Just getting into DCC, on my old layout used only store bought wired joiners, now told must solder everything directly to the rails to ensure contact. Is it better to lay the track and then solder the power feeders or should I solder onto the track and then try to lay it and drill the holes wherever the feeders hit the roadbed? Some of the posts talk about holding the heat to the rails for a short time, how long is short, Just a touch or two seconds or more? Thanks for any help.
Do what makes the most sense for your circumstances. On my layout, that may be a largely frustrating and labour-intensive process, and might look terrible no matter how well I performed all the tiny tasks involved, but yours may look wonderful.
In my case, my subroadbed is never more than 15/16" thick, so drilling down beside the rail foot with a 3/32" bit so that I can drop a 22 gauge feeder down into the hole works well for me. That means I lay out my rails to work well, and then I feed them. Soldering is as simple as wiping the web where I want to solder the feeder with acetone or alcohol if it is brand new rail (and using sandpaper to clear weathering if it has already been weathered, used, and now I find I need a feeder there), and then doing the solder. I bare about 1/4" of the copper, bend it to 90 degrees and put an elbow in it near the bend so that the horizontal end willingly lies tight against the inner web of the rail.
Some guys like to find the rails' best path, using track nails to hold it in place, draw a dotted centerline between a bunch of ties, remove the tracks, and then place soldered feeders to the bottoms of joiners (and you can purchase those already made from Atlas, I believe...). So you need a precise place for the hole into which the joiner feeder will drop. That must, of course, be done before you actually place the tracks for a final time and fix them in place. Note that this could mean some major track disruption if a solder fails buried in ballast. With the first method, you can clean the web again, and redo the solder..as I have done maybe five or six times over three years.
-Crandell
Hi, and WELCOME to the Forum!!!
Your questions have been addressed several times before, so you may want to look into the archives. Anyway, I'll try and help you out, as the subject is near and dear to my heart as I am building a new HO layout - my first with DCC.
The following is what I do, and I am sure you will hear from others who do it differently. Sooo, take all the input you can, experiment a bit, and do what works best for you.
My track is all Atlas code 100 flextrack, and the layout is 11x15 with a lower level staging area. Most of the advice I've gotten for wiring track feeders with DCC is to space them about 3 feet apart. This may be more feeders than one might normally do, but it pretty much assures equal power to all parts of the layout. I use 14 AWG stranded wire for Power Buss, and 20 AWG solid wire for track feeders. Track feeders are between 8 and 14 inches long, depending.
I first lay the roadbed (cork), and then trackage. Then I go around and determine where the feeders should go, and drill a 1/8 inch hole next to each rail at that spot. I picked up an 8 inch bit from Lowes which allows me to go through whatever piece of benchwork might be under the spot I pick.
I precut all the feeders, strip one end, with total length about 15 inches each. I do color code, with white being the outside track and red being the inside track. FYI, color coding of wiring can save you a lot of grief in the long run.
I push the feeders into each hole as appropriate, and do a double bend on the track end of the wire. This is a 90 degree bend about 5/8 inch from the end, and another 90 degree bend about half that distance going the other way.
Once all the feeders are placed, I fire up the soldering iron. I use a Craftsman 40 W with a chisel tip, and the solder is 63/37 from Radio Shack.
Soldering is one of those skills that takes practice, and patience. When I started to build my current layout, it took me about 10 feeders before I got "the feel" back (as I haven't soldered track feeders for years.
Anyhow, to get the tools ready to go, you need a clean tip, and the patience to let the iron work up to operating temp. Too often we plug it in and start before its really ready. Get yourself a small bottle of soldering flux, which helps the solder flow. Make sure the track/wire is clean, and your iron tip is tinned with a bit of solder.
Place the wire end against the outside web of the rail. By bending the wire as needed, you can usually get it to hug the web. Note some folks like the inside of the rail, some the bottom. I prefer the outside.
Touch a bit of flux to the wire/track, and then apply the tip of the iron and hold there - NOT touching the ties of course. Then apply the end of a piece of solder. Ideally, it will immediately melt and flow around the wire onto the rail side. Once it does this, remove the iron.
Most soldering iron holders come with a small sponge. I wet this and have it handy when I solder. Once I've removed the iron, I apply the wet sponge which immediately cools down the temp, lessing damage to the ties.
Once I get a bunch of feeders wired/soldered to the track, I get under the layout and hook the other ends to the power bus wires, shortening them wherever I can. For this soldering, I prefer a soldering gun, as it is better for bigger jobs, and in my opinion is safer/easier to handle when you are in an awkward position.
As you are new to this, I would get a section of track and just practice attaching feeder wires. Get some skillsets built up before you tackle the layout itself.
Yikes, almost forgot......... Soldering can be dangerous! You can burn yourself with the solder as well as the iron. And when you are under the layout, gravity can really "get" you with dripping solder. Sooo wear safety glasses and be careful.
MOST IMPORTANTLY.......... A soldering iron left on or misplaced can cause a fire. Please assure you have unplugged it when you are through, and it is parked safely where it can not burn anything.
ENJOY !!!!!
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
First, you should practice on scrap pieces of track, so you can get a good joint without melting ties. It's easier to add the feeders after the track is down, otherwise you have to try and plan the holes for the wire before the track gets put in place. This might be ok for straights but on curve the position can shift as the curve is formed.
You can also do it the same as you did before, but instead of overpaying for the store bought wired joiners, make them yourself. Just get a pack of joiners for your particular track, and some feeder-size wire (#20-#22) and sit in a comfortable chair and start soldering. Use a pair for EVERY track joint.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Why solder under the layout, use Posi-taps of suitcase conectors, I use Posi-taps and run 5 leads to each, more expencive than the others but no broken wires and they can be reused or moved or wires changed or.
I just got the book How to Build Reaslistic, Reliable Track from Kalmbach and I would recommend it to anyone who is starting a new layout. I picked up some good tips from it and there is an excellent section on soldering track that addresses some of the questions you have asked.
I agree with everything mobilman44 has said.
I would like to add one more thing. Both the rail and the end of the feeder wire should be tinned. You tin the rail and the wire by applying solder to with sufficient heat to melt the solder and have it wet or adhere smoothly to the rail or wire.
Then place the wire against the rail with the bent end of the wire against the rail. (a slight crimp in the wire in the part that is in the roadbed, etc.,will keep the wire in place for the final step.
Once you have the wire positioned, touch the soldering iron to the wire. As soon as the solder on both the wire and the rail melt together, remove the iron.
Your'e done!
If you work quickly with the rail you will not damage the ties.
Larsend,
I have also "tinned" the wire ends and track and have found that works especially well for difficult to get to areas. Also, if the track web is "unclean", tinning will sure work that out. Most of the time, with new/clean track and wire, I have not found it necessary to tin them - but would certainly not advise against doing so (you can't go wrong).
I picked up a pencil like wire brush from micromart to clean track I am re-using, It gets the weathering right off, and works fine. Also, I should have mentioned in my original post that a clean iron is a MUST. Especially when using flux, my iron builds up black "crud", which inhibits heat transfer (think warped frying pan). Also, the tip will periodically develop a notch in the end, apparently the result of flux as well. Soooo, I find that touchup with a fine file before each use is a good practice. Butttt, do so when it is cold!
Having been through a house fire in 1958 (I was 13 - lost all my clothes), I am extremely safety concious in that area and want to warn "newbies" that the soldering iron/process needs all the respect it can get.
Hey, ENJOY !!!!!
Some things that help maintain soldering irons:
First, most tips are clad, and filign them exposes the bare copper underneath which will oxidize VERY fast - if you're down to filign it to make it clean, it's time for a new tip.
When shutting down, give the tip a good coat of solder
One of the best things for cleaning the tip is a copper scrubby. It's sort of like steel wool but it's copper. My soldering station and stand came with one, bt I think you can find similar items in the store, made for cleanign copper pots (harder materials like steel would scratch it)
Re-tin the tip every time you fire up the iron. The tip should be nice and shiny at all times. After each joint I wipe it off on the copper pad and keep it shiny. If it starts to dull - wipe it down and re-tin.
Temperature control really helps. A plain old soldering iron just keeps heating and heating as long as it's plugged in. This will blacken and wear out the tip. A soldering station with temperature control stays at a set temperature and cycles the heating element on and off to maintain that temperature. This prevents the tip from overheating and wearing out as fast.
Use the right tool for the job. There is no one size fits all soldering tool. For fine wire and delicate electronics - 15-25 watts is plenty. For track - 40-50 watts is good. For heavy duty wires, break out the 150+ watt soldering gun. The little 15 watt unit that works so well on decoder wires and electronic components won't even be able to get #12 bus wire hot enough to properly solder on a feeder wire. The 150 watt gun that makes quick work of the bus wire would melt most electronic components.
Mobilman, I am glad you mentioned cleaning the rail. Always make sure the rail is clear of all oil, paint, etc. before trying to solder. After using Micro Mark's wire brush it would not hurt to use a Q-Tip with alcohol or other solvent to remove grease, etc.
My main reason for tinning the rail and wire before actually joining them is to reduce the amount of heat that need to be applied to the rail. Using the minimal time applying heat to the rail lessens the chance of the plastic ties melting. Tinning the rail without the wire being involved can be done in a shorter amount of time.
After both the rail and the wire are tinned the wire is held in contact with the rail and heat is applied to the wire. As soon as enough heat is transfered from the wire to the rail to melt the solder on the rail, the iron is removed. The minimum amount of heat is applied to the rail, preventing the plastic ties from melting.
..... Bob
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I reject your reality and substitute my own. (Adam Savage)
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