best way to join track across sections/modules?

[robengland]

As you may have seen on other threads, I am building a shelf layout around the study walls, at about 50" or more. I want to make it sectional so that i can take a piece down to work on anything messy or tricky without having to balance on a stool and cover everything below (and of course so it will move with me when we change houses).

I've seen modules or sections where the rail was joined in a number of ways:
-just secure the track well (eg soldered to screwheads) and have it butt across the gap
- butted but with a railjoiner to slide across
-a 3" section of unattached flextrack to bridge the gap
-unbroken track and just cut it off when it is time to move: good for more permanent arrangements but this one isn't going to work for me

I'm going to be dismantling a section more often than those who move house but less often than display layouts for shows. Any thoughts on these techniques, or others I missed, for my situation?

[UPJohn]

Rob

You could probably use a three inch piece of flextrack. Although this cannot be ballasted. It will provide smoother running compared to two sections butted up against each other. Ntrak uses a small piece of flextraxk or sectional track to span the gap between modules and clamps to hold each module securely together. What scale are you modeling? Are you new to the hobby?

John

[randybc2003]

Our Modular club builds track to within 4-1/2 inches of the edge of the layout. Then we slip a piece of Atlas Snap-track in the 9" gap. Slide the railjoiners onto the module rail with a bit of the "rail spikes & tie plates" cut back so the joiners will go full length onto the module, and then can be pushed onto the bridge track after alignment is made. The longer 9" makes a smoother tansition from one module to the next. Works fine for us.
Randy

[NZRMac]

I've just done a removeable bridge onto a straight section along a wall. I just used the butt the two sections together method. It lines up perfectly because of woodwork under the bench. I had to shim one side to get vertical alignment.

Ken.

[selector]

Rob, I would favour the butt-end solution. If you really expect to move it seldom, after a few initial and close-set imes when you are scenicking and fiddling with it, then it will effectively be a semi-permanent set-up as far as you are concerned. When you need to remove it, it should take maybe five minutes at most...right?

So, go with Ken's solution, but also go ahead and solder the joins. It only needs a light bridge of solder to do the trick, so it will be an easy job. And, when you need to get it out of there, it will take a simple reverse of the operation with a hot, clean iron. Touch the solder, and lift. That simple. The solder will give you a positive connection and will be easily maintained.

[orsonroy]

Two layouts ago, I had a completely sectional layout. I found that short lengths of rail only worked well for me. I'd lay ties all the way to the edge so as not to wind up with the conventional modular connection sections of unballasted track. My rail lengths were less than 2" long, so they wouldn't flex out of gauge at the joints.

[johncolley]

Check out the spec's for Free-mo modules: 2" fitters are used with the joiners on both ends of the fitter rails. Any minor misalignment is split between the 2 ends of the fitters and is therefore quite forgiving. Be sure to notch out any ties in the 1" setbacks to clear the joiners. The fitters float.

[Jetrock]

I use 6" Atlas sectional track sections between my modules, using standard rail joiners to hold them in place--this track is not ballasted. It doesn't look aesthetically perfect but it is very reliable and I never have derailments across that section. Power is supplied from track on either module so power is generally not an issue as long as I have the two modules C-clamped together.

On some of my modules I won't have room for the 6" section and may have to use smaller bits of track, but I figure the principles of connection will be about the same.

[Anonymous]

David Barrow used short pieces of rail in his modular project layout in MR a few years back.

So there were handlaid ties, with a couple short pieces of rail that you'd add/remove.

Looked pretty good in the pics.

[GDamen]

The common way building modules in Europe (Fremo-style) is putting messing screws in the profile of the module (heads end) and solder the track to it. Is rock solid and gives no problems as long as you work secure.

Using Peco-track:


Using Marklin - K track




Gino

[mcouvillion]

Rob,

I've tried the 9" sections, rail to the end, and now 2" drop-in sections for the club layout. I think the 9" sections look terrible and would never do that on my own layout. One club brought the rail ends to the edge of the table and aligned them (with or without rail joiners) and electrical connections were underneath. Worked great but was susceptible to coming "unzipped" when moved if the rail got caught on anything. For essentially a permanent layout where moving sections is an infrequent event, I personally would go this route. For the existing club, we went with 2" sections of Atlas Snap Track, so that only 1" of non-scenicked track was on the end of each module. This keeps the rail far enough from the edge that the chance of catching it is greatly reduced. It is not that bad, aesthetically. And, since the section is so short, there is no chance that a small engine will stall there, as could happen on a 9" section. I had proposed using bare rail, as Orsonroy mentioned, so that the ballast and ties went all the way to the edge, but it was more expedient to use the Snap Track sections. To make them flexible, trim the plastic under the rails from between the ties on one rail only. If there is a little bit of curvature, it is easy to adjust the 2" section. Lay the track by starting with the 2" section and temporarily nailing it centered across the gap, and building your track from it, then removing it. Whatever method you use, make it something you are comfortable with and is easy to repair. On the club layout, one "rule" was that there would always be at least 1"-2" minimum of sacrificial track from the edge and a turnout (the turnout was never the last section of track to the edge), so that turnouts never got damaged. It is easy and cheap to replace short sections of flex track. Turnouts are another matter.

Good Luck.

Mark C.

[Don Gibson]

QUOTE: Originally posted by robengland

As you may have seen on other threads, I am building a shelf layout around the study walls, at about 50" or more. I want to make it sectional so that i can take a piece down to work on anything messy or tricky without having to balance on a stool and cover everything below (and of course so it will move with me when we change houses).

I've seen modules or sections where the rail was joined in a number of ways:
-just secure the track well (eg soldered to screwheads) and have it butt across the gap
- butted but with a railjoiner to slide across
-a 3" section of unattached flextrack to bridge the gap-unbroken track and just cut it off when it is time to move: good for more permanent arrangements but this one isn't going to work for me

I'm going to be dismantling a section more often than those who move house but less often than display layouts for shows. Any thoughts on these techniques, or others I missed, for my situation?

Since wood absorbs moisture it is bad pratice to have rail gaps on top of wood gaps. Module Club's use floating 3" atlas track sections with rail joiners connecting modules, and short electrical 'jumper' cable's underneath to connect 'Buss' wires. They also use 'leveler's on leg's and sometimes sliding dead bolt's to keep table's aligned. This latter, I don't think you'll need. Sheet rock screws will suffice, if they are put in when the table top's are aligned while clamped.
David Barrow recomend's leveler's, sheet rock screw's, AND jumper's for his 'DomIno's'.

David goes a step further recommending expensive 'Cabinet grade' ply for tops, to minimize warpage. You'll see what he means when placing two section's together.
No two pieces are exactly the same.

[robengland]

Wow, thanks folks for all the feedback.

I think I'm leaning towards butted joins with the track soldered to screwheads, or perhaps a solder join across the gap (the two techniques being incompatible). So long as there is very positive keying between the end plates of each section I think it will be OK. I hear you Don re warpage, but the railway is in my study not the basement, and I'll use marine-grade ply, so I think it will be cool.

I've heard of using door hinges as the alignment device: one hinge plate on each side and pull the hinge pin to disconnect. If you used two good-quality hinges per join at right angles to each other (one on the base near the back, one on the front fascia), that sounds like a good system to me.

[Texas Zepher]

QUOTE: Originally posted by robengland
I've heard of using door hinges as the alignment device: one hinge plate on each side and pull the hinge pin to disconnect. If you used two good-quality hinges per join at right angles to each other (one on the base near the back, one on the front fascia), that sounds like a good system to me.

This is the scheme I use where I had bunches (5 or 6) of tracks crossing between modules. I connected the modules and laid the track on it. Then I cut the track at the joint. It works well, but 1. make certain you get steel hinges not brass. Brass bends to easily. 2. Reguardless of how carefule one is the butt ends of the tracks eventually get bumped, damaged, and ripped easily. I finally ended up making end caps to protect them while not assembled. 3. You will have an ugly hinge pin poking up over the edge of the layout

The bad part of this scheme is that unless you have some way to precision engineer the modules and hinges the layout modules will only go together one way. Sounds like this won't be a problem for your planned usage. But for others that may be reading this FYI, modules with just the two standard tracks that I want to arrange in any order I use the 4.5" gap on the end of each module. Instead of using a fixed 9" straight I use flex track. That way it has some "give" in case the modules are clamped together too tightly. The "jumper" track flexes instead of stressing the track mounted on the module. At a public show, No one notices the jumper track doesn't have ballast or close up weeds. If the layout was going to be set up on a more permanent basis one could put temporary ballast around these. Redoing 9" of ballast per track per module is a trival price to pay for an easy move.