I've just received 72 ft of Accucraft brass flex track and I must be missing something.....how is the track coupled together?? It came with a handfull of brass slide on couplers(I guess that is what they are for), however they do not fit tight. Of course no suggestion was included. What more do I need? I have a four year great granddaughter who loves trains and I've finally got a place to run two tracks over a straight run of 40ft. Also building a 12ft x 12ft for a round or oval track layout....Thanks in advance. Charles Rakes
Accucraft flex track??
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Charles,
Those brass pieces are the rail joiners. If your going to be using track power, you will need to get railjoiner clamps.
These are made by Splitjaw, Aristo and others.
Rodney
Those brass pieces are the rail joiners. If your going to be using track power, you will need to get railjoiner clamps.
These are made by Splitjaw, Aristo and others.
Rodney
Is this track code 250 or 332 track? Do the rail joiners "snuggness" differ between the two (are 332 joiners snug on 332 track and 250 joiners not snug on 250 track or vice versa)?
The reason I ask is that the LGB track and joiners I put in on my first railroad (ten years ago, now defunct), when installed with conductive grease, needed no rail clamps and conducted fine. I need to buy track for my new layout, and I would like to avoid rail clamps. The aristocraft I put in recently didn't conduct well on many of the joints. Aggravating...
The reason I ask is that the LGB track and joiners I put in on my first railroad (ten years ago, now defunct), when installed with conductive grease, needed no rail clamps and conducted fine. I need to buy track for my new layout, and I would like to avoid rail clamps. The aristocraft I put in recently didn't conduct well on many of the joints. Aggravating...
332 Accucraft brass flex track.....I don't see any need to spend additional money for clamps when soldering should do to make an even better connection.....the track will be used indoors.....is there any reason not to solder the connectors in place?
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The rail joiners that come with my 250 AMS track, some slide on easy and others need a little tap with the hammer.
Everybody that I know that uses track power, uses the clamps. It saves a lot of conductive problems down the road.
I'm battery power and I use the railjoiners with no problems.
Rodney
Everybody that I know that uses track power, uses the clamps. It saves a lot of conductive problems down the road.
I'm battery power and I use the railjoiners with no problems.
Rodney
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1,167 Posts
If its the code 332 (or whatever it is) track, Split Jaw rail clamps will not hold reliably because the rail foot is too thick! I found out the hard way. Luckily, I had a back up supply of Aristo rail clamps that worked well. I have been told Hillman's will work well too. AMS also make their own brand of rail clamps that look just like the Hillman's.
A previous thread on AMS track - http://www.mylargescale.com/Community/Forums/tabid/56/forumid/9/postid/32855/view/topic/Default.aspx
-Brian
A previous thread on AMS track - http://www.mylargescale.com/Community/Forums/tabid/56/forumid/9/postid/32855/view/topic/Default.aspx
-Brian
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21,424 Posts
Other than the pain to unsolder jumpers if you have to remove a section of track, there is no reason not to solder jumpers, the best electrical connection and the lowest price. One suggestion is to use clamps on switches to allow easy removal for maintenance.
Regards, Greg
Regards, Greg
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Ki5az,
(is that a name?)
Just my opinion, but don't solder the rail joiners. It's too much work and too difficult to get the track back apart.
Use the slip on rail joiners provided to align the track joints and use jumper wires soldered on to the rail to conduct power.
A 3-4 inch piece of 22-20 gauge wire soldered to each rail end, back about 2 inches on the bottom side of the rail
prior to installation works great. After installation just solder the wire ends together and your good to go.
If you need to modify or remove the track it is a simple matter to snip the wire connections, and they are good for reuse on the next
install.
Rail clamps work very well but can be somewhat of a pain to install not to mention the extreme cost.
Like I said, just my opinion.
Rick Marty
(is that a name?)
Just my opinion, but don't solder the rail joiners. It's too much work and too difficult to get the track back apart.
Use the slip on rail joiners provided to align the track joints and use jumper wires soldered on to the rail to conduct power.
A 3-4 inch piece of 22-20 gauge wire soldered to each rail end, back about 2 inches on the bottom side of the rail
prior to installation works great. After installation just solder the wire ends together and your good to go.
If you need to modify or remove the track it is a simple matter to snip the wire connections, and they are good for reuse on the next
install.
Rail clamps work very well but can be somewhat of a pain to install not to mention the extreme cost.
Like I said, just my opinion.
Rick Marty
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