I started to put together my layout using flex track for the first time and I had trouble getting the pieces to connect firmly with the rail joiners. Any good advice on using flex track and hwo to connect pieces together without going crazy? (n-gauge with Code 80).
PS I am ready to start the actual construction of this - my first - project and I am very enthusiastic. Thanks for all your previous input!![8D]
nj5smith
Welcome to the forum. I do HO but joiners should be similar. If you have the right size joiners, clip out the ties around the ends (2 is enough in HO) and slide the joiners on. In curves, solder them while straight and the bend. For straight the concensus seems to be not to solder, except every other one. I use a small needle nose plyers some times. About going crazy, this hobby expects great patience, N askes for even more. If you don’t have great patience, find a source and get some.
When soldering for curves, make sure the fixed rail is on the outside of the curve and then trim the inside rail after you glue or tack the ties. I solder all curved track and don’t solder the totally straight curves. This allows for contraction and expansion of the metal rails.
Ron K.
As you have probably noticed, the joiners are very thin and fragile. So, you would not be surprised to find that they had splayed a bit when you made your flex-track curve. Not only is that bad for alignment, but it is terrible for the electricity that your tracks must pass from section-to-section via those joiners…unless you solder the gaps.
Most modelers solder all joints on the curves. Align two or three pieces (at most) on a flat surface. Eyeball along their length to make sure they are straight. Pin them down on something, maybe a sheet of foam in good condition to keep them aligned. Then, solder the joiners to each rail end. While you’re at it, why not solder a thin feeder wire to each join? Now you can bend your curve with impunity…no more kinks or sprung joiners.
If thermal expansion is likely to be an issue (as in un-climate-controlled space in the Mojave Desert) rail joints should Not!!! be soldered. Instead, solder a little jumper around each rail joint that isn’t supposed to be insulated. Make sure to leave a physical gap between rails unless you’re laying your track in the middle of a summer heat wave.
Sneaky trick to prevent kinks in flex track.
Keep the unmoving rail on the outside of the curve. Slide the loose(r) rail over a couple of inches, to stagger the joints. That way there is always at least one un-jointed rail at any given point on the curve. If you can get the inner rail joint close to a tie with a track nail hole, so much the better.
I use a size smaller rail joiner than the code track I am using…I.E. Code 70 joiners for code 83 etc… They are a more snug fit and look better.