Garden Railway Forum

Whats the advice for fixing track onto block/bricks?

Thermalite (or other brand aerated blocks) are easiest as you can knock panel pins straight into them without drilling. Heavier masonry can be dealt with using a hammer drill, rawlplugs and screws.

I've used solid blocks and have drilled through the sleeper once in place and then screwed down with stainless steel security screws and stainless washers. (From toolstation or screwfix). They may or may not add an element of security from footpads and vagabonds, hopefully I will never find out!

You can screw straight into aerated blocks as well, although I've added some nails as well to keep the joints in line. Otherwise drill in with a masonry bit and use rawlplugs.

Small screws and Rawlplugs for me every time.
I have found that pins can work loose after a few years.
Good woodscrews can also be screwed in with no plug or pilot holes so a builder friend of mine told me, however I am yet to try it.

Don't fix, float

http://tinyurl.com/16mmNGM-rwlr

Weather resistant wood screws into rawlplugs.  Here is how I do it.  Apologies for any readers who consider I'm insulting them with the detail but I did ruin some track and points before I got it right.  
My trackbed is recycled driveway blocks mortared onto a concrete base so the surface is very hard.
 
I use Peco SM32 and each piece of track or each point is laid in position with rails cut and tidied up and sleepers cut away where necessary.  (I now use the G45 rail joiners rather than the SM32 ones.)  Then I mark where I want to secure the track and drill through the plastic sleeper using a drill to clear the unthreaded shaft of the screws I've chosen.  I replace the piece of track or point on the trackbed and using a masonry drill smaller than the clearance drill mark the position for the rawlplugs.  I then remove the track or point and use a masonry drill suitable for the rawlplugs to clear out the holes in the trackbed and push the rawlplugs into position.  I then use a hand countersink to carefully open up the holes in the sleepers to fit the screw heads I'm using.  
With a bit of luck, when you finally replace the track or point with rail joiners the holes in the track or point line up with the rawlplugs in the trackbed.  
I find doing one point or one piece of flexible track at a time reduces error.
On filcris or similar I use a drill bit available from B+Q and others which combines the starter hole, a clearance hole and a countersink all in one.  Using this stuff it is possible to hold the track or point in position and drill into the plastic sleeper and the trackbed in one action following it up with the securing screw.


Good luck.

Gosh - that's a jolly good video...

A great video series indeed.