Login
or
Register
Subscriber & Member Login
Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!
Login
Register
Home
»
Model Railroader
»
Forums
»
General Discussion (Model Railroader)
»
How many feeders?
Edit post
Edit your reply below.
Post Body
Enter your post below.
[quote]QUOTE: <i>Originally posted by Blind Bruce</i> <br /><br />Mark, <br />Even stranded wire will "wick" solder and cause the feeder to be stiff enough to flex the rail. This alone would stop me from using material on hand as it were. How do you, or propose to do, the installation of the track through the roadbed and sub-roadbed, without bending the rail? <br />BB <br />[/quote] <br /> <br />Its easy. Simply drill a hole through the whole mess directly under where the feeder is installed. Stuff the feeder down through roadbed. subroadbed, etc. Out of sight, out of mind. The feeder is trained so that it helps hold the rail in place. No strain is placed on the feeder to cause the rail to twist or flex. <br /> <br />As for the need to keep plenty of slack in the joiners for track expansion and contraction, I firmly believe this is an urban myth. Of more concern is the expansion and contraction of the layout under the track due to the changes in relative humidity. The coefficient of expansion of the track is so low that it should never be an issue. If you're having problems with yout layout shifting around with the weather, then you need to make allowances or fix it. I don't anticipate any due to my construction design and location. <br /> <br />Those that are worried about solder causing corrosion should be very worried about their plumbing, if they have copper plumbing in their home. It's a non issue. Leaving flux all over the thin wires on the layout could be an issue though. Wash it off. Even rosin flux is a problem. Clean it off too. <br /> <br />Soldered connections are not a friction fit connection. Solder reacts with the metal surface that it's bonded to creating an amalgam. This is a very strong connection. I've seen soldered connections that coul literally be used to pull trucks (Fords, Chevys don't need to be pulled). When was the last time you heard of a soldered water pipe pulling apart? <br /> <br />I agree that most nickel-silver joiners, when used on a nickel-silver track should provide good service. Because you're using very similar metals the risk of galvanic corrosion is low. The joiner also flexes a little when applied, helping to maintain a positive pressure connection to the rail. It's not fool proof, but it's decent. <br /> <br />I solder the joiner for two resons: <br /> <br />1. To improve the electrical connection. <br /> <br />2. To improve the mechanical connection and render the rail into an effective continuous rail. <br /> <br />I believe that the biggest problem for successful DCC operation is not voltage support, but transients and intermittent voltage on the tracks. I strongly suspect that the decoders lack any decent error correcting ability, and hence can go nutso in a heart beat. My philosophy on feeders and joiners is to address that problem. <br /> <br />Mark in Utah E.E., P.E.
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag
Update Reply
Subscriber & Member Login
Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!
Login
Register
Users Online
There are no community member online
Search the Community
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter
See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter
and get model railroad news in your inbox!
Sign up