As the title says I’ve got a rail joint that is giving me constant troubles. The rails won’t stay in alignment. So far I’ve tried replacing the rail joiner= no improvement, aligning and spikng down the joint= helped for a while but it’s shifted again. So I figure im gonna have to solder it which isn’t a big deal but how to hold it in alignment while soldering is a problem. Clamping it with pliers would require lots of heat to solder and using fingers isn’t very bright. Oh this is an outside rail on a curve but I figure on doing the inside rail as well.
If it’s flex track the guys on the forum are saying to solder before bending the curve. I did not and had problems for a while before getting it worked out.
I hope you solve the problem.[:)]
Lee
Soldering sounds like the solution. You might try holding the rail in alignment with wooden clothes pins, the spring type. They won’t soak up the heat. Take the pins apart and reassemble with the handle part becoming the clamping part and shape to fit the task. Or–slip a small piece of wood under a metal clamp.
Just a thought
Geohan
If you haven’t glued the track down permanently yet or even if you have take it back up and solder it when it’s straight a definete and invest in a track alignment tool. Micromark has a set of plastic tools that hold the track(s) in gauge while cutting soldering and laying flex track. They work well but there is a guy out there selling them made from stainless steel and aluminum. Definitely worth every dime. If you solder track correctly it doesn’t take a heck of a lot of heat, you just need to concentrate it in the right spot. you need to use flux on both rails and a good soldering iron nothing less then 40watts. The secrete is to get the iron nice and hot and just hold it on top of the joint between the two rails and hit the outside web of the rail, never the inside web as it will interfere with the wheel flange and you will have nothing but problems. As as soon as the solder starts to flows pull the iron away. If you don’t you will melt the ties. I don’t care how long you have been doing it you will melt ties now and then. I suggest taking some old pieces of sectional track and practicing before you dive in. One lest thing is never solder both rails on the same joint. one side needs to float. A lot of guys have gotten away from soldering as I have also what I do now is solder drops to every third section of flex track and hook them to the buss wires. If your trying to solder track to repair an error in track laying don’t waste your time, rip it out and start over, it will cost you less in the long run.
You might try using either heavy cardstock or basswood, hold a piece flat in plane with the rails so that you are pushing the edge up against the rail joint, to push it inward (since you said it is the outer rail on a curve); this will push the rails more towards a straight-through alignment. Probably need to tack that brace down to free up a hand for when you solder. You’ll probably push it in a bit tighter than in-gauge, but once you solder and remove the brace it will spring back out to the right gauge (if not you can maybe force it out with spikes). The cardstock/basswood won’t absorb heat, but it will force you to apply solder from the inside of the rail, so just go sparingly on the solder, and be prepared to file down any excess later.
If nothing really works, I would say just take the section of track up, back to where it joins a straight/tangent section, and re-lay it all, with any joints soldered prior to flexing.
I just re-spike to get the alignment and then solder a joiner into position. Solder the gap between the rails, too, and file as necessary to get smooth bearing surfaces.
One other tip is to actually bend the bad rails slightly. I don’t mean curve them, I mean make them bend tightly enough that when you let go they will stay slightly curved. This takes some care and skill so that you don’t actually break any plastic spike heads on the ties that keep the rails in gauge. But if you can free up about four inches on either side of that bad area so that the rail ends can swing a bit, anchor them well near the four inch point (use drywall screws), and then press on both rails at the same time to effect a slight bend. Repeat for the other rail section end. Then, when you go to mate the four rail ends again, you should have a better conformity. You can then solder as you wish.
This is worth trying once to see if it solves your problem without looking terrible with a kink or permanent damage…after which you do the big job of lifting it all and redoing it, including soldering at the workbench first.
-Crandel
If, as you say, aligning and spiking it will hold it for a while, try that to get it in line then solder the joint right away before it has a chance to get out of alignment. As another poster pointed out, you should solder two pieces of flex track that will go around a curve with a joint in them before bending the flex track.
Hi!
I use bulletin board push pins to hold track in place while soldering. Clean the track thoroughly with a wire brush, and use a new track joiner before soldering. Also, make sure you have some ties in place to help anchor the track when you have finished the soldering.
If all this fails, cut the track out and replace with a new one.
Mobilman44