Nice to have the space for 40" minimum curves! I also remove the outside two ties.
I’m at the point where I’m gluing ties back into the gaps. Slow and tedius!
A long time ago, one of the forum members taught me a great trick. Replace the Xacto knife #11 blade with a spade shaped blade and shave off the plastic spikes. Slide the replacement ties under the gap. The ballast will hold the ties firmly in place.
Rich
So many posts on the subject that have points to consider I thought I would write to Peco, since I use Peco products, to get some clarification.
This is in response to Peco Code 83 that is marketed as “American” railway track and specifically Peco code 83 flex track. The question I asked Peco was about the orientation of Peco Code 83 Flex Track when laying flex on curves. Did it matter which way the track was placed on the layout? Was one side to face inside or outside of the curve?
Here is the answer I received FEB 2026 -
There is not one side specific to the inside or outside curve, either side can be used.
Kind regards
XX XXXXX (did not want to print the name)
PECO Technical Advice Bureau
Pritchard Patent Product Co Ltd
The Peco Code 83 American prototype track has alternating gaps on both sides, so it is literally six of one half dozen of the other how you orient it, since both rails are movable. I also leave 3-4" straight on the end, then solder on the next piece (after pre-bending it, trimming etc.).
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I ALWAYS put the moveable rail on the inside. Having tried it both ways early on, there was no doubt I got better results putting it on the inside. Whather I’m laying straight sections or curves, I usually solder the joiners to the rail and then solder feeder wires to connect them to the bus line. That way I know every section of track is powered. I think attaching feeders to every joint is overkill, IMHO.
+1
Regards, Chris
the inner rail always needs to be shorter. If the fixed rail is on the inside the outer raill will be too short.
another suggestion from our club track guru is to stagger the joints with multiple pieces of flex track by 6+". This means cutting short the moving (inner) rail on the first piece of flex typically connected to a turnout and sliding the moving rail of the next piece of flex into the webbing of the first piece of flex. The last piece of flex will have short rail whch is where that cut piece can be used.
the joints can be joined with rail joiner, but don’t have to be. If not, an electrical connection is needed between the rails. Could be soldered, could be a short wire between the rails.. Spikes on the webbing hold them in alignment
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It’s not so much an ‘electrical’ as a structural connection that’s needed between the rails: a soldered/brazed joint that forces the adjacent rail ends to follow a smooth curvature. No spikes or plastic webbing have anywhere near the strength to hold ‘loose ends’ in a curve; there will always be a discontinuity at the joint and that will give a risk of bad guiding or derailment.
Electrical continuity ought to be done with separate drops from each rail section to feeders under the layout. Soldered joints can substitute for some of the drops (and see the discussions here on wired rail joiners between two rail sections to decrease the number of drops) BUT it shouldn’t be forgotten that the primary reason to solder rail ends is for guiding, not electrical continuity.
works for me
why? as said, i just solder a wire between the rails across the joint