Track over baseboard joints

[Mac Strong]

Going back to the original question I have over the years used - obviously same on both sides of the board break - the following
1. Brass screws one under each rail at the end of the baseboard. Advantages do not take up much room, height can be adjusted before soldering , can be desoldered and with a bit of work can be re adjusted.  Disadvantage, need good subsurface for screw to grip. Getting in right position can be fiddley
2. Copper clad sheet glued and nailed/screwed down. Advantages can go across more than one line at a time, wiring can be to the board instead of the track if need be, can be adjusted by desoldering. Disadvantages some types the copper clad lifts easily when soldered, remembering lots of gaps to be cut, dissipates lot of heat when soldering can be a nuisance.
3.O gauge copper clad sleepers on each line  Simple to lay glued and pinned down (I use impact adhesive and peco track pins) , wiring can be to sleeper, adjustable by desoldering. Disadvantage remember the gapping !
4. set the track into epoxy glue. Advantage does not move. Disadvantage does not move . This was a tried once and never again.
Have never tried a bridging piece of track.
Current choice is the copper clad sleepers on each line sometimes one sometimes two on each line. Also possible to use across both lines  where there are two lines close together - remember the additional gapping.

[Retiarius]

I use brass countersunk No.2 x 3/8

[Hobby]

to act as inter-board electrical connectors for the DCC supply rails.

I use mine as connectors for DC, though in my case they have built in nuts/bolts so don'[t need anything else to help electrical connectivity.

[B.Meldon]

Over the years I have found that absolute positive baseboard alignment pins etc. with no adjustment work ok when the layout is new, however over time I have found that the wood of the layouts tends to change shape over time making the rail joints uneven.
So, we have adopted another approach:
The last sleeper is a soldered copper-clad sleeper secured to the

[Graeme Dunbar]

That sounds a lot like the Fremo standards way of joining modules. I get the impression that it is very successful.
https://www.fremo-net.eu/en/modular-systems/h0-scale/h0-europe/h0e/module-der-huemmlinger-kreisbahn/

[Retiarius]

The baseboards I use are laser cut MDF by https://timhorn.co.uk. Die Keinnamebahn is now over 3 years old and I have had no problems with track over joints moving out of alignment, all my problems have been through not getting it perfect in the first place LOL  :)

[Stefan Krebs]

Yes, GreameD, nut & bolt in oversized holes as per B. Meldon is the preferred and most common method in Fremo. And it's fine if you have enough people around to join up connections. I also have seen module frames ripped apart with that method, if they are at an angle.
I'm certainly with Brian that practically all wood is likely to deform over time, and even though the risk is minimised with materials like MDF, chipboard and similar, it does happen to those as well if dampness is soaked up on one side only.
As an aside, I know that even the 'professionals' get it wrong: I know the Busch waterwheel transmission as a wooden Lasercut kit will stop working eventually due to warping. I wanted the kit as I was involved in building a 1:4 model of such a transmission, and we had serious problems in managing that issue in even in that scale: 4m wheel diameter, and about 25m run. We balanced the wheel with 25kg, but after the first winter had to add about 70kg!

This all is negligible if your layout is in a room with constant temperature and humidity, but is serious if your layout travels frequently (to shows etc.).
Building a base frame that compensates itself and doesn't warp is a finer art.

Plywood is the wood type least susceptible to warping and shrinkage.

If you decide to use pattern maker dowels or similar to get exact alignment of the frames you need to have a flexible or adjustable track alignment, e.g. a length of joining track or a 'slobber track' similar to a rerailer design.

Vice-versa, if you decide to butt-join your rails you either need the oversized hole solution as recommended by Brian, or you need to facilitate adjustment to re-align your setup as the wood changes over time..


Cheers
Waldschrat

[Graeme Dunbar]

In the hope that it will reduce warping I paint the underside and edges of my baseboards too. It is really just a sealing or priming coat and can be thinned down remains of what is in old cans.

I have heard that people who model in cardboard seal it with shellac varnish to prevent warping. I've only used shellac once (to restore and old dining chair I use with my modelling table) but I can see its merit. It would seem thin shellac would penetrate the card and because it dries due to evaporation of the alcohol it might not warp as it might if sealing with thinned PVA. I guess it should work - lacquered papier mache antiques survive many years. Also, compressed paper or cloth and resin is a very early composite material. It is still found in some printed circuit board material, including PCB model railway sleepers.

[Stefan Krebs]

dear GreameD,

Yes, you are hitting the nail there, the root cause of warping is uneven take up and release of moisture, typically on either side of a board or baton. So, if one side is painted, the other needs painting too, you're right. And while this is minimised in MDF it is an inherent feature of all wood-based materials. However, using water-based or water-dilatable (acrylic) paints some of their water content will diffuse into the surface and become trapped, which can cause not only warping or swelling, but fungus grows too.
More importantly, we like to use plaster, PVA, acrylic paints and other water containing materials when landscaping. To avoid problems you have to either smother everything in a damp seal like shellac, or you need to paint seal the woodwork before landscaping; neither solution is without downside.

Hope this helps
Waldschrat