2012 Archives
April 2012
Hidden Track Feeders
Some modelers prefer that the electrical feeders that connect to the rail be totally hidden. This can be accomplished by soldering the feeder to the bottom of the rail as opposed to the side. With a little care it isn't that difficult to accomplish.
Begin by laying your track as you normally would. Don't worry about the feeders at this time. Although you could solder the feeders to rail bottoms before laying the track, this is a little more cumbersome than doing it after the rail is down.
Next, form your feeders. Strip about 1/2" of insulation from the end of a piece of 18 gauge, solid hook up wire. Bend a small "L" at the end of the wire and then flatten the end of the "L" with pliers. Put a drop of flux (such as Team Trinity #5004) on the end of the "L" and tin the end with solder. You want just a small blob of shiny solder on the end of the feeder.
Thread the feeder through the hole in your bench work and then position it so the small portion of the "L" makes firm contact with the bottom of the rail. Put another drop of flux at the rail/feeder connection point. Use a 35 watt pencil tip soldering iron with a clean tip. Position the tip firmly on the bottom of rail web at the point the "L" of the feeder meets the rail bottom. In a matter of seconds you should see the solder blob on the feeder flow on to the rail bottom. Remove the iron and wait a moment. Give the feeder a tug from below to make sure you have a good connection. If the wire pulls loose put another drop of flux at the location and try again.
Here's the finished feeder connection. After rail painting and ballasting it will be all but invisible.
March 2012
DC Power Supply
A great 12 volt, 2 amp power supply is available from Parts Express, part number 120-536. It's economical, has a fuse, well designed connectors, and adjustable voltage. It's a major improvement over standard wall warts and can be used to power any of your DC accessories such as switch machines, LED's etc.
February 2012
End Ties
When you're laying flex track you'll notice you need to trim a few ties off of the end of each section in order to slip the rail joiner on. After the track is laid, this leaves a noticeable gap in the tie spacing. You have to be careful slipping spare ties under the joiner or it will raise the joint and create a bump. To get around this you need to file the ties thinner, a tedious task. Fortunately, some manufacturers make a dedicated product called "end ties" which have a provision for clearing the rail joiner after you slip them on. They're handy indeed unfortunately only a few manufacturers offer them. Atlas makes them for their code 83 track, part number 598.
January 2012
Grade Crossing Rail Cleaner
Cleaning track at grade crossings can be tricky. It's very hard to use any type of cleaning device in that area without scratching or staining the adjacent roadway, roadway that probably took a fair amount of time to build. To get around that problem I fashioned a simple tool that you can glide along the railhead at grade crossings without drifting onto the roadway.
Begin by grabbing a small screw driver. Using a cutoff tool in your Dremel tool, cut a small notch in the end of the screwdriver blade.
Take a sharp blade and cut a narrow strip of number 600 sandpaper. Wrap the sandpaper strip around the notch at the end of the screw driver.
With the lip on the screwdriver tip as a guide, you can now wipe the sandpaper along the rails without fear of it drifting from side to side.