Do it yourself

[cheese3]

I got my friend to solder my rail joints together when i realized I should be doing this. I need some advice on how many watts are needed. I don't want to over do it.

[Anonymous]

I don't know which scale you are soldering so I'm sure the wattage would vary according to the size of the rail. However, a soldering iron with a built-in rheostat will handle anything you need as they generally go to 100 watts. I use one for my stained glass work and they are great. You could check eBay or delphiglass.com. I think I paid around $50 for mine but it is well made and will do whatever I want. I don't use it on PC boards though. HTH.

Karl

[Eriediamond]

Just about everyone has different opinions on this. Some use a soldering type pen, some use a soldering gun. I use a dual heat gun by Weller. Anyhow a good place to start would be your friend that did the soldering for you. He could help in showing you how to do it also. There are tricks to controling the heat and perhaps the hardest part about soldering rail joiners is applying too much heat or the right amount of heat for too long and melting or distorting the ties. Good luck, Ken

[Don Gibson]

SOLDERING JOINTS prevents rail expansion / contractioen from temprature changes = BAD!. Sometime when you find your layout with 'bowed 'rails, you'll find out why you want to leave expansion joints. It only takes once.

BETTER to use rail joiners to align and allow slippage, and under-table feeder wires to elecrify the track.

[Anonymous]

So it seems we are at the point of whether to solder or not? I would also have to say it would depend on the location of the layout as well. In the past I have used a 30 watt and also a 60 watt and used a tool from walthers 479-5005....

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Don Gibson

SOLDERING JOINTS prevents rail expansion / contractioen from temprature changes = BAD!. Sometime when you find your layout with 'bowed 'rails, you'll find out why you want to leave expansion joints. It only takes once.

BETTER to use rail joiners to align and allow slippage, and under-table feeder wires to elecrify the track.

Agreed. But one exception to this might be flex track sections used on a curve - soldering these together helps prevent kinks.

[cefinkjr]

QUOTE: Originally posted by KenLarsen

QUOTE: Originally posted by Don Gibson

SOLDERING JOINTS prevents rail expansion / contractioen from temprature changes = BAD!. Sometime when you find your layout with 'bowed 'rails, you'll find out why you want to leave expansion joints. It only takes once.

BETTER to use rail joiners to align and allow slippage, and under-table feeder wires to elecrify the track.

Agreed. But one exception to this might be flex track sections used on a curve - soldering these together helps prevent kinks.

[2c]
Maybe it would be best to solder curved flex track before installing it, allow it to take on the curved set, and then cut expansion joints if you think they are needed? My earlier post on another topic about soldering curved flex track before laying it was in reference to getting a smooth curve as Ken Larsen indicated above. After the track has been laid for a while (a few weeks, months?), you should be able to cut expansion joints in the curve. I believe I'd put a few spikes on either side of the intended joint before cutting it though.

If your railroad is in a temperature controlled environment, I don't believe you would really need expansion joints. OTOH, a railroad in a garage or out-building without full time temperature control here in Texas would definitely need expansion joints. I have known temperatures in my garage to exceed 130 degrees with 40+ degree swings in just a few hours pretty common.

As for feeders, the rule of thumb on our club railroad and other clubs I've been associated with is that EVERY piece of rail gets a feeder. Metal rail joiners are relied upon only for alignment of the rail at joints in tangent track.

Chuck