# Rail Joiners



## flyerrich (Feb 17, 2014)

My track layout is done. Now I will start applying some power to check everything out before I secure track. What is the popular thing to do with the rail joiners? Solder them or not solder them? Thanks


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## Bwells (Mar 30, 2014)

I solder all of mine but some people say to solder every other section to allow for expansion and contraction. I'm sure there will be many responses and reasons. This is just one other preference.


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## Northern Route (May 12, 2014)

There are a lot opinions on this question, but the one that will get the most negative results, is not to solder, so I recommend soldering. I prefer the soldering at least every other rail joiner method.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

If you are going to ballast your tracks you may encounter
electrical difficulties when the wet water and glue
invade the joiners and break the contact. I soldered
those when they occurred. But you may head off these
problems by soldering as you install. 

Don


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## D&J Railroad (Oct 4, 2013)

Soldering will make the rail act as one long stretch of thin nickle-silver, which will have to accommodate the expanding and contracting benchwork with the rise and fall of humidity and air temperature. The rails will have to go somewhere when the material below it distorts. Rail joiners are just that, rail joiners. If you want to ensure electrical continuity, you might consider soldering feeders from a buss wire to each section of track if you are using 3' flex track. It's best to leave a slight gap between each rail and let the rail joiner maintain the rail alignment without soldering it. You can solder the rails on shorter sections of track, but I usually don't have sections of rail longer than about 4'.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

So, the way you get around the expansion / contraction issue is this: solder your track into sections about 6' long. Every rail joiner in this section should be soldered. The joiners between sections should not be soldered, and should have a small gap between the rails (1/16" should do it). Then, every section of rail should have a feeder wire to provide power from a bus wire that runs below the layout. In this way, you allow for expansion, but do not rely on the rail joiners to provide electrical connectivity.

Also, generally it is best to put these gaps on straight track, a few inches from any turnouts, if feasible.


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## RT_Coker (Dec 6, 2012)

Just wandering. Anybody every try a little-bit of conductive-antenna-grease in the rail-joiners?
Bob


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## D&J Railroad (Oct 4, 2013)

RT_Coker said:


> Just wandering. Anybody every try a little-bit of conductive-antenna-grease in the rail-joiners?
> Bob


I don't think the antenna grease would work in this application. The antenna fitting is more of a closed connection were as the rail joiner is pretty much open on all sides. Corrosion will still develop.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

RT_Coker said:


> Just wandering. Anybody every try a little-bit of conductive-antenna-grease in the rail-joiners?
> Bob


I have been known to hit mine with a little electronic contact cleaner from time to time, but before you get anything near your trains, you need to ensure that it is non-corrosive, especially to plastics; that it won't attract and hold dirt (most greases do); and that it won't find it's way up on to the rails, where it will affect locomotive traction, and thus performance.

So, no, I haven't, but it doesn't sound like a good idea, either. Since the stuff has been around since WWII, I think if iwere a good idea, lots of people would know about it.


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## RT_Coker (Dec 6, 2012)

RT_Coker said:


> Just wandering. Anybody every try a little-bit of conductive-antenna-grease in the rail-joiners?
> Bob


The modern conductive-antenna-grease produce that I have been researching has apparently been used by several people to treat the rails with good results. There is a post on this forum about it being used on brass rails with good results. The product is typically applied to the clean rails as thin as possible and then the excess is wiped away leaving a very thin coat. It seems logical to me that rail-joiner-connections would be improved by such a treatment.
Bob


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

RT_Coker said:


> The modern conductive-antenna-grease produce that I have been researching has apparently been used by several people to treat the rails with good results. There is a post on this forum about it being used on brass rails with good results. The product is typically applied to the clean rails as thin as possible and then the excess is wiped away leaving a very thin coat. It seems logical to me that rail-joiner-connections would be improved by such a treatment.
> Bob


Maybe, if you're still using brass rails. For my money, anything that leaves a thin film on the rails both reduces traction and attracts dirt. You have to clean brass track constantly anyway, so it may not be a big deal. I use nickel silver track. I'll keep it as far away from my layout as I can, and I'll remain skeptical until I see a whole lot of testimonials that it improves the performance of nickel silver track.


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## rogruth (Mar 6, 2012)

My layout uses O27 style ballasted track.I do not have soldered track joints and have not had any electrical problems caused by the track.I have not had any short circuits caused by ballast either.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

rogruth said:


> My layout uses O27 style ballasted track.I do not have soldered track joints and have not had any electrical problems caused by the track.I have not had any short circuits caused by ballast either.


This sounds like a "Na na na na na" post. Using 3 rail O gauge track is a far different electrical problem than those of us using forms of track that do not plug into each other, but which abut end to end and would never make a reliable circuit without some form of connector. FWIW, my son's first layout was made with PowerLoc roadbed track, which connects like a slot car track, and we never had any connectivity problems there, either.

The vast majority of us have weighed the pros and cons of different scales and track types before starting, and aren't about to switch simply because of one of the drawbacks of our chosen scale.


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## rogruth (Mar 6, 2012)

CTValleyRR said:


> This sounds like a "Na na na na na" post.
> 
> 
> Not meant to be.But I did not see anything about what track was being used.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

It wasn't ever stated, but the original question asked was "should I solder my rail joiners or not?" So we can logically conclude that he's working in a scale that uses them (most commonly HO and N).


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## rogruth (Mar 6, 2012)

There have been questions about tubular track connectors that have been called rail joiners
by some new ito model railroading.

Don't worry,I won't bother again.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

rogruth said:


> There have been questions about tubular track connectors that have been called rail joiners
> by some new ito model railroading.
> 
> Don't worry,I won't bother again.


Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. We miscommunicated. It happens. A lot. I've never heard the tubular connectors called rail joiners, but that doesn't mean they aren't . We all tend to assume that a poster is using the same scale we are.

Perhaps the OP would let us know.


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## rogruth (Mar 6, 2012)

CT,

OK.That's cool.

I don't think the opening post mentioned scale or gauge.

I agree we probably assume what we are used to.

Most of my posts are on a forum that is 95% O scale of some type.

My apologies.


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## flyerrich (Feb 17, 2014)

My original question was for my HO layout.
Thanks for all the comments I think I have decided what I am going to do based on all the input I received!


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

flyerrich said:


> My original question was for my HO layout.
> Thanks for all the comments I think I have decided what I am going to do based on all the input I received!


Probably ignore us blithering idiots and do what you planned all along.


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