When is it perfect?

[nickt22]

I work with 0-27 track and when the joints come together on the track as tight as they can, i cant help but think that the "clickety-clack" sound isn't supposed to happen. Does something need to be done or does this sound occur when trains pass over joints no matter what? 

[MartyE]

Nothing's perfect.  You'll always have some sort of clickty over joints.  I've never seen anyone who's gotten completely rid of it.

[Jumijo]

Even the FasTrack, with its extremely tight joints creates a clickety clack sound. It sounds kinda realistic to me.

Jim

[lionelsoni]

One word:  solder.

[Sturgeon-Phish]

Take credit for the clickty clack as a designed in feature to make it sound more realistic
Jim

[fifedog]

It's all part of the inherent tinplate charm...

[FJ and G]

The clickety clack aids in expansion and contraction of the rails so they don't  buckle under extreme conditions (like if your air conditioning peters out). I've never heard of anyone not liking the sound. If you don't, you can solder the rails together as suggested, but the turnouts and crossings will still make noise.

[nickt22]

Thanks guys, i like the sound but didnt know if it was supposed to happen or not, this answers a huge question for me

[Anonymous]

Thanks guys, i like the sound but didnt know if it was supposed to happen or not, this answers a huge question for me

Savor and enjoy that sound!  It's as close as we can generally get in the model world to the sound that real trains make as they pass over rail joints.  And it's certainly perfectly natural, in all scales and not just in O gauge.

[MartyE]

Thanks guys, i like the sound but didnt know if it was supposed to happen or not, this answers a huge question for me

Savor and enjoy that sound!  It's as close as we can generally get in the model world to the sound that real trains make as they pass over rail joints.  And it's certainly perfectly natural, in all scales and not just in O gauge.

They should add that sound to those clocks that have the "sounds of Nature" to put you to sleep.  God knows I'd be out in a heartbeat.  I often kill the sounds on my engines and just listen.  The new can motors are quiet enough to let you hear just the wheels on the track.

[Anonymous]

I've thought about loosening some of my joints just so I could get more "clackity-clack. I love it!

[cnw1995]

Oh man, I love the sound... the roaring on the track. I don't like to deaden it. Better than any sound system. Of course, your mileage will vary,

[FJ and G]

about the only more visceral sound than the clickety-klack  is that of a train jumping the tracks and steaming down an embankment. Ahhhh the beauty and the tragedy.

[Boyd]

You can buy one piece, long straight sections which I think are 40" long for 027. Correct me if I'm wrong on the length. They are the closest thing we have to CWR (continously welded rail).

[waltrapp]

The long O27 tracks are 35 1/4", not to quibble!  I use them as much as possible.  Not so much as to try to eliminate the clickety-clack as to eliminate the number of track connections.  Better electrical continuity and DCS signal transference. They sell 1/2 long tracks too - 18".

- walt

[lionelsoni]

K Line made 36-inch straights, which I prefer to the Lionel.  They spaced the ties uniformly rather than try to imitate the pattern of 4 short sections.  You can still get K-Line track from Internet dealers--I bought a stock of curved track just the other day, although I had to go to two places to get all the curvatures I wanted.