OK, I have fought with flex track for years when it comes to connecting one piece to another. I have cut ties off, bent ties down etc. to fit rail joiners on. It is very frustrating because no matter how I do it, I always end up with track out of gauge (missing ties) or a "bump" at the joint (bent ties). Short of either soldering the rail (which would be easy, but not desirable because the track needs to expand and contract with temperature), or soldering jump wires across a gap, I can't figure out a good way of joining the little guys together. It is perhaps an odd question from someone who has been doing this for so long, but I guess I never learned the "right way." So my question is what is the best way of joining two pieces of flex track together without totally destroying ties and good alignment??? Thanks and Happy Modeling! John ------------------ The Santa Fe and Southwestern, Chief of the Southwest!!
I feel your pain. I have figured out through years of testing that soldering is best. I have not had any real expansion problems. One thing I have been doing lately is putting a few pieces together, soldering the joints filing them and then placing them on the layout. I usually don't trim any ties away unless using insulated joiners. I do however take a blade and cut the first ties connectors to the rails so the joiners will slide in. One thing about soldering the joints before laying the track is that if you curve it when laying it some times you have to trim the connectors further back to allow for the bending and shortening of the inside rail. I personally use atlas flex track so all of this info may not be accurate for some of the higher grade track but I really don't have any gauge or bump problems. I hope this helps. Bryan [This message has been edited by bmalonef45 (edited 22 January 2001).]
When I did my track I used flexy track and I would cut away the first two ties, then use joiners, then my dad would solder them together and after it was placed on the layout I would slide the ties back underneath. Kevin
My Ntrak modules have to withstand temperature differences of 50 -60 degrees depending on the season. Transporting them in the back of a P/U truck in temperatures of 10 -20 degrees then setting up in a building at 65-70 degrees provides for a lot of expansion and contraction. For this reason none of my flex track is connected. Each piece has its own power feeder. I used to place ACC glue on the ends where the bridge track between modules would fit to try to limit expansion there but now I just apply glue on one tie in the middle of the piece of flex so that it expands evenly from the middle to the ends. I also bevel the end of the rails in event of any slight misallignment. So far it has worked well. I generally use a piece of plastic that is .020 thick and I make sure the rail is room temperature when I start. The .020 is sufficient to allow expansion for any temps above 70 degrees and the rail is free to expand and contract as it will. Track in a home layout would not usually be subject to as great of a problem with expansion and could be solddered. But this method has worked well for me and I would use it on a home layout (if I had one).
Inkaneer is bang on for modules "N" & "HO"! For in-house use, I have kept the gap to .020" even with the insulated joiners. My (habit) has been to clip a tie section loose under plastic joiners, use a Dremel tool to cut down the surface of the ties just under the joiner, slip the tie section back in and not glue it. Then I continue laying track. There is no hump at all. I do the metal joiners the same way, except I solder them to one rail, and lay a "U" shaped jumper wire across to solder to the adjoining rail, maintaining the .020" gap. I Use NS flex track, and always try to stagger the joints. For track already down, get an 8" flat smoothing cut file, lay on top of rail heads, and SLOWLY file only in ONE direction ALONG both rails until smooth. Best to draw file toward you with a finger pressure right between rails to keep file flat. Lift and repeat. Lightly touch the inside of both rails to remove any burr; using the flat file of a needle file set. If you use a Marks-a-lot to "paint" the rail top, then you can quickly see where to file, and when to stop on both rails. Use on switches (turnouts) also. Well manicured rails make life a pleasure! ------------------ Watash #982 "See you in the Pit"
John, it really depends on your room. If it is climate controlled (kept at about the same temp) you'll be fine with soldering all your joints. If you're like me, and have it in an unfinished basement, then you need some room for expansion. There are two ways to do this:<ul> [*]Solder all yours rails, then cut gaps with a Dremel tool. [*]Leave gaps on straight (or straighter) track and solder the curves.[/list] I pretty much do as is already mentioned. I use Atlas track, and cut away the last tie or two on each piece, set them aside, then slip on the railjoiners. I clean the joint (for good soldering surface) with alcohol, then solder and file. The track goes down on the layout (glue, spike, as you see fit). Then I cut away the little bumps that hold the track in place on the ties I had cut away, file the profile down slightly (so the joiner doesn't cause a bump) and slip them under the joint, gluing them in place. I then use method 1 (cut gaps) after I have set up a decent length. Keep in mind the locations of your power feeders when doing this (especially important with DCC). Corey ------------------ Corey Lynch Pres - Rensselaer Model RR Society, NEB&W RR http://www.rpi.edu/~lynchc/Railfanning/railfanning.htm - My Site http://www.union.rpi.edu/railroad/ - NEB&W
As both Watash and Corey have said, the most important way to prevent bumps at joins, is that ties must be trimmed so there is a space the thickness of the railjoiner between the bottom of the rail and the top of the ties. Like Watash, I use a dremel machine with a cut off wheel and this makes the task simple. Unlike others, I always solder the joiner to the rails. This is most important where there are curves in the track. I solder the rails in a straight line then they follow a natural bend when laying the track. Gets a bit unhandy at times due to the lenghth of two sections of flex track. I do all gaps in track after the ballast has been layed. For insulated gaps, I glue in a small piece of plastic then trim it to rail dimension. The reason I do this is there is no drifting of track which can give gauge problems if track isn't firmly attached. Expansion gaps are set at the width of the cut off wheel of my Dremel machine. So far it works well. ------------------ Robin member #35 Proud to be a foundation member of NARA , #2 Maberly and Tayside
Interesting idea about the insulating plastic, Robin. I decided not to use plastic joiners due to their appearance, but I never thought of trimming them. Currently, I use the gaps in the rails that I cut for expansion purposes as the "insulator" as well. Only ran into a problem once, when the track expanded and closed the gap completely. Just trimmed it a little more, and it was fine. ------------------ Corey Lynch Pres - Rensselaer Model RR Society, NEB&W RR http://www.rpi.edu/~lynchc/Railfanning/railfanning.htm - My Site http://www.union.rpi.edu/railroad/ - NEB&W
Thanks for the insight guys!! The reason I did not go with soldering is expansion and contraction. The layout is in an uncontrolled environment (unfinished garage) where temperature extremes are common! I will give the tie trim method a try, and I like the idea of soldering curves and leaving gaps in straight track. Happy Modeling!! John ------------------ The Santa Fe and Southwestern, Chief of the Southwest!!
The only soldering done on the track for the CEE Line is on curves. All of the rest is track joiners with one side of the joiner pinched with pliers or rail nippers to make sure there is a good connection. ------------------ Member #743 Larry E. Gilbert NARA member #3 ASST. Superintendent Central Indiana Division MWR/NMRA www.members.iquest.net/~leghome/index.html
