As you might have seen in previous posts of my Wye modules I had just laid the track and roadbed across the separation point of the two modules then took the dremel and cut them causing a natural insulation gap for my auto reverser. Well after The debuts with the wye in with the other modules i noticed it was quite a hassle to stage trains on the tail of the wye then just pull them out onto the main. I had to go quite slow over the area that I had cut and that still sometimes ended up in derailments. So I decided to go back to the drawing board this weekend and cut out the track big enough for a piece of 19" radius snap track with insulated rail joiners on one end of the section. I decided to use 19" radius instead of a straight section because the wye is generally 19" all the way through. Well heres the pics......
Bridging the Wye
- Thread starter b28_82
- Start date
If you plan to match tracks over a joint like that without joiners, you need to make the rail ends really secure. I put screw into the base board and solder the rails to them. (actually, I use joiners as well!). You also need some way to line the modules up accurately every time.
Your new solution looks much simpler.
Your new solution looks much simpler.
I made sure they line up every time with dowel rods in one side and holes matching the dowel rods on the other one. (Perhaps I should take pictures of that method.) Then i laid the track but I think this is a learning experience for N scale that even if you use rail spikes and ballast the track prior to cutting, you will still have problems on curves. Didn't you have a "how to" for the screws soldered to the rails?
Not much of a "how to", but it may have been mentioned in my spline roadbed thread. The only trick I had was using Roberston square slot screws, and tinning them before screwing them in. Probably won't work with foam roadbed.