I screwed up with my RealTrax Order, need advice.

[SleeperN06]

I just received an order of MTH RealTrax and I forgot about the wire connection. It’s too late to place another order because it took 12 days to get here and this for my Christmas layout.

I need to do something fast, any ideas?

[CB&Q]

I 've never used that track and assume you mean to wire it for power? 

if so can you drill small holes in trackbed and solder wires direct to the rails. 

[aflyer]

JohnnnyB,

I don't know if you are into eBay, but a quick search came up with these items.  Maybe this will work or you can find something closer to you.

http://cgi.ebay.com/MTH-REAL-TRAX-LIGHTED-LOCKON-/250734521318?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item3a60f12be6

http://cgi.ebay.com/Five-5-MTH-RailKing-Real-Trax-O-Gauge-track-devices-/160514263364?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item255f654944

Good luck,

George

[SleeperN06]

Thanks, I was desperate because my wife wants the tree up by tomorrow and we are taking the grandson to the Polar Express in Williams AZ tomorrow afternoon, so I selected a couple of sacrificial pieces and soldered on leads. It actually was pretty easy and a lot easier than putting them together.

Anyway I have another question about the dimensions. The whole reason for going with ReakTrax was that they had 42” curves which I needed to replace some Tubular track. Well after laying it out I have 41” dia. between the center rails. I’m I doing something wrong?

[lionelsoni]

Tubular track diameter is measured to the outer ends of the ties and is usually only approximate.  Lionel O31 for example is really about O30.5.  I have (O27-profile) Lionel O54 with radii of 25.75 and 27 inches and K-Line O54 with 26.375.  These should be, respectively, O53.5, O56, and O54.75.

If you're interested, I can show you how to measure the radius of a single piece of track, without having to make a circle.

[SleeperN06]

lionelsoni

If you're interested, I can show you how to measure the radius of a single piece of track, without having to make a circle.

Yes I am interested. I have not been very successful with figuring curves. When I first laid it out I used a 21” board to draw my 42” Dia. Circle, but when I laid down the track it wasn’t coming out right and I thought the track was bent.

Oh and just for anyone who is interested here is a photo of how easy it was.

 

[SleeperN06]

Well I ended up adding some length to my oval so that I can compensate for the difference in diameter. I’m tying the RealTrax into a tubular track Viaduct that I built last year. I did not know at the time about the differences in track and forced the tubular track into a 42” diameter so now I have to tie it into 41” dia.

Now that the oval is longer, I need to build an Arch bridge out of wood to fill in the space between the MTH Arched bridge and the existing viaduct.  

[lionelsoni]

Measure the chord of a curved section, in a straight line from one end to the other of the center rail.  Multiply that number by half the cosecant of half the angle that the section turns.  The result is the radius to the center rail.

For example, O42 has 12 sections in a complete circle; so each section turns through 30 degrees.  Therefore you multiply by half the cosecant of 15 degrees, or 1.931852.  (For 8 sections in a circle, multiply by 1.306563; and for 16 sections, by 2.562915.)

The more careful you are measuring to the exact center of the end of the center rail, the more accurate your result will be.

[SleeperN06]

Wow, I’m copying that and putting it in my “Useful Train Notes”. I wish I knew this last year Thanks.