Short Flex Track

[Dougget]

Hi,
I have questions about working with short pieces of flex track. I have a few spots on my track plan (used Xtrkcad) where I needed to use little bits and pieces of track to make various connections between turnouts. So, instead of using two 1 inch pieces and a third of an 18" radius curve to get from A to B, I'm planning to replace the bits and pieces with a short piece of flex track. Sounds good, right?

Of course, flex track doesn't stay flexed, it want's to be straight. Any advice on working with short pieces? How to keep one rail from sliding and creating a gap while aligning the other rail? How to align rails and hold in place while cutting? Any helpful hints would be great.

Thanks,
Doug

 

[tankist]

i would not use flex-track for that. use r22 if r18 is to tight.

the only way to keep flex un-flexing is to have those rails filed to absolutley exact length and solder on both ends. and hope that the stress will not pull the joint apart

 

[flh80]

You'll have to solder the joints so they will stay in place when done. I get one end in first, solder it, that will help it to stay in place, then arch it to get the other end to line up. Mark where you need to cut, if you have turnouts on both ends you may have to remove one to get the short track in place. I use Map Tacks on the side of the rails into the roadbed to hold the arch one direction or another untill everything is soldered. When done drill some holes in the ties and spike it down, one near each end and maybe one in the middle if long enough.

 

[Trucula]

Less jointers-less places for trouble spots.
The way I do it is to connect one end if possible..i curve the track into the position and hold it with foam pins. Tap the rail ends to besure the joints are tight and mark and reomove and cut or carefully cut in place.

 

[Selector]

There are ways to do what you want to do.

You can measure and cut as was just described, but you can anchor the closest ends of your turnouts so that their rail ends don't shift sideways under the influence of the flex ends. Track nails should do it, either one driven in a small hole drilled into one of the ties near the throwbar, or better still is to drive a couple of track nails tight to the outer rail foot on the side that the flex wants to move.

Also, drive one or two nails into the flex at its apex to keep the apex where you want it for the sake of the radius that was always your goal.

 

[trailrider]

One difficulty with using flex track for your application is keeping from making a localized area that is actually of a sharper radius than will allow your trains to go around it. If your CAD track plan calls for a one-third 18" radius curve with tangent (straight) sections of about 1-inch sections at each end of the curve, then you may find the actual lengths of straight track may differ. What I did in similar situations was to make up a solid piece of track with the 1/3d section in the middle (or where appropriate), and then connect the straight section, or some short pieces of flex track to each end of the curve. Push the ends of the flex track tightly against the ends of the curved track, using tight rail joiners. Solder all the connections using rosin-core flux and 60/40 rosin core solder. Trim off the ends of the flex track, but leave extra length. It's always easier to cut off than to add on afterwards. Position the track where you want it, and trim one end to fit the turnout on one end, and then trim the other end to fit.

If you still want to use flex track exclusively, I'd follow some of the suggestions above. One thing you can do to keep the track from straightening out is to squirt a little CA glue under the rails, onto the plastic ties. Don't do that until you've determine the actual curve and shape of the trackage.

 

[tooter]

I came across a very clever idea from the creative Gn15 narrow gauge modelling Brits. You remove the sliding rail from the flex track, draw it through a board with three offset screws and put it back in.

Here's an untrimmed piece I did as an experiment...

...the radius is 10 inches...

...and it holds the curve all by itself just like a piece of Snap Track.

Greg

 

[Tygrr]

Since I am going to be using a LOT of flex track .. this thread has been really helpful. That 3 nail seems like a good idea, but I wonder if you would get a twist as well as a curv, since the bottom of the rail is wider than the top. Did you cut a grove in the bottom of the middle nail to compensate for the width?

 

[zoegraf]

I came across a very clever idea from the creative Gn15 narrow gauge modelling Brits. You remove the sliding rail from the flex track, draw it through a board with three offset screws and put it back in.

Here's an untrimmed piece I did as an experiment...

...the radius is 10 inches...

...and it holds the curve all by itself just like a piece of Snap Track.

Greg

May I ask what type of crane that is and who makes it?