best way to widen guage ho,code 100?

[mikebonellisr]

On one of my 24" curves of cd100 atlas,flex track,it seems to be a little "snug" which causes some of my steam engines to slow down a bit,and if I'm going slow enough,causes some to even stop.I laid the track using baumgarten 24" guages.I did notice that even trying to slide the guage through the curve,it jambs a bit.If I leave the guage between the rail,would I be able to heat the rails with a soldering iron and force the outside rail out just a hair without melting the plastic "spikes"?...Is there another/better way?

[cacole]

I've never heard of anyone needing to widen the gauge of Atlas flex track, especially not on a large radius curve like you have. The only suggestion I can make to you would be to try a different, better brand of track, such as Peco or Shinohara, and see if they suffer from the same problem when bent around a curve.

If this jamming is at a rail joint, that is a common problem if you don't solder your rail joints while the track is still straight, and then bend it around the curve. Trying to solder track joints after the track is formed into a curve usually results in poor rail joints which tend to have a kink in them, or the track gets out of gauge.

[dinwitty]

its been a practice on the RR's to widen guage on curves a tad, especially for multi-wheel trucks.
especially for steamers, flex trak may be prone to narrowing due to the interconnected ties forcing a wee narrowing.

[mikebonellisr]

cacole....I just double checked and the bind IS at a soldered joint.The problem seems to have something to do with the fact that the joints are in line with each other.I must have been having a senior moment when i laid that section because I always off-set the rail joints....well,almost always.Thank You,..It was annoying me,trying to get the engines to crawl through that section.The time that I've spent fiddeling with it,I could have re-laid,soldered,wired and weathered that section 2 or 3 times

[cjcrescent]

Also if the track is nailed to the roadbed, and the nail has bent the tie down, this can narrow the gauge suficiently to cause problems.

[bogp40]

Once you have solved the trouble spot at the solder joint, I would recommend a few additional spikes- not track nails- and ballast that section to stop movement. If you used track nails in the ties, see that they are not distorting the ties also affecting gauge a bit.
Bob K.

[retsignalmtr]

when you relay your flex track remember to put the sliding rail to the outside of the curve. if you put it to the inside it may tighten up on the gauge. i also try not to put joints in the middle of a curve. if you have to, solder the sections together before laying the track.