I ende up using Walthers Bridge Track instead of Micro Engineering. I wanted to be sure that the guard rails don’t require rail joiners to keep them aligned (?) Do the regular/stock rail joiners keep the guard rails lined up permanently if the stock rails are soldered? I’d think so, but wanted to check.
Thanks, Jim
Jim,
Bridge guard rails ,do not need rail joiners… If you have the Walthers bridge track, the guard rails come to a point at the approach to the bridge,on both ends,so you could not use rail joiners anyway!!! Once the track is attached to the roadbed, with caulk, glue or nails,which ever you use and ballasted, their not going anywhere…
Cheers,
Frank
Jim,
I do not use rail joiners on the guard rails. There is no need for them, since they don’t carry current, and the track aligns properly at the stock rails. You could use rail joiners, though, since they will fit in position.
Rich
On real bridge guard rails I have certainly seen joint bars, or fishplates as they are sometimes called (probably two bolt since they would not ordinarily be load bearing unless there was an actual derailment!), and if your bridge is long enough that could be an opportunity to add an accurate bit of detail versus the “no real prototype” traditional rail joiner. I think Details West makes the castings.
Dave Nelson
Most of the bridge guard rails I have ever seen are scrap rail of a lighter weight than the running rails. For an HO scale model, we use N scale track for the guard rails, but we don’t put rail joiners on it because the guard rails are not load bearing in any way. Rail joiners would help hold it in place, but would have no actual function otherwise.
Thanks guys. I wanted to start working on the lst bridge tonight so I appreciate the speedy responses!
I may cut the “middle” out to extend the run without the pointed guard rail ends. I didn’t think the guard rails needed joiners, but none of the layouts I’ve seen locally use guard rails so wanted to see if they were needed for aligning them along with the stock rails.
If I don’t cut the bridge tracks at all, the pointed ends of the guardrails meet each other just inside the entrance of the bridges. I’m tempted to put the bridge track in whole and “reason” that only one wheel pair of one truck would be on single rail with the following truck still on guard rail and the previous car’s aft truck also on guard rail.
Is it tricky cutting the Walther’s bridge track? Do I need four hands to hold the stock rails AND the guard rails with pliers so I don’t break off any spike/tabs?
I’m tempted to lay out all 5 pieces of bridge track “whole” (each keeping it’s pointed guard rail ends) instead of only points on the very ends of the entire 5 track long runs. It sure would be easier, looks cool, but with a one wheel spacing gap between guard rail points on the bridge (where two bridge track sections meet) would most likely not have a prototype.
Thanks very much everyone,
Jim
None of my bridges were so long that I needed to splice two pieces of guard rail together. I guess to make it easier to build the guard rails, I would use them if I needed to have longer rails and I don’t see anything wrong with doing so.
Some bridges on East Penn RR do not use joiners on guard rails
I would think that if you hold your track in a miter box, use a sharp razor saw and saw gently, cutting the track should not be a problem.
You might want to consider leaving the ends long enough so that they could be joined to fit a smaller bridge, but not have the joint close to one end.
Good luck,
Richard
Because of the length of the bridges, I need two lengths of bridge track to span each bridge.
What I did was to cut off one end of each bridge track section and join the cut ends together so that the bridge ties span the bridge and then the bridge ties end at the end of the bridge.
I cut the bridge ties off first with Xuron cutting tool, then I cut one rail at a time with the same Xuron tool.
That works just fine.
Rich
Thanks Rich! I’ve been a bit nervous using the nippers and considered trying a cut-off disc. Think that would be any less “traumatic” to the Walther’s Bridge Track than using the Xurons? Sounds like it cut for you just as easy as single rail (standard) Atlas flex track does? At $24 per section, I wanted to be sure not to screw up a section.
Does the commonly read advice to hold a rail with pliers while cutting a rail apply here? I’ve noticed with Atlas flex track in recent years, the spike detail/rail holders tear off with the slightest twist of the rail I remember them being much less finicky in the past.
Thanks! Getting ready to cut… if anyone else has experience with this particular bridge track please chime in if you think of anything else I should know. Tomorrow’s probably the day…
Jim
Jim,
After cutting off the bridge ties off first with with the Xuron Track Cutter, I cut one rail at a time with the same Xuron Track Cutter. I did not use pliers to hold the rail, and there was no risk of lifting the rail out of the spikes.
I have done this several times with no problems whatsoever. As the saying goes, measure twice, cut once.
Good luck, and report back to us with the results.
Rich
Ok, cool. Thanks for the follow up reassurance 
I’ll give it a go in the next few days. I have to plot out the entire run a 2nd time to be sure I measure thrice 
I’ll let you know how it goes in the next week if not before depending on how the run looks.
Next I have to decide on an adhesive for the track to brass bridge connection. Pliobond, laytex caulk, whatever will hold the track but allow easy removal if I should ever need to without pulling paint off of the brass. I research the archives while I lay out the 3 bridge run.
Thanks again. Really appreciate it.
Jim
I used a small cordless Dremel tool and a cutoff disk 1 1/2 inch. This cuts square and flush. Perfect with no stress to the track. Pliobond worked well.
Chug Chug, thanks. When using a cut off wheel, do you cut each rail individually or “go gor” both the guard rail and stock rail simultaneously? Is Pliobond removable without damaging the brass bridges’ paint should I ever need to?
Jim
Rich, Chug Chug, et. al.,
I just used the Xuron nippers and cut one rail at a time. One caveat for me to offer other newbies with bridge track is that it’s a bit tricky to fit the cutting jaws of the Xurons far enough in that you have to cut the 2nd rail (the guard rail) with the tip area rather than further in the jaw (as for the stock/outside rails). This is the point where a bit of rail twist can occur but it’s not too bad. I overcut a bit and will file the ends square.
I tried the cut off wheel and due to the climbing, laying on my side at the back of the yard and considering how fast it runs I only used it to cut the already glued down/ballasted track and squared the ends with the wheel.
I taped the bridge track with painter’s tape to make sure the rails didn’t move after cutting the lst section.
Thanks SO much for the expedient advice and experiences. Didn’t ruin any $24 track and the bridge sure does make a great “gap filler”
I
Hey, sounds like you got it done.
Yes, I did cut both at once and did tape the rail to keep in place.
A square and a fine point marker will line up the cut by marking the rails.
Wear your eye protection!
Pliobond works good for bonding rail to plastic ties.
Dap 3.0 works good for plastic ties to bridge or to cork roadbed.
Yes, Dap 3.0 can be removed easily. Not so sure about the Pliobond.
Have Fun!
Jim,
Glad to hear that you got the job done…and successfully.
Rich
Thanks to you guys. I hate when jobs seem “scary” just because you don’t want to waste dough in the learning stages. I so far, had settled on a caulk like Dap. I think that appeals the most for removal if ever necessary without harming the paint. It feels good to move on to the next steps and get running again.
Jim