Wanted - just the odd track clamp (or two)

SevenOfDiamonds

SevenOfDiamonds

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Good morning all

Most of my track is Tenmille, and I have been fortunate enough to obtain (in the distant past) a modest quantity of Hillman clamps for that particular rail section, and more recently a quantity of appropriate Split Jaw ones. I have some LGB track, and have a quantity of LGB-rail-profile clamps too. However, as I seek to bring the West Langholm Railway back into use after it's long winter closure, I am coming across locations where what I have are not suitable.

I need to join an LGB curve to a Tenmille straight. In most places I can use a standard LGB-type Hillman clamp (with wire packing on the Tenmille side) but I've got such a joint in a walled cutting where even a ball-ended hex key won't allow me to tighten the screws on a Hillman/Split Jaw type clamp. I'm sure I bought a very small quantity of Massoth type (top fixed) clamps, but I can only find one spare one, and I need two! I've checked the rest of the line (vegetation permitting) but can't find where I might have been tempted to use any of the others (which could conceivably be replaced with a Hillman/Split Jaw one) but to no avail. The smallest quantity of the standard Massoth Code 332 clamps that I've found that I can buy from a retailer is a bag of 10, but feel the other 9 would never find a use. So, can anyone sell me one or two from their surplus?

And, while writing, does anyone have any of the double-length Hillman or Split Jaw (not Massoth) ones? Or know of a UK retailer with some in stock? My garden is on clay, so the railway is constantly "on the move", so there are places where the rail ends have separated ** and I've had to insert a short length of rail (maybe as much as 10m?) where one standar length clamp is not enough, and the use of two of them doesn't always achieve a smooth alignment. The use of a single double-length clamp would be better.

** When I started in this hobby, back in the late 90's, I recall reading a magazine article about this type of lengthening of a garden line where the author made it clear that the increase in route length was insufficient to warrant a fare increase for his passengers. I take the same view!

Thanks for reading

David
 
This is what is meant by the Massoth rail clamp. - A rail joiner, really..

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Just to put this thread to bed, and to own up to being in the "been there, done that" club, I weakened and bought 10 of the Massoth clamps off a well-known auction site (second-hand, but unused) . . . but before they made it out into the garden, I found the bag I had bought previously! The one clamp of this type that I needed has been duly installed, linking LGB rail to Tenmille rail in a vertical cutting (with a washer ** on the Tenmille side to allow it to "bite"). That (and many hours working my way round the line chopping back the vegetation, and polishing the railhead with my trusty pair of Garryflex blocks) allowed me to apply power to my track yesterday for the first time since last September. The need for electrical connectivity (I'm on track power) meant I had to replace three of my original Tenmille joiners (in situ, and conducting power, for maybe 25 years) and one of those was in the same vertical cutting, meaning I've now used no fewer than three of my 20 Massoth rail clamps!

And on the subject of the longer 39mm clamps, I've found a UK supplier claiming to have them in stock . . . but priced at £19.95 for two! Having said which, Massoth's website show them costing 19.95 EUR for two. At a tenner a go, I might just pass!

** Having not found any suitably small washers (do they have a different name if there is more hole than metal?) my eye fell upon some small screw eyes that achieved the desired effect.

Cheers

David
 
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