I tried asking this over on the layout forum, and got a couple answers, but I thought I’d try here too. I have a transition from an Atlas Code 83 turnout to a piece of Atlas Code 83 flextrack that must curve. The last one I tried without soldering the two together, I ended up with a smaller than planned radius because I couldn’t start the curve right at the transition. I used rail joiners and spiked both sides of the transition thoroughly. Now I have another instance, and I’m considering soldering the flex to the turnout. Is this recommended? I have learned that the plastic Atlas uses is very heat resistant - thanks Atlas!
Recommendations please?
Thanks,
Jim
PS: I’m starting to get alot of track down now, and it’s looking really good! Thanks everybody for the help!
I soldered many pieces of atlas flextrack to TOs, both Atlas and Shinohara on my layout. Never had a problem. I try to solder on curves and at most tricky trackwork. I leave expansion gaps for straight sections.
I do NOT solder to my turnouts - in case they ever need to be removed. For curves, I solder two sections of flex track together, and curve that. If either end extends too far beyond the end of the curve, it gets cut off. In the middle of the curve, that joint is soldered for stability.
I understand about soldering flextrack in a curve, and that’s why I’m considering soldering it to the turnout in this case, because the flextrack needs to be curved from the transition point. It’s almost like I need a short segment of sectional track with the right curve radius (or something real close). I’ll have to recheck the actual radius on xtrkcad. Maybe I could use a standard radius. At this point, I’ll probably struggle along with the flextrack. This particular curve is pretty gentle.
I have modified commercial turnouts to make them curve soon after the frog. I cut the webbing under the rails, the small strips between the ties, and take a small chunk out of the ones that will be compressed as I put a slight bend in the rails. I have modified Walthers/Shinohara #7.5 curved turnouts to extend their radii by nearly 2", and I have even modified my own Fast Tracks #8’s. If all you need to buy yourself is about 4-6 deg of curvature, then I would do this. You will certainly find that the rest of your curve, along the next leg of flextrack, will be that much less tight for your rolling stock.
I try to avoid soldering a turnout in place because they are the only piece of trackwork with moving parts, and if anything is ever going to break or wear out it will be a turnout – they’re much easier to replace if they are not soldered.
I solder ALL my connections including ALL turnouts using flex track.
I also do not see why modelers seem to think replacing a soldered turnout is that difficult. In the rare case when I have had to replace a soldered turnout, I simply used my Moto Tool to cut the EXISTING turnout rails at the turnout side of the joiners.
Then I cut the REPLACEMENT turnout to the length required, add new joiners and installed it.
It really isn’t that difficult and the soldered turnouts have never been a source of electrical problems.
My practice is to leave turnouts unsoldered and unmodified for the various reasons of maintenance, replacements, and avoiding problems later on. I use the idea of cutting the webbing and bending the rails into a curve on pieces of sectional track. But I suggest doing this on sectional track instead of on the turnout itself.
I like working with sectional track so much that I even do easement curves with it. Like flex track, sectional track can be curved by the cutting the webbing underneath, bending the track slightly, and cutting the projected ends of the rails even. Like flex track, you can even get a rail sliding within the tie plate hold downs (the injection molded “track spikes”), and this can be corrected with a little hammer tap. Unlike flex track, sectional track bent this way can old its curvature, and I can bend a piece of straight track into an easement curve on the bench working with a template.
So how about using a short piece of sectional track, put in exactly the curvature you want (you can bend a straight piece or straighten a curved piece) as the connection to your turnout and then solder to that?
Thanks Paul, I never thought of flexing non-flex track. I like the idea of getting a permanent bend into a piece of track. I feel like there is alot of stress in the flextrack just waiting to pop the spikes and make a nice kink somewhere.
This particular problem piece is all taken care of. It was a very gentle curve, and I just used and unsoldered piece of flex track with it’s own feeders. The rest of the track sections on this module are easy. A couple of them terminate at a turntable which I have not built yet, so they will be somewhat temporary for now.
My biggest problems now are 1) until I build another module, there’s no place to go, and 2) now that I have good track, I don’t know where to start with scenery and ballasting. Back to the books!
Maybe I’ll do the wiring first. I think I have a handle on that, So far, I’m running the entire module on DC using just one of probably over a dozen sets of feeders. I have installed one set of insulated track joiners so I can implement a programming track. I have an NCE PowerCab without programming track outputs, but I plan to install a switch so I can turn off the entire layout except for one spur. I plan to solder (or use some sort of screw connection) all the feeders to some bare 14-gauge solid housewire somewhere near the middle to back of the 2’ deep module. Soldering would be cheapest. Since I have no gaps in my track, maybe it doesn’t matter if the feeders are all soldered or screwed. If I end up with a short somewhere in the module, it won’t really help to be able to disconnect feeders anyway. Another thing I plan on doing is wiring an automotive bulb in series with the bus for the entire module.
