on my layout i currently been using atlas terminal joiners.is there a better method for putting power to track.and how much spacing between each connection should b used.
I’m assuming you’re talking about HO scale. I solder the wires directly to the rails at no less than 3 foot intervals and no more than 7 feet. On my current layout, I have the feed wires soldered about every 3 to 4 feet. The track is divided into 16 blocks with feeds going to each block. I use 14 gauge shielded sheath wire. I also solder all rail joints to insure a connection. To divided the track into blocks, I use a Dremel rotary tool with a thin cutoff disk to cut gaps in the rails.
Soldering a wire directly to the railis usually the most accepted and reliable connection for power. The problem with rail joiners, terminal or regular, is that over time they can become loose or build up some corrosion that reduces or blocks the power. Depending on how long you plan to leave the track as laid, some people go so far as to solder a power drop to every section of rail (assuming 3 foot long sections of flex track). Reliable for long term layouts but overkill if you tear the track up every couple of years and relay it.
I run 14 gauge wire from the back of the control panel to the point in the power block farthest from the panel. I solder 22 gauge feeders to the rail every 6 feet or so - about every other piece of flex track - and connect them to the 14 gauge wire.
Nick
I do just like Nick, but probably every 3-4 feet with feeders. As for connecting to the 12G wire underneath the layout, I use tap-ins or “suitcase connecters” they work very nice and can be adjusted…
Brian
I was consdering microwave wave beamed from a satelitte that gathers solar energy. Not very cost effective.
–Austin
But once we perfect the matter-antimatter reactor, controlled through the dilithium crystals… [:D]
If you install rail joiners and track properly, they won’t become a problem, soldered OR unsoldered. If you do a slap-dash job, you will have difficulties. Having to solder every single rail connection or dropping a feeder every 3 feet is one of the great myths of model railroading. Neither of those is necessary, unless you don’t install your trackwork properly, then you MIGHT get electrical continuity problems at rail joints.
Although I am still a bit green to be able to state this with absolute confidence, I agree with Mark that properly joined and placed track sections, whether snap track or flex 3’ers, should have no continuity issues over the long run. If the joiners aren’t allowed to splay over time by rising and falling joins, as locomotives pass over them, due to kinked rails, or wavy roadbed or, or abrupt changes in grade, they should do a good job for a long long time. On the other hand, if your track is permitted to squirm slightly, then the joiners will eventually not maintain a reliable electrical path.
I will be the first to point out a contrary finding if I see it, but so far it is not my experience.
I make my own joiners by soldering wires to plain joiners. The individual Atlas ones are frightfully expensive, and that’s all that they’re doing. Right now, I’ve still got a lot of my track tacked down with paper clips, but once it’s glued then I’ll solder the whole thing together. For now, though, I’ve got connections that have been in-place for well over a year with no problems, even though the track is not yet glued down, only held loosely. (I’ve got no delusions that this is a good permanent solution, though. Loose wires will only become looser wires.)
I’ve been in model railroading for over 40 years now. In that time, I’ve heard a lot of people say that rail joiners won’t loosen on properly laid track. Well guess what! They do. No matter how well laid the track is, the ends of each section will fall and rise a little as the locomotive(s) go over them. You may not even see this motion, but take my word for it, it’s there. Over time, the laws of physics catch up and the rail joiners begin loosing contact, a little at first, little imperceptable power drops. After a while, these start getting your attention and you clean the track. Sorry, wrong answer. After a few more trips around the layout, the train(s) start stalling again. It’s not the track, it’s the joiners. The way to stop this problem from occuring or prevent it from occuring in the first place is to solder ALL rail joints, including those by turnouts and crossovers. I’ve built over 30 layouts in my time, for myself and friends. I solder every rail joint I put together. I know of some layouts I helped build that are still working well today, and they were built almost twenty years ago. Unless the rail joint is tight and soldered in place, it will loosen over time.
This has been discussed on many threads before. Given the above discusssion, I think you can go either way with it. My plan is, given the back and forth discussions, is to drop a feeder from every section of flex-track, and not solder straight section flex-track joiners and only solder curves (probably hard to get around that). The idea is that not soldering the straight sections allows for expansion/contraction with temparature/humidity changes and thus not having to worry about kinking issues. In addition, as I plan on DCC, signal intensity is important, another reason to maybe to drop frequent feeders. The expansion/contraction issue can be very dependent on where your layout is (geographic, both in your house and what part of the country). After having said all of this, as Jeffrey and others above have described, it seems that those that solder every joint don’t really seem to have any problems.
Also, as far as frequency of feeders and current strength consistency, a common figure that I’ve seen quoted is to drop a feeder at least every 10 feet for Code 100 track, every 6 feet for Code 83.
By the way, to answer bigredtrk’s question, most would recc.that soldering feeders to the actual track is more prototypical than the Atlas terminal clips (i.e.–you can hide them) which is why most use this method for track power distribution.
Jim
You guys haven’t been keeping up with the latest. Once (classified) perfects the miniature mass converter all you’ll have to do is put a teaspoonful of used kitty litter in your loco and it will run until it dies (or you do, whichever comes first.)
On the original subject, I solder one feed wire to the rail at the (approximate) center of each electrical section. If the section includes rail joiners, I solder jumpers around them.
At the other end, the feeder is connected to the “power grid” at a terminal strip with screw terminals, easy to disconnect if the object is to isolate an electrical glitch. This should handle any kind of power distribution, from basic DC to any DCC system known to man.
Chuck (who uses MZL control, DC track power)
My 40 years of experience are the exact opposite. Actually I don’t think anyone ever said they don’t loosen. I said I’ve never had problems railjoints unless the track does not have proper roadbed, is not fastened down properly, or has had other physical problems (leaning on it, dropping a hammer on it, or spilling something on it). The only time I’ve had trouble with railjoiners is when I was a kid using sectional track and continually connected, disconnected, and reconnected it.
Rail joiners get connected exactly once. Once they are disconnected they get thrown away and replaced.
I will tend to agree with Texas Zepher on this one. My little N scale layout has been in operation for about 5 or 6 years. Only a few of the track connections needed to be soldered (probably from a bad rail joiner being used!). When the track is clean, it operates reliably and has done so since it was built.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t solder. I use DC operation. DCC is a bit more critical in terms of good conductivity in the rails.
Since my little layout has several electrical blocks, none of which are longer than 6’, I found it unnecessary to use more than one feeder per electrical section. I have determined, though, that with my common rail wiring, it IS necessary to have more than ONE common rail connection! The farther away from the common rail connection, the slower the trains run!
Remember, this is on a SMALL layout. A larger layout may need more feeders and soldered joints. Only you can determine what is best for you. If you use lots of feeders and soldered joints, you should have few, if any problems. Some may call that over-engineering. My feeling is it’s better to HAVE something and NOT need it than to NEED it and NOT have it!
Darrell, quiet…for now
And once again, we all see different things and so take different approaches to wiring.
The NASA wannabes will continue dropping feeders every X number of inches, soldering all rail joints, etc.
The auto mechanic types will continue using suitcase connectors to attach their feeders to their busses (and the NASA wannabe auto mechanics will solder their feeders and then use suitcase connectors to tie those to the busses).
Meanwhile some of the rest of us will continue to flirt with imminent (or not so imminent) disaster by dropping feeders only every ten to fifteen feet, not soldering rail joiners except on curves, etc. OH, WOE BE TO US WHEN OUR OFTEN 30 OR MORE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE FAILS US AND OUR TRAINS REFUSE TO RUN BECAUSE SUDDENLY EVERY SINGLE UNSOLDERED RAIL JOINER QUITS CONDUCTING ELECTRICITY! [:D]
And so it goes…
That’s the thing of it, every body has their way of doing things. Just because something works for you doesn’t mean it will work for somebody else.
Or even worse the soldered ones
I found this joint on a large layout where the person had soldered everything. Actually, upon investigation I found several that were this way. They neglected to cut joints for expansion/contraction. As such it looks like the contaction of the entire block stressed itself so much it finally found this one joint where the soldering job wasn’t so good and ripped the joiner out. Since this isn’t really straight track, I don’t understand why the contraction didn’t just put flat spots into the corners[%-)]. That gap is almost 1/4" wide. This is the kind of joint I see people making that makes me cringe. Notice also that the track is just riding free (no spikes) for 4 (should be five) ties. I believe the only thing going for it is that it is code 100 track, and then the solder so it is stiff enough to keep from degauging over that gap.
P.S. One can also see the damage caused by the improper type of flux to the base of the rail that was under the rail joiner. From the looks of it, it was acid core solder. That might be why this joint failed. The actual rail corroded away.
That’s an example of bad planning, if no gaps were put in for expansion or block control. Come look at my layout, you’ll find gaps. I still use block control, even I’m going DCC. I still have a lot of DC locos I like to run.
On a more general level, it is just outright poor trackwork. What the photo doesn’t show is that not only is the track itself poorly laid, neither is the roadbed or sub-roadbed.
I know this isn’t what you meant