Best way to repair a "kink" in track?

[frog]

My layout is about 18 years old. Over time with everything settling--and to a degree my inexperience in laying the track at the time I have a section at the ends of the flex track that is not curved as it should be, but rather "kinked". This causes derailments on occasion, not often but I want to smooth out the transition.

Not far from it is the location where I "hot-wired" the rail sections together by soldering wires to the under sections of rails and conecting them underneath the layout as to not rely on the conductivity of the rail joiners.

This of course won't be anything more than cutting the wires if needed, but of all places!

Also it is a location in a narrow gorge that is reachable somewhat, coming out of a eased curve into a straight section. The track its self is nailed on top of cork roadbed, my problem is what method to use that would hopefully be simple and done with ease but more important one that would work.

The only idea I have at the moment is to loosen and remove the ballast in the area, remove the nails as well, and with a small steel rod, use it to apply pressure to the joint on the outside edge. I could anchor the rod at on end with a nail and with a screwdriver at the other pry the joint inward until I am in tolorance, then reseat the track with additional nails.

Possibly a piece of coat hanger would be stiff enough for this.

Any other ideas on how to do this other than that?

 

[ICG/SOU]

I'd pull the track out, either replace it with a piece of flex track, or replace the track with several sections of track soldered together.

More work, but that's the only way I'd do it.

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I used to have that problem occasionally when I used flex track back in the 80's. In some cases on a curve there would be a place where the ends of the outside rails stuck out a little making the track gauge a bit too wide. To solve this I would put a couple of track nails at an angle at the outer edge of the rail so the heads of the nails rest against the edge of the rails. I would then gently tap the nails so they would bend a little and push the rails back into gauge. In some cases the problem was just the opposite. The rails were a little too close together. For this would touch a hot soldering iron to the top of the rail to make the ties a little soft. I would then take the iron away and put my NMRA gauge between the rails and allow the track to cool. Then I would recheck that section of track to make sure it was in gauge.

 

[Selector]

I'm not sure I quite picture your circumstances, but if flextrack ends are not conforming to the generally intended radius, and there is a kink, you have little choice but to either take it up and try again, or use opened pliers and lateral force to get the ends to come back to their needed position. Then I would drive into the roadbed the thinnest 3/4" wood screws I could purchase. The rails would have to be forced slightly inward of the desired position, the screws driven in until their heads were about 1/4" above the roadbed, the tracks allowed to relax into the screws, and then the screws carefully snugged so that the head capped the outer edges of the rail feet.

This would require four screws.

The drill would be:

Soften ballast.

Force the ends inward, and retain them with some drywall screws.

Insert the ultimate screws where they should be placed.

Remove the drywall screws and let the track relax against the small ultimate screws.

Do the snugging.

Reballast.

There is one other thing you could try to reduce the pressure on the screws, and to help the ends want to stay curved. That would be to place screws about 1" back of the ends of the rails, both sides of the rail foot, and then use a pair of pliers to actually impart a gentle permanent curve in the metal rails. It doesn't need much, but any will help.

In fact, flex track can be bent permanently to take on a curve near the ideal radius for a part of one's track plan. It just takes some doing.

 

[NH Mike]

You didn't mention the brand of flex track that is giving you the problem. My layout is over 25 years old and the majority of it was laid with Peco and Atlas code 100 flex. A few years ago I discovered the Peco rail was changing gauge and noticed the moulded spikes on the ties had popped off thus springing the rail out of gauge. Similar curves with the Atlas did not do that. Resetting the gauge and spiking the rail only moved the problem further along the curve to another location. So I tore up the problem areas and replaced them with Atlas. I have nothing against Peco and in fact around 1/2 of my turnouts are Peco and have been trouble free all these years. It just seems the small moulded Peco spikes eventually fail due to years of expansion and contraction due to ambient conditions where the larger Atlas don't. The tie strip itself appears to get brittle with age and that might be why the spikes are failing.

I also have some Shinohara code 70 flex laid in a couple of light sidings that also have a curved lead-in and they are still as good as new.

Sorry to drag on about this but from my experience I'd bite the bullet and replace the bad track no matter what brand it is.

 

[frog]

Very good advice and tips from all of you.

I removed a pop up insert from my board to allow me to get closer and look at it.

From what I see the outside rail just needs a bit of filling to allow the whole thing to fit properly. There is a slight gap on the inside rail already, track is in gauge but it does widen a bit at this location.

The good thing about flex track is that it does in fact "flex", allowing the track to be taken apart without having to go too far down the line.

I'll remove the ballast and nails, and use the screws if I have to. This isn't a severe adjustment, a rather delicate on. Wasn't sure of the method, though.

Only thing I have no spare flex track, nearest place is about 90 miles away.

One thing I should have done when I laid my track many years back was to remove the ties from the ends, trim off the "spacer" that holds them apart, and then before installing the track sections sandwich the ties all together down away from the rail joiners. When you install your track just slide each tie down into place therefore maintaining correct spacing. I had to use trimmed "dummy" ties for the gaps as a result of not doing this. Didn't think of this until track was already laid, sounds like it would have been a good idea.

As for soldering the track together I considered that but elected instead to just remove a tie spacing bar and solder a wire on there, then connect them underneath. I just thought it would be a problem later with solder in the rail joiners should I have to make repairs.

We all learn from out mistakes, or at least we should.

Thanks again, I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

[frog]

As for the brand, I think Lifelike and Atlas, a whole bunch of brass and nickle steel, some fixed straight and 18 in. curves in some places, basically I just used what I had.

The difference in brass and nickle steel stand out like a sore thumb, but there it is.

As for the grade all mine is code 100.

 

[NH Mike]

Frog you might want to consider replacing any brass track with nickel silver. Brass oxidizes very quickly as compared to the nickel silver. Humidity in the air will accelerate this and you'll spend a lot of time cleaning track and wheels as they pick up the gunk. Use nickel silver rail joiners as well for the same reason.

90 miles form a hobby shop isn't a big problem these days with the internet shopping or regular mail order from the hobby magazine advertisers. Most sell a standard carton of 10 or 12 lengths. There is usually a higher shipping charge due to the oversize length though.

 

[frog]

I agree about the brass track. If I had it to do over I would use nickle steel. At least I did put nickle in the tunnel.

I'll post a pic or two of my layout as soon as I figure out how to do it.

Bacically it is an under and over loop with an inner loop, some sidings, and a badly layed out switching yard, not very prototype but it works for what it is.

I do plan on one day redoing the yard with better switches and curves.

 

[ICG/SOU]

Sorry. I read "sections" and "track" and thought you had a kink between two pieces of sectional track.

 

[trailrider]

This probably isn't going to do you much good, as about the only place you can get ahold of fiber ties would be at a swap meet. I have brass "flex" track with fiber ties left over from my first layout...about 55 years ago! Do I use it in critical places? NO! But I find what little I have left comes in handy at times. The fiber ties are susceptable to warping from moisture, so if you ballast using water this may not work... What I do is use two or three fiber ties where the ends of flex track meet another length or a piece of sectional track or turnouts. I cut two or three plastic ties off the end of the flex track. I put on the metal rail joiners, and solder when I'm sure I won't need to unfasten the track. Then I slip a two-three fiber tie piece under the track at the joint. The fiber ties are thinner and slip right under the joiners without causing a bump in the track. Fiber ties have holes on both sides of the each rail. Spikes driven into the holes can be shifted slightly to place pressure on the rails as needed.

Now, if you can't locate any old track, you probably can make your own out of styrene plastic. It would take a bit of work, but you could make your own tie block by drilling holes and cutting the center areas forming the gaps between ties. Before placing these, you could paint it to match the adjacent moulded-on ties.

 

[frog]

I have been using ties from scrap sections of track for "fill-ins".

Using a dremel I remove all areas that hold the rails, making a depression that won't contact the rails yet fill the role for appearances.

Never heard of the old ties you speak of, but 55 years in model trains--what a vet you are!

Thanks for your tip.

 

[trailrider]

I have been using ties from scrap sections of track for "fill-ins".

Using a dremel I remove all areas that hold the rails, making a depression that won't contact the rails yet fill the role for appearances.

Never heard of the old ties you speak of, but 55 years in model trains--what a vet you are!

Thanks for your tip.

What you might do is make a template using one of these scrap sections. Place one of these sections under the rails, and drill some small holes, just large enough to accept spikes on either side of the rails (check the bare rail gage using an NMRA metal gage). Remove the scrap section and use IT as a template to drill matching holes in a piece of styrene. You can use the styrene template to drill holes in other pieces of the scrap ties you ground down clear of the underside of the track. I'll probably have to do the same when I run out of fiber ties!

 

[frog]

That template is a great idea, I have made several for other applications in the past out of wood or soft metal.

I also thought about taking apart the ties and using them by sliding them down over the end sections of track and spacing them out when I have the track back in place.

With the template you mentioned I can secure the track without having to take it apart, thanks again.