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What is the road bed material under your track?
I prefer to use Homosote as a roadbed, I find that the spikes are held very securely in this material, I don't believe you can rely on the wood ties alone to hold the spikes securely.
Homosote is a 1/2" thick material made from recycled newspaper, generally for sound proofing walls. Is usually available in lumber supply stores.
Although it is nice to spike into, cutting on a saw in no pleasant experience, as anyone who has tried can attest to, it is extremely dusty when cut, and is best done outdoors on a windy day. It can be cut with a utility knife, but it takes several passes to get through.
I cut my strips in 2" wide lengths, 4' long and bevel the edges on the saw. If I intend on curving the material, I cut several slots about 1" apart almost the entire way through the 2" width, this allows the material to flex and be curved. I glue it in place on the plywood sub roadbed with carpenters glue, using hot melt glue to tack it on place. Once the glue has set up I fill the saw cuts with a mixture of glue and Homosote dust, this will provide a smooth surface to glue the wood ties to, and spikes can be securely driven into the glued areas.
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