Hello MRRDER’S!! and Happy New Year!!! Here is hope for a prosperous and safe new year, may your model train layout ideas come true, I’m trying to make my ideas come true with this question, and here it is, I’m building a lift out bridge in front of my enterance to my train room, now I have everything build and ready to be placed, what I want to know since I don 't have a drimmel tool to cut my track at my lift out bridge, could I use my track cutter tool? Im working in N scale . Take Care trainsrme1[8D]
Of course, assuming its a Xuron or like quality rail cutter. In any case, you will have to “dress up” the cut with a fine file.
Probably unneeded advice…cut the rails a bit longer than needed and check the fit and then cut more til you get it right. Said another way, you don’t want to be in a rush and “save time” and end up cutting it too short.
Let us know how it works out!
You have to have a “free end” of the rail you’re cutting using any kind of displacement-type cutter. In other words the part of the rail you’re cutting that is on the “bevel” side of the cutter is going to move laterally when you squeeze the handles. If your track is alreaduy laid you will probably damage a few inches of track when the rail expands and will rip out the plastic “spikes” holding it down.
Careful cutting with a Zona saw, very fine tooth count, would be a good choice. Cut carefully and hold down the top of the rail with a weight or piece of wood clamped to secure the rails from pulling out of the plastic spikes.
IF the track has not been cpompletely laid across the bridge, of course you can trim the ends with the rail nipper. File carefully to make a nice bevel to help guide the wheels across the gap.
Good Luck, Ed
I had a jig amongst my modeling tools in the 70s. I don’t know what ever happened to that jig but I wish I still had it.
It was a piece of aluminum that had slots and laid over the track holding the rails firmly in place. Then one could take a newer razor saw and cut the rails rather quickly where needed.
I haven’t found another one but I don’t suppose one of those jigs would be very hard to make.
Many ways to address the situation as mentioned here. But I wish I still had that tool for the times in a pinch.
TF
A Dremel type tool is available with accesorys from Harbor Freight for $10 ussually. Got one to use in the real world just to try out, worked fine, and yes I have a few real Dremels too.
Xuron makes two versions of rail cutting pliers: for vertical cuts and for horizontal cuts. Using the wrong pair makes more of a mess of the rail end.
Because they cut by pinching, a guillotine blade style cut, you can’t use these to cut gaps. You will end up with a wedge shaped end and a fiat cut end at the gap in the rail. You will need to fit your bridge rails to each end track in the same way as you would fit the last track piece in any layout if you use rail cutting pliers. Fit the bridge rail length to your gap. Leave the main layout rails little long. You reverse the pliers to ensure flat cuts on the ends of the rails you wish to match.
I find that laying the rails alongside each other to measure to length first works well. Set the finished flat end of the bridge rail against the layout end to be cut. Reverse the pliers and place the flat side of the blades against the flat cut end of the bridge rail. That puts the cutting edge exactly where you need to cut but don’t cut, just make a small nick in the rail to be cut by squeezing the pliers very slightly. Then take the ridge track away, reverse the pliers to correct direction, find the same nick and settle the cutting edge into the nick and cut. Exactly correct length every time.
A modellers metal saw is possibly easier to use than a dremel especially for cutting thin gaps at the same points in both rails. The resulting gap will be no larger than the saw kerf, just slightly wider than the blade thickness.
Exacto makes such saw blades that fit in a standard Exacto large size handle (not the pen style holding a #11). Atlas sells a designated rail cutting saw but I’m not sure how wide a kerf it cuts. Both are technically backsaws with a blade stiffener back allowing a very thin kerf cut.
The Kadee coupler gauge works pretty well for that purpose, too, although you’ll likely have to hold it in-place while making the cut, if you’re using a saw.
Wayne
That’s a good idea.
Thanks Wayne
TF
TrainsRMe1: Reading your original post, it sounds like you built the track in place for the lift-out section, and now you need to cut gaps to make it removeable.
Is this the case?
-Kevin
Hi Kevin, You are correct, I want a clean cut of my tracks, I do have excellent track cutters though,
Hi Mobleman44 I do have Xuron track cutters, I hope to continue with this project over the weekend, right now both my wife and I are dealing with possible Covid, talking about feeelin’ yuccky!!! we get our test tomorrow!
The track cutters require removal of too much rail if your track is already in place. Two cuts are required to get two flat and square ends.
Use a saw or cut off disc tool.
Not a problem as long as he uses the track cutters correctly. I have successfully done this more than once with track work in place.
To my way of thinking, a saw or cut off disc tool is much too violent. If it were me, I would stick with the track cutters.
TrainsRMe1: The Orlando N-Trak club built a new display layout over the last ten years and cut the gaps between the modules after the track was laid. Some of the gaps are on curves and angles, but it all works and aligns perfectly.
-
- The new layout is not N-trak, but the group incorporated with that name back in the 1980s - -
Their process involves soldering about 2" of rail to PC boards at the joints. Then they cut the rail and PC board with a smooth industrial cutting blade in an oscilating saw tool. They pack the area with hard artists sculpting clay (not sure what kind) before the cut to act as a heat sink and some support.
The results are perfect, and I have never seen N scale trains runs across open track joints so perfectly.
I know it would be more work than you set out to do, but their results have impressed me everytime I see the layout.
These pictures show a couple of the joints between modules on this layout.
-Photograph by Kevin Parson
-Photograph by Kevin Parson
-Kevin
How?
The rail cutting pliers make the cut end of only one rail flat. The other cut end will be wedge shaped which must then also be cut off to make a square end.
Unless you’re happy with one square rail end and one rail end not squared off. The gap will be there.
Never saw this tool before. Looks like a trouble saver in the right circumstance.
-Kevin
Mike: why dont you post pictures and step by steps of all these great thechniques you have rather than just keep telling people their methods are wrong, wont work, or are poor ways of getting the job done.
This whole rouitine of yours has become very routine and I am so tired of it all and it is time for you to stop answering questions or answer with something useful for as change.
I am sure we would all love a change of attitude from you where you share your work and take pride in your train set up.
I have both Xuron tools. The blades cut in the same way on both tools. You get be flush square end to the rail and one wedge shaped cut end with either tool.
The only difference is the orientation of the cut. The vertical cutters are slightly trickier to use because the usable part of the blades are a bit shorter. It’s easy to put the rail too deep into the jaws and then the rail is not cut through because the deepest part of the plier jaws has no cutting edges.
Unless I see someone actually do this I remain sceptical of anyone who claims he or she can get two square rail ends with one cut of a Xuron rail cutter, either type.
If it can be done I’d very much like to know how because that really would be handy.
The other issue with using Xuron vertical cutters to avoid disconnecting track is the displacement issue. Regular users of either cutter will be familiar with the cut end whizzing off into space just as the cut is completed. This results from the significant sideways displacement force exerted by the blade pressure as the wedge of the cutting edge gets forced all the way through the rail. That force comes from the wedge faces of the cutting blades.
When using the vertical cutter on rails fixed at both ends you will exert significant buckling force on the ties especially adjacent to the wedge side of the cut, probably ripping the rail up out of the plastic spike heads. You would be well advised to free up the track, remove the track nails or sever the glue affixing the ties to the roadbed, as the case may be, before making the cut. If you can do this back to any portion of curved track then the vertical cutters can be made to work as a curve gives you the length leeway you will need to close up that gap.
It is this displacement of material that creates the distorted end of one side of the cut. I see no way to prevent this force from distorting that side of the cut.
For track already cut to exact length, laid in place and secured to the roadbed I don’t see the Xuron vertical cutters working out well at all for cutting gaps. You will always have a significant chunk of rail missing after you clean up both sides of the cut.
A razor saw or cutting disc will at least limit the gap to the minimum.