Question Re: soldering, sectional track (traditional) and trestle piers.

[jbrock27]

Does anyone know, if I solder two sections of sectional track together, the traditional kind w/o the roadbed, if the solder will provide enough support at the rail joiners, to alleviate the need to put a trestle pier under where the two sections meet at that point?

Thank you in advance for your time and assistance.

[Len]

It depends on how far from the last trestle the joint will be.

If it's only an inch or so from a trestle, you'll probably be ok. If it's half way between  two trestles 8 or 9 inches apart, as I learned the hard way in my youth, it will give under the weight of most locos.

If the track is straight, and you don't want to use a bridge, you might want to put an Atlas #82 Pier Girder under the track for support. Or glue a 3 or 4 inch strip of 1/8in stryrene to the bottome of the ties at the joint, and paint it black.

Len

[jbrock27]

Wow, thanks for the quick response Len!
My thought behind this is, I may not use all sections of "full" track and may need to custom cut ones to certain lengths.  I know the piers are meant to placed at consistent distances apart.  Cutting track would change that dynamic.

[jward]

soldering adds little if any strength to the track. its main advantages are maintaining conductivity through the joint, and keeping the rails aligned.

if you have a joint not supported by bridge piers, it is better to glue plastruct I beams under the track between the piers.

[jbrock27]

Thank you Jeff.

[Doneldon]

jb-

I wouldn't trust rail joiners to support a train even if the track joint were an inch from the supporting structure, and that goes for soldered rail joiners, too. The plastic underneath idea is good but I'd consider a piece of sheet steel from the hardware store. In either case, glue the ties to the support plate (plastic or steel) for the greatest strength. If you use beams under the ties, glue the ties to the beams and the beams to the support structures on both ends.
                                                                                                                                                -- D

[jbrock27]

Thanks Doc.
I can imagine using something non conductive, like plastic or wood for support, being a little safer than metal.  Just on the off chance it manages to contact the rails.

[Doneldon]

jb-

Wood or plastic will work just fine. I suggest plastic as it will bond with the plastic ties better than wood will. If you will be running heavy locomotives, reinforce the plastic sheet with some I beams and make sure they are glued to the piers, too. You can put the I beams on top of your bridge deck as long as they aren't too high. If you put them under your bridge deck, be sure to take the reduced vertical clearance into account.

There shouldn't be any way for the rails to come into contact with a metal support but it's always good to minimize the chances of bad outcomes.
                                                              -- D