Here’s a question about soldering track work… I’ve finally laid the entire track down on my layout and have tested it and fixed any “issues” that have appeared and now everything runs smoothly. I’d like to solder the rail joints together but I’m not sure if I should do all of the joints, just the straights or just the curves. I also don’t want to melt the plastic ties on the track so what temperature range should I use. I have a Weller's variable temperature electronic soldering station with a variable power control from 5 to 40 watts (positions on the dial of 1 through 5 that goes up to 900 degrees F). Where do I set it for best results and what type of solder should I use? Thanks for any advise Curtis
Curtis: It's much better to drop feeders from each section of track to a common bus than to solder rail joiners. Soldered rail joiners will be at the mercy of temperature changes and humidity. A soldered railjoiner isn't the strongest of connections and will eventually come apart. For solder I would use a fine electronics solder. I would practice soldering on some spare track first to establish the ideal temperature setting for your soldering unit. The higher the temperature the better the solder joint. Stay cool and run steam.....
BTW, what kind of track? I don't think you have to solder Kato track. There may be some other sectional track like that, too.
You don't have to solder the Kato rail joiners, but it's still wise to drop feeders from each section of track to insure outstanding electrical conductivity. Stay cool and run steam....
Bob, I have to disagree with this. A properly soldered joint is very strong. In close to 45 years of dozens of layouts, first HO and now N I have never had a soldered joint fail. My layout that was in my garage in Alaska saw temperature changes from 30 below zero to 85 above and no joints failed from expansion and contraction.
Bob, I was already planning on a common bus to link all five sections together but I've used the rail joiners with the wires already soldered onto the joiners. 20 gauge bus wire and 14 gauge feeder wire. The layout is located in my basement so it's pretty climate controled and is a walk around 9x12 with a hollow center. It is split into five sections just in case we ever have to move it and I’ve used Atlas code 80 flex track and Atlas switches. I've been told not to solder the switches just in case they need to be replaced but I was unsure about the rest of the track work.
Bob, I have to disagree with this. A properly soldered joint is very strong. In close to 45 years of dozens of layouts, first HO and now N I have never had a soldered joint fail. My layout that was in my garage in Alaska saw temperature changes from 30 below zero to 85 above and no joints failed from expansion and contraction. </font>[/QUOTE]Nelson: I was referring to soldered railjoiners, not soldered joints. If you solder a railjoiner between two sections of track, I've found it to be a weak link. Many folks feel that soldering railjoiners to track sections isn't the strongest soldered joint available as the railjoiner is the weak link. If you solder feeders to track rail, the soldered joint is extremely strong. Stay cool and run steam......
A good practice is to solder "EVERY" electrical connection. Solder is made to maximise the electrical contact. I solder every rail joiner and make sure that the solder flows into the rail. I also use heat sinks on the rails to prevent over heating any plastic (heat sinks are aligator clips). I also solder contact wires on switches since I use HOT FROGS. These are wired back to the switch machines. This is just my opinion. All of my buss wire is soldered and fed to the track at approx 6' intervals. MIke
Nelson: I thank you for corroborating why the feeder soldered to a rail is a more reliable joint than soldering railjoiners to track in the hands of the average modeler. I'm not questioning your individual expertise in soldering. Have fun, that's what N scale railroading is all about..... Stay cool and run steam..... [ October 06, 2005, 01:52 PM: Message edited by: Powersteamguy1790 ]
Bob, Good soldering technique is required for a reliable feeder or rail joint. A poorly soldered feeder will be less reliable than a poorly soldered rail joiner. A poorly soldered rail joiner still has the mechanical grip provided by the spring tension of joiner. A feeder has nothing but the solder to hold it to the rail.
I tend to agree with Nelson. In addition, all of my feeder wires are actually soldered to the bottom of railjoiners! David
I've soldered all rail joiners, so there're up to 5' of soldered rail. E.g. look at Plywood District at my web site. Wolfgang
My problem with soldering all the rails together is expansion and contraction. The length of the change is dependent on the length of the material, not the cross section. Most of my electrical blocks are five feet or less, so I have no difficulty, as the expansion over that length is minor. Some of my blocks are 20 feet or so, and one of those is in direct sunlight, so I have a massive kinking problem there. (I have solved the problem, but I did not anticipate it.) OTOH, the club I was in had very long blocks. 30-40 feet. So they had the rule: solder the curves; gap the straights. Also, club layout track is cleaned thousands of times. This causes each joint to flex slightly, which, over time, can weaken a soldered connection. Thus arises the axiom of putting a drop on each section of track to preclude the necessity of keeping each track solder joint firm for electrical purposes. If your soldered joint doesn't break, why put a drop on each piece of track? Of course, you don't have to, but I will say that an electrical drop on each piece of track is the safe way to go. (BTW, I don't do that, either.) I have heard it said that you should use solder for electrical connections, not mechanical connections, on trackwork. Probably a good idea, but I am not sure I completely agree with that. I think it is best to strive for that, but it may not always be possible. Anyway, it's your layout, do it like you want to! I do think it is good to know the reasons for doing these things. As PSG 1790 says, "Stay cool and run diesels!" At least I think that is how it goes?
I'm going to continue this dialogue in an informative way. My layout, the JJJ&E uses DCC and has been in operation for 5+ years. Having had model railroad layout in all scales fror the past 50+ years, I've come to the conclusion that dropping feeders to common bus lines from the each rail of track for each section of track gives one the optimimum electrical conductivity. I haven't used soldered rail joiner connections in over 40 years for many of the reasons stated above. I do consider myself an expert in soldering as I used soldering metal (namely gold) in my profession of Dentistry for over 30+ years. I do understand the principles of proper soldering and what makes an excellent solder joint. As a long time user of DCC, The optimum solder joint can be obtained by dropping feeders from each rail to common bus lines. I've measured the voltage periodically on the JJJ&E, and the track voltage remains at a constant 11 volts throughout the 125' of mainline track for whatever period of time I'm running the JJJ&E. Most users of DCC, prefer to drop feeders from the rails of the track to common bus lines, and don't rely on the railjoiner, which as Flash Blackman so eloquently stated is a mechanical connection between two pieces of track. For those who use the soldered rail joiner as a connetion that is your choice. However there are so many variables stated above, it makes this connection suspect at best. Aside from the different soldeing habits of individuals, in my opinion, the soldered joint of a feeder to the track rail is a more reliable connection using solder. In the 40+ years that I've been using this soldering joint to a track rail, I can't remember ever having a soldered feeder to a track rail break down or fail. The proof of all this lies in the voltage across your track rails which should remain constant throughout at the track voltage that you establish for your layout. Using DCC, we can establish any track voltage we wish to use on a layout. Have fun with soldered connections to track. Stay cool and run steam/diesels.......
I had success soldering each rail joiner to flex track that will be a curve, by doing the joints while the track is laying out straight. This gave me about 6 feet to which I soldered a drop at each end. The joint in the middle at the 3 foot point, does not kink nor flex, and if I am using Tru-Scale roadbed, I will usually add four or more 1/4" off-set head spikes on the outside or all rails, on either side of this joint. They start 1/4" away from the joiner, and are inserted every 1/2" away from the joiner. Another 1/2" farther, another set of four spikes are added continuing on the inside of all four rails. I found this insures that any spring tension in the rails does not loosen the center joint. This process is also used at all non soldered joints where the jumper wires are soldered, and at block gaps too. When I come to the "open" unsolderd end, I slip a rail joiner on for alignment, then solder a jumper wire across the joint for current flow. This jumper has a bow in it which can allow the ends to move as expansion may dictate.
