Hi from Belgium,
I beleive it's a small gap.
There is a lot of method to file it, epoxy or a piece of styrene filled to fit; if you could find it use black styrene, you could notice it anymore when the track is ballasted and painted.
As a rule for my construction method, in Nscale, I never glue any inch of track; everything is spiked whit fine needles.
It's allow to move the track if a change or repair or adjustement is needed, by simply lift the piece of track over the small pins of needles.
When ballasted , the glue of the ballast secure everything in place. Some flextrack (Peco code 55) are in place by this system from more than 20 years on my layout.
Marc
I like the epoxy fill method, and the scrap rail grafting method. I am always amazed how the gaps appear when we try to be so careful when laying the track.
I had 1/16th gaps every third section which worked fine in the AZ summer Sun, but a few 3/32 - 1/8 gorges cropped up as well. I think it was the geckos playing a trick on me after the sun went down..
I'd know it was there, even if it isn't noticeable to visitors. I'd wake up at 2:30 a.m. and not be able to go back to sleep, so I'd go down and work till daylight replacing the track. That's why I use a water soluable glue. Soak it with detergent water, let it set a few minutes, and take it out. All I'd lose would be the ballast -- and maybe the ends of the track, which might pop out of the plastic ties. But that's just me. If you can live with it, power to you.
nope ,got to fix .that would grind on me......Id take a 5 or 6" pc of scrap rail and at a small section at end file or grind the foot off one side even with web , then cut a peice to lenth and then it should snap in to existing joint an solder or glue ..... shouldnt be to hard and youll never think about it again .....J.W.
Any non-goo/silicone-type glue that dries good and hard would make a good filler. So would styrene, say from a sprue, carved and set in place, although this is where I would use goo at either end and at its base.
You could even nip off a small piece of the same code of rail and solder it to the joiner and to one of the rail ends. Just use a small clamp or sprung tweezers to hold it in place and to serve as a heat sink. You would want to cut off the foot of the rail, of course, since it would otherwise sit much higher on the joiner top and not meet the rail-head height on either side of the join.
Personally, I don't much like such gaps. They look untidy, even if they are 99% reliable. It often is a 10 minute fix, and if done with a reasonable bit of skill and attention, once it is all weathered you won't notice it at all.
-Crandell
Is this a good way to fix those annoying gaps when using insulated rail joiners? I tried using same pieces of plastic and didn't have the knack for it so I used the pre-fab insulated joiners thus creating a myriad of small gaps. Ideas?
There's never time to do it right, but always time to do it over.....
I had a similar problem. I used some 2 part epoxy that comes in sticks. I broke a small piece from each and kneaded it together. I shaped it in the gap before it hardened and then did minor cleanup afterwards with a Dremel.
Enjoy
Paul
Chuck, like the old saying goes if it ain't broke don't fix it but I can see why that would bother you. I'm not sure what kind of glue you used to hold your track but being as it looks like it dried clear I am guess either white glue or yellow carpenters glue. If so spray the snot out of it with water in a spray bottle let it sit a bit and spray it again applying a little pressure under it to pry it up a little at a time. Most of those glues are water soluble so it may take a bit but eventually it will loosen up.
im not sure as NEITHER rail moves, i think some glue is holding them in...
Chuck
http://www.chuckcondron.com/CCLayout/index.html
Is this the sliding rail? If it is, you could slide the rail, splitting the distance of the gap with the adjoining section of track.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
here are a couple of pics of the track... I appreciate all of your input. Also, I hope these pics are not too big, let me know....
VulcanCCIT lol at fuhgeddaboudit hahah it is an inner rail. I also thought about taking a rail nipper and nipping off the same size of rail and lay just that lil piece in there but I would probably booger the crap out of it. I might fill it and paint as you all suggest or just forget it. it is on a curve that is right out in front. I think you would have to know it is there to see it, I was more worred about derailments and wheels coming off the track. If you all think that is ok I wont worry tooooooooo much about it...it just bugs me that I messed up!! do the ends of the track need filed? or just let it be... my wife said "promise me you wont try to fix it...its FINE!!!" lol I guess I need to call this the C&Anal Railroad!
lol at fuhgeddaboudit hahah
it is an inner rail. I also thought about taking a rail nipper and nipping off the same size of rail and lay just that lil piece in there but I would probably booger the crap out of it.
I might fill it and paint as you all suggest or just forget it. it is on a curve that is right out in front. I think you would have to know it is there to see it,
I was more worred about derailments and wheels coming off the track. If you all think that is ok I wont worry tooooooooo much about it...it just bugs me that I messed up!!
do the ends of the track need filed? or just let it be...
my wife said "promise me you wont try to fix it...its FINE!!!" lol
I guess I need to call this the C&Anal Railroad!
Filling the gap and painting as mentioned would be the best fix in my opinion. Only CA one side of the repair. This will allow movement of the rail if needed. Keep a close eye on the rails and gauge. Filling the gap could allow any expansion to cause slight buckling. If this happens just cut a "smaller" gap w/ a razor saw.
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org
If an electrical connection is not a concern then use a hot glue gun to fill the gap and an exacto knife to trim. It's a one minute fix that seems to work quite well.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Is the gap in the inside rail of the curve, or the outside rail.
If it's in the outer rail, you can use the kind of epoxy sold for stopping leaks in automotive radiators to fill it, followed by careful cleanup with files and a handi-vac.
If it's in the inner rail, fuhgeddaboudit!
I actually lay my rails with gaps of similar size (non-soldered rail joints) when the temperature in my layout space is south of 50 degrees F. Right now, with the temperature in the low triple digits, those gaps are about 1/32 inch - so I can still handle the additional >15> degrees that ambient air can achieve. (Thanks to a gas hot water heater, I can't climate-control the room.)
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - in a non-climate-controlled garage in Southern Nevada)
Is it in an easily seen spot? Maybe get some metal filled epoxy putty, mix a small dab really well, fill the gap, and before it's fully set up, partially trim with a sharp knife blade, then after the epoxy is fully set, about 24 hours, finish trimming the plug to match the rail outline with needle files and fine sandpaper. Then the gap can maybe be carefully painted to match the rail. If the gap is relatively out of sight, and you are concerned with the gap increasing over time, you could solder a small brass shim to the outside of the rail, and fill in the gap with solder, and fine trim with needle files.
Or, if your not concerned about appearance, and the gap isn't causing derailments, you could take the attitude that it ain't broke, so I ain't goin to take the time or effort to fix it.
hi chuck,
in the old days we had gaps to isolate tracks electricaly. To prevent the tracks from sliding against each other we put a tiny piece of plastic in the gaps.
Some debate followed about painting these bits. Paint to beautifull and you can't find the gap anymore. Right now I can't imagine any reason why that was important anyhow.
Could still do the trick.
I am working on a new layout, and I have been trying to be very careful and not make mistakes...but...I made one...
I want to see if its going ot mess me up. I have a piece of flex that joins to a 22" curve section.. one part of the track has about 1/8" gap...what happened is after I joined it to the curve... and then bent the flex around its various curves it needed to do..and glued it...the moveable rail on the flex and slid. I had it joined when I first attached it. by the time I noticed it, the glue had set. I am afraid to pull it up as I think it will rip the road bed up and the styrofoam under it. I tried to slid the rail into position but it wont budge as I think the glue might e holding it somewhere just enough to be snug.
the other rail is fine.
I ran some cars over it along with a locomotive under power and the locomotive never faulters and the cars seem to be going over it fine. I even put some really crappy cars on it and they still work.