Fast Tracks

Do you gents use rail joiners to connect your individual pieces of rail? Or do you spike it right at the end of the last piece, and then butt the next piece of the rail up so that it touches the spiked one?

The only trouble I can see with this is that the rails may loose contact over time and effect conductivity unless you've soldered a ton of feeders to your main bus wires. I read in a magazine that you really only need to put feeders wires from the main bus in every four feet or so. Except in the case of our turnouts. You could also I suppose go through the trouble of soldering a small jumper wire between individual pieces. underneath the track work, however that sounds like more work then it's worth.

I experimented with some rail joiners I've cut in half and soldered the rails to, however they still look kinda ugly.

So how do the pros do it?

teeters,

First, all the rails should have about 0.020" gap separation to handle expansion and contraction. Except in extraordinary locations, I don't recommend any soldering of rail joints. I will pre-curve rails for the curves and then cut off about an inch of the rail to make sure I've gotten curving joints.

Second, the small Micro Engineering rail joiners, cut in half, spread out with a handled spare rail piece to get a slip fit , and then installed, will give you good mechanical alignment. Decorate the web with glued on thin fishplates, and the joint looks realistic and is well aligned.

Now, yes this does mean a power feeder drop wire to every piece of rail. Can't avoid it, and yes the reliability factor makes it well worth the effort. A neat trick is to bend the #22 solid drop wire with a 90 degree hook, pre-tin, and then install with held in place wedged pressure up to the underside of the rail base between two ties. Place a drop of liquid rosin flux (H&N safety flux), hit with hot iron and a very small bit of extra solder, and a good electrical connection is made. It's hidden on the underside, solder wicking to the joint.

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-ed mccamey-
COSLAR RR - http://www.coslar.us/
NMRA Standards and Conformance Department
PROTO & FINE Scale Coordinator
I estimate I have about 5 pounds of coupler springs somewhere in the vicinity of my workbench.

Thanks.

I'm not trying to take any short cuts. I just want to make sure I do it right the first time.

Ed:

Just read your note about the rail joiners, excellent information, thanks for the help you gave all.

-sambear

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"Life is about learning"