Been working diligently on a track plan and have already determined most of my stock works on 22” radius curves. Though some don’t and I intend to run a 26” min. Main line basically a dog bone loop setup. And a 22” min. for the working tracks. Part of my testing rolling stock and engines has had me start to build a Helix to service the mining branch line. To make sure i am ok with the 2.5% grade. It all seems fine even with a 8.5” long tank car i have no intention of running on that track.
- One of the things i have been reading and seeing is the idea of leaving a small say 1/32” gap in between the rails at unsoldered joints every 6-9 feet. To allow for thermal expansion. Would this also be a good idea in the helix or will the fact that the track is say tacked ever 6” but not glued allow for this and i should not worry and i am safest to solder all the joints in it?
2). When installing magnets under the track for decoupling do i need to first install 6” (enough track for my longest cars to be straight) after the switch before locating my magnetic pad?
Thanks for any input your experience can provide.
