Train Tracks

[Scoony]

Anyone ever make wooden train tracks?  Daughter said that her son wanted a choo-choo train for Christmas and wondered if I could make them. Yes, it would have been cheaper to simply buy them, but I am hard headed, besides can't seem to find walnut and cherry train tracks. Once you make the jigs, they are actually simple to make. Need to make pattern router sleds for the curves to speed up that process. 

   

[Bibliophile 13]

That's awesome! I would think that the real fun would be making pieces that don't normally come in the typical sets--or making multiples of pieces that you normally only get a few of. Well done!

[Bob10]

I considered doing that when my son was into that stuff as I had lots of shorts that would have made a whole lot of track and then I opened up freecycle and somebody in Palo Alto offered up about 2 orange boxes worth so I made the trip.  I spent loads of money on new train cars instead

[Scoony]

I am buying the train sets, not going to making those. Daughter also asked about making a bridge, found that one on-line as well so I am sticking to just making the straight and curved sections.

[stav]

I wanted to do that so bad when my kids were into those trains. The store tracks just wouldn't make the layout I wanted or I needed some odd piece to make it work. It was very frustrating tying to set up a layout sometimes. The kids were happy with a circle most of the time, but I wanted more.

[Chuck Nickerson]

The kids were happy with a circle most of the time, but I wanted more.

Did you steal my brain? There's no project I can't make more difficult.

[opticsguy]

You are making the slot ends on the tracks.  How do you make the ball ends?

[MartyRA]

It would be cool to be able to make your own switchers to change tracks and so on.. I don't know how you would go about doing such an undertaking, but t'would be neeto none the less..
By the way, this is the first post where I've used neeto in quite some time and possibly the first ever..I incorrectly use t'would fairly regularly..

[Scoony]

You are making the slot ends on the tracks.  How do you make the ball ends?

These are the female end (Are we still allowed to use that analogy these days).
The boy ends are made with a different router bit and the pieces get flipped around to cut both corners. I was getting a lot of tear-out even with backer boards. Going to have to make a better set of jigs if I make more of these.

[mr_skittle]

This is great. We got a table and tracks for the kids for Christmas. The adore it but as a big kid myself (presumably the same as stav) I would love to make it more complicated. It'd be great if you could post a few more pics of the process.