Basic Track Laying Question

[Pruitt]

If you're using flextrack, solder all joints on curves. Otherwise you will have kinks, especially using tighter radii in the curves. Do not solder the joints on straight sections, so they can move slightly as temperature and humidity changes the size of various parts of the layout.

[TBat55]

With flextrack on curves it is difficult to keep the rail ends aligned without soldering.  To allow for expansion I solder the joiners to flathead brass screws in the roadbed, but not the rails themselves.

[Schuylkill and Susquehanna]

You can also solder a short wire jumper around an unsoldered rail joiner.  This was in Model Railroader, but I don't remember when.

[selector]

I subscribe to the method where you solder every second joiner, but also solder a feeder to those soldered joiners.  That way, your power is assured in two directions away from that joint until it is interrupted.  That interruption may be at the joiners at the far ends of that contiguous length of soldered rail, in which case you have precluded an electrical continuity fault.

This necessarily means that the next joiners are going to be free to allow for 'creep' from the roadbed and sub-roadbed due to expansion and contraction issues, which are almost always associated with humidity changes and not so much temperature changes.

My way, each feeder is 'responsible' for powering six-and-a-half feet of 39" flex track.  It works well in my experience.

To show it schematically, this is what it looks like.  The "o" is an "open" sliding joiner and the "x" is a soldered joiner:

=======o=========X==========o==========X==========o==========X====

Crandell

[Schuylkill and Susquehanna]

I'd suggest a feeder to every rail and to leave the rail joiners alone for expansion/contraction.  Remember to leave a slight (1/32") gap between the rail ends to allow for benchwork contraction.

[CTValleyRR]

Steven --let me redirect your questions a little, and maybe the anwers will become obvious. It's called JTBD --job to be done --where you focus on the outcome rather than the process. Whether or not you solder joints is a process question, to which the answer is, "it depends". What you want (the outcome) is bulletproof track and perfect connectivity. Bulletproof track is smooth, in grade, with no kinks or sharp twists that will cause derailments or uncouplings. It shouldn't move, either due to the motion of trains or environmental conditions. Often, soldered joints will help you achieve this, but they are not necessary. Similarly, relying on rail joiners alone to provide electrical connectivity is asking for trouble. Many modellers use a larger gauge bus wire below the layout and run feeders up to the track at regular intervals. While you won't absolutely need to do this on a small layout like yours, it's a good practice that can't hurt. On my layout, approximately 2/3 of the joints are soldered, most during installation, but some afer the fact as I solved issues with things not behaving the way I wanted them too. So, as you point out, it's no problem if you want to solder everything, but it's oftena waste of time.

[tomikawaTT]

Unless your layout is in a carefully controlled environment, soldering every rail joiner is NOT recommended.  Contrariwise, using un-soldered rail joiners can lead to every electrician's favorite nightmare, intermittent open circuits.

DCC requires bulletproof electrical continuity.  There are several ways to achieve this:

• Solder a feeder to every length of rail and disregard joints and joiners.
• Solder every other joiner, and all outer rail joiners on curves, and install a feeder between each pair of un-soldered joints.
• Solder a jumper around each joiner that isn't intended to be an electrical gap, leave the joiners free to slide and solder one feeder to the rail section, or one every ten feet or so to really long sections.

 

Since my layout is in a space that sees 100 degree temperature differentials between winter dawn and summer afternoon, and fifty degree swings on a daily basis, I use method three.  I also have short electrical sections - my longest is six lengths of Atlas flex (one rail only.)  The longest feeder-to-gap distance is three Atlas rail lengths.

 

Different modelers use different techniques.  The one I described works for me.

 

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

[Wisconsin Railfan]

Good Day Folks.

I am finally..... finally starting my first layout after years of research and finally having the room & money.  Unfortunately, some of what I learned, has been deleted from my memory bank.  I am building a layout, based on the "Grand Valley 4x8" by woodland Scenics.. I  am using Atlas code 83 track. My question is, should I solder every joint?  I am good with a soldering iron, has I also do electronics stuff.   Is it worth the time?  Are the plain rail joiners good enough?  Also would like to mention, that I am going to use DCC, not sure if that would make a difference, just trying to provide as much information as possible.  There is no issues , with humidity, or extreme temperature changes, even though it is in the basement.  I have the bench work done, and ready to lay the track.

Thanks in advance for your advice,

-Steven