TRACK JOINTS

[claycts]

I have seen both Solder or no.
Question:
1. I am using code 83 Atlas Flex Track (purchased 3 cases)
2. Will be using Walthers Code 83 DCC Frindly (I guess the go to lunch or something) Turnouts.
3. Will be 100% DCC Digitrax 4 or 5 power zones
4. Buss wire will be SOLID #14 max run 22ft on Bus.
5. Will use resistance soldering for all track and wiring work
HOW OFTEN DO YOU SOLDER RAIL JOINTS? I am doing 100% on curves and easements. DO I NEED TO DO ALL THE TRACK? ALSO at Turnouts, DO YOU SOLDER THESE ALSO?[?]
I am so close to starting this 26 year delayed project and am to old to do it over and over!

[Seamonster]

Everybody has their own opinions on this one, George. I guess I might as well jump in and offer mine. IMHO, it is better to not solder track joints. BUT, don't depend on the rail joiners to carry the electrical current. Provide a feeder to the track between every joint. Don't solder track to turnouts. If anything's going to fail, it will be a turnout and it's much easier to replace them if the track isn't soldered to them. However, there is one place where you really should solder track together and that's on a curve. If your flextrack is making a curve and it requires more than one piece of track, join them together with rail joiners on the bench where they're nice and flat and straight. Then solder the track across the rail joiners to make one continuous 6' (or 9' if you need it) piece of track. Bend that oversized piece of flextrack around the curve and cut it to length. Give it two feeders.
...Bob

[Sperandeo]

Hello George,

This subject must be on a lot of people's minds, as it keeps coming up. One more time, here are my recommendations:

• Do solder the joints in curves (including easements) as you've been doing, not for electrical continuity but for smooth, kink-free joints in curved track. Leave the last couple inches of one section straight, solder on a new section while that's still straight, and then bend the curve.

• Don't solder joints on straight track, and use a spacer like the edge of an NMRA gauge to leave some space for expansion between the rails in the unsoldered joiner.

• Do solder feeders to every length of flextrack, especially where the rail joints are unsoldered. (You can drop feeders from every other length of track where the joints are soldered and you probably won't ever see any difference, but why not make it bulletproof the first time?)

• Solder joints between turnouts in closely spaced groups, to help maintain their alignment.

Enjoy your layout,

Andy

[rrinker]

Good point on soldering clusters of turnouts. I'm going back and doing that before I go any further. So far I've only soldered sections together on curves.

--Randy

[claycts]

Thank you for the input. As soon as by items from Micro Mark get here I will do some curve work and feeders.