Fast Tracks

I just finished a 19 degree crossing made with the double crossover jig. I found it to be something of a challenge to do the butt-join between the two halves while keeping it all in registration properly. You basically have 1/2 of a tie per side to solder that side to. I'm wondering if an extra half-wide tie pocket could be added to the end of the jig so you could get the first half of the thing soldered square to the tie.

Something even nicer and more generally applicable would be a tool which consisted merely of a strip of steel exactly the witdth of the gap between the railhead and a properly placed guard rail head. That could be used many places as a soldering aid and in this case as an alignment tool. Two of those placed in the guard rail gaps crossing the joint would lock the pieces together in perfect registration as you soldered them to the tie.

Jim