Could you advise me the best way to ensure constant power to my track (Brass) garden layout. I have started to have intermittant power going through the track which naturally causes the locomotive to stop. I have cleaned, polished evry part of the track but still have the problems. I noticed that some people have soldered to the outside of track wires which must help to avod this problem.
Any advise would be helpful
Thank you
Simon
Yes, soldered wires to the outside of the track is a very good way but watch not burning up your ties!
Did you check it with volt meter? Mark where and in what block the loco stopped?
Over time grit gets in the connections of those plates and totally or mostly loses the power grid.
Toad
AT this point too, it might do well to invest in a Dremel tool, so you can buff the rail sides clean first, for a good solder connection, and of course, use rosin core solder only…connect a heat sink clip to each rail also, right by/above the closest tie, to try and keep from melting it as you solder.
Byron C.
Goodmorning…
Think I forgot one more, pick up shoes if your running them. To much damage can make the shoe not to contact the rail.
Toad
Simon
How do you currently have the rails connected? In my case I have used exclusively (now impossible to obtain) LGB brass “flex” rails. I solder two sections into a 10-foot section. These 10-foot sections are joined with Split Jaw Rail Clamps. My feeder wires are soldered to an “eyelet” electrical connector, and place on every third split jay clamp using the screw of the clamp. This system has been in the ground for just over six years and I have not had any problems with power loss. If you have any specific questions hit me with an e-mail.
Also, addendum to the above good suggestions, use a SOLDERING IRON with a TIP wide enough to bridge BETWEEN the spots you’ve cleaned. So keep ‘em close to the ends. Put a pigtail–a twist in the wire, with ‘feeties’ stickin’ out so they reach PAST the solder puddles, described below.
Before doing that, clean those spots as advised, then TIN them: melt solder into a puddle at each place while fluxing. USE FLUX. ROSIN FLUX. Paste flux, don’t depend on the puny amount inside the ‘rosin-cored’ solder. MAKE SURE it is 40/60 Lead/Tin solder. Less trouble.
IF YOUR SOLDER BEADS UP AND ROLLS AWAY, YOU GOT PROBLEMS. There’s no way of telling what kind of brass (metallurgically-speaking) you’re getting in any given batch of rails. Clean it more, get a bigger iron, do something different, 'cause you ain’t gonna get nowhere lasting. Might look pretty. Post in a year or two, wondering about erractic performance.
Use a BIG iron, with a BIG, WIDE, FLAT TIP (like a chisel, called, strangely enough, ‘chisel tips’) SO THE RAILS DON’T ACT LIKE A GAINT HEAT SINK AND SUCK ALL THE HEAT OUT OF THE TIP in the range of 125W and upwards. Take the plastic ties off, first.
Or, get a small torch, ala Micro Mark/Harbor Freight (cheaper) and learn to solder brass with that, first. Flame chases solder away from where you want it. Learn to compensate by applying solder on the ‘upwind’ side of the torch flame, but ‘downwind’ from your joint, and try to keep same flame vertical to the joint. Or lift the flame just before you dab in the solder and ‘chase’ it with the flame. It’s all in the technique. (Evil Grin, not available in our Pink Icons).
Or, practice and figure it out for yourself. DO NOT pile three soldering GUNS on the same joint and hope for anything lasting, as has been bragged on this board. Anybody can get lucky now 'n then.
Oh, FWIW, I’ve
Or the easiest way is to change over to battery.
Toadster, Dude!
Almost knocked my bifocals off. And these ones I got was hard to get, man. I hadda chase this old guy about twenty feet before I could get his. ‘Bout killed me, runnin’ that far.
Why, I wonder to my ownself, do you need a voltmeter if you got an engine that stalls here 'n there? You got to know it’s starving out for electricity. (Supposing it ain’t got an internal problem of itsownself).
So, right there is where you want to look for track joints. Blood, guts, whatever, but the guy said he’d cleaned the track.
Les
Not to mention, one of the more expensive ways. Not only does one have to go to R/C, one needs a vast array of batteries, battery cars, and support electronics.
Hoofe
Les:
I use a torch. When joining long rails into longer units, here is a quick hint, it works very well for me. I took an 8 ft 2x4, ran it through the table saw cutting a slot (in the 2 inch side) just big enough that the rail would set flat. In the middle of the 2x4 I cut out a large notch (about 4 inches long and 1.5 inches deep) for complete access to the rail joint. Using this “jig” allows me to end up with perfectly strait rail joints. I put the heat onto the bottom of the joiner, insert the solder from the top of the joiner, with lots of flux. Here’s a pic of what I’m talking about.
Yes, that looks like a good setup. I didn’t think about jigging, I’m glad you pointed it out for the education of the original asker. This soldering brass rail together isn’t just exactly simple, which you evidentally already know. Seems that most want to lift up a rail, hit it with some heat 'n solder, and go on. Hey, it’s their rail.
Les
“lift-n-heat” causes lots of little unplanned angles, each with the potential to derail the train.