How do you join Walthers turnouts

Hi,

I'm trying to combine Walthers turnouts with ROCO sectional track and don't know how to join these right way. The problem is that sectional track has some tie cutting at ends to let joiners set in easily while Walthers turnouts have not. I know PECO Code 83 turnouts (well, crossings at least - the ones I have) also have a gap under the rail for joiners.

I can cut out some end ties from Walthers turnouts and make a place for joiners but there will be a hole between ties. Is there a way to replace ties after the rail ends are under the joiners ?

I'm using ROCO and Atlas joiners - do not know if there kind of shorter rail joiners, may be Walthers is doing them shorter then Altlas or ROCO just for that purpose ?

I'm also thinking of buying Atlas short-length (2") strait tracks - they have tie cuttings the way ROCO sectional track have, and cut the tie endings from them to replace walthers ties with. What do you think of it ?

Thanks,

Dmitri

PS. You see I'm not building a layout so I prefer not to nail down any track nor solder joins nor do anything of that kind.

Reply to
dmitri_blinov
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Instead of cutting off the tie, just use a chisel knife blade and slice off the spike heads so the rail joiner can slip between the rail and the tie. If you have already cut the tie off, then slice the spike heads off and slide the tie under the rails to fill the gap.

Reply to
Frank A. Rosenbaum

Or use a raar saw to cut under the rail above the tie.

Reply to
Charles Kimbrough

I think that should be a razor saw. I agree that would work, but it would be harder to control. If you use one, take very short pull strokes with just the very back edge of the blade.

Reply to
Frank A. Rosenbaum

You are correct. It should have been razor. I do that all the time when preping joiner pieces for the clubs modules.

Reply to
Charles Kimbrough

Things are realy get better with cutting off the spikes :-) I was afraid at first that simply cutting of the spikes would not be enough, since the joiner thikness is somewhat 0.2mm, but tie plate bends smoothly to give a place for it.

As for razor saw I think it would destroy the textures on the ties as well - so I'd better avoid it.

Thanks,

Dmitri.

Frank A. Rosenbaum wrote:

Reply to
dmitri_blinov

d> Hi, d> d> I'm trying to combine Walthers turnouts with ROCO sectional track and d> don't know how to join these right way. The problem is that sectional d> track has some tie cutting at ends to let joiners set in easily while d> Walthers turnouts have not. I know PECO Code 83 turnouts (well, d> crossings at least - the ones I have) also have a gap under the rail d> for joiners. d> d> I can cut out some end ties from Walthers turnouts and make a place for d> joiners but there will be a hole between ties. Is there a way to d> replace ties after the rail ends are under the joiners ?

I cut 2 ties off, connect the track with rail joiners. I then carve off the molded spikes off the removed ties and slip them back under the rail joiners. I do this with flex track as well. I believe this is the 'standard' procedure with flex track and turnouts like Walthers.

d> d> I'm using ROCO and Atlas joiners - do not know if there kind of shorter d> rail joiners, may be Walthers is doing them shorter then Altlas or ROCO d> just for that purpose ? d> d> I'm also thinking of buying Atlas short-length (2") strait tracks - d> they have tie cuttings the way ROCO sectional track have, and cut the d> tie endings from them to replace walthers ties with. What do you think d> of it ? d> d> Thanks, d> d> Dmitri d> d> PS. You see I'm not building a layout so I prefer not to nail down any d> track nor solder joins nor do anything of that kind. d> d>

Robert Heller -- 978-544-6933 Deepwoods Software -- Linux Installation and Administration

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Reply to
Robert Heller

Walther's turnouts really don't plan on rail joiners being long. I'd probably just use a shortened rail joiner to but up against the end of the tie and let that be enough. Another thing you can do is press a hot railjoiner (don't use it again for a railjoiner) against the end to make a slot for the railjoiner that you're going to use. Since I lay my own rail, I don't run into this problem as there is generally no joint at the end of the turnout to do. Needless to say, I don't use sectional track at all as there are just too many joints in that trackwork to make for reliable trackwork. In addition, all of the premade trackwork has way too wide a gauge to make for good operation, especially when pushing a cut of cars. Every joint is a point of derailment and wide gauge makes the probabilty of such derailment much more possible as the wheels get to c*ck a lot further over before they hit the other rail and this brings a much flatter part of the wheel flange to hit the error in the trackwork which makes for a much higher probability that the wheel will climb the joint rather than glide along the railhead. Go try handlaying track on some little section of your layout and see if you like the extra time you spend doing that. Remember that part of the hobby is to just waste time in a pleasurable pursuit that refreshes the mind and body.

-- Why do penguins walk so far to get to their nesting grounds?

Reply to
Bob May

Welcome to prototypical model railways.

Reply to
Erik Olsen

You're about 40 years too late for that welcome but that's alright. My first railroad, a switching yard, was half handlaid rail and half flextrack and Atlas turnout kits. The turnout kits looked so bad that I went back through and replaced them with handlaid turnouts.

-- Why do penguins walk so far to get to their nesting grounds?

Reply to
Bob May

You stole my line LOL. This is the best method I've ever tried.

Ken Day

Reply to
Ken Day

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