insure a true gauge all the time.  The two inner spikes should be set on one side of the tie and the two outer spikes on the other, as indicated in the accompanying sketch.  This prevents the tie from slewing around, and thus deranging the gauge of the track, as well as interfering with the proper spacing of the ties.  The joints and centers should be spiked first, which will bring the rails to their proper position on the ties, which in turn will assist intermediate spiking.  Each tie should be carefully gauged as spiked and, as before indicated, the ties with the broadest faces being selected for the joints.

In gauging ties it is very convenient to have measured off on the handles of the mauls in the hands of the forward spikers the distance from the outside of the rail to the end of the tie.  This distance will then be gauged on the tie, when it will be lifted to the rail and securely spiked; the gauge is then used, and the loose rail held in place with the lining bar as previously indicated, loose gauge being given on curves, in accordance with directions of the engineer, the allowance for which is about 1/8 in. on a 2 deg. curve, up to about 3/4 in. on a 12 deg. curve.

This widening of the gauge should begin on the tangent, back of the P.C., the full amount of excess over true gauge being reached by the time the P.C. is reached and continue all the way around the curve, running from the P.T. in the same manner as back of the P.C.

The spikes should always be driven home straight and at right angles with the face of the ties.  When the foreman in charge of the track-laying work sees a spiker, when the spike is nearly home, strike the spike head laterally, which is done to make it lie snugly to the rail, he should at once check such imperfect work and put the man who does it at other work.  The foreman in charge of gang of spikers should be experienced in this branch of the work, and by weeding out imperfect workers, can soon get together a first-rate gang of spikers.  But no trouble will be experienced from carelessly driven spikes, if the tie has the spike holes bored into it, before laying.  This is considered good practice, but rather expensive.

[Illustration]

For boring the holes quickly and accurately, a proper template should be made, by which the ties are marked for the borers, who should be provided with boring machines, by the use of which a hole, square with the face of the tie is bored.  The boring machines should be so arranged as not to cut the hole beyond the required depth, which should be slightly less than the length of the spike.  The diameter of the holes should be about 1-16 of an inch less than the thickness of the spike.  This not only does away with the spike tearing its way through the timber and thus injuring its fiber to a great extent and causing it to be much more susceptible to rot, but it is said to increase the adhesion of the spike in hard wood ties at least 50 per cent.  But in order that the best results may be obtained, the spike should be flattened on either side of the sloping point, which will generally prevent it leaving the hole.