Track expansion

[cacole]

To answer your question about the real railroads and continuous rail, they have a machine that heats the rail to the highest temperature that is expected for that particular locale, before it is spiked down. Then they leave expansion/contraction joints every 500 feet or so.

[Anonymous]

live in outer space its not that difficult all you have to do is spend a few billion to get your layout into orbit and hay presto (you'd need sheilding from the sun thou)

[Anonymous]

You would have to stop all changes in temp and humidity. not a vaible option. Depending on where you live this may not be a problem.
Andrew Miller

[Anonymous]

can you stop it altogheter

[nfmisso]

QUOTE: Originally posted by profWG

Flex-trak rails sometimes want to pop out of their little "spikes" and demoli***hemselves as things hot up.

This is caused, not be the rails expanding, but by the plastic expanding faster than the rails. I addition to the gaps mentioned above, you are probably going to need to add some regular old fashion spikes. I would suggest Micro Engineering.

You may also want to avoid straight sections on your layout, use a series of gentle S curves instead and allow them to float to take up the expansion and contraction.

[Anonymous]

i thought it was both

[IRONROOSTER]

QUOTE: Originally posted by profWG

.... How do the real railroads handle this with continuous track?

According to my book Railway Maintaince by Brian Solomon, when properly installed (doesn't say how) the rail expands in width, not length. It also says that it is inspected regularly.
Enjoy
Paul

[Anonymous]

Check out this thread. It discuses what you are asking about. you should find it interesting.
Andrew Miller

[Anonymous]

You need to leave small gaps between the rails in order to allow for the rails' expansion when it gets warm. Rail expanding in warm weather was actually the cause of some real trains derailing because the ingineers didn't plan the gaps big enough.

[Anonymous]

In desert climates some of us N-gagers have to resort to having our layouts in garages or on patios. This means temperature changes from 35 F in the winter to 115+ in the summer. Flex-trak rails sometimes want to pop out of their little "spikes" and demoli***hemselves as things hot up. Anyone out there wih experience/ideas as to how to avoid this? How do the real railroads handle this with continuous track?