By Sal Ciofani

So you’ve decided to step beyond just laying LEGO track on baseplates, so you have added ballast and reddish brown or black ties to really make your track come to life.  You might even say it is starting to less like a toy train track, and a little more like realistic model railroad track.  But even the nicest looking high speed mainline track needs good maintenance to keep it in tip top shape so trains can run quickly and safely, without risking catastrophic derailments.  We will take a look at how track is maintained to keep it looking realistic and to keep trains running safely and reliably.