Fastrack

[Hilly]

Is it possible to cut Fastrack?

[8ntruck]

Yes it is.  There are several methods.  Here is the jig that I built for the job:

[View:http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/themes/trc/utility/:550:0]

 

[View:http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/themes/trc/utility/:550:0]

 

The blade is a 7 1/4" 24 tooth carbide blade I picked up at the Ace Hardware store.  Don't rush the cut.

To assemble the pieces, I used pieces of nails that fit inside the rails and used plastic pipe cement to glue the sections together.

Be sure to keep your fingers safely away from the blade and wear proper eye and ear protection.

Good luck.

[gunrunnerjohn]

I would hope you connect the rails after you're done here by perhaps soldering to the tabs on each side. :)

[8ntruck]

Gunrunnerjohn - I used pieces of finishing nails that fit inside the rails like pins on tinplate track before gluing the pieces together.  I've not had any electrical issues with the several custom cut sections I've made so far.  The joint in the custom sections does make for an extra 'clickity-clak' when trains pass over it, though.

[Hilly]

Thanx everyone--I appreciate all the help. Great ideas!  Wish me luck.

[EIS2]

If we could get Lionel to make an expansion piece like this, we wouldn't need to cut FasTrack.

Kato Unitrack expansion track extended:

Kato Unitrack  expansion track retracted

:

Kato Unitrack is constructed similarly to FasTrack with the roadbed a part of the track sections.  I sure think that there is plenty of demand for a variable length section of FasTrack.

Earl

[gunrunnerjohn]

I'd love a variable length Fastrack section, that would solve a lot of issues!  I have a box of the little 1.37" and 1.75" sections to cobble together connections.  Unless you stick with something really basic, the tracks just never seem to join up exactly without a few of these!

[bfskinner]

As "8ntrack" has pointed out above there are several ways. Perhaps the most "professional" is to make two cuts near the ends and then discard the middle piece. The idea is to preserve both ends of the Fastrack piece which are then glued together. The length of the two  "end-pieces" re-joined is the length of the fitter piece that you need.

There are more details on this method on the internet in various locations. There is even one ( at least) entire  forum devoted to problems and solutions of FasTrack :

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Lionel_FasTrack_System/

.

 

[8ntruck]

Sorry.  I was not really clear about how I used my track cutting jig. 

Like Bfskinner suggested, I made two cuts in the donor section of track, discarded the center section, inserted properly sized pieces of finishing nails in the ends of the cut rails to maintain alignment and continuity , and then glued the now shorter track together.