Change to LGB track connectors

P

playmofire

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I've a quantity of old LGB track the loco stutters or stops on and so today I decided to replace the old track connectors with new ones and clean up the ends of the track and the areas around the track connectors underneath (the top of the rail is already clean). When I came to fit the new track connectors, however, I found that they no longer had the "pip" on to fit with the dimple on the track but just slide on, giving a fairly tight fit. To make the fit tighter, I flattened the connectors against the rail with a screwdriver blade. Will this be adequate, bearing in mind that the track will not necessarily be permanently laid down?
 
for a good cleaning, do not forget to soak the rails and sides in the COCA-COLA for 24 h.
pour un bon nettoyage , ne pas oublier de faire tremper les rails et éclisses dans du COCA-COLA pendant 24 H.
 
the packs of joiners or fishplates, As far as i'm aware have never been supplied with dimples, only the versions on fixed lengths have the dimples
 
Thats correct replacement rail joiners do not have the indents, I believe that the reason for the indents on original track is the machine fixing of the joiners.

As far as the original post is concerned, just make sure that the joiners are a tight fit, and apply a small amount of LGB graphite paste BEFORE installng the new joiners.
Having been in G scale since '76 I have gained quite a bit of experience in laying & using G scale track
the 2 bggest things I would recommend is the use of graphite paste and NOT fixing track down rigidly, use ballast just like the real railways!!
LGB & Most G scale track brands are heavy and will stay put if laid in ballast, ( use alpine Grit which is usually an average size of around 5mm this is 'sharp' and will 'lock' together to retain the sleepers in position don't use Pea Gravel which as the name suggests is round and will not lock together)

The use of ballast allows the track to 'float' slightly and the passage of heavy trains performs a slight cleaning effect within the railjoiners thus decreasing the formation of corrosion.
Hope this helps
 
tram47 said:
for a good cleaning, do not forget to soak the rails and sides in the COCA-COLA for 24 h.
pour un bon nettoyage , ne pas oublier de faire tremper les rails et éclisses dans du COCA-COLA pendant 24 H.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reminder - I will do this in future, this was just a practice on yet another, dark and wet day.
 
Thank you all for your answers.

The layout will be indoors and on boards and will need to be transportable, so some form of fixing down will be necessary.
 
The advice about LGB magic glug is very sound, used indoors with tight fits and you should have a trouble free system for years. However for outside use I woud always recommend either bonding or track clamps. Both give trouble free service.
JobD
 
playmofire said:
The layout will be indoors and on boards and will need to be transportable, so some form of fixing down will be necessary.
Click to expand...
for indoors i fix my track with just one nail or screw per onefoot piece of track.
if you have to expect higher temperature differences, you might consider to leave 1mm of space between railheads. (that gives a bit more "clicketyclack" too)
 
korm kormsen said:
playmofire said:
The layout will be indoors and on boards and will need to be transportable, so some form of fixing down will be necessary.
Click to expand...
for indoors i fix my track with just one nail or screw per onefoot piece of track.
if you have to expect higher temperature differences, you might consider to leave 1mm of space between railheads. (that gives a bit more "clicketyclack" too)
Click to expand...

Thanks, the clickety-clack part is especially useful.
 
Interesting and helpful thread as Im just about to lay some sections of line with old and new LGB track. The "old" track I acquired secondhand and it looks like the original owner used graphite paste at the joints. Will the "Coca Cola cleaning" remove this or should I attack it with white spirit or something else? (wrt the tip, I've never heard this before but I guess if the stuff rots your teeth enamel it should have a cleansing effect on other things as well - can't wait to try it out!)

Thanks
 
I've taken my renewing a stage further by "dimpling" one of the new connectors once it was on and the rail in place. Very easy to do with a medium hammer and a rather blunt centre punch. I lined things up using another length of track with the original connectors on and then, Bang! with the hammer on the centre punch.
 
Question for all you experts - is there an "approved" technique for getting the LGB factory-fit dimpled connectors off the end of the track? Brute force appears to work but it kind of feels a bit caveman-like to simply heave / lever away, and the connectors often get mangled in the process (not a problem when I'm replacing with rail clamps but a nuisance when I'm simply trying to clean up the ends and connectors of some second-hand track before laying it).
 
Ralphmp said:
Question for all you experts - is there an "approved" technique for getting the LGB factory-fit dimpled connectors off the end of the track? Brute force appears to work but it kind of feels a bit caveman-like to simply heave / lever away, and the connectors often get mangled in the process (not a problem when I'm replacing with rail clamps but a nuisance when I'm simply trying to clean up the ends and connectors of some second-hand track before laying it).
Click to expand...

Clamp the sleeper with the fishplate in a thin vice or between two plates of metal clamped in a vice then with a small chisel (read screw driver) tap the rail out of the fishplate....to replace bend new fish plate tag (if it has one) fit in slot and tap rail back to where it came from
 
Ralphmp said:
Question for all you experts - is there an "approved" technique for getting the LGB factory-fit dimpled connectors off the end of the track?
Click to expand...

I'm afraid brute force is the only way Phil....
 
Tony said:
Ralphmp said:
Question for all you experts - is there an "approved" technique for getting the LGB factory-fit dimpled connectors off the end of the track? Brute force appears to work but it kind of feels a bit caveman-like to simply heave / lever away, and the connectors often get mangled in the process (not a problem when I'm replacing with rail clamps but a nuisance when I'm simply trying to clean up the ends and connectors of some second-hand track before laying it).
Click to expand...

Clamp the sleeper with the fishplate in a thin vice or between two plates of metal clamped in a vice then with a small chisel (read screw driver) tap the rail out of the fishplate....to replace bend new fish plate tag (if it has one) fit in slot and tap rail back to where it came from
Click to expand...
I stand corrected!

If only I knew this before I got brutal and bust a few fishplates.?

Anyhow, thanks for the tip Tony....
 
I take a pair of "Dykes", or angled wire cutters and crimp the rail joiner on the edge, making sure that the pliers bite into the bottom flange of the rail. The joiner is already dimpled from the factory on one end , so this is my method of killing two birds with one stone. It helps keep the rails from getting gaps over time.

I hope my explanation is clear.
 
The other way is a small length of wood or metal bar the same dimensional exactitude as the spacing between two sleepers nailed to a work bench... the track will then sit flat on the bench with fixed bar/wood between end two sleepers though this often requires some way of holding said track down while you tap...(A small boy is useful at this point) but remember not to clamp the rail your trying to move
 
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