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Rail Joints

A question for all. Do you solder your rail joints or not? In what cases do you solder and where do you not? Also do you feed power to every section of rail or just at certain intervals?

 

These questions came up at our last ops session and there was varied opinion.

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Rail Joints

I usually power every second length of flex track and usually the short rails between turnouts or crossovers, I usually don't solder joints but sometimes on longer curves it is a good idea, but I make sure the first piece of track either side of the curve has a small space between the rails for expansion and contraction, I don't lay track on a hot or very humid day as then you have already started the expansion process and the first cold day is when the wheels fall into big gaps that cause derailing. That's my ideas anyway..

 

Cat Wink

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Rail Joints

I soldered my first version and won't do that again. What a pain having to desolder everything when I went to pull up stuff.

(a lot of track that was soldered was Model Power brand nickle silver flex track and it was quite stiff to bend. Nowheres nice to use like Atlas flex. I junked it all as it was that bad,)

 

My last version is not soldered but has multiple feeders. Not as much as Barry's though. Plus I feed all the spurs and each track in a yard or big industry. My trains ran quite well (being N).

 

Mind you my NCE system pushes out 5 amps so no shortage of juice for N.

 

3 layouts and 3 different philosophies.

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Rail Joints

I personally have always soldered my joints and those in the track too.......:)

 

I was reading an article that said to not exceed 10 feet in length without a feeder in DCC. That's about what I do beside the sidings, yard and storage tracks.

 

With a good pair of rail nippers, Xeron is my choice, any soldered joint can be easily cut right at the joint. I did this when I took up my old plan. Only lost about 9 feet of track and that was because of the ballast being so strong in a few areas.

 

Expansion and contraction is provided at all the many insulated joints that occur at turnouts and blocks.

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Rail Joints

I say wire 100 Amp service right to the layout from the breaker panel. You could have a section of track missing and the juice will arc across the gap powering rest of the layout with just one feeder wire. Just make sure the feeder wire is 4 gauge.

 

wiriing made easy  🙂

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Rail Joints

100 amp might be a little too much considering the whole house only has a 125 amp main breaker. Grossly under protected in reality. In the US we put nothing smaller than a 200 amp panel in a home. Cheap Newfoundlanders. Do our lights dim when the TV is turned on or the fridge motor cuts in, etc? You bet. At least it is copper wire and not aluminum.

 

I brought in an arc welder to join the tracks. A lot better than solder.

 

 

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Rail Joints

I only have a 100 A main.  next door neighbor only had 60 A when he bought his house.  Welcome to  the 'peg.

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Rail Joints

Sounds like layout wiring for the Adam's Family....   Smiley Surprised  

Charles

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Rail Joints

Uncle Fester is playing with his trains again! That's why the house lights are flickering......:)

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