Atlas 401 Rail Joiner Tool

MB Klein has them in stock.

Free tool! Take some rail scrap.... about 5" length

File the base flanges toward one another (arrowhead shape)  There should be No sharp edges,  just a narrowed rail base.  Bend that tip up about 20 degrees...  The  bend should be about 1/2 - 3/5 the length of a joiner.

Slip a joiner onto that end ... then slip the opposite end of the joiner onto your track... proceed from there by removing the tool and adding your next rail.

peter-f

Absolutely brilliant and a very clear explanation. A full 10 finger salute! And a grateful thank you from those that had to hear me cuss when laying track.

After puncturing my finger a number of times.....

I took a small block of wood, drilled a "rail size" hole in it, press fitted a short section of rail into it, and filed small tapers on the end of the rail.  I push a rail joiner on the end of the tool (gently) and then use the tool to push the joiner on to the section of track.  No more punctured fingers!

@RickWade - - that's my next move

@Rick Sutton  - do it Rick's (Wade's)  way... it was my intent to add the handle, but my rail laying was done before I got to do that.  It would be a really comfortable improvement.

(So my tool is stuck between the 2 Ricks here!)

BTW, my next favorite tool to rail laying is a small mirror to sight down the rails and adjust for straightness before tacking.

I hope my re-post get things straight, now!    Long evening at the soldering iron.  Too focused.

" it was my intent to add the

One can just screw a wire nut on the end of the short piece of rail for a quick handle.....DaveB 

@ everybody

Please don't do my design. It involved blood and foul language......it did work though. I think we got the two Rick's mixed up or I read it backwards. About 50/50 odds. 

I believe my friend and master inventor Rick "Albert Einstein when he has that amazing hairpiece on" Wade. 

Wade is the handle man. I'm the band aid guy.

I've been doing it Rick Wade's way.

No blood on the rail joiner, so one less possible cause of failure of electrical continuity. 

DrJols

Atlas #401

Atlas makes a rail joiner insertion tool.  It has three sides with different applications.  One is for N Scale, one is for HO and the third is for O Scale.  It is part number 401.

Dedication to your work is revealed

When there IS blood on your product! 

(learned that as a graphic artist while handling razor blades - another prior life)

My tool is similar to

My tool is similar to Peter's.

A piece of rail filed thinner at one end.

A joiner slipped on and soldered leaving about half a joiner's length free.

Other end screw on a electrical wire cap

I tried wood

and the ME rail joiners I use just go into the wood.

pictures?

I'd love to see some pictures of these devices. My fingers thank you.

Smallest Vise Grip

I clamped a piece of Code 70 rail in one of the smallest Vise Grip pliers and filed it to shape for rail joiners. That results in having a nice handle for the tool.  Now where is that Vise Grip pliers...

Robert

A photo to finish my documentation

I spent a bit of time photo-documenting some details, and since none was yet posted here, my submission: 

Make the tool's leading end is blunt (see my  earlier post) or you'll risk stabbing BY the tool... defeats the purpose!

Something I made so I can

Something I made so I can make transition joiners........could be used to apply joiners to track too.

Just took a piece of rail, soldered into a piece of brass tube.

As you can see it works.

Like I said .....you can use the tool to install rail joiners .

Rail joiner installation

I've always just used a good old fashioned pair of needle nose pliers. Grab the RJ by the nub and push it onto the rail. I always put my rail joiners on the rails before laying the track. If you're on a curve put the rail joiners on the next piece of track. To adjust the rail joiner placement use a small screw driver to move the RJ into final position.

If there's no blood

it isn't really YOUR layout!  Blood, sweat, tears AND cursing...that's what makes it personal and (hopefully) worth the effort.

Blood On The Tracks...Bob Dylan anyone?

How many times have I linstalled a section of rail/track and forgot to pre-file the rail for ease sliding code70 joiners on?  Too many times!

Finally got a picture of my

Finally got a picture of my tool Real easy to make.

WaltP

Looks like a winner to me!

Hey, has anyone tried this?

Sewing dept., sewing thimble.

John

Actually no... but I use them

use them to finish driving small nails & spikes.

To elaborate a bit on what these tools do:

The real difficulty with joiners is getting them to spread while sliding onto  the rail flange... but the tightness is desired, so spreading them can make them a sloppy fit.   Pushing them onto a properly shaped, fully squared rail end is tough enough... but doing so with the crimped joiner as delivered is often a challenge... repeat 20 or more times and your hand will feel it.

Many tools here are not concerned about driving them onto the rail with force, but spreading them a bit to make that task easier... removing the Need for force. When a joiner is ON a rail, it's easy to transfer from rail-to-rail....  my design (and this property is Not exclusive to mine) has a tapered rail end that makes installation easy... and transfer is, as always, simple. 

A thimble is a good tool to force things... no need here!

My tool was made for 1 at a time installation... other guys seem to like loading up the tool to hold a few joiners at a time... all a matter of preference.

Rail Joiner Tool

I have long forgotten where I got the idea, so I can't offer proper thanks to the originator.

I did essentially this same thing.  Only difference is:

I epoxied the rail into the wire nut, leaving about an inch protruding.  Then I bent the rail up about 30 deg at the halfway point, cut a joiner in half and slid the uncut end onto the rail to the bend, and soldered it.  This keeps the joiners from sliding into the bend and getting deformed,  The remaining rail is cut to about half a rail-joiner in length and the end smoothed. 

Slide a joiner onto the end, then use the bent-up handle to slide the other end onto the target rail.  Easy.  Not much different from several ideas already mentioned! 

I used it extensively when setting up NTrak modules at shows.  Saved a lot of time at each setup.  Thanks again to whomever gave me the idea in the first place.

Bill B

Rail Joiner Tool

And the opposite...

just in case any of you might be interested -- I also made a joiner removal tool for tearing down these NTrak setups.  It's a small screwdriver (We electronic technicians called it a "tweaker") with the tip bent down about 30 deg, and a slot cut into the middle of the blade with a Dremel tool.  The slot allows the blade to fit down over the rail and push the joiner off the end.