I’m trying to get moving on my layout again, and for insulating rail joiners, all I have are the Atlas, that are so soft, they’re constantly a pain trying to use them. Are there any other brands that use a stiffer plastic? These things just bend and bend, avoiding actually going onto the rail and staying there. (HO, code 100 rail)
I sympathize! I use code 100 track and Atlas insulated plastic joiners too. They can be quite troublesome to use. As an alternative I used my dremel and cut a gap in the rails to insulate a block.
Hopefully others might have other suggestions too.
I have used the Atlas joiners with good success. I use code 83 rail so I don’t know how much difference it makes. When I have a stubborn insulated joiner, I’ll take the smallest flat screwdriver I have and insert it in the end of the joiner to loosen it up. It slides on fairly easily then. If you think they are too soft, try putting them in your refrigerator or freezer for a while. That should stiffen them up.
I have removed almost all of mine and cut a gap with the Dremel.
Micro Engineering made (maybe still does) plastic insulating rail joiners that were very stiff. We found their HO scale code 83 rail joiners worked very well with Atlas code 80 N scale track.
I do not think Micro Engineering ever made anything that would work with Atlas code 100 HO scale track.
I have not used insulating rail joiners in quite a while on one of my layouts, but I still have many on hand.
-Kevin
They are annoying. Perhaps ask someone with smaller fingers to install them? If not, I agree that you ought to cut a gap in the tracks.
Walthers might for their new line of track. I have Code 83, both metal and plastic. These are the best designed joiners I have used.
Walthers joiners should be a nice snug fit on the Atlas heavier rail, Atlas base flange is much heavier than the other brands.
Model Engineering doesn’t make Code 100 anything, do they?
Hello All,
I use them and they are finicky little buggers.
All the suggestions posted should be helpful.
After trashing several of these I learned to “pre-fit” them.
I have pieces of code 100 rail from previous DIY Flex Track projects.
Ensure the end of the rail is square and free of burrs.
To install these particular plastic insulated rail joiners I will “test fit” them on said pieces of unused rail- -on both sides of the joiner.
When installing the “conditioned” rail joiner(s) I prefer to put both units on the same end of the track section.
Traditional thought on installing rail joiners has been to put one on opposing ends of the rails to be attached.
When mating the track section be patient in your movements.
If all else fails have plenty of spares on hand.
The advantage of finally getting them correctly installed is, in my experience, track distortion due to temperature/humidity fluctuations can be minimized because of the elastic properties of the plastic.
Hope this helps.
What I have found is simply make sure the end is clean. the file the rail base at the end putting a chamfer on it then the sides of the base too. putting angles on to narrow the profile. they slide right on at that point.
Shane
One thing that helps me a lot, both with metal joiners and the insulated ones, is to dress up the ends of the rails before installing the joiners.
A file works for this, but I use a Dremel with a cutoff wheel and a light touch. First I pass the edge of the wheel along the bottom of the rail at the ends. This roughens up the surface just a bit and cleans the rail, making for a nice tight connection with the metal joiners. I also just touch the corners of the base of the rail to the wheel at an angle. This is just a quick touch, to break the corner of the base. Then I hold the Dremel at an angle and pass it lightly back and forth over the end of the rail, with the wheel touching the end of the rail in such a way that it sharpens the end of the rail at the base. This also removes any burrs below the rail that would interfere with instalation of the rail joiners.
Next I draw the wheel lightly along the inside base of the rail both on the outside and inside edges of both rails. This removes burrs atop the base of the rail.
Finally I quickly and lightly touch the inside edge of each railhead with the wheel at an angle, and then touch the top edge of the rail in the same way. This removes any small bits of rail that wheels would bang into.
If the cutoff wheel shatters, you were using too much force. Everything here depends on a light touch.
Rail joiners, plastic or metal, will go on easily and securely after preparing the rail ends this way. With a bit of practice, it takes all of about ten seconds to do each end of a section of track. A jewelers file will take a bit longer.
Mark has offered the advice that our late friend Chuck Beckman would have offered in this situation (his handle was tomikawaTT). Use a needle file and bevel both flanges, top and bottom, and even give the outer corners a buffing. That helps a lot, especially with Peco tracks and their joiners.
But, as was also suggested earlier, it would be great if you didn’t have to use those plastic thingies at all. I got away from them for their looks, and just left a thin gap where I wanted it. If you leave about 1/32", rails aligned, and harden the ballast, you’ll be fine. If you don’t trust yourself, use a metal joiner, wait for the tracks to settle in or the ballast to harden, and then take a razor saw and carefully saw through the joiner. If you’re really concerned, slide a thin wedge of bubble packaging clear plastic down into the gap to prevent the joiner halves from closing up on each other. Or…wait for it …solder them.
Been using Peco on current layout. Like much better than Atlas
I haven’t been very thorough reading over the material here as Judy and I are in a hotel room in Hudson Wisconsin awaiting the second balloon festival that we hope is better than last weekend.
My thoughts for a future model railroad is just lay all the tracks at free will and then…
Think about everything you have going on in your train world.
Cut your blocks with a razor saw or a diamond Dremel disc and fill them in with silicone. Take a straight flat razor because it’s the sharpest of all razors and cut the excess silicone from the rail separation.
Well that’s what seems best to me. Especially when you take that perfect picture and those big plastic clear Bulky - I don’'t know’s what’s shows up in that photo.
[+o(][+o(][:'(]… That dog don’t hunt!
TF
For all the track laying I’ve ever done, I’ve never had a problem with the Atlas plastic joiners. If you have done your ballasting, it should cover the joiners. As to the ME question, their joiners aren’t compatible with Atlas track. I remember this from the first time I used their bridge track on my old layout.
True, those are the Atlas insultated joiners. The Peco are much finer and thiner, and not as rubbery.
All the joiners here are the Peco code 100 insulated joiners
The right 3 here are Peco insulated, code 100 again.
The code 83 joiners are even finer. [;)]
I agree completely. It’s probably been 30 years since I laid any code 100 rail but I don’t remember the insulated Atlas joiners to be a problem to install. Occasionally I would get one that was finicky but I would just take a small flat screwdriver to open up the end and once I got it seated on the end of the rail, it would slide easily into place. I’ve recently redone a section of code 83 track that required an insulated gap and the plastic joiners slid easily onto the rail.
As far as appearance, once the track is ballasted, they almost disappear. When I’m looking for the insulated gap, I have to look hard to determine whether I’m looking at insulated or regular joiners.
There have been times when I needed to create an insulated gap with rail that had already been laid and ballasted and I have resorted to the Dremel to cut a gap but I prefer having insulated rail joiners in place if possible. I just have more confidence in that kind of joint rather than relying on glued ballast to hold the rails in place.
I don’t like the ME flex track because it is so stiff. It makes it difficult to create smooth curves or to lay track that’s perfectly straight. I much prefer Atlas flex track because the sliding rail makes it easy to bend to whatever curve you like and if I need a straight section, I just lay a yard stick next to it to make sure it goes down straight. I bought some ME flex track a few years ago when there was a shortage of Atlas flex track. I’m using it now for yards and other secondary track. Atlas rail joiners are very loose on ME track but I find if I crimp it slightly with a pliers, I’ll get a tight fit.
This is very very important for two reasons. The reason given and the fact that any burrs in the rail ends tend to make tiny almost invisible gouges in the plastic the first time you slide one on. If you then remove and try to replace the same isolator the gouges catch on the rail and jam the joiner.
Metal joiners tend to ride over these burrs so you don’t notice them.
After you cut flex track if you pull off some ties you’ll notice the resistance these burrs can cause. I use Atlas tie ends to finish up cut Atlas flex track. You cut four ties off and replace them with this moulded four tie piece. You really notice these burrs both pulling off the cut tie section and when trying to slide on the tie end.
If you use Xuron rail cutters the cross rail cutters leave burrs on the tops of the base flange and the sides of the web. If you use the vertical cutters the burrs are across the bottom of the base flange and the top of the railhead. I use a modelling file on every cut rail end to clean up these burrs. A lot less frustration in the long run. Peco video shows the demonstrator cleaning up every cut end. Nickel silver is soft and a few file strokes will do the trick.
On my engine service tracks and main yard tracks I’ve had to put markers so I can remember where the insulators are so I don’t overrun them.
Ok, I finally solved my problem, and feel free to laugh at me. Where I’m working, I’ve to a slight grade, and two turnouts, and curves are not large. The ones with the plastic joiners kept slipping out.
And this afternoon, I said to self, “self, you’re not worried about conduction, they’re insulating joiners.” And I applied some crazy glue to the inside of the plastic joiners, and managed to get the rails in again.
Problem solved - they’re not coming out.