# HO Gauge Track Clips



## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

Is there such a thing as HO track clips to hold two sections of track together while laying out the track. It is so annoying to think you are doing well only to find that 4 or 5 sections back the track separated a bit and you keep going back and forth fixing things, like a dog chasing it's tail.

I have looked around but I did not see anything perhaps they have another name.


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

I think I remember that you are putting your track on foam roadbed. (If I am wrong, stop reading and go to the next post.) Most track has tiny holes in some of the ties. You can buy track nails -- tiny black nails that you can put through the holes to hold the track in place.

I usually put the nails only part way in because I find that I frequently go back and make minor adjustments. When I am ready for a road test, I push the nails down to just below the top of the rails, but still not all the way in. Then I test the track with trains. Once I am satisfied with everything, I push the nails the rest of the way down. But don't push so hard that you bend the tie.


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## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

MtRR75 said:


> I think I remember that you are putting your track on foam roadbed. (If I am wrong, stop reading and go to the next post.) Most track has tiny holes in some of the ties. You can buy track nails -- tiny black nails that you can put through the holes to hold the track in place.
> 
> I usually put the nails only part way in because I find that I frequently go back and make minor adjustments. When I am ready for a road test, I push the nails down to just below the top of the rails, but still not all the way in. Then I test the track with trains. Once I am satisfied with everything, I push the nails the rest of the way down. But don't push so hard that you bend the tie.


Right now I am assembling the track on the table without the roadbed and getting things setup, I found I had to cut an old brass track here and there to get a good clean fit. Once I get it set up I have to scrape the grass off the mat to glue the foam track bed down. I have adjusted the actual placement of the track on the table 4 or 5 times, I keep finding something I like a little better. Today I figured a way to make the turn out of the tunnel to the front of the table in a larger radius then 18 and it looks better too. I am going to make the sidings with brass track since I have so much of it and as much of the main line as possible with silver flex track.
There is always something taking me away from the layout, today I was headed to the store to run a few errands and had a dead battery in the jeep, I knew it was three or four years old and expected it to get weak first but arggggghh that was annoying


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Here is a down and dirty idea, since it is a temporary 'test' setup
how about using duct tape or maybe less sticky masking tape stuck
to the bottom of the ties. 

Don


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

You may be disappointed if you use the brass track for the sidings. Usually you won't run trains on the sidings that often but when ya do, the tarnish that builds up on the surface as well as in the track joiners will give you fits in trying to keep your train running.


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

at one time atlas track connectors were common, layouts were set up on floors or tables for short periods of time, but i couldnt find them on the atlas site... they clip over the center of the D part on the end of the track


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

wvgca said:


> at one time atlas track connectors were common, layouts were set up on floors or tables for short periods of time, but i couldnt find them on the atlas site... they clip over the center of the D part on the end of the track


I have a few of those from years ago, when the kids just set up track on a sheet of plywood. They did not fit very well -- a little too tight. Sometimes they tended to pull the track up off of the table -- sometimes it would not lay flat. I resorted to using needle-nose pliers to tighten the rail joiners -- not perfect, but better than the track connectors.

If you are just fitting track temporarily and not running anything on it, why not use twist ties at the rail junctions -- easy to adjust the amount of tightness.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Double sided carpet tape works for a temporary way to hold frack down.


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