Lionel Prewar 106 Bridge: Bridging the Gap

[M. Mitchell Marmel]

One of the great unsolved mysteries of our time is:  Why the deuce did Lionel outfit the center section of its prewar 106 bridge to take an oddball size of track?  I'm certain they had valid reasons which are history, but for those of us obtaining a 106 shorn of track, well, the matter is puzzling, not to mention slightly aggravating! 

Fear not, though!  All you need are a screwdriver/small prying implement, a Dremel with large cutoff wheel, a donor track and, of course, nerves of pure titanium... 

1) The problem is readily apparent. 

2) Using your prying implement, loosen the rails on the ties in the center and one side.

3) With the ties loosened, they slip readily into place into their appointed places in the bridge.  As can be seen, we're about half an inch or so short. 

4) The initial idea, to add a half inch to the ends, proved impractical (as the rail clamps didn't tighten well and there were issues with the rail pins).

5) Plan "B" entailed cutting the bridge track roughly halfway between the ties and putting lengths of donor rail in place.

6) A spare tie was clamped down over the join to provide added strength as well as added insulation for the center rail.  Note that the edges of the tie have been trimmed so that it lies flat on the bridge deck. 

7) The end of the bridge track, ready to be clamped and trimmed. 

8) A perfect fit!  Note the splice tie sitting flat on the bridge deck, 

9) Ready for customers! 

Hope this proves helpful! 

Mitch

[lionelpw]

How do you get the track pins bent to the correct angle to join the center track to the approach tracks?

[M. Mitchell Marmel]

lionelpw

How do you get the track pins bent to the correct angle to join the center track to the approach tracks?

You don't. There's enough flex in the rails and pins that they settle into place.  :)

Mitch

[lionelpw]

Thank you. I will try your method.

[M. Mitchell Marmel]

Splendid!  Don't forget to wear safety glasses when cutting the rails.  If you run into any questions, feel free to ask! 

[lionelpw]

M. Mitchell Marmel

Splendid!  Don't forget to wear safety glasses when cutting the rails.  If you run into any questions, feel free to ask! 

 

M. Mitchell Marmel

Splendid!  Don't forget to wear safety glasses when cutting the rails.  If you run into any questions, feel free to ask! 

 

M. Mitchell Marmel

Splendid!  Don't forget to wear safety glasses when cutting the rails.  If you run into any questions, feel free to ask! 

 

[quote user="M. Mitchell Marmel"]

Splendid!  Don't forget to wear safety glasses when cutting the rails.  If you run into any questions, feel free to ask! 

 

M. Mitchell Marmel

Splendid!  Don't forget to wear safety glasses when cutting the rails.  If you run into any questions, feel free to ask! 

 

Thank you. It may be a week or two before I get to this project. I will let you know if I have any questions.

[phrankenstign]

I found this 106 on the web:

http://www.dakotapaul.com/items/showitem.asp?iid=2980

There are a lot of pics from different angles, including overhead.  It doesn't look like the track is any different, but all three tracks are slightly shorter than the total length of all three bridge pieces.

[M. Mitchell Marmel]

phrankenstign

I found this 106 on the web:

http://www.dakotapaul.com/items/showitem.asp?iid=2980

There are a lot of pics from different angles, including overhead.  It doesn't look like the track is any different, but all three tracks are slightly shorter than the total length of all three bridge pieces.

In the case of the approaches, that's deliberate; the idea is to hook the crosstie of the next pieces of track into the approach to make for a smoother transition.

Thanks for the link!

Mitch