Model Railroading > What is best way of permanently joining sections of flex track

I just received 6 sections of PECO code 83 HO-gauge flex track.  I would join (by best means) four 3--foot sections so I don't have any joints in the middle of half circle with 42-inch radius.

Thank you,

John

As you form the curve the outside rail gets shorter or the inside rail gets longer. You can slide the rails inside the tie plates to meet the end of the adjoining rail. If you have excellent soldering skills you can solder the joint. You can cheat a bit and use a rail joiner on the soldered joint to keep things better aligned. You may need a spare piece of Peco code 83 rail to finish the outside of the rail.

Thermite welding... but be very careful.

Avoid kinks in those curves - solder rail segments while they are straight, then curve them (one - at - a - time).   

exhaustED Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thermite welding... but be very careful.

I hate when it burns through your layout. And then your floor. ;-)

Like the others said, put the sliding rail to the inside of the curve and lay the curve up to the last 3" of the flex track, trim the inside rail and clean up with a small flat file. Solder on the next section, and clean up the joint with a small flat file so that the joint is perfectly smooth, then keep laying the curve up to the next 3" before the end of the flex track.  The trick is you want to be soldering those joints while they are straight, then bend the rail to the curve afterwards. But trying to the solder the sections together before you lay out the curve will not work. You must have all but the last 3" of the flex track laid to the curve before joining the next section.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/15/20 19:23 by funnelfan.

What Ted said is what I do. It just seemed the logical way to o do it and it works very well.

Posted from Android

I did this and it was great until a temperature change occured.  The metal rail expands and contracts with temperature changes.  Over time, some of my flex track pulled up. I ended up going back and cutting in joints.  This solved the the issue.  I recomend only solding ever other joint.  The power of nature is an amazing thing.

I soldered all of my rail HO gauge ON3 style equipment, it has worked very well since, almost.  Some were done without enough temp in the room and during one hot summer had some rail expansion problems. But now I keep it, and the adjoining room at a minimum of 55 year round. It will get in the high 80s during the summer. I also warm the room to 65 well before I do any track work now. This has solved all my problems, oh the room next door is my wife's sewing room so that governs heat in mine too. Just the way I do it and by the way when we lay track at Train Mountain  we always cut the inside rail in years past not so much with the steel rail as we prebend it.

DLM Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I did this and it was great until a temperature
> change occured.  The metal rail expands and
> contracts with temperature changes.  Over time,
> some of my flex track pulled up. I ended up going
> back and cutting in joints.  This solved the the
> issue.  I recomend only solding ever other
> joint.  The power of nature is an amazing thing.

There have been some who refute the notion that the metal expands and contract to any significant degree and instead place the blame on wood expanding and contracting.  That makes more sense to me.

That said, I had problems in my garage layout, but it was subject to temperature and humidity swings - the track pulled apart in the extreme cold and dry air and buckled under hot and humid conditions. 

There are probably some things that can avoid or minimize the expansion/contractions effects like the layout being in a temp and humidity controlled environment where those parameters are kept fairly constant.  I also may help to seal the wood with a moisture sealer.

I still like to solder most joints on curves to keep them flowing smoothly but on straight setions, I tend to leave some joints unsoldered but still provide frequent feeders from the bus to avoid any dead sections.

The rail will definitely expand and contract along the length of the rail popping out in a weak section, just like the real thing. It's a good idea to plan for some expansion joints if you layout is in an uncontrolled environment. If your soldering leads to each rail, go ahead a leave a couple unsoldered was joints with a small gap between rails every eight to ten feet or so. This will help allow for expansion.

After watching this video, ths is how my curves and helix are laid. Its working like a charm

Enjoy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyucN1tV0zY

Dave
In PA

Thank you to all who replied.  A couple of clarifications.  First, I am using PECO Code 83 flex track with simulated wood ties.  Unlike some brand-styles of flex track, the PECO cn be bemt either way.  Project involves replacing existing track with new track and minimizing the number of rail joints.  Minimum layout radius is 36-inch, and maximum is 42-inch.  If sectional track were available in these or similar radii, I would not waste time with flex track.  Current layout is a prototype for a larger layout where minimum radius will be at least 42 inches, preferably 48 inches.

On joining sections of flex track, I appear to have been successful using PECO rail joiners and soldering them.  If one looks at the advancements in adhesvies over the past few decades, one shoul be able to use an adhesive system to bond the rail ends and not have to worry about rail joiners.  In one sense, we are doing the same today as we did with the flex track of many years ago

John

Indeed, soldering is one method.  I tape my metal ruler to the worktable, then connect and tape the two sections of flex track up against the edge of the ruler to keep them straight.  Afterwards, add the ties removed for soldering back onto the rails.

---

video7105 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> After watching this video, ths is how my curves
> and helix are laid. Its working like a charm
>
> Enjoy
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyucN1tV0zY
>
> Dave
> In PA

Whoa.  Maybe it's too early but I watched a about 15 seconds and started to get seasick with that wobbly camera.