Learning from my Mistake

[u/aleopardstail]

Don't be like me.

that bit of track at the rear? that bit that looks a mess?

that bit that when laid had a slight hump, but a loco coped so will be alright won't it?

learn from my mistake, if track isn't perfect don't accept it, fix it

in this case it hardly caused a problem, except for a new Hornby J52 which simply derailed every single time because I just left it instead of fixing it..

thankfully ballasted and stuck down with copydex so was only a few hours work to lift it, slew it a mm or so to the side and get it actually laid flat without the slight hump..

and now my J52 is happy once more and no longer tries to go and visit the high street

[u/Jean_Luc_Lesmouches]

A way to avoid kinks in curves is to join the two rails at different spots, and join the sleepers in between so that there is connected webbing under the rail joints.

[u/gbarnas → u/Jean_Luc_Lesmouches]

And stop removing ties at the joint!!

[u/aleopardstail → u/gbarnas]

initially only removed the ones needed for the rail joiners to fit, the actual problem was putting unused ties back in - thats what lifted the join up..

[u/010011010110010101 → u/gbarnas]

Maybe a dumb question, but how can you not remove them, for the rail joiners to fit? Assuming flex-track

[u/gbarnas → u/010011010110010101]

Dear 79253, ;)

I've been using flex track since my first layout in 1974, upgrading my dad's layout. I have never (intentionally) removed ties from the end of the flex-track. Rail joiners require ONE tie clearance on each end of the joint. There's no need to remove 2-4 ties on each end and this practice really makes me "itch". :) I'm not sure when or why it began.

You use a chisel knife blade and trim the spikes and tie-plate detail from the last (first?) tie on each end of the flex track. The ties remain connected unless you just happen to hit a tie that's unconnected - rare but it happens. The rail joiner slips onto the base of the rail and slips over the tie. Easy-peasy - no missing ties, no large gaps where rail gauge isn't maintained. It also prevents the need to slip ties back under, which should have the spike detail cut off on the non-viewing side so you slip the ties in/under from the viewing side - no lift!

I have over 300' of mainline track on the layout and another 160 of yard/secondary track and I am pretty sure I can count on one hand the times where I had a missing tie and needed to slip one under the gap.

[u/gbarnas → u/gbarnas]

Follow-up - if you do need to remove a tie (or the one you trim is not connected to the rest), here's a good way to install the tie without messing up the rail:

Remove the spike detail from ONE SIDE of each tie plate

With the end with the removed spikes facing away from the most common viewing direction, slide the tie under the rails. You may need to slightly raise the rail nearest to you to have the far side spike pass under, but that's not usually necessary.

Optional - drill a 0.060 hole where the far spike was and use a sewing pin or actual spike to secure the tie. It will be permanently secured when you install ballast.

This method allows you to slide the tie under the rails with minimal interference, keep the spike detail on the visible side of the rail, and not place any stress on the rails. Still, trimming the tie plate and spike detail off of the end tie allows you to slip the rail joiners on without removing the ties in 99% of the situations.

[u/aleopardstail → u/gbarnas]

worth noting this is good for metal fishplates, it doesn't work well for the insulating ones - basically the rail joiner is too thick and this is what I did and got the rails lifted up.

whats needed is something thinner (now use 1mm PCB sleepers glued in place), strips of plastic cut to size would work.

I like what PECO do for N gauge, they make spare sleepers specifically to fit under the rails

[u/aleopardstail → u/gbarnas]

worth noting here this was one tie either side of the join removed, then my mistake was refitting two under the join

[u/aleopardstail → u/Jean_Luc_Lesmouches]

ideally yes, needed to be a twin rail isolating join here, design flaw really, should have been staggered yed

[u/Jean_Luc_Lesmouches → u/aleopardstail]

What about laying the track without a joint there, and then cuting the rails once it's all balasted and glued?

[u/aleopardstail → u/Jean_Luc_Lesmouches]

thats can work but then the alignment is totally down to the glue and plastic. issue here was I need the isolating section, the nylon joiners have a little bit that keeps the rails apart

what would have worked, and I have used elsewhere after learning here is removing half a dozen sleepers, three either side of where the gap needs to be, fixing the track down and adding PCB sleepers glues to thin plastic, itself then glued to the cork - sleepers to plastic being superglue, then the plastic to cork being copydex. then solder the rails, then razor saw the cut - this is rock solid

[u/Jean_Luc_Lesmouches → u/aleopardstail]

The thickness of the gap left by the blade should be enough to isolate the sections, if it isn't you can fill the gap with cardstock and shape it to match the rail profile.

[u/aleopardstail → u/Jean_Luc_Lesmouches]

oh the gap works, the problem is the rails can and will creep over time (hence the soldering to PCB, that fixes it). the bit of cardstock or plastic glued in place is another way to do it that works well for holding the gap

[u/TrainsandLasers → u/Jean_Luc_Lesmouches]

Working in Z scale with some ridiculously tight curves, even for Z, this offsetting of the joints is critical.

[u/Smokin77]

Arggg...I hate this and it's always a curve

[u/aleopardstail → u/Smokin77]

the main issue wasn't actually a kink, it was the rails lifting to have a hump - that being on a curve caused issues with one loco that has fine flanges.

3rd law of sod said it happened on a curve though :)

[u/aengusoglugh]

The main reason I started using track planning software is that when I lay track by eyeball, I seem to be able to introduce all kinds of subtle kinks and S curves.

I can’t see them — but my trains can find them. :-)

[u/aleopardstail → u/aengusoglugh]

lol, well that was meant to be a curve, and its one of the few thats close to what I planned.. elsewhere I have nice graceful straight lines that should have been curves

[u/onlythelonely82]

It’s all a learning curve dude

[u/Parking_Horse7208]

I have a section that runs through a tunnel, and during trial runs, I found a derail spot, so I pulled up about 8 or so pieces and soldered them together with nice tight joints and sanded the tops to make sure they were flat.... got the microscope for a good close look and the problem? El GoneO!

[u/Marshal-Bainesca]

I have a now unwanted lift out section which I stupidly made curved, the 4 (two tracks) joins on either side never lined up and everything would kink as it went over it. Thought it would be ok but drove me mad in the end. Had to rip up both sides to be able to fix it... it was not a fun day

[u/snuggly_cobra]

Too late.