Join the discussion on the following article:
Video: Building Model Railroader’s Winter Hill Quarry branch, part 5
I really doubt the quality of Codi’s soldering. It is essential to heat both feederwire and the rail together to assure a high quality bonding, resulting in a bright shiny surface of the solderblob.
What made you choose Insulfrogs vs Electrofrogs and frog juicer on this layout?
Enjoy your videos,keep them coming,
the camera shot of codi soldering the wire to the rail was too faraway for me or anyone else to see it clearly
the camera paned away too fast
the video was too short …theres more begining and ending credit …than there is video
Pre-tinning the wires and the rails with flux helps the soldering process go quickly without have to risk melting the ties. Every little bit of information helps in approaching the soldering process.
Keep up the great work
I don’t doubt the quality of Cody’s soldering. When I read JFH’s comment I went back and watched full screen, three times. There’s a blob of solder on the rail and a small blob on the wire. Those two blobs become one.It’s a good joint both mechanically and electrically. If the rest of his joints are as good as that one. The MR&T will have no trouble with the Winter Hill branch.
Interesting that Cody appeared to have just soldered the tip of the feeder wire to the rail web. Shouldn’t the “long side” of the wire be soldered to the web to ensure better contact?
I’m lovin’ the rebuilt loco though!
I am new to the hobby, but I saw the soldering just fine… Unlike other wiring I have seen, I like the solid wire, I like how they Bent the wire so not to leave a big connection… and I liked how they brought it up from the bottom instead of soldering it and then bending the wire down the hole… but I would remove the insulation first before sending it up… I would like to know more about which outlets are better for DCC… Insulfrog or Electrofrog Not worrying about cost…
Looks like nice track work. I would like to have seen the rail joiners being soldered, in a close-up view. How can that much rail be heated without melting the ties?
Hey, I enjoyed it – and learned from it . . . . .
The Great Turnout Debate
I understand the difference between electrofrog (electrically live) and insulfrog (electrically dead) turnouts and the different wiring requirements. But which system is really the better choice?
With Bay Junction, I believe you used Peco live frog turnouts and a DCC “frog juicer” to control the polarity.
Here you are using a much simpler approach with the insulfrog turnouts. Why did you choose live frog for Bay Junction and dead frog here in Winter Hill?
The only argument I know of in favor of live frog is to reduce the chance of a locomotive stalling on the dead frog, but in actually operation is this really a problem?
So, what is the metallic looking tube, pipe or conduit inder the benchwork?
I noticed that there is a conduit running under the Winter Hill Quarry Branch. What is it used for? Great information as usual.
Great job guys. I also noted the conduit under the tables, however, having wired my own house and many more home projects over the years, I recognize that you are feeding 120V to other areas in the room and this must by code be in conduit for protection of the wire in an open area.
As for soldering the #22 gauge wire to the web, if one looks close enough, Cody had flattened the tip of the wire, bent it at 90 degrees, so he did indeed solder the lead correctly to the web. If the camera was closer, the smoke might have damaged the lens on the camera guys.
Did Cody just solder the tip of the 22 guage wire to the track web? Is that enough of a contact? In the past I have seen a longer length of wire soldered to the track web.
I like the height of the layout.
Good
there a good bunch of guys .Cody is a great teacher,he explains things very clear,keep it up and thanxs.
Since he soldered only the tip of the feeder wire to the rail web, Cody is almost using the “rail spike” method of attaching feeder wires. Cody, try this next time: Flatten the very end of the stripped feeder wire with a pair of pliers. Then, while still holding the flattened wire end in the pliers, bend the end over 90 degrees. Next trim the flattened wire end to resemble the head of a rail spike (nothing fancy). Tin the rail web and wire end just as you did in the video. Next place the “rail spike” shaped wire end into the rail web in the way a rail spike would fit against the rail and solder. The resulting joint resembles a rail spike and all but disappears once the tracks are painted, weathered and ballasted.