[Fireline]

Hi all. I'm back for yet another staggering display of ignorance. I am still building away, and I have come up against my next problem. Several sections of my railway have got to lift out, in order to get to tanks behind to maintain them. I know that I have got to cut the track, and have two ends, but I am not sure how I would be best securing the rail ends. I have seen at model shows that some people seem to solder the track to horizontal metal bars underneath. Does anyone have any idea what the metal is? Is there a better, or alternative way, of doing it? I know I will have to make sure that each removable structure drops in the same place every time, but I don't even know how to go about setting the rail ends..

All suggestions gratefully received. Thanks.

 

[Mercator II]

QUOTE (Fireline @ 24 Aug 2008, 08:48) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Hi all. I'm back for yet another staggering display of ignorance. I am still building away, and I have come up against my next problem. Several sections of my railway have got to lift out, in order to get to tanks behind to maintain them. I know that I have got to cut the track, and have two ends, but I am not sure how I would be best securing the rail ends. I have seen at model shows that some people seem to solder the track to horizontal metal bars underneath. Does anyone have any idea what the metal is? Is there a better, or alternative way, of doing it? I know I will have to make sure that each removable structure drops in the same place every time, but I don't even know how to go about setting the rail ends..

All suggestions gratefully received. Thanks.

Hi Fireline,

Glad to help, we have covered this lots so will only do a quickie, if you use the search tool at the top you will find lots of help.

Mostly used is copper clad sleepers, avalible from most good model shops & online. Or you could use PCB board, its the stuff used to make computer circit (sorry am a bad speller) boards, then cut it to size.

Which ever way you go, remember to cut the copper in between the rails to prevent shorting out

Brian
CME MillDale

 

[Brian Considine]

Just to add that if you don't have a local model shop handy you can get printed circuit board from Maplins starting from about a £1 for a 203 x 102mm board (HX00A) - you will have to cut it into strips, but it will do the job OK.

 

[alastairq]

to recap.....cut a rectangle of P[rinted] C[ircuit] B[oard].......fix to edge of baseboard where rails fall....[screws allow for tiny height adjustments]...the track has some of its sleepers removed from the ends.....then solder the rails to the PCB rectangle......this thoroughy secures the rails....[which you will have cut where the board edge is......easy way to do that is a large PCB rectangle, secured to both adjacent board edges.......lay track across gap,with appropriate sleepers removed......solder rails to PCB...then using a razor saw, cut through rails/PCB down slot between the boards.....then file a lengthways slot in the copper clad surface to eliminate shorts]

if there is concern about NOT being able to replace each board in precisely the same plane after removal, then....cut each track a couple of inches short of each board edge...............but take roadbed right up to edge.....then make up joining lengths of track, with the rail fixings cut back at each end, slide on rail joiners completely...insert between the two ends of the running lines, lside jiners [if you think YOU'VE got it bad, Bro Sewell?].....I meant, SLIDE JOINERS onto running lines, and hey ho, connected!

This was the system that used to be used by the NMRA British Region when joining up their HO modular layout boards.

 

[mikeg]

I have allways used brass screws at baseboard edges, if you use say 25mm screws these will go into the framing and keep the track in place. You screw the screws in line with the rail and keep them with the tops level to the underside of the rail, then just solder the rail to the screws each side of the joint and finally cut through.

To keep the line in the right place I would use dovetail ends to the boards ie \ / and then have a metal plate screwed to the fixed section each side with the loose bit to just drop in. if this is made before the track is laid then the level should stay correct when you have to lift them out for access, about one every 5 years if my experiance is anything to go by.

regards

mike g