I have laid my track on Blaenau North (Mk 2) done all the electrics and locos are running far better than they did on the MK 1 version.
However, is there any way I can improve the running of locos over peco plastic insulated joints.
I have got the rails as tight as I can to each other without touching (the whole point of the insulated fishplate !) but there is still quite a bump on most of my locos as they go across.
I was wondering whether filing down the rail ends would help ?
Thanks
Bob B.
Rather than filling the rail ends, fill the gap with a smear of milliput and when dry file and sand it to match the profile of the rail.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Darren.
Blimey Darren I wish I had thought of that !
Bob.
The traditional method is to sandwich a small piece of styrene (usually 15 or 20 thou) between the rail ends, fixing in place with super glue when laying the track and. When set the styrene is carved and filed to match the rail profile.
Personally I prefer to use the insulated fish plates as they help to keep the rails aligned either side of the gap.
Regards,
Darren.
Using glue to reinforce a join isn't a bad idea.
Bumping over an insulated join may be due to tension in the adjoining rails. If they are sprung on a curve and tend to splay or if they are otherwise misaligned (vertically), the insulated joiners won't correct that as well as a metal one will, since the plastic is, well, plastic...
The problem cannot always be avoided without extra measures. There are more ways than one to produce a well aligned join that is strong enough. I sometimes put a small brass nail next to both adjoining rails and I solder them to it so the join stays aligned. In other cases I use a piece of copper clad board for the same purpose, gapping the copper between the rails.
Ted beat me to it!
All the rail on the layouts I have was pre-bent before it was laid so there is no tension in the joints. However even with this there are times when a well placed brass nail or small screw soldered to the rail is needed to get perfect alignment. This is easy to do with a
Ted, Brian.
I quite agree that some sort of physical anchor is required at some rail joints and baseboard joints in particular but personal experience has shown that it is not essential at every joint.
However, generally speaking I have always managed to avoid sharp radius curves on my layouts. The new layout is the exception and has a 9 inch radius curve on the mainline to enable the fiddleyard to be attached at 90 degrees to the layout. This was partially constructed using a jig on the workbench to solder the inside rail to evenly spaced copper clad sleepers of the correct width/length/thickness. this 'half track' was then transferred to the layout, curved to radius using a 9 inch tracksetta and pinned. The second (outside) rail was then soldered to the sleepers using brass roller gauges to set the correct gauge.
The main reason for using hand laid track on this section was due to a need to avoid all tension and spring in the rails. The baseboards for this layout were constructed using 2 inch thick foam insulation board and therefore pins won't hold flexi track in place as it will always want to straighten out to some degree or other. And yes, I know you can glue it down but you still have to hold in place by some means while the glue sets.
Anyway, I think we might be wandering off topic slightly.
Regards,
Darren.
I'm lucky in that I have no joints on curves - I don't have any curves !
Tried the Milliput and it has worked fine.
However I have the problem with gapping over an uninsulated joint where I couldn't get the 2 rail ends together. I was proposing to fill the gap with solder and then file it down.
Bob
Filling with solder, gapping and filing down won't help if you haven't cured the cause of the misalignment. I would suggest using a piece of copper clad PCB under the joint, solder the rails to gauge and make a new gap in the PC board.
Quote from: berryr99 on January 30, 2014, 19:33
gapping over an uninsulated joint where I couldn't get the 2 rail ends together
Do you mean that the 2 meeting rails are short and therefore there is a gap between the ends within the fishplate? If so, how big is the gap, and are they joined using a regular nickel silver fishplate? Are the rail ends alligned correctly on both the vertical and horizontal planes?
Darren.
I hope you don't mind me interrupting your query.
If I make a rail gap, on a straight section all I need to do is lay the track on the flat baseboard, then cut it using a slitting disc in the minidrill, or a Roco track saw. I often put in some superglue so the rail ends don't shift over time.
A gap in sharply curved track is different. If I need 9ins radius curves or similar, I often use sectional track. I then replace one of the joiners with a plastic one. The new Peco setrack should be useful for this method.
An unsupported gap (including one with a plastic joiner) on a curve in springy flexible track is asking for trouble, unless you fix the rail ends by artificial means as I outlined before. I'd put in a patch of PC board under the gap, solder the rail on before gapping it, then gap it including the copper on the PC board. That will ensure your rail gap is properly aligned.
Darren/Ted,
"Do you mean that the 2 meeting rails are short and therefore there is a gap between the ends within the fishplate? If so, how big is the gap, and are they joined using a regular nickel silver fishplate? Are the rail ends alligned correctly on both the vertical and horizontal planes?"
Its exactly as above, not on a curve and its where I couldn't quite get the ends together. Everything is aligned and the gap is about 2mm.
Thanks for all the help
Bob B.
The simple question is why is the rail too short Bob?
2mm is really too long for a dead section of track and it may well cause locos to stall at slow speeds.
The solution to your problem is simple. Fit a section of rail that is the correct length!
Obviously you should always fully test the track before you add any ballast or scenery so it should be easy to remove it and fit another section of track.
Or if you do not want to waste the entire length of track then you could cut it down by a couple of inches and add in another section of the correct length with normal fishplates.
However if the track is glued down or you have already added the ballast without testing the track first (or worse knowing about the problem but not fixing it) this will be a lot harder to do.
As mentioned above I think it is well worth the time and effort to get 009 track absolutely perfect to avoid any future running problems. Unfortunately I have seen many very good looking 009 layouts spoilt with poor running due to errors in the track that the owners, for what ever reason are either unable or unwilling to sort out with the same loco stopping in the same place every time.
Brian Meldon
Brian - fair comment.
I'd say lack of experience/skills especially when building a loop with points at either end !
This is the Mk 2 version of the layout and all the lessons from Mk 1 were taken into account . The locos run well over all parts of the layout so I'm not trying to sort out a stalling problem.
At this stage the track has only been stuck down with PVA and will come up easily, there is no ballast yet - and I am still in testing so there would not be anything loss if I replaced a couple of pieces of rail which I am thinking might be a way round the issues
Again thanks to all for the advice
Bob B.