straightening Rad 1 curved track

[Enginehouse]

Looking at the price of new or very near new track and the number of 1st rad curves going for peanuts on the bay I have been wondering how difficult it is to straighten out the curves and use it for general running. I'm sure I have seen an article on it somewhere. Certainly a very cheap way to lay quality track for half the price of buying the alternative straight lengths new. I only run RC battery power nowadays, so the possibly of increased irritation caused by poor conductivity across the more numerous joints will not be a problem.

Having worked out that I can buy a couple of locos for the difference in price when I lay the track on my new extension, this option seems well worth exploring. Cheap is good!

Cheers.
Roy H

 

[3Valve]

Quite a few of us have bashed R1 curves into straights. It's a relativley easy job.

Turn over the track and cut through the plastic webbing between the ties/sleepers on the inside of the the curve.

Remove the rail joiners, remove the rails and straighten them out using your preferred technique.

Some folks bash em straight against a solid flat surface with a hammer,
Some use a vice to gradually straighen them out,
Others have had success clamping them in a workmate and straightening with pliers.

Once straightened you don't have to cut the rails to match either. If you straighten out two curves you can swap the inner and outer rails to match up with each other so you get two straights: one made from outer rails; one from inner (hence one straight section slightly shorter than the other).

I've got "bashed" straights on my current railway using track power with no conductivity problems, but I do tend to use new rail-joiners/fishplates rather than trying to re-use the ones I removed.

 

[Neil Robinson]

Not done it myself but I know others have.
Two tips I've remembered 1/ the lengths of rail in the curve differ so you alternate them when straightened to get an even double length straight and 2/ getting them dead straight can be more difficult than easing the curve so you could use surplus R1s to make R3s rather than straights.

 

[3Valve]

and here are the bashed R1's in question. Several feet of both the upper and lower lines in this shot are made up from straightened R1's.

 

[bazzer42]

I like that - with two circles in the attic it could be a weekend of panel beating in the garage (judging by the forecast)
Thank you for that post.

 

[Gizzy]

Made R1s into R2s, but not gone so far as to ease the curves out completely.

I removed the sleeper web and cut as described by others, and straightened each rail about an inch at a time in the B&D Workmate.

Refit the sleepers and you're done....

 

[KeithT]

Getting them perfectly straight isn't that easy, the brass has enough 'spring' to cause it to retain a curve unless you hammer it. In my case I usually found that resulted in a wavy section.&o
Easing to R2/3 gives better results as suggested earlier.

 

[3Valve]

Now I didn't say they would be perfect straights.

I used a combination of B&D workmate and heavy pliers to do most of the straightning. Then tapping with a hammer against a thick paving slab to take the final springyness out.

No they ain't absolutely arrow straight, but they pass muster at the four foot rule (and probably closer), and are straight enough not to cause derailments or running problems.

 

[KeithT]

Now I didn't say they would be perfect straights.

I used a combination of B&D workmate and heavy pliers to do most of the straightning. Then tapping with a hammer against a thick paving slab to take the final springyness out.

No they ain't absolutely arrow straight, but they pass muster at the four foot rule (and probably closer), and are straight enough not to cause derailments or running problems.

Obviously you are more diligent than me!

 

[3Valve]

Now I didn't say they would be perfect straights.

I used a combination of B&D workmate and heavy pliers to do most of the straightning. Then tapping with a hammer against a thick paving slab to take the final springyness out.

No they ain't absolutely arrow straight, but they pass muster at the four foot rule (and probably closer), and are straight enough not to cause derailments or running problems.

Obviously you are more diligent than me!

Nah Keith, I think I just like hammering stuff.

 

[Zerogee]

Quite a few of us have bashed R1 curves into straights. It's a relativley easy job.

..........
Others have had success clamping them in a workmate and straightening with pliers.
..........

But make sure you ask your workmate for his or her permission before trying this.....

Jon.

 

[Rob s]

Looking at the price of new or very near new track and the number of 1st rad curves going for peanuts on the bay I have been wondering how difficult it is to straighten out the curves and use it for general running. I'm sure I have seen an article on it somewhere. Certainly a very cheap way to lay quality track for half the price of buying the alternative straight lengths new. I only run RC battery power nowadays, so the possibly of increased irritation caused by poor conductivity across the more numerous joints will not be a problem.

Having worked out that I can buy a couple of locos for the difference in price when I lay the track on my new extension, this option seems well worth exploring. Cheap is good!

Cheers.
Roy H

If you are buying new/nearly new or good condition track, you can even re-use the existing fishplates as well,
to save even more money, just takes a little bit more work, about 40 secs per length.

Tools required-
one small vice
A Piece of (off cut) alloy - [soft enough not to damage the fishplate but stiff enough to clamp it]
Longish flat bladed screw driver

Does not bend/damage the fishplates in any way and avoids hiting the end of the rail, which is very easily distorted.

I used an offcut of alloy angle as it kept the clamping piece on top off the vice, to speed up the process of taking off 100+ fish plates

Vice and alloy angle - leave a small gap

Just ease it with the screw driver, it feels stiff to start untill the punched nib on the fish plate clears the slight depression in the track

Hold the sleeper web steady and let the rail slide back wards, this saves damaging the first sleeper

Ease right back past first sleeper and lift away from fishplate

No damage to rail or sleeper or fishplate - ready to re use - they are as tight once you ease them back on as when they are new.
PS dont be tempted to hammer the rail back in {as you can easily distort the rail end} just push the rail back in along the web then in to the fishplate.

I learned to use a good glove on the hand i push with or it hurts a bit

 

[flyingsignalman]

I have only done a couple of lengths and I used the 2 long rails together but I put them back in the sleepers with the (now removed) curves facing opposite to each other rather than the same way round, this was to minimise any tendency of the rails to try and curve back to how they were, eg () instead of (( .
Removing fishplates, I used to drill out the dimple underneath the rail which then allowed the rail to slide out but the last time I used two hammers to knock the rail through the fishplate. The first smaller hammer was put against the rail and the second bigger hammer was used to hit the smaller one. Damage to the rail end was minimal.

 

[Martino]

I've done lots! Pop out the fishplates and remove. I use rail clamps so not worried about the fish plates. Use a metal work vice to straighten the track and then reinsert into the the sleepers having first cut the webbing on one side. Or cut every alternate web on each side if you are going to rebend. You match the short rails to create a short 'foot' and the long rails to get a long 'foot'. It's a great cheap way to get rail.

I've now invested in a train-li rail bender which is the best thing since the proverbial sliced Hovis, and makes life oh so easy.

 

[Gizzy]

Just had some curve flexi straighten for me by Adverse Camber.

He has a track bender, or in this case straightener.

You couldn't tell that the rails were once bent....

 

[dunnyrail]

I would say that a Rail Bender is the best option. I got a Massoth one well reduced some time back and works a treat. Just run the track through the opposite way that you would to curve it.

Also I take the fishplates off by cutting through the webb that holds it in at the end with a Junior Hacksaw, I find they work just fine after this. Though the Rail can slip out when they are being moved about if you are not carefull.
JonD

 

[Enginehouse]

Many thanks for the info. have just completed a box of 12 with no problem. I managed to recover all of the fishplates using the technique shown. Many thanks for the pics which made the job quite easy. Using a wide vice with 9" jaws to hold the rollers and off set adjustment bar quite securely I have drawn all of the rail straight. hands a bit sore now , but It's a very cheap way of getting hold of more track. Now I just need another box or two

Cheers.

Roy H