I solder every joiner and run a pair of feeder wires to every section of track, including turnouts. I also wire the frogs. Bottom line, there are no dead spots on the layout, which includes 30+ turnouts. It takes extra time but in the end it is well worth it to be able to watch four-axle locomotives creep along sidings and move smoothly around the yard without stalling or flickering headlights.
If you build your layout out of dimensionally stable materials (plywood or pink board, for example), there should be no need to gap the rails (other than for electrical purposes). As has been pointed out here and elsewhere, the coefficient of expansion of nickel silver rail is such that even large swings in temperature make little difference. My garage layout endures 30 degree overnight temps in winter and 115 degree daytime temps in summer without any rail expansion or contractions problems.
John Timm
Phoebe Vet I thought about jumpers, but it seemed easier to just drop another feeder.
I thought about jumpers, but it seemed easier to just drop another feeder.
I cheat with sort of a combination of jumpers and feeders. Many of my feeders are paired about 6 to 8 inches apart, on either side of a rail joint. The two wires tap into the buss at the same point. Electrically, each rail is fed directly from the buss.
Work smarter, not harder.
Phoebe VetI thought about jumpers, but it seemed easier to just drop another feeder.
Thank you! For me soldering a jumper in place is a royal pain in the butt.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
Staggered gaps are actually better, and recommended, for reversing sections. The auto reversers work better with a cm or two of stagger.
my experience has shown that when both rails need to be gapped, it is best to stagger the gaps a little and always make the cut through the rail above the little plastic connection between the ties. try not to cut through the plastic, just through the rail. if you cut the rails directly across from one another, you will weaken the track structure and probably need to spike one rail down better. the one that does not have the plastic connector between the ties will often try to spring outward on curves or raise up creating a rough spot. i have also noticed that when gapping the rail past the switch frog, you want to stay close enough to the switch so a metal wheel cannot short across the gap when you line the switch back. this applies to double ended yard tracks and sidings where the first few inches of the secondary track is power routed through the turnout.
grizlump
larak Brian, You can also solder flexible jumper wires around unsoldered joiners. This will pass power and allow for movement. Adding jumpers can be a PITA but might be easier than adding feeders to already laid and ballasted track. Personally I use feeders every six feet and solder every joint on a curve and between feeders. I do have jumpers in two places.
Brian,
You can also solder flexible jumper wires around unsoldered joiners. This will pass power and allow for movement.
Adding jumpers can be a PITA but might be easier than adding feeders to already laid and ballasted track.
Personally I use feeders every six feet and solder every joint on a curve and between feeders. I do have jumpers in two places.
I resemble that!
My layout resides in a garage that I cannot seal for climate control, thanks to the presence of a gas-fired water heater. Over the course of a year, the temperature swings about 100 degrees (F) so soldering rail joints is NOT an option. My longest electrical section is six lengths of flex, with the feeder in the middle and jumpers soldered around every rail joint.
I place insulating gaps wherever they happen to fall, with plastic rail joiners to prevent them from working their way shut. Ordinary rail joints are staggered on curves (let's hear it for one sliding rail!) but may be opposite one another on tangent track. Like Pastorbob, I use common rail, so there are far fewer insulated rail joiners on the common side than there are on the controlled side - I'm one of the analog DC holdouts, so my rails aren't all connected to a pair of bus wires.
To sum up, I rely on rail joiners for mechanical alignment, and soldered wires for electrical continuity.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
CSXDixieLine Question: when you gap your rails, do you stagger the gaps a bit or just gap at the same point on both rails? Jamie
Question: when you gap your rails, do you stagger the gaps a bit or just gap at the same point on both rails? Jamie
I use common rail wiring, so there's usually only one rail gap at any location. The exception is my wye at Airline Junction, in Dunnville, where both rails are gapped, with the gaps at the same points.
Wayne
If you are gapping for expansion, it doesn't matter, and staggered will make derailments less likely.
If you are gapping for electrical isolation, gap them at the same point.
CSXDixieLineI am about a month away from laying my first track, but this is also my plan for soldering joints then gapping. Question: when you gap your rails, do you stagger the gaps a bit or just gap at the same point on both rails? Jamie
I'm with Tinman. Clean the track and wheels.
If only the steam engines act up, it is probably not a solder problem.
jeffrey-wimberly doctorwayneI soldered all of the rail joints when the track was first layed, then cut gaps, where necessary, to electrically isolate passing sidings and some yard tracks. Same here, except I also broke the layout up into 16 blocks (originally wired for DC) so I could turn power on and off in each block as needed. ... The blocking gaps were cut (I cut both rails) and feeders atttached, 1 set of feeders for each block.
doctorwayneI soldered all of the rail joints when the track was first layed, then cut gaps, where necessary, to electrically isolate passing sidings and some yard tracks.
Same here, except I also broke the layout up into 16 blocks (originally wired for DC) so I could turn power on and off in each block as needed. ... The blocking gaps were cut (I cut both rails) and feeders atttached, 1 set of feeders for each block.
Ditto ditto. I am about a month away from laying my first track, but this is also my plan for soldering joints then gapping. Question: when you gap your rails, do you stagger the gaps a bit or just gap at the same point on both rails? Jamie
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Hi!
I soldered all joints on my 11x15 two level HO layout when it was built in the early '90s. The track was attached with track nails to cork roadbed. The layout is located in a spare room at home here north of Houston. Obviously heat and year round humidity are a fact of life here, but inside it is relatively stable. In short, I have not experienced any track spreading or binding thru-out the years.
Track feeders are about 6 feet apart, with of course the exception of small blocks (engine terminal tracks) which are wired separately. I have never had problems with electrical contact due to lack of track power.
However (you knew one was coming), I have had loss of track power due to dirty track and/or loco wheels. The thing is, the track didn't seem to be all that dirty, until I took a good look at the plastic wheelsets on some of the cars.
My point to all this is perhaps your problem is complicated with "dirty" track/wheels. DCC is very unforgiving, and sensitive. I would suggest you check this out, and use a track light meter or gauge to see if there really is power to the track, or not.
Good Luck!
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
Same here, except I also broke the layout up into 16 blocks (originally wired for DC) so I could turn power on and off in each block as needed. This also makes it quite easy to find a short. Just turn off blocks until the short stops. If turning off block 7 stopped the short then that's where the short is located. In this way all I have to go over is about 6 feet of track instead of over a 100 feet. All my track is sectional (Bachmann ns EZ-Track) an dall the joints are soldered including the turnouts. Electrical continuity is only as good as the weakest connection. To insure a strong solder joint I put a little non-acid paste flux in each rail joiner then put the track sections together. When they were in the final position I wanted them in I then went back and solder each and every joint. The paste flux pulled the solder into the rail joiners, insuring a good strong solder joint. The blocking gaps were cut (I cut both rails) and feeders atttached, 1 set of feeders for each block. The feeders are in turn connected to a center-off DPDT switch at the control panel, 16 blocks = 16 DPDT's. The DPDT's are wired so each block can be powered with DC or DCC but never both at once.
I soldered all of the rail joints when the track was first layed, then cut gaps, where necessary, to electrically isolate passing sidings and some yard tracks. The layout is in my basement, unheated but well insulated. There is a single pair of feeder wires, located close to the power pack (I run DC) and I've never had problems with either expansion and contraction, or with electrical contact. I would estimate that there's about 350' of track in service, although it's not all linear, and includes staging, passing sidings and industrial spurs.
The mind is like a parachute. It works better when it's open. www.stremy.net
bwchaneyMost of my layout was laid in the spring and summer with only 10% of my track joints soldered. Whenevery a loco stalled at a joint I soldered it. Now that winter is here the joints have contracted and there is loss of power everywhere.
I guess I should update with a few reamrks; I am not a novicel; I have been in the hobby some 40 years. I only have partial sight and less dexterity than a younger man. This is my excuse for being a middle of the road railroader. I hate elctronic work but realize that more power feeds would produce more reliable running. I use sectional and flex track both. What is the best way to supply more power feeders at a reasonable cost and ease of use for one not so nimble or electric minded. As always thanks in advance Brian Chaney
i pretty much solder every other joint in flex track and leave a slight gap at the others. i do run feeder wires about every six feet. my layout does experience some humidity changes but the temperature probably does not vary more than 10 degrees over the course of a year. this has worked out well for me for the last 20 years.
bwchaney I am just a middle of the road model railroader. By that I mean that great intentions to build a railroad for trackside photos is my desire but I do not have the abilities, technique or imagination to be anything more than ordinary. With this said here is my problem. Most of my layout was laid in the spring and summer with only 10% of my track joints soldered. Whenevery a loco stalled at a joint I soldered it. Now that winter is here the joints have contracted and there is loss of power everywhere. I am into dcc and have have track feeds every 10 to 12 feet. My question is if I solder the remaining joints now what happens in the summer when the metal expands back to orignial size. The room is climate controlled but there is still a flucuation of temperature and humidity. Any thoughts would be welcome. My diesel do not stall at all but some my steam start and stop at some joints. Do I put in more power feeds, solder the problem joints or just run my diesels in the winter. I am in the troubleshooting stage before my secenery work proceeds starting with track ballasting. Now is the time for answers. All are appreciated. Folks I need your problem solving help. Thanks in advance brian chaney
I am just a middle of the road model railroader. By that I mean that great intentions to build a railroad for trackside photos is my desire but I do not have the abilities, technique or imagination to be anything more than ordinary. With this said here is my problem. Most of my layout was laid in the spring and summer with only 10% of my track joints soldered. Whenevery a loco stalled at a joint I soldered it. Now that winter is here the joints have contracted and there is loss of power everywhere. I am into dcc and have have track feeds every 10 to 12 feet. My question is if I solder the remaining joints now what happens in the summer when the metal expands back to orignial size. The room is climate controlled but there is still a flucuation of temperature and humidity. Any thoughts would be welcome. My diesel do not stall at all but some my steam start and stop at some joints. Do I put in more power feeds, solder the problem joints or just run my diesels in the winter. I am in the troubleshooting stage before my secenery work proceeds starting with track ballasting. Now is the time for answers. All are appreciated. Folks I need your problem solving help. Thanks in advance brian chaney
Most people have gone to running feed wires to each section of track to take care of the electrical feed and not soldering the rail joints to allow for expansion and contraction, regardless of whether they're using DC or DCC. From years of experience, this gives the most reliable operation over the long term. Over time, the rail joints will oxidize and get dirt in them, which will cause loss of conductivity. Putting in feed wires to both rails and to all sections of track makes the rail joiners just a mechanical alignment device.
You didn't mention if you're using short sectional track or the longer flex track pieces. Flex track can give you up to three feet between joints, as well as more flexibility (pun intended) in you track configuration.
Don't worry too much about your skill level. You will improve with experience and practice. Doing something wrong is better than doing nothing--you can fix your mistakes and lear from them (which should make me a very wise man).
The expansion/contraction you are experiencing is from the lumber in your benchwork, not the metal rails. But it still needs to be dealt with. I soldered essentiall all of my rail joints and now I am having to use a cut off wheel to make expansion gaps to undo the kinking of the track (a mistake that I am fixing). M recommendation to you is to only solder a maximum of two or three sticks of flex track together, leaving a one-sixteenth inch expansion gap between the next two or three soldered sticks. Solder feeder wires to each of the soldered sections, that is don't rely upon unsoldered rail joiners to conduct electricity.
Good luck!
Roger Johnson, Sedro Woolley WA
Track expanding/contracting or not, if the diesels go without a problem then maybe it's time to clean the wheels on the steam and the track as well. You can plan for the expansion and contrction by leaving an unsoldered gap every 12', but make sure you have a bus feeding each section. You should try to avoid leaving the gap in curves if possible to avoid the problems of the flanges climbing the rail. the unsoldered joints should have a slight bevel to the ends of the rail as well.
The accepted rule it that every piece of track should have a soldered joint or feeder wires. Since you say you have feeder wires every 10 to 12 feet then you don't have every piece of track connected to the bus since the longest flex track is 3 feet. Solder feeder wires where needed and your problem will go away.
I am also a "middle of the road model railroader" and I have to remind myself to do the best I can and take pride in what I've done. I am amazed at the work I see on the forum but I'm not discouraged because I will never be able to match it.
Good luck.
Bob
Don't Ever Give Up