Soldering wires onto tracks

[ASG]

I need a decent soldering iron for connecting wires to ensure good conductivity on rails joints. I was thinking of getting the Solderpro 120 Gas soldering iron from maplins and was wondering if anybody had got one of these and if they were any good.
The soldering tip looks a bit small to transfer heat to the rails but they do an extra set of tips with a 3mm tip which may be better.

Andrew

 

[stevelewis]

Belive me soldering linking wires to rail joints in my opinion is a waste of time & effort, if you have secure railjoiners you will have little to worry about,

When I built my first line in the 70s I started to bond the joints after I few yards I gave up as it was a tedious job,

After the first winter many of the joints had failed anyway but actual running was not affected it all worked

since then I have never bothered just have good railjoiner connection and maybe a couple of extra power feeds if the line is a long one,

Also worth remebering that if you are using digital then you have full voltage & amps running through yr track All the time anyway!

I dont think you will find many G scalers that Do bond their track joints.

 

[themole]

I would agree with Steve, also one source of electrical/copper/graphite, paste can be bought at motor spares outlets eg Halfords etc often far cheaper than model shops. Alyn

 

[jacobsgrandad]

I would totally agree. When I started laying track I bonded all joints with soldered wire, got totally fed up, stopped and just used fishplate with a little graphite grease. best decision I ever made. Haven.t had a jpint fail. (i Know now one is bound to go next time I do any running!!)

 

[yb281]

Agree with the above, bonding shouldn't be neccasary. If you have problems, try rail clamps. Not only do they improve the joints, but you can attach extra feeds (not that you should need to) via the clamping screws.

 

[Bram]

I would second Mel's comments, especially not needing extra feeds

 

[CoggesRailway]

glad i read this.

i have got a long fine just with a little lgb paste stuff. on cogges 2 i was going to bond as i thought that the received wisdom. just saved a day or more! love this forum...

 

[minimans]

BUT if you still want to solder the joints you will need a 250 Watt Iron at least which will enable the rail to get hot quickly get the solder on and then quench with a damp rag before the ties melt! When I started I also used to solder the joints actually filling the fishplate with solder, I never had a problem with poor conductivity but when I moved house which I did frequently back then it was/is a pain in the harris! I then went to soldered connector wires across the gap leaving a loop of wire for expantion. this was much easier to move, cut wire, resolder together when relaid. Now I don't bother at all I can't bringmyself to just rely on the fishplate and conductor sauce so I now drive a self tapper screw through the fishplate and rail and now very rarely have a problem at the joints..................................
And although the screws look huge in the picture you actually do not see them when looking at normal distance.

 

[dunnyrail]

Like the suggestion of the self tapper, but I would only use it for hidden/out of sight tracks. I personally use Hillman rail Clamps for two reasons:-
1 the power NEVER FAILS if you do a bit of a clean of the rail before fitting and use the LGB Glug.
2 They do add some security to your rail. I do not see the likelihood of someone walking down the road even at night carrying a 30ft (or bigger) circle of track.
I use both Peco and LGB Track and use Hillmans exclusively, but if I were starting now I would probably try the Massoth Clamps which appear to be a bit cheaper.
JonD

 

[Madman]

I strongly disagree. I solder each and every rail joint. In the twenty years that my garden railway has been in existence, I have learned a few things. One of them was to solder jumpers across every rail joint. It is tedious work, but I have not regretted it. My back doesn't like it too much, but I have control over it.

 

[Martino]

I'm sure, for connectivity reasons, soldered joints are the best (with joint wire jumpers) , but I do see problems for me. - I'm not a wonderful solderer, It does seem like a lot of work, and I think it would make changing things harder.

My compromise is rail clamps.

I tried split jaw - expensive, and fiddly, but work great. I then tried AMS - cheap, effective - still a bitt fiddly, but work well. ..and i've recently tried Train-Li Pro Clamps. Very easy to use, inexpensive, and look good. Remains to be seen if they are good long term, but they look as if they might be.

I have used self tappers. Unobtrusive, I found a pain to drill (but that's just me) and I have suffered when trying to take them out to change things.

I've also use fishplates (rail joiners) with and without LGB (and other makes) of gunk. Varying success - very easy, and a doddle to move.

So, you pays your money.....

I guess it depends on personal circumstances, budget, abilities, and the weather conditions in your locale.

A bit like power buses with DCC - some folks think they're essential with feeds every few feet. I have never thought so, as I reckon that thumping great brass rail is the best power bus there is, but having said that - I'm now looking at a power cable round the garden and a number of feeds just to guard against power drop.

I used to be indecisive, but now I'm not so sure....

 

[Madman]

The one thing I have done in recent years is to solder short wire leads to all four rail ends on each piece of track, on the bench, in my shop. It's alot easier doing it at the work bench, than crouching over the track on the ground. When I lay the track, I simply twist the wire leads together and solder the splice. I make the wire leads long enough to tuck under the ties, or sleepers, once they are soldered. This way, if I ever decide to make a change, I will have enough wire left, even after cutting the splice out.

 

[Woderwick]

I also disagree as I think rail clamps look awful. I use Aristo track and it is a simple matter to run 2 loops of wire under the track and connect them at intervals using the small screws located under the rail in the sleeper webs. A lot cheaper too.

Simples

 

[railwayman198]

When I laid my track 6 years ago I took the 'belt and braces' approach - graphite paste in the fishplates and soldered jumper wires. A couple of times since I have had problems with patches of poor power continuity. I each case the fault has been traced to a failed solder joint. Re-solder the join, problem solved. This suggests that graphite alone was not enough.

I think that the nature of the line may also be a factor. Tree and shrub cover seems to accelerate corrosion, if your line is out in the open it may be less of a problem.

 

[minimans]

When I laid my track 6 years ago I took the 'belt and braces' approach - graphite paste in the fishplates and soldered jumper wires. A couple of times since I have had problems with patches of poor power continuity. I each case the fault has been traced to a failed solder joint. Re-solder the join, problem solved. This suggests that graphite alone was not enough.

I think that the nature of the line may also be a factor. Tree and shrub cover seems to accelerate corrosion, if your line is out in the open it may be less of a problem.

If the soldered joints failed it would most likey be due to a "dry solder joint" ie you didn't get the rail hot enough and the solder just stuck to the wire instead of bonding to the rail. you have to see the solder "flow" to the rail...............................

 

[Madman]

When I laid my track 6 years ago I took the 'belt and braces' approach - graphite paste in the fishplates and soldered jumper wires. A couple of times since I have had problems with patches of poor power continuity. I each case the fault has been traced to a failed solder joint. Re-solder the join, problem solved. This suggests that graphite alone was not enough.

I think that the nature of the line may also be a factor. Tree and shrub cover seems to accelerate corrosion, if your line is out in the open it may be less of a problem.

If the soldered joints failed it would most likey be due to a "dry solder joint" ie you didn't get the rail hot enough and the solder just stuck to the wire instead of bonding to the rail. you have to see the solder "flow" to the rail...............................

That, sometimes, seems to take forever. Even with the proper soldering gun, and the rail cleaned. I have noticed that LGB brass rail solders alittle easier than Aristocraft rail. I have no experience with any other brand other than some Piko brass track which is on par with the LGB track.