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Rail holdowns on fast tracks fixtures Track and electrical/DCC
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Regular poster 367 posts casenundra Regular poster 367 posts
casenundra

The Fast Tracks system is good but has a few drawbacks. I'm not talking about turnout construction here. I'm talking about construction of straight and curved track.

Holding down the rails while trying to solder the rails to the P.C. ties can be frustrating at the least. Compound this with trying to construct continuous rail. Just how long is your work bench any way?

A solution to this is to manufacture a system to hold the rails firmly in the fixture so that you can easily solder the rails to the ties.

Drill 4 holes along each section of the fixture (see photo) thread the holes for #10/32 screws (aprox. 3/8" long). Washers will be added to the screws which will then hold down the rails into the fixture.

 

RR%20118.JPG 

Rich S.

Home of the Here N There RR (N) (under construction)

One of these days I'll be able to run some trains!

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Norman46 Regular poster 233 posts
Norman46

I'm thinking magnets

Perhaps some rare earth magnets epoxied in the holes in the jig, then a few steel bars over them to hold the track down. Or perhaps the other way around, with steel inserts in the jig and magnets above them holding the track. That would be much faster to work with when making large amounts of track.
Norman Modeling L&N in HO circa 1953 We don't stop playing with trains because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing with trains. Webmaster for http://www.locallocomodelrr.org
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casenundra Regular poster 367 posts
casenundra

Rare earth magnets?

I don't have any rare earth magnets lying around but I do have drills, taps, screws, and washers aplenty.

I don't think that magnets would have the strength to keep the rails under control. You need a firm hand to keep the rails under control. I know. I have the burnt fingers and damaged fingernails to prove it!

Rich S.

Home of the Here N There RR (N) (under construction)

One of these days I'll be able to run some trains!

Now on Facebook for whatever that's worth.
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barr_ceo Super User 3,242 posts
barr_ceo

Looks good... the only

Looks good... the only "improvement" I'd suggest would be using thumbscrews so that you don't need a tool to loosen/tighten. If #10 thumbscrews aren't available, then swap to brass machine screws and solder half a washer or a piece of wide brass stock (say, half an inch wide...) vertically in the slot of the screw.

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duckdogger Super User 808 posts
duckdogger

I hold the solder device with

I hold the solder device with my right hand and the solder with my left. I cut a small square from scrap plywood which serves as a hand rest, keeps my hand away from the hot rails, and holds the rail tight against the tie while being soldered.
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