layout, a 9mm centre-to-centre spacing is correct, with a 6mm gap between each sleeper.

4

To help get the correct sleeper spacing it’s advisable to use a jig. There are products available to do this, but I made my own from a piece of card, cutting out notches for the sleepers with a 6mm gap between them. This forces the sleepers to the correct gap. I made two so I could do both sides at once.

2

In order to widen the sleeper spacing, you first need to cut the webbing between each of them. Use a sharp knife and make a clean cut on either side of each sleeper, revealing the underside of the rail underneath. I found it takes about 15 minutes to do a yard of flexible track.

5

Here you can see a completed stretch of track (top) alongside an off-the-shelf length of ‘OO’ track. You can see how different the spacing is and it looks much more realistic. When the track is finally fixed in position, the spacing will need to be checked again, especially prior to ballasting, which will secure any loose sleepers.

3

Once all of the webbing has been removed, you’ll be able to slide the sleepers along the rail. Notice on the underside of the rail there are small lines from when the knife cut through the webbing. Do not worry about this because it doesn’t affect the movement of the sleepers.

6

The other advantage of widening the sleeper spacing is that it becomes far easier to solder the dropper wires to the underside of the rails, completely hiding them from view once the ballast has been applied. With a 6mm gap between the sleepers, there’s ample space to accommodate the dropper wires without affecting the spacing.