Joining track across baseboard (on a curve)

[DK123GWR]

Yes, I am aware that this is probably something to avoid at all costs, but I have no choice in order to acheive what I want to do. I currently have a double loop track on a single baseboard but manually removing entire trains is getting boring, so I plan to add a set of carriage sidings on a new baseboard. The new baseboard must be removeable as the layout take up too much space when it is connected.

 

I have come up with one idea - align the boards and lay track over them as though the joint were not there, fixing all track except the piece across the baseboard joint (which I will refer to as the 'bridge'). I will then add something to each board around the sleepers of the bridge. The bridge and the pieces immediately surrounding it will be set-track, which I hope will prevent them from bending out of position. The idea is that when setting up the new board it can be aligned with the existing board (I know that there are already a few techiniques to do this, but I have not yet decided which to use) and the bridge then placed, using the 'something' mentioned above to help align it.

 

My questions are:

1) Is there a reason that this could never work?

2) Can anybody suggest what to use in order to align the bridge?

3) Should I use fishplates on the bridge (with sleepers cut back so that they can be moved into and out of position with pliers?

 

Thanks in advance for the advice - any other comments would be appreciated.

[DCB]

How often does the section come out.  Once or twice in a lifetime sliding fishplates should be fine. More than three it will give poor electrical contact so you will need additional feeds. More than about twenty times the fishplates will need replacing.

 

Door hinges with the pins  made removable is a favourite alignment method.

 

I prefer brass screws screwed deep into the baseboard framing to hold the rail ends rather than fishplates.  Rails soldered to the screw heads and carefully aligned stays put for ages.   Screws into the baseboard surface or PCB tends to lose alignment in my experience.

 

DIN Plugs can be used for electrics but I prefer something more robust.  Stereo jacks about 8mm are good. Colour code them if you need lots.

Edited June 15, 2020 by DavidCBroad

[crompton 33]

As David  said . But i use computer D connectors  between all my boards .

[ISW]

55 minutes ago, DK123GWR said:

Yes, I am aware that this is probably something to avoid at all costs, but I have no choice in order to acheive what I want to do. I currently have a double loop track on a single baseboard but manually removing entire trains is getting boring, so I plan to add a set of carriage sidings on a new baseboard. The new baseboard must be removeable as the layout take up too much space when it is connected.

 

I have come up with one idea - align the boards and lay track over them as though the joint were not there, fixing all track except the piece across the baseboard joint (which I will refer to as the 'bridge'). I will then add something to each board around the sleepers of the bridge. The bridge and the pieces immediately surrounding it will be set-track, which I hope will prevent them from bending out of position. The idea is that when setting up the new board it can be aligned with the existing board (I know that there are already a few techiniques to do this, but I have not yet decided which to use) and the bridge then placed, using the 'something' mentioned above to help align it.

 

My questions are:

1) Is there a reason that this could never work?

2) Can anybody suggest what to use in order to align the bridge?

3) Should I use fishplates on the bridge (with sleepers cut back so that they can be moved into and out of position with pliers?

 

Thanks in advance for the advice - any other comments would be appreciated.

I have the same 'problem' with my layout. the solutions I'm adopting are as follows:

 

Baseboard alignment:

 

Electrical Continuity across a Baseboard Join:

& 

 

 

Alignment of Track / Rails:

I'm using the same method as David in the previous posting; brass screws with rails soldered to the brass screws. The method is:

• Position the track over the join
• Install the brass screws
• Install and fix the track in position
• Solder the rails to the brass screws
• Cu the rails directly above the baseboard join

Hope this helps.

 

 

[dasatcopthorne]

I agree with DavidCBroad on the track part with screws. 2 per rail though. This means the rail cannot twist if the single screw turns.

Be careful these days, as a lot of screws are only plated and these will not solder easily.

 

Get the boards firmly fixed in their final position. Screw down the screws to baseboard level and lay a loose piece of track across the joint. Hold the track piece down while you gradually raise the screws so they just touch the underside of the rails. Check the track for level with no rising or dipping at the joint. Adjust screws if necessary. Now fix the track(s) in position and solder to the screws. Lastly cut through the rails above and in line with the baseboard joint.

 

 

I would also connect the board with cable and sockets. However, if it's DCC all you need is a couple of 3.5mm stereo sockets and a cable from ebay with male plugs in each end.

 

Dave

Elbow Lane.

 

 

Edited June 15, 2020 by dasatcopthorne

[number6]

For what it’s worth I thought the screws idea would work and tried it but disliked the lack of adjustment. Screw one in just a tiny bit too far and it won’t be level and then the actual area of rail soldered to the screw head is tiny. You then have to get four to all match otherwise you get rough running over the join. Lots of faff. 
 

I preferred to solder a brass chair (C&L) to a copper clad strip, this strip and its neighbour over the join are fixed with superglue and small pins or screws into the baseboard. Run the rail through and then check the levels - cut the rails once everything is soldered up. I’ve got lots of joins like this on curves and in awkward places and they are all flat and smooth. This join is on a removable section. 
 

One of my pet hates is baseboard join hillocks... 
 

[DK123GWR]

My thinking regarding a separate bridge piece is that it should avoid the need for screws or copper clad sleepers as all track pieces except from the bridge will be firmly connected to the board, with rails held in place by the original sleepers. The radius on my layout is much tighter than shown in these pictures (roughly R2) and I feel that cutting track at this radius (or more specifically me cutting track at this radius) will not end well which is why I am keen to avoid this.

[Il Grifone]

I tried using rigidly mounted plastic sleepers on my lifting section, but had to scrap the idea as it needed realigning every time (probably my carpentry...). I have settled for a short loose section at the opening end and screws against the rail (to maintain adjustability) at the other, hinged end. I'm still not 100% happy, but it does appear to work. Being on a 'hidden' section it isn't ballasted, which eliminates problems with the loose section.

 

The track is Hornby R2 (R607 IIRC) nickel silver. (Not the best IMHO, but it was cheap (second hand, but as new). It's not expected to take anything finer than NMRA RP25-110 or BRMSB, but nearer scale wheels on R2 is asking for trouble (again IMHO).

 

For cutting rail in situ, it needs to be clamped firmly and cut with a sharp (preferably new and good make) razor saw.

Edited June 16, 2020 by Il Grifone

[number6]

I appreciate the issue with the sharp radius and problems cutting track. Neither should really be an issue. If you have one use [or borrow] a Dremel with one of their smooth slitting discs [wear goggles!] and practice with some scrap bits first. It is very easy to get a very neat cut and there no forces on the sleepers from rasping a razor saw back and forth or those clipper things that always need cleaning up. One thing to watch out for is heat: that can melt the sleepers. 

[The Johnster]

On 15/06/2020 at 22:21, number6 said:

One of my pet hates is baseboard join hillocks...

And the corresponding baseboard centre valleys. 

[DCB]

Try to avoid multiple tracks crossing the join if at all possible, and make sure they are all at the same angle to the join if you can't.

Or you could end up with this as  Pictured 10 years ago.

[The Johnster]

I lay track over baseboard joins with a thin card fillet beneath it, having done my best to ensure a level and smooth baseboard join.  My layout is semi permanently erected and if needed, I cut the tracks at the baseboard joins.  When the layout is restored, track is lifted for about 9” from the cut, and a new 18” length let in over the join.  This ensures that any ‘peak join’ is smoothed out.  
 

This clearly is not a suitable process for layouts that have to be broken into sections for storage, but has proved successful over a landlord’s building refurbishment.   

 
  

Edited June 17, 2020 by The Johnster

[DK123GWR]

To update you all on this, I have backed out of the project for now due to an additional complication involving a set of points at another join (which can't be moved without compromising siding length (so that they won't hold the planned trains) due to space issues. Something like The Johnster's solution sounds as though it may be closer to what I was hoping for, albeit too permanent for my needs. Given that I now have points over a join I would need a way of removing/relaying track which can be done easily and without consuming 4 fishplates per piece of track per week (I'm exaggerating the frequency slightly, but you get the idea). I have experimented with using various ways to hold my track in place but nothing works well enough to be useful. I thought I'd made a brekthrough with the idea to lay the track, then place matchsticks on top of the sleepers overlapping the ends of the bridge piece and glued to the pieces that are fixed to the baseboard. Unfortunately, I couldn't get the matchsticks to stick to the sleepers in order to test this properly.

[AyJay]

My layout is composed of 11 sections that join together, including one that raises (drawbridge fashion).  This is the method that I employed:

1. All sections aligned with close fitting brass dowels.

2. Copper-clad sleepers glued and pinned either side of the joins, for soldering the track to.   Note, if the sleepers are clad on both sides, strip the copper off the underside before securing.

3. Ensure that the track makes contact with the sleepers without causing it to rise up at that position causing rolling stock to bump over a ridge.

4. Then I laid the track across the join, secured in place, soldered the rails onto the copper-clad sleepers and finally used a razor saw to cut through the rails across the join.

5. With a sharp blade, strip back segment of copper between the rails to maintain electrical isolation.

 

BUT!!!   This is absolutely fine when the track crosses the join at right angles.  

What I discovered to my cost is that when the track crosses at an angle, and doubly so if it is a curve, cutting along the join of the boards means that the cut is not perpendicular across each rail. 

Meaning that there is an sharp edge which can catch the flange of a wheel and cause a derailment.

If you have track crossing at an angle, I would recommend cutting each rail separately, possibly using a powered cutting disk, to ensure that the cut is perpendicular across the rail.

If you are concerned that the thickness of the cutting disk will leave an unacceptably wide cut, then you could compensate for this by clamping a very thin spacer between the boards before laying the track.  But do it with care because it affects how track aligns afterwards.

[Sturminster_Newton]

Fremo standards indicate the joins need to be made well clear of a module edge.

 

I assume you make up a piece of scenically dressed track around 100 mm long. 50 mm to each side of the gap.

 

With soldered connectors that mate with the layout main line using something suitably solid to ensure alignment so that it slips into place as you connect the modules together.

 

This would move the 'knife edge cut' inboard of the base board edge and out of harms way.

 

There is a LOT to be said about muddling portable/modular lines in 100 section rail to put the most robust track at the most demanding place and adapt down to finer track where it is less likely to be damaged.

[NWRoutefan]

Has anyone used the new ModelTech connectors on a curved join? I have bought a set and am considering them for my layout. I am using Peco Code 75 in the main but am using Code 100 for on part of the layout. I have several curved joins and need a good solution. Currently assuming a lot of trial and error will be needed.

[RobAllen]

On 09/01/2021 at 13:06, NWRoutefan said:

Has anyone used the new ModelTech connectors on a curved join? I have bought a set and am considering them for my layout. I am using Peco Code 75 in the main but am using Code 100 for on part of the layout. I have several curved joins and need a good solution. Currently assuming a lot of trial and error will be needed.

Did you try the ModelTech connectors on a curved join in the end and did it work?

[AyJay]

My layout is a multi-module construction and here's how I tackled this problem of securing track.

 

I purchased a quantity of long copper-clad sleepers.  Since the copper cladding was on both surfaces, I stripped off the copper on one side so as to eliminate the possibility of short-circuits between rains caused by whiskers of copper bridging the edges.

 

I secured two sleepers on each side of the baseboard join, two for extra rigidity.  They were spaced according to the spacing of the track sleepers. Secured down by 2-part epoxy resin and pinned at intervals by track pins.  The length of the copper-clad meant that it would span the width of multiple tracks.

 

The modules were aligned with metal alignment dowels on the facing surfaces and held together with hinges with removable hinge pins.

 

When laying tracks across the join, I pull back the sleeper webbing (I use Peco flexitrack) and tin the underside.  I also tin the copper surface of my sleepers. Then I lay and secure in place all of the tracks in place, pinned and ballasted track, soldered to the copper strip.

 

Lastly, I use a razor saw to cut through the track at the join.  To hold the track in place for cutting, I fashioned a wooden block with spaced slots in one  surface to hold the rails.

 

I later discovered when the track is crossing the join at an angle i.e. not perpendicular; that by cutting along the board join, I leave a sharp edge at the cut which could catch the flange on a wheel and derail that wagon.  So try to cross as close to perpendicular as possible and cut the rails perpendicular across the rail and nut in-line with the board join.

 

I also later discovered that it is important to ensure your track is level, otherwise you get a rise, or drop, at the join.

[GrumpyPenguin]

8 hours ago, RobAllen said:

Did you try the ModelTech connectors on a curved join in the end and did it work?

You can use them with gently curved track but they don't look very good visually.

[RobAllen]

1 hour ago, chiefpenguin said:

You can use them with gently curved track but they don't look very good visually.

 

Copper clad sleepers it will be then! Thanks.