I staggered the joints on my rails when I first built my railroad, and it does look better. But it can be real pain when it come time to replace broken ties, or change the track geometry for any reason. So all new track-work on the P&CS is going to keep the joints close to even. Having the joints staggered by a few ties isn’t so bad for repairs, but having them a foot (or more) apart has become a pain.
Sorry I’m so late to the party, but I did want to throw my two cents in to the hat.
Bart, you didn’t state weather your modeling standard or narrow gauge. Not sure whether my advice will do much for you as I model narrow gauge but someone may find it useful.
I have both Micro Engineering and AMS rail and ties on my layout with code 250 aluminum rail. Both are the narrow gauge version of tie strips. I had ordered the ME strips long ago and then found when I decided to model the EBT that I needed are larger tie. The AMS tie strips fit the bill perfectly. I use the ME strips on the return loops of my layout since they are not a prototype area and the AMS every where else. The picture shows a splice between the two.
Both are nice But I really like the AMS for a few reasons. One, their rail is wider at the head and foot making it more robust. Two, the tie stips are also much heavier per tie than the ME strips. This is due not only to the larger tie but a thicker wall too. The AMS strips also have a very strong grip on the rail foot. While not so accurate as the ME strips spike heads, it seams to look like tie plates well enough and is much sturdier than the fragile spike heads on the ME tie strips. Another benefit to the AMS system is over all weight. Due to the wider rail and heavier tie strips the AMS track is much heavier and stays put much better when it’s just floating on crusher fines. This makes a big difference when your using light aluminum for rail. I do have to admit if I were modeling a back woods rinky dink narrow gauge line I would us the ME strips be case the look so good and are sized right for that. I’m glad though that the AMS tie’s match the EBT sizing so that I can take advantage of a more robust system for out door use.