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i have track gaps what should i do

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  • Member since
    April 2003
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i have track gaps what should i do
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, May 20, 2004 9:12 PM
i just finished nailing everything down and i noticed two little gaps that i think are cutting down some power[:(], is there anything i can do to maybe fill them in?
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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, May 20, 2004 9:36 PM
I've done that before. What I did was to pull a little of it back up and then I relayed a slightly longer peace of track. It fixed the problem. Sometimes I used flex track, other times I used fixed track. It just depended on where it was at on the layout and of how long a piece I needed to fix the problem. I've heard of some others filling their gaps with solder, but I figured that hey, it only took about 5 to 10 minutes to relay it right, plus by relaying it I spared myself of any future problems.

Georgia Boy
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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, May 20, 2004 9:42 PM
yea i might do that but the thing is i finished putting like the gravel ontop the tracks and its going to make such a mess after and i'll end up ripping like 4 other tracks as well
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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, May 20, 2004 10:58 PM
This works best on straight stretches. You take a peice of flex track and cut off a peice a litte smaller then the gap. Lay that peice in gap, line it up and solder it in place. Make sure everything is flush and your ready to run
Andy
  • Member since
    July 2002
  • From: Richardson, TX
  • 136 posts
Posted by trollw on Friday, May 21, 2004 10:08 AM
You can also cut a small piece of styrene and glue it in the gap, then file it to the rail shape. However, If I read your question closely, you want to fill it in because you think you are losing power across the gap. First, you really shouldn't be counting on the rail joiners to carry the current - if so, you are just buying future trouble. If the joiner is not soldered to both rails, you will eventually get corrosion between the joiner and the rail which will reduce the conductivity from one rail to the next. If the joiner is soldered to both rails then the gap should not be an issue for power loss. Regardless, you should REALLY be conducting power (current) around your layout by using heavy gauge wire (at least 18 ga. but larger as warranted by the layout size). Then run feeder wires from the main wire to EACH section of track (a section being defined as a continuous rail with no gaps).

John

Regards,

 John

 "You are what you eat," said a wise old man. Oh Lord, if it's true, I'm a garbage can.

  • Member since
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  • From: Crosby, Texas
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Posted by cwclark on Friday, May 21, 2004 10:12 AM
solder in the gap..or make it another block...[:D]

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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, May 21, 2004 11:43 AM
Originally posted by cwclark

solder in the gap....[:D]
[/quot
DITTO
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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, May 21, 2004 11:49 AM
wow![:D] i'll try all theis ideas can't hurt to try. if i solder the gaps its hard to get it right inside the gap. i like the wire idea i'm going to try that, idk what kinda or wire to use tho, if u have a pic or link to it that would be GREAT
  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: Boston
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Posted by Budliner on Friday, May 21, 2004 7:35 PM
I perchest a crossing and it came with tiny sections of rain and you slip it on the connector between two track sections it filled in for me nice

B -

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