You guys must be sick of me by now!

Hi, again...
I don't have problems ALL the time, but once in a while I have a question: While joining, soldering and gluing track to cork roadbed
using silicone sealer w/extra strong adhesion, I found a joint that must have slipped....the two track-ends are WITHIN the confines of the rail joiner, but with a space of about 1/16" .
I would like to know how critical that would be for running trains over it, and what would be the best way to correct it without UNDOING all my hard work. I was thinking of just several layers of solder and filed smoothly to form the rail contour. Or, placing a tiny piece of rail, carefully, in that opening and soldering it in. Or, just leave the darned thing alone!
Gosh I hate when these things happen because I tend to lose sleep over them!
Mike
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I would probably add a small microphone in the road bed and speaker close by for sound effects.
Dave

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yes Dave, but what would normal people do?
:)))))))
Steve

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Now look STEPHEN !
You know, laddy, how parents are when they want you front and center, NOW. They use your whole name, I can still hear, DAVID JOHN !!!
One thing I haven't mentioned to you is a feature of my back yard. It's fair sized, for a suburbia property. On the other side of the back fence is a 1/4 acre of CRASH easement. Do you have any idea what that might be for, Son? - - - - - - That's right, they are called "choo-choo-trains" and this also happens to be the location of a #8 switch that is used to put a choo-choo in a "holding pattern". Now if someone forgets to put this switch back to normal, then we have what is called "a messy incident" or crash for short, when the passing choo-choo comes through. Crap everywhere !!! It was a county requirement when the house was built because they knew that the family room couldn't quite handle a 1:1 scale layout or a choo-choo train with 5 engines and 80 car loads of misc. STUFF.
I still like the "sound effects" idea.
G-day, son Dave

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FABULOUS IDEA!
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snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote:

If it's on straight track, it _PROBABLY_ won't cause any problems, even in N scale (you didn't say what scale). Assuming the rail joiner is soldered, the easiest fix is to just use some ACC to glue a piece of sheet styrene in the gap, then trim it to shape.
--

Joe Ellis

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snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote:

I would probably be tempted to place a drop of solder in the gap, and then file it to size/shape.
Carolyn
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I like the solder idea seeing as you may lose sleep over it, thereby running the risk of further errors due to fatigue
:)
But it might be a benefit to explore why it happened....did the track move while the glue set? etc.
On the solder idea, perhaps it could cause more problems if the heat affects the sleepers etc. A short section of rail -if you can do it - would solve the solder issues.
will be interested to see how you get on
Steve
wrote:

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Well, I decided to fill it with bright shiny solder, and then with a needle file, spend the next 20 minutes sculpting. I could have just CUT the darned thing since I intend to do cab block wiring. Thanks for what at first seemed impassible prob.
Mike
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Mike You prolly have the perfect filler right there!!! cut with a dremel cut off wheel a piece of rail the correct length and slide that into the gap and pull the joiner back onto the other rail and then solder! Thereby saving your self alot of filing
Tom
snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote:

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Mike:
First, don't feel bad about asking questions.
More to the point, a 1/16" gap is nothing to worry about. The gap in rails at frogs in diamond crossings is going to be more than 1/16" in HO, and in a #8 switch the gap is much longer.
In fact, there are some who believe you shouldn't solder both rails to the joiner and should leave a small gap to allow for heat expansion. Also, roadbed can shrink and swell with changes in humidity and this sort of gap can help prevent rail kinks (of course, if both rails are soldered to to the joiner, it won't help.).
The main think is to be absolutely sure that neither rail protrudes within the gauge line, causing a "point" that might be picked by flanges to cause a derailment. You might even file a very slight angle to ensure this. If you are really concerned, do as you suggest and add solder, or solder in a bit of rail and file to make a continuous surface. Or, if there is a sharp curve involved, solder a bit of guard rail to the opposite side to keep the flange away from this joint.
Good luck Rick

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On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 15:34:57 +0000, Rick Stern wrote:

A guardrail protects these gaps you are mentioning, so the one has nothing to do with the other. sorry.

I've heard this argument as well and frankly don't buy it, and have soldered many rails, but it could happen I guess. I am SURE if he is soldering one joint with adjacent ares having common joiners, any expansion will have the rail running towards the open joiners.

Quite right and all. :-)

I thought I might add, if you are dealing with rail on plastic ties in a curve, watch you don't alter the gauge. Often I've had to field spike the high side of a curve if soldering the line rail.
-- DW
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I probably agree with you -- I was putting forth the argument as "I have heard". In fact, I have generally soldered all rails to their joiners in order to assure that the rails stay lined up, particularly on curves, and avoid the need to provide a feeder wire to each length of rail.
However, there is definitely the potential for track to go out of line due to changes in the environment. I haven't had problems with temperature, but definitely changes in the roadbed and subroadbed due to changes in humidity. The worst case being just before an NMRA open house when the track on a helix (already buried by scenery) went totally out of alignment. I'm not sure whether the rail gap would have made a difference in this case, though. Since then, I have maintained better control of the basement's humidity with a dehumidifier.
Rick
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On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 15:34:57 +0000, Rick Stern wrote:
Re: Humidity. TY for making that note. I hadn't considered it. My layout is on the 3rd floor and never traveled. If that changes though, I'll keep what you said in mind. --DW
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