Really clever - have never been able to get a smooth join using flexitrack, so going to try this method - thank you again for such a helpful video/explanation.
Hi to joint flexi track on a curve I would suggest watching a vid by fishplatefilms. You stagger the joint slightly between the sections of track and solder them together along the fish plates before bending the track to the required radius. Hopefully this may help with your issue. Great vid series on your layout construction. Cheers Andy
Thanks for the advice and encouragement. I think I now have the confidence to move things forward. Up to this point it has all been about experimenting. Next steps will be point work, and then DCC stuff - train surgery , point motors and block detection. Eventually I will have the skills required to try actually building my layout!!
Hi, Im enjoying your N gauge build, good to see how you over come the issues. It was a good idea to change to curvature of the rails, as those angled joint would have almost certainly caused derailments. Do make sure you leave gaps between portions of track for expansion as rails can buckle. Its not so bad laying track in hot weather as it will only shrink, but the gaps put you in control. Looks like you are having fun. Do feel free to get in touch if there is something you are not sure about, I maybe able to help.
Thanks for the support and encouragement. I am trying to record the journey of discovery, rather than just show off my layout. This particular problem is something I searched and searched to find the answer to, and everyone says "solder the rails, stagger the joint", there was no-one offering the answer of bending each rail. I will be in touch next time I hit a brick wall.
some track nails will stop that from shifting, I'm getting a min. radius of 6.75", tested ok. still in design phase, limiting to 2' x 4 ' including timesaver - rev loop - interchange - and inglenook - undecided as to oval vs dogbone, have 2- 15 deg xings and a 20 deg xing - 12 - 14 switches total... the wiring will be fun?! lol
Nice! I have not used code 80 track, but I have now bought some. I think it is easier to lay, and to curve, than code55 as code55 has a double bottom. I need to do some testing around this - yet another video to make! If I had my time again I would have laid all the (hidden) track I have already laid as code80. However part of the reason I used code55 was so I could learn some track laying techniques.
I will be putting in a turntable eventually. I would be very interested to see how you are making a home made one. Are you going to get it to be electrically controlled? keep me posted (seriously!)
@@naivegauge since the proposed layout is so small, i'll make it manual, i'm using a lid from a Maxwell house coffee container as the well, a cut section of bachman as the turntable rail section, and a set of four wheels from a hot wheels car for the wheels at the ends of the track section assembly, so it can swivel in the well. some kind of detente` for the two or three access tracks - no long Locos.
Good luck with 9" radius curves. Hope you don't ever want to run anything with a long wheelbase. Lay your flex-track straight and solder your joints together in a straight line. Then try to bend track. Will do NO good to solder track after it has been laid at such a sharp radius.
Yes, you are right porkypine, some rolling stock does struggle with tight curves. Thanks for the tip about soldering the rails on the straight. I now feel confident enough to make progress on my track laying.
