Furloughed

[CharlieBear]

Hi all,
Hope all are OK and keeping safe.
Jumped with joy when 'they' told me I was being furloughed, now after many jobs (fence painting etc) at the request of SWMBO I've managed to lay track around a good half of the garden. Hopefully if the rain stops I'll get the rest completed over the weekend.
It basically follows the lawn edge around the garden, with a rack section down over a patio and under some laurels to the shed, all joints are rail clamped and a track feed every 10ft or so.
Power is Massoth DCC, I just need to set up auto operation for the rack.
Regards,
CB

 

[dunnyrail]

Hi all,
Hope all are OK and keeping safe.
Jumped with joy when 'they' told me I was being furloughed, now after many jobs (fence painting etc) at the request of SWMBO I've managed to lay track around a good half of the garden. Hopefully if the rain stops I'll get the rest completed over the weekend.
It basically follows the lawn edge around the garden, with a rack section down over a patio and under some laurels to the shed, all joints are rail clamped and a track feed every 10ft or so.
Power is Massoth DCC, I just need to set up auto operation for the rack.
Regards,
CB

Well done, will that be the end of the line when you get back to work?

 

[Rhinochugger]

Hi all,
Hope all are OK and keeping safe.
Jumped with joy when 'they' told me I was being furloughed, now after many jobs (fence painting etc) at the request of SWMBO I've managed to lay track around a good half of the garden. Hopefully if the rain stops I'll get the rest completed over the weekend.
It basically follows the lawn edge around the garden, with a rack section down over a patio and under some laurels to the shed, all joints are rail clamped and a track feed every 10ft or so.
Power is Massoth DCC, I just need to set up auto operation for the rack.
Regards,
CB

A track feed every 10ft or so with clamped rail joints is real overkill - slowing your progress and emptying your pockets.

I have some clamped joints and some Aristo screwed fish plates and I have two feeds, 150 ft apart on a complete loop of 300 ft - so effectively my little volts have 75 ft to travel before they meet themselves coming the other way.

OK, I'm not using DCC, but I don't see any undue slowing of trains which would indicate a voltage drop

 

[Hutch]

A track feed every 10ft or so with clamped rail joints is real overkill - slowing your progress and emptying your pockets.

I have some clamped joints and some Aristo screwed fish plates and I have two feeds, 150 ft apart on a complete loop of 300 ft - so effectively my little volts have 75 ft to travel before they meet themselves coming the other way.

OK, I'm not using DCC, but I don't see any undue slowing of trains which would indicate a voltage drop

Nothing wrong with a belt and suspenders...
---Hutch

 

[dunnyrail]

Yes quite, my rule of thumb was Track Clamps at every joint then a feed at each end of a section. Each main station on my line was a sepatprate feed including the track halfway approx to the next station Or where I changed from Peco to Aristo or LGB Track. That would mean at isolated joints a separately switched feed next to each other! But I never had any problems with power except where I occasionally forgot to tighten up the screws in the clamps, and these worked fine because of the feeds at both ends of the sections. Some have rubbished my approach, but it worked perfectly for me.

 

[Rhinochugger]

Yes quite, my rule of thumb was Track Clamps at every joint then a feed at each end of a section. Each main station on my line was a sepatprate feed including the track halfway approx to the next station Or where I changed from Peco to Aristo or LGB Track. That would mean at isolated joints a separately switched feed next to each other! But I never had any problems with power except where I occasionally forgot to tighten up the screws in the clamps, and these worked fine because of the feeds at both ends of the sections. Some have rubbished my approach, but it worked perfectly for me.

Yebbut, were talking DCC - no need for isolation.

Nothing wrong with a belt and suspenders...
---Hutch

No, but where do you draw the line?

OK, my set up may be along Colones Stephens' lines, but every ten feet with rail clamps seems a bit OTT to me.

Fine if you want to do it, but I was just pointing out the drawbacks.

 

[Gizzy]

Hi all,
Hope all are OK and keeping safe.
Jumped with joy when 'they' told me I was being furloughed, now after many jobs (fence painting etc) at the request of SWMBO I've managed to lay track around a good half of the garden. Hopefully if the rain stops I'll get the rest completed over the weekend.
It basically follows the lawn edge around the garden, with a rack section down over a patio and under some laurels to the shed, all joints are rail clamped and a track feed every 10ft or so.
Power is Massoth DCC, I just need to set up auto operation for the rack.
Regards,
CB

Belts and braces with the track feeds and clamps, but it will give you reliable running....

 

[Rhinochugger]

Belts and braces with the track feeds and clamps, but it will give you reliable running....

As I say, fine for those that want to - but the biggest issue to reliable running is keeping the contact surface clean. Yes, there is the LGB track cleaning loco .............. or the Mk 1 track cleaner for skinflints like me

Skates help in this respect, but they just don't so it for me in the looks department

Each to their own, and keep playing

 

[CharlieBear]

My last layout had 3 feeds and normal fishplates every few years I would end up dismantling cleaning the dirt out of the fishplates, a spot of copper grease and tighten up with plyers it was a Pig of a job! Hopefully this will ensure trouble free running fingers crossed, it seemed easier to do all I could as I lay the track rather than have to make alterations later.

 

[Rhinochugger]

My last layout had 3 feeds and normal fishplates every few years I would end up dismantling cleaning the dirt out of the fishplates, a spot of copper grease and tighten up with plyers it was a Pig of a job! Hopefully this will ensure trouble free running fingers crossed, it seemed easier to do all I could as I lay the track rather than have to make alterations later.

Aha, yes, I can understand. My experience is that the fishplates are the real problem - it is one area where LGB simply up-scaled from the small gauges without thinking through the real issues of permanent outdoor track.

Track clamps solve that issue, as does the Aristo / Bachmann system of screwed fishplates - well, for the limited years that I've had my track laid; 6 years at the last house and four years here and counting.

When I went to re-lay my Aristo track at the new house, I removed all of the fishplates to clean the track and the fishplates. What I found was that, especially with the fishplates that were installed at the factory, when I removed them after six years outside, the track was still shiny brass under the fishplate. The only continuity problem I've had with the track in its new setting, is where I forgot to put a screw in the fishplate

But again, if it's something you're comfortable doing, then go for it - Rule 8 applies to track laying just as much as it does to train running.

 

[rhaetianfan]

I agree with what has been said about LGB fishplates - about 50% of my track is 20+ years old and been laid in the current line for three years. Only when starting to wake up the layout after winter (although we didn't really have one down here) this year did I start to get problems with poor continuity and some 'dipped joints' causing derailments. Tightening with pliers works for a time but still the odd problem persisted - investigation often showed a lot of mud/dirt in the joints after a very wet February/March.

Vowing to sort out the worst locations first I have steadily replaced virtually all LGB fishplates with Massoth clamps - the improvement is significant. Not only is electrical continuity far better (I run with Massoth DCC) but the rails are kept in better alignment so derailments and unscheduled uncouplings are much reduced. I still only have a single feed on a main circuit of about 75ft of track with two side branches, it works for me!

M

 

[dunnyrail]

Yebbut, were talking DCC - no need for isolation.


No, but where do you draw the line?

OK, my set up may be along Colones Stephens' lines, but every ten feet with rail clamps seems a bit OTT to me.

Fine if you want to do it, but I was just pointing out the drawbacks.

Are but as I have said countless times before if you split the layout into sections fault and problem finding is aided by adding those sections that are switched. Also helps with a big layout on the power supply front. Just feed at each end of the section. The concept of just 2 wires to the layout is seriously a false claim for a satisfactory running reliable DCC layout.

 

[Gizzy]

Vowing to sort out the worst locations first I have steadily replaced virtually all LGB fishplates with Massoth clamps - the improvement is significant. Not only is electrical continuity far better (I run with Massoth DCC) but the rails are kept in better alignment so derailments and unscheduled uncouplings are much reduced. I still only have a single feed on a main circuit of about 75ft of track with two side branches, it works for me!

M

Similar to me.

I replaced fish-plates with clamps on my new layout at my new home, an out and back run of double track of about 36 metres from the single power feed at the terminus, because I wanted reliable running on mainly second hand track of which some might be over 30 years old....

 

[Rhinochugger]

Are but as I have said countless times before if you split the layout into sections fault and problem finding is aided by adding those sections that are switched. Also helps with a big layout on the power supply front. Just feed at each end of the section. The concept of just 2 wires to the layout is seriously a false claim for a satisfactory running reliable DCC layout.

Each to their own

I wasn't necessarily suggesting just two wires - it simply seemed to me that every 10ft is unnecessarily arduous.

Dunno how Stockers has his wired?

 

[LGeoB]

I use Massoth rail clamps on all my layout outside and just use two wires to feed the main parts. I also have feeds to two Lenz reverse loop devices. I runs DCC. The clamps are well worth the investment especially when you have to lift a turnout for maintenance. I do use multiple feeds in the shed as I use fishplates which do give problems even indoors!

Geoff

 

[dunnyrail]

Each to their own

I wasn't necessarily suggesting just two wires - it simply seemed to me that every 10ft is unnecessarily arduous.

Dunno how Stockers has his wired?

Sounds like a good belt and braces job to me.

 

[AustrianNG]

I have around 350 foot of track.
I have one feed of DCC to the track at Linz station. (LGB MTS 3 with Massoth wireless Navigator).
I have a mixture of Massoth rail clamps and USAT allen key fishplates in all places except a few sidings, but all LGB fishplates have LGB grease in them.

The track plan is both a circuit and two end to end stations.
Biggest gripe are birds dropping their deposits on the railhead.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

Charlie, with good clamps, a continuous loop and good wire, every 30 feet would be fine, the power is only going 15 feet max.... with every 10 foot, the power only needs to go 5 feet, that's definitely overkill with clamps. With stock slip on joiners, it might be a good idea, but I never recommend the stock joiners, clamps or bond sections together with wire.

In any case, if you can run it and it's not problem, then it will be bulletproof for sure.

Greg

 

[AustrianNG]

I’ve had two layouts outdoors over 15 years.
with good rail connections, you only need one feed for 350 foot of track.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

Would not work for me, 10 amp trains and joiners, and no joiner is perfect. Different layouts and different locos and different requirements make for different answers.