Railclamps
- Thread starter Frank Gallagher
- Start date
LOCATION OF SCREWS IN MASSOTH.
Needless to say with me nothing is quite so simple. I have done both! On track that is visible I find that on the nearest rail the screws are less obstrusive on the inside of the rail and the outside of the furthest one. Of course if you have a view of the rail end on as with my curves in the rockeries then this method is pretty well irrelivent, but that is how I tend to do it but not exclusively.
LOCATION OF SCREWS WITH MASSOTH
Here things are a little trickier, particularly with points as the clamps at Frogs need the screws Inside of the Rail. Otherwise generally tomthe outside for convinience of fitting.mbut as I said earlier my Hillmans are now all relegated to Fiddle Yards so it matters little.
JonD
Needless to say with me nothing is quite so simple. I have done both! On track that is visible I find that on the nearest rail the screws are less obstrusive on the inside of the rail and the outside of the furthest one. Of course if you have a view of the rail end on as with my curves in the rockeries then this method is pretty well irrelivent, but that is how I tend to do it but not exclusively.
LOCATION OF SCREWS WITH MASSOTH
Here things are a little trickier, particularly with points as the clamps at Frogs need the screws Inside of the Rail. Otherwise generally tomthe outside for convinience of fitting.mbut as I said earlier my Hillmans are now all relegated to Fiddle Yards so it matters little.
JonD
Thanks for the feedback..
It would appear 'you pays your money, and makes your choice'.
Good to hear I can fit them inside without problems.
I would agree that clamps / joiners with horizontal screws, have their heads to the outside.. Even if using a ball-ended hex-driver.
PhilP.
It would appear 'you pays your money, and makes your choice'.
Good to hear I can fit them inside without problems.
I would agree that clamps / joiners with horizontal screws, have their heads to the outside.. Even if using a ball-ended hex-driver.
PhilP.
Greg Elmassian
Guest
Sometimes I have to put them on the inside, and the sparks from shorting the rails with the ball end driver were impressive (10 amp DCC system)...I put a length of heat shrink on it.
Basically I don't like the ball end driver for the final torque, nor breaking the screw loose.
Greg
Basically I don't like the ball end driver for the final torque, nor breaking the screw loose.
Greg
'Live jointing' Greg?
Surely you would also complete the track-circuit, and cause havoc with occupancy detection and signalling?
I just recently replaced all my LGB fishplates on my small indoor layout on the Main Line & Platform Loop with GRS Rail Clamps. The layout is over 23 years old & I had noticed the running was not as good as used to be. I tightened some fishplates which made it better. Now I can get to GRS via Oxford & Chiltern Trains I took the opportunity to get some GRS Rail Clamps. As I am so close to my trains I can see the vast improvement they have made to the running of my layout. The ease you can take out points & track sections for maintenance is also a great advantage. Doug at Didcot
You are correct Jon..
John Steer
Registered
I always use the Massoth units, for all the stated reasons but also because one can fit these whilst the track is still flat in the ballast, I usually fit them to points for easy removal of points for maintenance, also I lock in my three lift-out bridge sections with the standard size clamps.
When installing isolated sidings, without fail I always use the black plastic (reinforced nylon) Massoth clamps.
Drop in when passing, I'll do the teas, you bring the sticky buns.
John.
When installing isolated sidings, without fail I always use the black plastic (reinforced nylon) Massoth clamps.
Drop in when passing, I'll do the teas, you bring the sticky buns.
John.
Greg Elmassian
Guest
Just serviced 2 turnouts today, pulled them out and put them back in without disturbing the surrounding track, SplitJaws.
Yeah I complete the circuit often, learned how to reset the "circuit breaker" on a Zimo system today.
Greg
Yeah I complete the circuit often, learned how to reset the "circuit breaker" on a Zimo system today.
Greg
I have come across a broken LGB yellow one.. In a tin of 'bits' that came with S/H track.. how it got broken, I do not know.
The Massoth black ones, coming with the solder-tags, are very useful.
WKDOR
Registered
Thanks Phil
Are the black Massoth ones less likely to break than the LGB? I don't need solder tags and for the use I am thinking of they need to shatter!
<intrigued>
I believe the Massoth units are reinforced (glass-filled?) nylon??
Not sure about the LGB units..
Would think 'some other' brittle plastics might be better to make debris from?? If for some sort of live effect, then I wold think either would need weakening before you started.
Zerogee
Clencher's Bogleman
Like Phil, I am intrigued by this.... are you needing them as a kind of "mechanical fuse" or failsafe, a deliberate weak point so that they break under certain circumstances in order to prevent serious and/or costly damage occurring elsewhere?
Under what circumstances do you need them to fail?
Jon.
WKDOR
Registered
Thanks Jon and Phil. Well spotted.
I have a 2-track mainline that crosses an island in a real 1:1 river by two bridges . For several years we have had sacrificial knockout sections of track on each end of the island connected by railclamps. I now realise that this was a thinking mistake; in the event of a threatened flood I can access the clamps on each bank end of the sacrificial section but not on the island ends.
So I'm nor looking for a knock out connector at the island ends that will shatter in the event that the bridge is hit by a fast-moving tree without damaging the adjacent trackwork and in particular pointwork.
Hoping this now makes more sense. And Yes Jon had worked this out exactly.
mike
In which case it probably does not matter.. A flood-powered tree will take-out anything I reckon!
I think I would try the 'ordinary' push-on joiners at the island end, but have most of the joiner on the island rail. Copper grease should cope with keeping continuity and would clamp on the bank.
One screw to loosen, lift and pull!
There is a chance the end of the fixed rail (on the mainland) might get bent if this happened whilst you were out, I suppose.
I think the screw-head on a Massoth clamp would fail first??
I think I would try the 'ordinary' push-on joiners at the island end, but have most of the joiner on the island rail. Copper grease should cope with keeping continuity and would clamp on the bank.
One screw to loosen, lift and pull!
There is a chance the end of the fixed rail (on the mainland) might get bent if this happened whilst you were out, I suppose.
I think the screw-head on a Massoth clamp would fail first??
Got some of these:-
3/8 works but is a bit small.
5/16 definately too small.
Measures existing screw length (should have done this before I ordered!) and what you need is:-
5/8 but 1/2 will work fine with hardly any screw the other side when fully tightened. This give problems on Points where it is advantageous to fit both sets of 2 Clamps to the Inside after the Frog.
JonD
Madman
Registered
Well, I'll put my two cents in here. I've used all three brands of clamps, Hillman, Split-Jaw and Uncle Herms. I have found the Split-Jaw clamps to be the best for my railway.
I used Hillmans in the beginning, then they seemed difficult to get so Split-Jaw filled the void and I found them easier to use. I tried Uncle Herms for a short time. They were priced alittle less than Split-Jaw, but I found that being made the way they are they didn't hold rails together when two different brands of track were to be clamped together. Aristocraft rails are slightly different from LGB rails, so Uncle Herms clamps would slip on the smaller rail.
I used Hillmans in the beginning, then they seemed difficult to get so Split-Jaw filled the void and I found them easier to use. I tried Uncle Herms for a short time. They were priced alittle less than Split-Jaw, but I found that being made the way they are they didn't hold rails together when two different brands of track were to be clamped together. Aristocraft rails are slightly different from LGB rails, so Uncle Herms clamps would slip on the smaller rail.