I am building a new layout with Life-Like Power Loc Nickel track and I am wondering what to do about a few bumps I have where the tracks join together…could I sand them down?
I have not used the method you speak of, why are you? what has it got toooffer that a normal connection hasn’t got?
I wouldn’t sand anything without seeking proper advice.
rgds ian
Break out the sand paper.
Any advice what to do then? I read on another post about filing the inner edges of the track where they connect…is this better? These aren’t big bumps but I would rather eliminate them now as I build the layout for my son’s XMAS present.
Sand with a 2x4 covered in sanding paper and check for level and make notes of where the bumps are so you can check progress. Or get new track.
Are you sure you have the track sections joined properly? Is there something under one piece that is causing it to be raised up? Check the bottom of every piece of track and make sure there is no blob of excess plastic holding it up.
Do you have an oxy-accetylene torch? How about a plasma cutter? An industrial angle grinder will work, too. I guess in a pinch you could use a hacksaw and saw the top of the higher rail off. You could always just pound it flat with a BFH. Good grief.
I prefer a BFR myself, but the principle is the same[:P]
Check all of the above, if everything is joined properly without any plastic flashing or other mold errors, then sanding the rails can be easily done. The only caveat to that is you must now number the track sections or otherwise mark them so they go back together with the same orientation and in the same order. Otherwise you have made the problem worse.
Sorry for those with tons of experience and this is a routine/simple question…but this is my first layout since I was about 10 and I want it to be as perfect as possible for my 5 year old on XMAS morning.
You say “bumps” -but you have never exactly told us how big a bump it is… I use PECO SM32 track -which has a slight 45 degree chamfer at the ends of the rails to enable easy alignment. This is no more than about 1mm and normally leave 2mm gaps between the track sections to cope with expansion in the summer. If your “bump” is not more than this -then leave it alone. regards ralph
First off, welcome to the Garden Railways forum. Alas, your question is about HO (or possibly N) scale track, as Life-Like doesn’t make tracks for garden railroads. You may have better luck posting in the Model Railroader forum.
Having said that, your best course of action is to take some light sandpaper (200 grit or finer) and gently sand over the bumps until they’re smooth. Lateral bumps may need a small jeweler’s file to smooth out, or a small sanding drum in a Dremel tool.
Later,
K
personal experience in HO and N is if the track ends are raised either
1 - the track is warped
2 - It is being laid on an uneven surface
3 - you are forcing curved track out of true radius
So…
1- is easily checked by joining two sections on a piece of glass or a kitchen work surface - ends should
align perfectly
2 - change the surface
3 - alow the track to lay in its true position.
As most small scale track is nickel silver only emery paper will do much to remove edges , also bu extreme sanding it will alter the rail profile at the ends and cause possible derailment especially of leading trucks and pony trucks on locomotives
davenower is correct. If the ends of sections HO or N track are not lining up then something else is wrong! Find the error first. Then fix that error. Do not create another error.
Sand, grind, saw, NO - NO - NO - NO - NO
I am with Dave and Tom on this but before i did anything i would contact the manufacturer, something very small may be wrong and you not know it. I would advise care; and sanding is a last resort. Take note of what Jack had to say, the sections will no longer be “universal” if you cahnge them indididually in any way and you may well regret this in the future.
Rgds ian
or-save some time-buy a new section of track, if that’s an option. Personally, I’d be reluctant to sand/file track on a regularly-used layout, let alone a christmas layout. Again, try and persue other methods before resorting to anything that drastic.
Most track “bumps” are indeed caused by mis-assembly or an uneven base. Watch for these as you put the track down, and if you find one it’s better to disassemble that joint and find out what’s wrong. Once it’s glued down, it’s very hard to “tweak” a bad track joint into alignment.
That said, I’ll admit that I sometimes file (not sand, that would take forever. If you can fix it with sandpaper, it was too small to worry about in the first place) a track joint to take out a step between one rail and the next. On the other hand, I’ve had better luck ripping up the track and completely re-doing it. And in the long run, it actually takes less time to re-do it once than to spend 10 minutes on it every time a car derails there.
And kstrong, a hearty welcome to you, to the Model Railroad forum! (Yeah, I’ve found myself in the Garden once or twice by accident, too. I’ve gotta admit, there’s a lot of nice work being done there.)
FSRbiker’s post wound up in Model Railroader section on Layouts. Garden Railways? Your response also wound up in MRR section. [?] Well, all’s well that ends well, seems anxious father has received some positive suggestions.
[soapbox] [2c]
Our small world is reaching out to the 1:1 world via “World’s Greatest Hobby” initiative; we should do our part to make those new to the hobby welcome. Especially a parent playing Santa and wanting to do the job right and working under the obvious deadline.(Where are those elves when you really need 'em?) When you think about it this father probably brings back memories of our fathers own gift to us on Christmas morning. End of [2c] rant. Merry Christmas.