darius28z said:
i am laying flex for my first time i bought a couple of peices just to start with .do you not use rail joiners to connect them i couldnt shove one in on the ends do you break out a tie ??i know that you have to trim the ends with nippers when you have it where you like it.do you keep the sliding part to the inside of your curves?is there a method to all of it im kinda lost my corkboard roadbed looks good tho that was easy elmers and pins..any help would be apreciated..:thumb:
Yes, use rail joiners. I cut off one or two end ties in order to get the joiner to slide in place. I solder each joiner usually as I go, then go back and slide some tie pieces under the areas where I removed them. I solder the joiners not only to get a good electrical connection, but mostly to maintain a good mechanical connection.
It doesn't matter which side has the loose rail, you can curve the track in either direction. Some people secure their tracks with nails, some with glue. As I said in the post above, I prefer nails so I can adjust the tracks as I need to. Maybe some people are good at getting their tracks down right the first time, but it seems like I'm alway screwing around with them as I go, then when I'm testing them.
The bottom line though is each person has their own way of doing things. To me, laying track is about the hardest part of putting together a layout so I need all the help I can get.
Others may find it easy and have their own method that works best for them. You have to do the same thing, try different things until you find the easiest way for you.