I just can’t figure it out. Every source, including this forum, states NOT to have a joint between pieces of flex track on a curve. That being the case, how do you build, for example, a 30" radius curve with flex without having a joint. I didn’t take physics, but this seems impossible!! Have I missed something?
Tim
I don’t inow what you have been reading, but having track joints on a curve is not taboo or unavoidable. The main consideration is to solder the track joiner while the track is still straight, and then bend it around the curve so you don’t wind up with a kink in the rail at the rail joiner.
That’s what I thought, but a lot of literature says stay away from joints on curves. It just doesn’t work that way. Thanks!!
One word of warning about this. Be sure to remove a sufficient number of ties on both pieces of flex track to tbe joined. Since they will be straight when joined and the joiners solders, it’s hard to judge how many. The number depends on the radius, and I’ve no idea of a formula to determine this. Perhaps someone with more time on their hands than I can provide that for each of the major scales. [8D][:D]
Check to see that the track doesn’t wander out of guage (I’ve not found this to be a problem). You will know if you haven’t taken off sufficient ties because the track will bind up at the next tie that needs removal. Be sure to replace the ties both for the look of the track, and for a bit of support. You’ll have to shave off the parts that hold the track, and where the joiners are, file out a recess in the ties that go under the joiners.
Good luck!
With that big of a radius, put the piece down (static end out), then dremel the long end level with the other, remove the end tie, use a joiner, solder, put the tie back under.
Thanks for the help!!
Tim
You might want to buy a pair of Xuron rail cutters ($10). These make quick and accurate work of cutting track. I prefer Xuron to a rotary tool for most track work.
The Xuron will remove the ties nicely too. Don’t cut anything but track and soft plastics with the tool (It also makes a good sprue cutter.)
I laid my first flextrack about 4 months ago. I used the techniqe ddescribed in the following link
http://www.trains.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/000/109pkaus.asp
Rather than solder the joint on the layout, I join 2 pieces of track together at the work bench removing 3 ties from the end of each piece. Make sure that the rail that slides is on the same side! Perhaps a better article is the one at
http://www.trains.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/004/379dcjrm.asp
Worked great for me.
Jim–I’ll second the Xuron railcutters. I have one that I use exclusively for track and then a separate sprue cutter that I use to cut sprues and plastic ties.
The big thing you want to avoid is rail joints across from each other in the curve. Stagger them and you should have no problems.
I don’t know what I was doing wrong, but soldering rail was THE biggest challenge I had in building my N Scale layout. Sometimes the solder would go on very easily and in just the right quantity. Other times it would glob up or the rail would get so hot I’d melt the 4th or 5th tie. Although I soldered the track when it was straight, off of the layout, many times the solder would break off of the rail when I was bending the track around a curve.
I read the articles above and got a lot of advise before starting but still had trouble. It was especially frustrating because I’d get a couple very good solid welds only to have the next one or two look awful and/or break.
I’m done now but not terribly satisfied with the look of some of the joints. Painting the rail helped considerably.
Thom
You need to put a dab of Rosin core flux on the rail joints before you solder it…the flux helps clean the metal and help the solder flow quickly and smoothly…the flux looks like axle grease and comes in a can similar to a shoe polish can…it only takes me less than 6 to 8 seconds to lay a bead of solder on the outside rail joint …quick enough so that i don’t melt any of the flex track ties…after you solder take a needle file and remove the excess solder from the top and inside of the rail…by the way… a 30" radius?..just remove one tie from each piece of flex track…I’ve gone down to 26" radius and remove only one tie…anything below 26" remove 2 ties per section…Chuck[:D]
Thom,
Just to add to CW’s post, use a heat sink to avoid melting your ties. It can be anything metal.
I have some 3/8" steel rod about 3" long that I use. Dave
I forget where I read it, but I saw an article somewhere about soldering track that showed using the rail joiners first to align the track, and then soldering the whole thing together. Is that overkill? From this discussion, it sounds like it might be.
The problem with railjoiners and solder is the chance the connection might look more solid than it really is. But I do not think it is overkill per se.
The idea is to avoid the kink or bit of tangent that usually results at the joint. You want as smooth and consistent a curve as you can have. I use the Baumgarten/Ribbon Rail aluminum radius jigs to help – these come in tangents as well as radiuses and fit exactly between the rails (HO) and can be slid around the curve to force the track into that exact radius. These work better for easily curved flex track such as Atlas and less well for stiff flex track such as Micro Engineering. Don’t forget a nice transition of a much larger radius where you meet the tangent.
Dave Nelson
I personaly prefer using rail joiners. Perhaps if your having intermittent problems from joint to joint, check tightness of sodering tool in its screw clamp. Or perhaps just a tad of hot soder to transfer the heat rapidely, laying the tip on the joint (dry) lets the rail heat taking a longer period of time, heating the ties to much. If this happens chill the rail with a wet rag and start over.
to just soder the rail without the joiner in place, soder is softer then the nickel silver rail, when bending in the curve it will bend at its least resistence, the sodered joint.
One can make a quick sodering jig using quarter inch plywood. the base can be approx six inchs long by five inces wide, cut two other strips about an inch wide by six inches long. tack one strip accross the top edge of the base. Place a piece of track against the top tacked edge. Lay a piece of track against it edge and holdeng the second strip snugley against the ties, tack the second one in place. This slot will hold both tracks to be sodered, both horizonal and vertical. Using the straigth factory cut edge of the plywood against both edges of the rail ties, your jig will be straight as a die.
I mount my track in place in curves, leaving the last ten or so inches free (no glue or nails) Slip the jig under the layed track and soder joints in place. If a tie melts from too much heat the slot will prevent it from warping.
I have also noted that some rail joiners are looser then others. Use the looser ones on curves and tighter joiners on unsodered straight sections leaving a .010 gap for heat expansion, reducing possable kinks.
I also use a very hot sodering gun, get the heat in quick, hot silver joints are a must, then get out as soon as possable.
I have been laying track for over 20 years and have found that rail joiners on curves are a must. I can’t imagine keeping the rails aligned during thesoldering process without the joiners. A friend of mine does not use rail joiners; he simply butts the rails together and uses spikes to hold the rails in place. On curves his track has kinks at the joints and he is constantly maintaining the joints.
To add a section of track to an existing section on a curve I free up about 12 inches of the track already on the curve, hold it straight, join the new section using rail joiners ( I remove usually 3 ties from each side of the joiners to avoid bunching up the ties) and solder the joints using rosin flux solder (very small diameter solder). I use a 100 watt soldering gun (I know…it’s overkill but to get the solder flowing the rails must be hot enough) with a heat sink and move it slowly about the joint. After a few seconds the solder begins to melt and I can see it flowing to both sides of the joint. That’s it.
I have track layed down for 16 years without any problem using this method.
John
I think when people say not to join flextrack on curves they want you to hold the new piece of flextrack straight tangent to the track it’s going to connect to while you solder the connection. After the solder has cooled you can then bend the flextrack to fini***he curve.