cutting off ties

[Anonymous]

I want to join long straights of flex track (atlas). Can I just cut off the ties @ the ends? [8)]

[wp8thsub]

Yes, and the same thing can be done with any brand of flex track. Use wood ties of the same dimensions to replace the ones you remove after the track's down, or recycle the plastic ones.

[cacole]

Yes, you have to cut off the end tie on each piece so the rail joiner will fit. You can then sand or file down the ties that you cut off and slip them back under the rail joiners so there is no big gap at the joint.

[simon1966]

I nip the surface detail off the removed ties with my trusty sprue nipper. I leave the outside detial on one side so that when I slide the tie under the rail from the "viewing" side, the plastic detail is still visible on the outside of the rail. I found this to be much quicker than filing ir sanding off the top of the ties.

[Anonymous]

I usually settle for cutting away the rail fixings and cutting a small chunk from the tie to allow rail joiners to fit properly. I did used to remove whole ties, but this always looks terrible unless you fit cosmetic ties afterwards - removing rail fixings may take longer, but the effort is well worth putting in.