Question: How to file a track joint?

[CSXDixieLine]

I have built a test layout in n-scale with an oval of track. One of the soldered flex track joints has an uneven bump in it--one section of track is higher than the one it is joined to. It is hardly noticable with the naked eye but enough in n-scale to cause some poor performance when locos cross over it. I need to file this joint smooth, but I have never actually done any track filing before. Can someone provide info as to how I do this? What kind/types of files do I need to use? I want to do this the right way instead of just diving in and possibly making things worse. Thanks, Jamie

[Medina1128]

I have built a test layout in n-scale with an oval of track. One of the soldered flex track joints has an uneven bump in it--one section of track is higher than the one it is joined to. It is hardly noticable with the naked eye but enough in n-scale to cause some poor performance when locos cross over it. I need to file this joint smooth, but I have never actually done any track filing before. Can someone provide info as to how I do this? What kind/types of files do I need to use? I want to do this the right way instead of just diving in and possibly making things worse. Thanks, Jamie

Hmmm, I'd file "track joint" under "T", but that's just me.

Actually, I do what was already suggested. Heat the joint with your iron, then push the higher rail down with a screwdriver, then while still pressing it down, remove the iron. If you insist on filing it, you can create more headaches. The small scratches in the rail will attract dirt, unless, after filing it you sand it. Finish sand it with 600 or 1200 grit sandpaper.

[CSXDixieLine]

Why not heat up the joint with your iron and fix it?

David B 

So you are assuming my soldering skills are better than my filing skills?

Actually, I had thought of that but figured it would do more harm than good. But now that you have said it, I feel like I should be sent to the corner!

[dstarr]

Use a fine file, the single cut ones are good.  First file the cut end of the rail to make it flat and square.  Then give a stroke or two to the top and sides to file off any burr resultng from the cutting of the rail.  Do this BEFORE joining the rail. 

  After joining the rail run your fingers over the joint to check for rough spots, burrs and such.  Don't solder the joint until it feels smooth to the touch.

Don't file straight across the track, the force of the file may pull the rail out of the ties.  File lengthwise, or at least catty corner, not straight across.

Fileing can smooth small bumps, but don't go so far as to file away the rail head completely.

 

 

[PA&ERR]

I have built a test layout in n-scale with an oval of track. One of the soldered flex track joints has an uneven bump in it--one section of track is higher than the one it is joined to. It is hardly noticable with the naked eye but enough in n-scale to cause some poor performance when locos cross over it. I need to file this joint smooth, but I have never actually done any track filing before. Can someone provide info as to how I do this? What kind/types of files do I need to use? I want to do this the right way instead of just diving in and possibly making things worse. Thanks, Jamie

Hmmm, I'd file "track joint" under "T", but that's just me.

Dang! Beat me to it!

-George

[yankee flyer]

I have built a test layout in n-scale with an oval of track. One of the soldered flex track joints has an uneven bump in it--one section of track is higher than the one it is joined to. It is hardly noticable with the naked eye but enough in n-scale to cause some poor performance when locos cross over it. I need to file this joint smooth, but I have never actually done any track filing before. Can someone provide info as to how I do this? What kind/types of files do I need to use? I want to do this the right way instead of just diving in and possibly making things worse. Thanks, Jamie

I use a dimond file that is in a plastic handle about 3" long by 3/4" wide. It is about the courseness of a FINE whet stone.I love it.

good luck

Lee

[Blue Flamer]

All the above recommendations are assuming that both ends of your rail are correctly installed in the track joiner and that your track base is Dead Level and does not have a bit of a bump or dip on one side or the other of the joint. Don't ask me how I know, , but it was in my early days of 'N' Scale BEFORE I learned to fill  and sand down my sub-base and sand my roadbed smooth. Now, I use the old carpenters Golden Rule. Measure twice. Cut once. But in the case of Model Railroading it's, check all joints twice and solder once. VERY QUICKLY.

Blue Flamer. 

[robert sylvester]

Pasadena Sub:

What I have to say may go against the recommendations but, after thirty or more years in this hobby I have done things along the way as I experiment.  First, as has been said make sure the rail is inserted into the rail joiner properly.  I say this only because I have missed this simple mistake many times; to be concerned about an uneven joint only to find out the rail is sitting on top of the rail joiner.

Many of my joints are soldered, leaving some without, inorder for the track to expand and contract when it needs to do so. I tried filing, sand paper, even hitting the joint with a hammer (don't recommend that); in the end I have found that if I use my Dremel tool with a very fine grinder and run it across the joint until both ends of the track are level and smooth works out fine. The grit on the grinder is so small that I don't see any scarring in the track.  Then I will heat the ends of the rail at the joint and tin the top of the rails with a thin layer of solder.  Again, I will use the grinding wheel on the Dremel to smooth the surface.  The gap between the rails will usually fill in with solder and I will have a smooth and conected joint.

Rob Sylvester

WTRR

  the

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I use a fine flat file and file the section in question diagonally, never straight across, until the joint is smooth.

[doctorwayne]

If the "bump" is big enough to cause derailments, it sounds as if the one rail is sitting atop the rail joiner, rather than in it.  Not much required in the way of "soldering skills" to fix this:  use the iron to heat the joint, then push the joiner completely onto the rail that it's already partially on, using the tip of a small screwdriver.  Push the "high" rail-end down, reheat, then use the screwdriver to slide the joiner onto it.

Wayne 

[R. T. POTEET]

If the "bump" is big enough to cause derailments, it sounds as if the one rail is sitting atop the rail joiner, rather than in it.  Not much required in the way of "soldering skills" to fix this:  use the iron to heat the joint, then push the joiner completely onto the rail that it's already partially on, using the tip of a small screwdriver.  Push the "high" rail-end down, reheat, then use the screwdriver to slide the joiner onto it.

Wayne 

I have had "bumps" big enough to cause derailments and the cause is usually one rail sitting atop the rail joiner. I don't ever remember encountering this problem in HO-Scale but it happens occasionally in N-Scale. To the best of my knowledge I have always spotted this before soldering; In an attempt to forestall troubles I always run a finger over every rail joint before soldering. Although Micro Engineering has outstanding quality control I do occasionally find a slight difference in rail height which creates a slight bump; when I detect this situation I give the errant joint about three swipes with a coarse flat needle file followed by a couple of swipes with a fine flat needle file. That usually does the job! I finish up with a polish with an emory board.

Now, every one who has ever been guilty of sloppy soldering raise their right hand! Did everyone notice that my hand went up first? I did an awful lot of soldering during my Air Force career and one would suppose that I would be near perfect in soldering procedures. Perhaps that statement should have read: I did a lot of awful soldering during my Air Force career and I do come up with sloppy solder joints. When I do sloppy soldering I desolder the joint, resolder, and, since few resoldering jobs render the joint absolutely smooth, I repeat the correcting procedures outlined in the previous paragraph. 

Even then I can still have troubles. At one location on a layout you could see the cars shudder as they passed over a soldered rail joint. The passing cars were recording a reading of "rough"; my fingers were returning a reading of "smooth". It turned out my problem was gauging at that joint so I desoldered, layed a couple of MLR soldering tools down to insure proper gauging, and resoldered the joint; I went through the filing techniques outlined in paragraph one and that did the job.

[Don Gibson]

The same code /same  track should make a smooth transition via a rail joiner.

Soldering should not be necessary, plus any solder 'bump' should scrape off easily with a 'brite-boy' abrasive eraser, since it's soft metal .

IF your 'bump' is due to misaligned rail, filing is not the answer - re-alignment is. If a 'mistake' has been soldered over (I do not know your skills), you will have to remove the solder to re-do the joint a la Dr. Wayne.

Connecting 2 rail ends thrue a rail joiner sometimes takes careful eyeballing . Filing may not be the answer if one rail "is higher than the other". I SUSPECT joint assembly is your problem.

 

[don7]

The same code /same  track should make a smooth transition via a rail joiner.

Soldering should not be necessary, plus any solder 'bump' should scrape off easily with a 'brite-boy' abrasive eraser, since it's soft metal .

IF your 'bump' is due to misaligned rail, filing is not the answer - re-alignment is. If a 'mistake' has been soldered over (I do not know your skills), you will have to remove the solder to re-do the joint a la Dr. Wayne.

Connecting 2 rail ends thrue a rail joiner sometimes takes careful eyeballing . Filing may not be the answer if one rail "is higher than the other". I SUSPECT joint assembly is your problem.

 

I must be unlucky then, as I have several track pieces that needed to be filed to ensure a smooth transition. The rail were positioned in the rail joiners properly.  This is not a common occurrence but it does happen.

[CSXDixieLine]

This joint had worked fine for about a year; I have been noticing the problems as of the last few weeks. I can say the rail is correctly seated in the joinr; I suppose something has expanded/contracted to cause the joint to become misaligned. I believe I will try the resoldering solution to see if that corrects the problem. I will use the techniques described in the highly informative track soldering thread that was going a few weeks ago. Will report any results as I get this thing fixed. Jamie

EDIT: Also, the joint is not causing any derailments, but is significant enough to cause a loco to stutter as it goes across.

[Don Gibson]

Don 7: 

I KNOW RAIL IS EXTRUDED, and tolerances - or lack of same - comes into play, but are you joining two different brands of rail?

I can't believe that any manufacture would allow rail to leave the shop - with any two rail ends  not mating in a joiner.

WHOSE are you using?

Pasadena sub:

I know that rail can expand with running,- but same question. Oh, you 'solder joints.  May be your problem. ???   Solder is soft & 'sqeezable'.

[fwright]

The same rail code from different manufacturers can have different base widths and web cross sections, as well as different rail head widths.  The rail code defines only the rail height.

Different manufacturers have different design "tightness" for their rail joiners.  MicroEngineering is known for a very tight fit, while Atlas is probably the loosest fit.

Putting it all together, you may have to "open" or "tighten" a rail joiner to get a decent fit.  Keep in mind, rail joiners, if not soldered, loosen over time as the track works from the various loads, including but not limited to the trains.

Rail joiners are not essential items in the smaller scales.  Rail joiners are one method to provide mechanical alignment and electrical continuity between rail sections.  There are other methods that work well - prebending and spiking rail with feeders to each rail piece is but one.

yours in trackwork

Fred W

[JulesB]

I build turnouts using micro rail and Atlas Flex for trackwork.

Atlas joiners fit loosly on Micro rail. I put a piece of plastic or a wooden tie under one or the other and sometimes a little waight on the opposite rail. When it feels good to my finger test I solder the joints with my resistance unit. comes out fine every time. Going to try a short piece of Atlas flex in the jig to check the fit, maybe stripping the ties and using it would result in a more robust turnout/ joint??

Jules

 

[CSXDixieLine]

Thanks to everyone for all the help on this topic! Just wanted to follow-up and share the final resolution to this problem. Here is a diagram showing what I was dealing with:

This was a soldered joint that had performed well for about a year but somehow came out of alignment. Expansion of the Homasote roadbed caused by recent unusually high humidity is my guess. Thanks to the info provided above, I was able to desolder the joint, mechanically realign the joint, tighten the rail joiner and re-solder the joint. Trains now run flawlessly across this spot. Thanks again!

Jamie

[MisterBeasley]

Thanks for following up with your solution, and particularly for the diagram of the problem.  This picture is truly worth a thousand words.  It should be required viewing for all those engaged in Track Laying 101, just to show even experienced modellers what can happen even when you do everything right.

From the diagram, everyone should notice that "a little filing" would not really be the solution.  When I've had any kind of mis-alignment or kinking at a track joint, I've always found that the right answer, in fact the only answer, is to re-do the trackwork and stop wasting time with so-called quick fixes.  Your trains will thank you for it.