I thought I would pass this idea along for anyone transitioning rail sizes. In my case I use code 100 mostly but I am using Micro-Engineering Code 83 Bridge track on a curved steel trestly I am building. I forgot to order transition rail joiners with the track.
I thought about doing the trick of soldering the code 83 rail to the top of a flattened code 100 joiner but figured getting the rail in alignment would be difficult. I had some .005" sheet brass in the scrap box which I used to make a shim. This worked really well.
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Cut a strip slightly narrower than the inside of a code 100 rail joiner. I used tin snips to make the cut. The brass will curl, but that’s not a problem.
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Cut the strip to a length slightly less than twice the length of a rail joiner.
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Fold the strip twice so it is 4 thicknesses thick. I folded it partially in half, then folded each end toward the center, then completed the center fold. Now it’s 1/2 the length of the rail joiner.
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Tap the folded brass with a hammer on the top of a vise or other solid metal surface. This will make the folds very flat.
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Put the rail joiner on the code 100 rail. Slip the shim into the open end. Now put the code 83 rail into the joiner on top of the shim and solder like normal.
I am not worried about the brass corroding since there is metal contact between the rails and the joiner. The solder will encase the brass for the most part also.
Anyway, it works for me…
George V.