This is the first time I’ve ever used flex track, so was annoyed when I couldn’t easliy slide a rail joiner on to the fixed rail. Should there be space between the tie and the rail for the joiner to slide into? Or are my eyes really that bad? do I need to cut the tie off to get the rail joiner on or is there a better way when joining flex track?
Cut the tie off, after the track is laid cut the tie into 3 sections and glue back into place on the roadbed.
This would be so easy to show in person,but… I’ll try to describe how I handle this task. First I always pull one rail at least 2-21/2 inches out of the piece of track,this
is to stagger the joints. Now I take my X-acto knife with a #11 blade and remove at least 3 or 4 of the little nubs that represent spikes plus the little part that represents a tie plate. This is so you don’t have a hump at the joint. Now here is the secret for kink free joints on curves. Remember that 2" you pulled out? You have one piece installed,
and because you pulled that rail ,your looking at many empty ties,your 2nd piece of track now also must have a rail pulled that 2" or what ever you like,I’ll go 3" for curves. You remove those “spikes/tie plates” at the end of the rail on that first piece,install a rail joiner,now do the same on the rail you didn’t pull.Take your 2nd piece of track,with the rail sticking out 2" and slide it up those ties,under the spike heads and into the joiner.Now just slide the other joiner over the 2nd joint.Bingo!,staggered joints,plus that 2"+ rail has followed the curve of that first piece of track. It’s almost automatic,smooth flowing curves with no kinks!
Many times I’ll allow both rails to enter the leading piece of track,4" on one ,.1-2" on the other.Also if you didn’t trim enough tie plate away and have a little hump,just hold a soldering gun/iron on the joint until the tie softens,press down gently,hump is gone.Well, if you’ve read this far your probably totally confused,it’s one of those easy to do,hard to describe things.Let me add ,I do this on straight track as well as curves.
The flex track doesn’t have a space for a rail joiner because you don’t always use a full length of the track – it’s often cut to fit.
The choices for the ties under the rail joiner are either carve it down below where the joiner will go or add a tie that’s thin enough to go under it. The added tie will probably look a bit different as it’s a different material.
i appreciate the tip coalfired i have been wondering about that myself
i appreciate the tip coalfired i have been wondering about that myself
JChain,
Yes, you will have to remove the first two or three ties to slip on the rail joiners. Use the Xuron rail cutter (carefully to avoid cutting any more rail) or an exaxto blade. If you have cut the track to fit, you may also find that you need just a little fileing to get burrs off the end of the cut. Not a lot, but it happens often enough that I make a quick pass with a file over the sides and bottom of each rail as a matter of habit. It seems to take less time than trying to joiner, finding you need to file it, filing it, and putting them back together, if you just make it part of your track cutting routine.
Walthers catalog track section shows that several flex track makers sell extra ties to handle just this problem, although if you use enough of the stuff you accumulate a supply of unusable short pieces that are good sources of supply. A bit of work with a file makes a “rut” under the railjoiner (which years ago we used to call fishplates). As one poster pointed out with flex track eventually you are cutting the track to fit so the “end” can be anywhere on the piece.
Dave Nelson
Dave
This is the first time I’ve ever used flex track, so was annoyed when I couldn’t easliy slide a rail joiner on to the fixed rail. Should there be space between the tie and the rail for the joiner to slide into? Or are my eyes really that bad? do I need to cut the tie off to get the rail joiner on or is there a better way when joining flex track?
Cut the tie off, after the track is laid cut the tie into 3 sections and glue back into place on the roadbed.
This would be so easy to show in person,but… I’ll try to describe how I handle this task. First I always pull one rail at least 2-21/2 inches out of the piece of track,this
is to stagger the joints. Now I take my X-acto knife with a #11 blade and remove at least 3 or 4 of the little nubs that represent spikes plus the little part that represents a tie plate. This is so you don’t have a hump at the joint. Now here is the secret for kink free joints on curves. Remember that 2" you pulled out? You have one piece installed,
and because you pulled that rail ,your looking at many empty ties,your 2nd piece of track now also must have a rail pulled that 2" or what ever you like,I’ll go 3" for curves. You remove those “spikes/tie plates” at the end of the rail on that first piece,install a rail joiner,now do the same on the rail you didn’t pull.Take your 2nd piece of track,with the rail sticking out 2" and slide it up those ties,under the spike heads and into the joiner.Now just slide the other joiner over the 2nd joint.Bingo!,staggered joints,plus that 2"+ rail has followed the curve of that first piece of track. It’s almost automatic,smooth flowing curves with no kinks!
Many times I’ll allow both rails to enter the leading piece of track,4" on one ,.1-2" on the other.Also if you didn’t trim enough tie plate away and have a little hump,just hold a soldering gun/iron on the joint until the tie softens,press down gently,hump is gone.Well, if you’ve read this far your probably totally confused,it’s one of those easy to do,hard to describe things.Let me add ,I do this on straight track as well as curves.
The flex track doesn’t have a space for a rail joiner because you don’t always use a full length of the track – it’s often cut to fit.
The choices for the ties under the rail joiner are either carve it down below where the joiner will go or add a tie that’s thin enough to go under it. The added tie will probably look a bit different as it’s a different material.
i appreciate the tip coalfired i have been wondering about that myself
i appreciate the tip coalfired i have been wondering about that myself
JChain,
Yes, you will have to remove the first two or three ties to slip on the rail joiners. Use the Xuron rail cutter (carefully to avoid cutting any more rail) or an exaxto blade. If you have cut the track to fit, you may also find that you need just a little fileing to get burrs off the end of the cut. Not a lot, but it happens often enough that I make a quick pass with a file over the sides and bottom of each rail as a matter of habit. It seems to take less time than trying to joiner, finding you need to file it, filing it, and putting them back together, if you just make it part of your track cutting routine.
Walthers catalog track section shows that several flex track makers sell extra ties to handle just this problem, although if you use enough of the stuff you accumulate a supply of unusable short pieces that are good sources of supply. A bit of work with a file makes a “rut” under the railjoiner (which years ago we used to call fishplates). As one poster pointed out with flex track eventually you are cutting the track to fit so the “end” can be anywhere on the piece.
Dave Nelson
Dave