Soldering power leads directly to track ?

[Kevin Hodges]

 

I've had it with fiddly power clips, point clips.

 

I'm going to attempt to solder my all my power and connector wiring direct to the rails.

 

I'm pretty handy with my soldering skills but I'm afraid of melting the plastic bits.

 

Will the solder take to the nickle rails with a dab of flux ?

 

Does anyone have any tips please ?

[VESPA]

From personal experience I push back the plastic sleeper base and I always use flux. ( I have a tin from the 70's). Make sure that you "tin" both the wire and rail edge. Make sure that the iron is hot and then offer the two parts together and fuse them. Lack of heat and movement before it sets solid will make a bad joint (dry joint). Have a practice as you say and it will soon be easy to do. I never had any faith in clips. You could solder the wire to a fishplate but this still could make for bad electric continuity. It does work in many cases just as well.

[Yelrow]

Kevin, hi, i did all mine. I cut the sleeper across the section necessary. Then used piece of wire, from telephone type cable. I used flux, on both sides of point, tinned wire, and soldered  it across. Nothing melted , as offending sleeper removed. Had no problem them since..

[Kevin Hodges]

 Thanks lads

 

I'll try it tonight on some spare rails.

 

It has to be a better way to go than clips etc.

[Mac-_-]

Soldering each lenth of track can be a chore (depending on size that is) but worth it. I normally mark where the sleeper's are, then cut the sleeper's out and solder wire underneath, between the marked sleeper's then drop wires in the middle of the track and refit the sleeper's.

 

I have seen some soldering too the sides of the track, and wire going straight down, quicker method i'd imagine, and less chance of mixing your dropper's up. Don't think it looks good though. Going in under the rail when ballasted you'll never see it. 

[Yelrow]

i must admit to not replacing the sleepers.

[Kevin Hodges]

I can see once you ballast etc, you can hide your mistakes or handywork.

 

Power clips and power track are totally unrealistic and ugly as well as unreliable.

 

I should have done this years ago. Always frightened of melting stuff though.

 

I have a Hakko battery powered iron. It's really nice. Should do the job if I can nip in and out quickly.

 

The track is all brand new and I really fear warping or melting any of it.

[Mac-_-]

Another thing i do is wrap the right dropper around the right bus wire, then solder the connection. Adds too the chore but worth it.

[Lyd 85B]

Using PECO Streamline track there is a 1mm, staggered cut-out between every four lengthways sleeper webs. I cut one under each rail back to the full sleepers, which gives a good 4mm gap in the rail underside that can be marked for holes to be drilled through the track base, before soldering the dropper wires (pre-tinned and with a 90deg bend) to the track underside. I always use a cone-shaped bit and dab of solder paste to tin the rail, and have never managed to melt the sleepers, despite my lack of soldering skills. Once you get into a rhythm, it's not that time-consuming, and should be easily adapted to any sort of rail. 

[morairamike]

My method is to solder a wire under the rails at the  mid point of the section. RED wire to left, BLACK wire to right. 7/0.2. Mark where the wire is and drill through the baseboard and if fitted cork underlay or foam underlay. Pull wires through and pin track down or put in the cutouts in the foam. Any bit of red wire that shows paint it black. 

I use an Antex 15W iron with medium bit and a non wash flux pen on the rails. 

[ColinB]

I solder to the outside of the rails, you can hardly see it. I have found it is better to use separet flux as the solder runs quicker and you don't need so much heat. The less heat you use the less likely there is of melting the sleepers.

[Chrissaf]

Solder with a bit of additional flux used sparingly will stick and flow to Nickle Silver rails like the proverbial to fur.

 

[GWR 14xx Tank]

Soldering directly to the rails is definitely better than fiddling with power clips in my book.

 

I have had many problems with power clips becoming bent and misshapen, so I always had to bend them back so they touched the underneath the rails.

 

The PECO Setrack Guide I have even suggests that it is a good idea to solder the wires to the track for best reliability.

 

As long as the soldering iron isn't too close to the plastic sleepers, they shouldn't melt. Even just a 1/2 of a centimetre away from the end of the iron, the heat is considerably less than the iron's tip.

[Jimbo1707820979]

What is the best temperature setting for the iron ?

[96RAF]

I use a fibreglass pencil to shine up the rails in the sod.er joint area.

 

I have used battery powered irons and I doubt it will have the grunt tomsolder droppers to rails unless the battery is a car battery. AA or AAA batteries don’t last more than soldering in a few leds or decoder wires.

 

Your practice goes on spare track will prove me right or wrong.

[VESPA]

Google how to solder wires to 00 guage track videos. My link that I had for you is forbidden  by some on site blocker but there are quite a few different ones.

[96RAF]

@Vespa

 . . . the site is having problems with uploading live links and images at present, even us Mods are compus-non-mentus.

[Chrissaf]

Vespa,

Have a look at the 'Website Feedback Forum' at the bottom of the page and leave a 'Me Too' reply in it.

[Kevin Hodges]

 @RAF96

 

Hi Rob,

 

I use a Hakko FX-901 (uses 4x AA).

 

It is a beast. I have used it on many circuit board projects. It has lots of heat and plenty of power left to spare.

 

I also have it's big brother, the Hakko FX-888D soldering station if I need to do more serious work.

 

I just love the portability and ease of use of the battery powered one.

 

It does all these smaller jobs with ease.

 

I'm still wary of melting plastic though ! ☹️

[GWR 14xx Tank]

What is the best temperature setting for the iron ?

It is probably a trial and error sort of job. Probably quite hot considering the thickness of the rails.

 

[Kevin Hodges]

 I do know it's good to have enough heat to get in and out quickly.

 

The right solder, flux, Tin the wire etc.

 

I still can't see how I can do this without melting my new track. Arghhhh!!!!!

 

Wish I still had a 20 year olds eyesight.

[Yelrow]

Kevin, i did mine aged 74.. If you mark and take out the sleeper, leaving a clear vision of the point/ rails either side, you wont melt anything. What make is your soldering iron.

[Lyd 85B]

What is the best temperature setting for the iron ?

 

I was recommended to use 380C, on my Hakko FX888D iron, and it has been spot on.

[81F]

I havent used power clips since a moved on from temporary train sets. and find soldered connections are the best way. The nickle is very easy to solder to when compared with steel which is why I switched to PEC at the time when Hornby still only made steel track.

 

However, rather than solder to the sides of the rails might I suggest soldering the wire to the underside of rail joiners. As the track system I use (PECO streamline) do not have pre-attached joiners there is no need to get the soldering iron anywhere near the sleepers. However, even with set track where joiners are pre fitted there is potential to be further away from plastic.

 

One cautionary note is to solder the wire dead centre onto the fish plate and ensure that the solder does not spread to far which can make slifing the rail joiner onto some track difficult. Also you need to be fairly accurate when drilling the hole in the baseboard ensuring that it does match up accurately with the rail joint.

[ray_liffen]

Hornby power clips have a small capacitor soldered between + and - inside the clip.

Is this simply to reduce radio frequency interference when any sparking occurs, or for some other reason?

If soldering direct to the track, it is necessary to have a similar capacitor (maybe under the baseboard)?

If yes, what value capacitor?