Please bear with me… I just jumped into HO from N and have some basic questions. It was suggested that I buy the Walthers type flex track with joiners. I am use to the Atlas code 80 flex track where the joiners slip and the pieces slip together easily. Not so with the Walthers stuff. I had to smack the opposite ends of the rails to get em together. Am I missing something?
Also, the switches have the ties nearly at the end of each rail making very little room for the joiner. It is advisable to remove one tie from the switch or just solder the joiner to the little bit of rail?
I know these are basic questions but I am afraid of messing up the track… it was very expensive and I don’t have a lot of extra. Any helpful advice laying this stuff would be much appreciated. Thank you,
I am not familiar with Walthers flextrack, so I can’t really help there. I know that different joiners do better jobs of their function, with the flimsy adapter joiners meant to get Code 100 and Code 83 to meet being very difficult to fit unless some dressing of the cut rail ends is done first using a metal file. In this case, I have used the Atlas Code 100. Perhaps your joiners are just nice and snug, or perhaps you need to kiss the corners of the rail foot and thin the flanges of the rail foot so that they can be pressed in more easily. Just a suggestion…I don’t really know if this is the issue here.
As for the turnouts, most of them have the last one or two ties at each exit unfastened, or unspiked so that you can wedge a joiner between those ties and the rail. Personally, I find it helpful to carve out a bit more from atop the closest tie or two with a sharp knife so that there is no hump at that spot. You could always remove them outright and thin them on an emery board or with a sanding block or fine metal file. It wouldn’t take much.
Also, you are not going to get the least bit of encouragement from me, and from most guys here, to solder any turnouts. They are the most often replaced item of track, or at least the most often troublesome enough to need lifting out and fiddling, so they should be easily removed. That nixes soldering. Sorry, but if you take your time with turnouts, and set them up and tune them so that they are reliable, they should do you proud. Soldering is just begging for at least one of them to turn turtle on you within an hour or two. [xx(]
I hope you get answers from folks who know the “Walthers” brand…again, I am not familiar with it.
Not all rail joiners or rail dimensions are created equal. You may have to experiment as to which combinations works. It always helps to lightly file the edges of the rails’ bottom web before installing the joiners.
Oh, and remove any ties in the way. Save them to fill any tie gaps around rail joints, You’ll probably need to remove some tie detail (spikes and tie plates) on these replacement ties to be able to fit them under the rails.
I’ll provide a dissenting vote here. [;)] By all means solder your turnouts in place, just as you would any other piece of track. The main reason for soldering the track together is to provide better electrical conductivity - why would you not want the same for the turnouts? Most turnout problems can be repaired with the turnout in place on the layout, although the usual practice is to make sure that they’re functioning properly before doing the soldering. If a problem does arise that requires the turnout to be removed, anybody who is capable of soldering it in place should surely be able to unsolder it, too. If you’re worried about the turnouts failing at some time in the future, does it mean that you won’t ballast them, either? [swg]
I’ve been using Walthers flex track for sometime with good results. I’ve tried different rail joiners and found that the Atlas work best (Atlas recently got rid of its code 83 joiners and now just sell one “universal joiner”). I couldn’t even get the Peco joiners on the rails. You will usually need to remove a tie or two when joining the rails to a turnout or on a curve but its fairly painless (I use a razor saw). I don’t solder the joints since I’m not very good at soldering but I’ve never had a problem with using just the joiners (I attach the track to the roadbed using adhesive caulk)
I use Micro Engineering rail joiners. They’re smaller than the Atlas ones, but they are real tight to install on code 83 track. I made a tool out of a short piece of code 83 rail. Basically, it’s a rail joiner spreader. I ground one end into a chisel point. I made a couple of grooves into a short piece of soft pine. I start the joiner on the spreader by hand, then holding it with a pair of pliers, push the rail end into the groove, pushing the rail joiner onto the spreader. Once I’ve spread it, it’s easy to push it onto the track using my fingers. It still fits snugly, but it slides on much easier than before.
Using a piece of cut track, I ended up doing what you did and tried to spread the joiners. It does help but man it is still a VERY tight fit. In fact I was trying to join at a curve and it just didn’t go. I ended up ruining about five ties trying to push the two pieces of track together (nothing to hang on to other than the ties).
There just has to be a better way. Filing the ends also help a bit. I am also solder all the joints when I can get them together.
Removing any flash from rail ends is a good idea, but rail made by different suppliers may require matching joiners. I’ve found that Atlas joiners are longer than those from Shinohara/Walthers, and look ‘clunkier’.
Beware of Atlas code 83 track. It’s OK, but code 100 high, for beginners.
Soldering rail joints used to be a way of insuring current passing from one track to another, but today’s use of Bus wire and feeders is superior, plus allows rails to ‘breathe’, however soldering joints in a curve makes bends mechanically smoother .
Just to make sure I am clear, I am using Shinohara/Walthers code 83 exclusively here along with their rail joiners. I havenly even cut the sections yet (just using the raw ends). The joiners are sooooo hard to get on the end of the rails I am literaly destroying the ties trying to do it. I can’t believe this is what was intended. Filing rail ends and spreading the joiners does help but not much.
I like the way the joiners look though, they really do look like the plates the join the real rails.
FILING slightly to chamfer rail ends will remove any flash or rough edges.
I put each rail joiner on a small piece of rail - by hand - before transferring it to the actual flextrack. Try it. Finally, a pair of ‘long nose’ pliars can help sliding it off.
I also remove 3 ties from each end, and sliide strip-wood ‘ties’ under the rail when in-place’. Using the plastic ties seems to raise the joints, and filing them is a chore.
BE aware that the ‘Walthers’ product is code 83, ‘DCC friendly’, and different than the older Shinohara code 70 & 100. That may change as DCC is appealing to the ‘Simpler-is-better’ crowd.
Try different manufacturers rail joiners untill you find one that fits more easdily, once the rail and joiners are painted they virtually dissapear anyway.
I am a newbie. I am using Shinohara track and Shinohara/ Walthers joiners. I was having the same problem as you until at a train show somebody showed me this trick. First off, pull a couple of ties off. You can just snap them back on when you have joined the track. Next put a joiner on the end of the rail as best you can with your fingers and lay the track flat on the table. Take a very small straight bladed screwdriver an push the joiner on the rest of the way using only finger strength to push.(Finger strength should be all you need to push the joiner on)Also if it slips you won’t stab yourself. Push it on far enough on so the next rail will butt up against the first and then with the screwdriver push it halfway back onto the other rail. This method works great for me and boy was I getting frustrated before I was shown it.
Great advice. In fact that one of the things I am doing. But believe it or not, I am still having problems getting those suckers on there. I totally agree working on a flat sturdy surface helps a great deal and for the most part I will be able to do that, but when I complete the track work on the upper deck it will be very difficult.
Don’t tell anyone but see have much fun this was becoming, I went down to the LHS and bought some Atlas 83 snap 22 degree sections so that I can do the corners. That is actually working out quite well and the two products match up really good. I am not too worried about the different tie looks.
Thanks for your reply; it was what I was looking for! Please write back if you come up with any other hints.
