I'm quite ashamed of the attached photo but in my defence this part of the layout was built quite a long time ago....when I was just learning !
However I am now at the end of my (small set of) skills and would like some advice please:
1. I assume that the only way to fix this big gap is to take up the track section and start again - there's nothing I can do with it in situ ?
2. If I take it up all the other track has to come out with it because otherwise I can't get the fishplates back in - or am I missing a quicker way to do it ?
Thanks - I would appreciate your viewpoints and helpful assistance.
Bob
There is no need to take up all the track. I would cut both rails a few inches away to the right, using a Roco razor saw or a slitting disc on a Dremel. Take out the short pieces of rail and substitite new ones cut to size, and a piece of new sleeper mat.
Clean up all rail ends using some emery paper under the base of the rails, or a file if you can.
Slide two fishplates all the way on the new rails to connect to the track that was left in place, then slide them halfway across the gap once they are in place. The plastic fishplates on the point can stay in place. I use Fleischmann or Roco fishplates as these slide more easily than the Peco ones.
The only thing is that there looks to be a "step" from the point to the plain track, just lake a look at that before you relay to make sure everything is level.
I think that one problem here Bob is that you did not shorten the insulating fishplates.
When fitting these to the Peco points they are too long and need to be shortened by about 2mm.
As to a cure without lifting the track it will all depend on what you have built the track on. If it is
Oh this all looks frighteningly familiar! Those insulating fishplates, whilst a good idea, are a fair bit thicker than the ordinary ones and the top of the sleeper needs to be relieved to accept them - otherwise, as has happened here, the rail is forced up.
As Brian has said - there's no need to feel ashamed; we all start somewhere! I have a complete railway infested with some really AWFUL track joints which date back to my first tracklaying when I was 16 and I'm not proud of the fact that I've allowed them to persist :-[ - the only reason being that for some unknown reason, I get away with it. Most of the time. I eradicated three last year when I started regular running but there are still some real 'howlers' which I really should sort out. I've been tempted to post photos of them to show what NOT to do!
Thanks to Brian and Ted for your suggestions which I'll look at seriously for my own purposes!
Many thanks for all the suggestions and support which give me some hope !
Bob
Good show Bob! The only reason I haven't ripped up and relaid some lengths of track is simply because I get away with it and so long as the railway runs I've no desire to have a full Engineer's Possession which will halt all services! (For instance, gauge-narrowing on my small river bridge over the Nant Ffernol now causes some locos to grind their way around that curve and I really ought to take up and relay about 18" with the curve laid at about 9.2 or 9.3mm AND with a bit of cant!) Plus, as the rest of the line is 37 years one it would look far too new! It's all a legacy of designing the layout when I had nothing but Eggerbahn rolling stock!