Hi folks,
Reelal here, when joining codes 100 & 83 are the transition joiners all thats required or is there something else? Thank you for any help.
That’s all you need. If you look closely at a transition joiner, you’ll notice that it is bent with an offset in it. The code 100 slides into the lower end. I have tried them, but I found it easier to just stick with one sized rail.
Yes and no, depending on one’s opinion. What is the manufacturer of the track that you are trying to join? If you are joining Atlas code 100 to Atlas code 83, you’ll find that the code 83 ties are thicker (taller) than the code 100 ties. The thick ties are to compensate for the 0.017 inch less height of the code 83 rail. The result is that the tops of the rails are at the same level. So the transition joiner works well.
But other brands of code 83 have different (shorter) tie height, so some shimming is required to get the code 83 up to the same level as the code 100. But some folks might be of the opinion that this difference in elevation is not enough to worry about.
I was just stuck on this problem myself and came up with fix so easy that I feel somewhat embarrassed for not thinking of it sooner!
I am building a trestle. The other trestle I built I laid the ties and spiked the rail down. At this point, I don’t know why I didn’t do it that way this time. Anyway, I bought a piece of Micro Engineering bridge flex track. Would have bought Code 100, had it been available. However M.E. sold it in Code 83 or 70. I found that they also offered the transition rail joiners. Trouble is, they are plastic and will insulate the rail on the bridge from the rest of the layout. I also found that I could spend more money and byu a couple 6 inch long pieces of track that are transitional from 100 to 83 and that Atlas and Shinohara offer metal transition rail joiners.
I live in the sticks, 180 miles from the nearest good hobby shop that may or may not carry these items! I could also order on-line; but didn’t want to wait; or, spend the money.
Finally, I took a piece of code 100 rail and attempted to file the rail head down with a nice 3 inch long taper from .100 to .083 and was surprised at how easy the process was. Now I can use my regular rail joiners and have electrical continuity across the bridge and it didn’t cost me a penny!
The March issue of MR shows one way to mate different codes of track.
Walthers offers a short transition piece of track that goes from Code 100 at one end to Code 83 at the other (and one that goes from 83 to Code 70, so in about a foot you can go from Code 100 to Code 70.
By cutting the web beneath the rails you can make these transition tracks slightly and somewhat flexible, not like true flex track, but slightly so.
Dave Nelson
If you are using Atlas products, the answer is so simple you’ll laugh.
Just cut a deeper trough into the Code 83 ties, then slide an Atlas Universal Joiner (their standard rail joiner) onto the Code 100 rail, and push the Code 83 rail into the other end. No bent joiners, no soldering, no nothin’!!!
I lay my track with latex caulk, the railheads come out the same height, so all I did to assure there wouldn’t be any unintended `step’ at the joints was to put a flat surface (piece of plywood) over the joint area and weight it down with a full 2 liter soda bottle. Three years ago I laid one length of Code 83 in a Code 100 tangent as a test, and have yet to have any issues.
(I always knew there was some reason for keeping the soda we buy in case lots in the layout room…)
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
thanks guys. reelal here, I decided to just stick with the code 100 track. Thank you for the response
though. have a good one
Yup… The LION sticks to code 100 rail. It’s cheaper, and once you paint the web nobody can see how tall it is anyway.
ROAR
I built Phase 1 of my layout with Code 100 track, but decided to switch to Code 83 for Phase 2 and beyond. For me, this was the right choice. I really like the look of the Code 83 track much better.
There are only two points on my layout where I had to go from Code 100 to Code 83. I used the Walthers transition track sections for both of these. They are about 4-5 inches long, and only come in straight sections. The transition actually occurs in the middle of the section, so you could shorten it with a simple snip with your Xuron rail nippers.
I just found this easier. If these sections hadn’t been available, or if I had needed to put the transition on a curve, I would just have laid the track and shimmed it to get the railheads to match up. It’s not a big deal.
Hi…
here are a few pics of what I did for my layout…
This is one transition joint…Micro Engineering code 70 turnout to code 55 flex track.
Another one…this time with ballast.
This is a joint between a Peco code 83 turnout and Micro Engineering code 55 flex track.
Closer look.
This is a joint between Atlas code 83 and Micro Engineering code 70.
With the Walthers transition tracks, the straight piece is about 4" long with the rail joint in the middle, so you could remove an inch or so off each end to make a piece more like 1"-2" long.
I just read about a transition from 100 to 83 by using standard code 100/83 joiners but laying the code 83 on top of the joiner and soldering it in place. I believe they flatened the joiner under the code 83 track first. I have a transition to do on my layout and may try this even though I have a couple of the transition joiners from Atlas. Just another way to ‘skin the cat’.
-Bob
Hey Bob I think I read the same article but I don’t remember them saying they flattened the joiner. I wish I could remember where I read that. They had a picture and everything…Oh yeah…Model Railroader March 2012 Page 36 Lower Left corner…