Laying track, how often to solder

[doctorwayne]

Obviously a lot of ways to do this.  

I solder all rail joiners and use only the single pair of wires coming off the power source - no bus wire, no feeders, no problems in over 15 years. 

My layout is in an unheated basement, with about 200' of mainline in-service.

[donhalshanks]

I hand laid my track and soldered feeders to every run of rail, on the outside of the rail.  I did not solder the joiners, and left a small gap.

Hal

[selector]

The logically most efficient way to do this is to only use feeders between any two lengths of flex track, and leave a gap at each end...unless you really should use one at either end of that soldered length.  A curve would be an example.

But, as the schematic below suggests, you minimize soldering and you maximize electrical feed by soldering two and soldering a feeder to that joiner at the same time.  That way, the power only ever has to run a maximimum of three feet along the rails.   Because you have so many sliding joiners or gaps, you allow for expansion.

=======0===========X============0============X============0=============X=====

The"0"s are the gaps, or they could represent non-fed joiners....your choice as seems best, and the X's are the soldered joiners to which a feeder has also been soldered.

Crandell

[CraigN]

The rule of thumb- Don't rely on rail joiners to conduct electricity.

That being said, many will solder all or most joints and drop feeders every so many feet.

I personally don't solder any rail joiners, I leave small gaps for expansion and contraction .

I solder feeders to each section of track. I use more wire that way but that is my choice.

Neither way is wrong so you choose.

Craig

[Train Modeler]

I solder joints on curves and make sure the inside and outside rails are not near the same tie location, but seperated by a couple of inches.     I don't solder every joint as expansion/contraction are necessary.      Definitely solder joints where access in the future may be difficult, such as tunnels, bridges, etc.  

I have used DCC for about 5 years with feeders about every 15 feet and have not had any problems.    Of course going through turnouts you may have more, depends on how you want your power routed and I do it differently depending on the turnout I use and what it is connected to track wise.     

Richard

[Motley]

Yep like Rich, I also solder each and every joint. I've had no problems with electrical conductivity. And when you solder every joint, you don't need as many feeder wires. I have feeders about every 8' to 10'.

I just drill small holes next to the outside rails. I solder the feeder wires to the outside rail. And then I close the hole with latex caulk.

[richhotrain]

It would be ideal to solder every rail joint, but then you inhibit expansion and contraction of the rails.

A sure fire alternative is to avoid soldering rail joints altogether.  Instead, solder a feeder wire to the bottom of each rail for each piece of track.

But, hey, I don't follow my own advice.  I just solder the rail joints on curves and drop feeders every 6 feet everywhere else.

Rich

[wabash2800]

The general rule that I use and have come across from other sources is to solder rail joiners only on curves and allow the other rails to creep with the fluctuation of temperature and humidity. Generally, the wood benchwork and sub roadbed will expand in the summer and contract in the winter. You can minimize this by keeping the humidity down. I use a dehumidifier in all seasons other than in the winter. I also monitor the humidity and try to keep it about 50%.

For curves, if you use flex track like that made by Atlas, make sure the sliding rails are all on the same side (preferably inside) and solder a couple of sections together before you lay the track.

If you are using DCC (and sound)  it is more important than ever to solder feeders often. I do every piece of track even those soldered  at the rail joiners. I use powered, gapped frogs on my hand built Fast Tracks turnouts and also solder feeders to the stock rails (that also provide the same polarity on the points) and the rails beyond the frog as not to have to rely on power from track attached to the turnout on both ends.

[woodman]

I am getting ready to lay my track, HO code 100, Atlas. Do I solder each and every joint and how often do I attach feeder wires to the track. Do I do this for every section or every 2-3 or more sections.