Amen to searching these forum entries. For what it's worth, I have good luck staggering the joints of 1 rail at least 4 ties away from the joints of the other. That and prebending the rails serves me well without soldering; I lose too many ties to the heat. Guess I'm not fast enough with the iron!
Keeping the sliding rail on the inside of the curve ensures that your ties are never more than the regulation distance apart.
Have fun George
Actually, I learned while still gainfully employed, but I was doing it to earn my attaboy from the NMRA achievement program. Hand laying track is one of the requirements for the MMR, so I learned and did it. But I enjoyed doing it, so when I took early retirement, I redid a large section of the layout (visible track of course) and by then had the concept and the execution down so I could do it fairly quickly.
Now however, arthritis in my hands make laying it a little more difficult than before, so I feel fortunate in that all the track is laid and running.
Bob
pastorbob One additional way is to do what I have done on large sections of my railroad and that is lay your own track.
All good advice. One additional way is to do what I have done on large sections of my railroad and that is lay your own track. I started doing that in areas that were highly visible back in the late 1980's. I drew a radius line to follow, laid the road bed, then laid wooden ties (available commercially), then using three point gauges, laid one rail and spiked it and then added the second rail. The rail comes in 3ft sections. I also learned to make my own switches and have many that I built in the 80's still in service with no problems. So the two styles coexist with no problems on the layout. The spikes are also available commercially or were last time I laid some track.
I completely agree with TZ let the rails end where they may so to speak and just adjust the next rail accordingly. Unless it's absolutely unavoidable you never want to joint opposite form each other and I solder all rail joiners and where permissible I alternate every other side sill allowing the rials to expand and contract..
If yu take your time and practice your soldering there is no reason why if you ever have to remove as many sections as you want you can simply unsolder each connection. Just go out and get yourself a roll of solder braid from radio shack and the solder will actually wick up the copper braid once it's heated releasing the joint so the track may be sued again. The trick is removing it form the roadbed all depending on what type of adhesive you use. My method of choice now is silicone adhesive caulking. It does take some careful work with a one inch putty knife but you can pry it up gently if you have to and remove the remaing adheasive caulk with acetone.
I strongly recommend you go out and get yourself a couple of packages of sectiaonal track and practice your soldering skills before attempting the flex track. It will degrease your frustration a great deal when you solder the flex track the right way the first time.
These are all great suggestions, I have also found the if you keep the sliding railI(flip the flex track over,tie spacers will be missing at every 2 or 3 ties) to the inside of the curve, you will only have to cut the sliding rail & you will still have a 3ft section of flex track to work with(will save some money if you have a large layout). On sharp curves(18-24") solder and/or nails at the joints(on at least outside rails) are almost required.
John
Dan The Man I've been having this problem with flex track, I want to expand my turn's to 30" turn. But with using flex track and you join to pieces together, they don't keep the curve, the two ends turn away from each other. Any thoughts?
I believe this is the same method larak just posted in the prior message. He must have posted that while I was composing and digging up the picture!
Chuck had some great suggestions.
I pre-bend and pin into place (temporarily) the first length of track. I keep the rails even on the "outside" end. this will make the sliding rail protrude on the other end. I then move the sliding rail of the next piece of track back the same distance, slide the long rail of the first piece into the "spikes" of the second piece. this staggers the joints.
Apply joiners and solder, then bend the second length into place. The joint may slide a tie or two towards one end. Trim a spike head or two if necessary.
The second sliding rail will protrude even further. Repeat the process or trim the long rail. Staggered joints are a real blessing.
If a joint gets really troublesome, nails may be in order. I even had to use soldered PC board ties in two places where trackwork got really tricky. They work wonders by the way.
Karl
The mind is like a parachute. It works better when it's open. www.stremy.net
I think soldering the joints is the most reliable way of getting good flex-track connections. It's also important to make sure the tracks are held solidly in place while the glue sets, or the tension on the curve may cause the joint to "creep" outward and kink.
I use WS foam roadbed on top of pink construction foam for most of my layout. Since both materials are soft, I can take a paper clip and straighten it out into a U shape. These will go over track ties and through the roadbed and foam, holding very securely while still being easy to remove. The standard paper clip wire will also fit through the small holes in the center of Atlas track ties. This holds the track down solidly and lets the glue set up properly. It's also a good way to secure the track temporarily so that you can see how you like a track plan before committing to it with glue.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
To add just a bit to that advice to pre-bend your flex:
If the ends don't want to cooperate, it's all right to apply a little gentle persuasion with a pair of long-nose pliers. The key word is, "Gentle." You want the rail to curve, not kink.
Another little trick I have found useful is to let the loose rail slide, then thread it into the tie strip of the next section of flex. Stagger the joints, preferably by several inches. That way, the joint in the outside rail is reinforced by the solid inside rail, and vice-versa.
Take a few seconds (and a fine-tooth file) and de-burr every rail end. Then take a swipe at the upper, inner corner of each railhead. You don't want to remove much metal, only enough to get rid of any catch point that might lift a flange over the railhead. This simple step is the most effective derailment-inhibitor I have ever found.
Lastly, if you can mark the curve of either the inside or the outside tie ends, that makes a much better guide than the track centerline. You'll have several locating marks per inch, instead of one (track nail hole) every four inches or so.
Just my , your mileage may vary.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with Atlas flex and hand-laid specialwork)
Thanks Phoebe Vet.
60/40 Rosin Core Solder
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
Ok thanks guys, I will try that. Oh and another thing, what type of solder do I use on the Atlas code 100 track?
I solder two pices together before forming a curve. No open joints in a curve! This will keep the rails in alignment. I use Atlas track and because it is so flexible it forms smooth curves with little effort.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
This has been asked too many times on these forums. Flex track has one sliding rail and one fixed rail. Bend the track to the sliding rail side. Grasp the track at each end and bend it to a tight radius and let it flex back. Keep bending it smaller each time and check its radius each time it relaxes to the radius you want to. You can either solder the joints or let them ride in the joiners. Most people solder curved track. Glue the track down on your road bed and use pins or tacks to keep the track in place until the glue dries.
Do a search of these forums and you will receive hundreds of responses.
Pete
I pray every day I break even, Cause I can really use the money!
I started with nothing and still have most of it left!
thatboy37What I do is take two or three pieces of flex track solder them together. Also I put all of the moveable rails on the same side then solder together. That's what I have done on my layout and it works fine me. May be other ways but I know this works for me.goodluck
I've been having this problem with flex track, I want to expand my turn's to 30" turn. But with using flex track and you join to pieces together, they don't keep the curve, the two ends turn away from each other. Any thoughts?
Thanks.