What track is available?
The principal off-the-shelf ranges are produced by Tillig and Peco. Tillig produces a range of 12mm track for international TT (1:120, approx. 2.5mm/ft), with points in both ready to use and kit form. The track is good quality, although in appearance it's fairly obvious that it's intended for a smaller scale. Peco 12mm HOm track is nearer to scale appearance, and the right and left hand 24" radius points are usable with Society Intermediate wheels, and sometimes Triang (with adjustment); however, care is required with other Peco pointwork such as the curved point, which has a very sharp 15" inner radius.
The Society produces a range of track components including rail and track bases which covers all gauges. Those who favour soldered track construction can use PCB timbers and sleepers, and either Code 80 flat-bottomed rail, or finer Code 60 bullhead rail. However, plastic track components provide a popular alternative. For plain 12mm Intermediate track you can use Code 80 rail and Society Ratio track bases. For plain Fine track in 13.5mm or 14.2mm gauges you can use Code 60 rail and Society finescale track bases. Thus it is very easy to produce plain track for any of the main three gauges; in principal it's no different to using commercial flexi-track.
Society also supplies plastic chairs for Code 60 rail, mainly for constructing finescale pointwork in any gauge. The chairs are designed to be glued to either ply timbers and sleepers (provided by the Society), or plastic ones cut from Plastruct or Evergreen strip. You could also use these chairs to construct plain Fine track in 12mm gauge, or indeed other gauges such as Irish 15.75mm gauge, for which bases don't yet exist. You could even use them to construct track to Intermediate standards in 12mm scale (of finer appearance than the Code 80 rail and Ratio bases), but only if you use the Society's modern Intermediate standard wheels; older Intermediate wheels have flanges which are too deep.
What if you like the idea of using Society components for plain track, but are worried about constructing matching pointwork? 3SMR offer a service constructing pointwork to order, in the principal gauges.
[track pictures]