In ye olde days, 3 rail tubular track was an easy modification job. But, how do you cut your MTH or Lionel track to fill an oddball gap? Do you just cut it to fit, make sure where the two sections meet up, they are secure in the attachment to the table with an extra screw or two to keep them aligned? Do you solder wires to jumper the cut section at the rail joint even if the wiring in that section does not need them to be?
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You don't cut it. You use the multiple short sections and various lengths and design your layout around those limitations and sizes.
Again, I'm not trying to be funny or mean, or just causing trouble.
Fastrack and MTH Realtrax, both consumer plug and play track systems designed to eliminate cutting track, dealing with loose and non-captured connecting pins or rail joiners, and plug and play wiring modules and connector systems.
You are asking about cutting and making non-standard connections, without any alignment pins or aid, and also more or less negated making an electrical connection across the joint. Nothing mechanical aligning it other than screwing it down to the table.
Can you do it? Sure, it's your track, your layout, your trains that run across that joint.
What I do and the recommended way is work your way out laying track from complex joints like switches and cross tracks that form a fixed placement. Then this is where at the end of that straight is most likely a curve, and that's your wiggle room where you can adjust the layout.
Again, sorry, but when you cut this "hollow" plastic track roadbed, then the end joint there is open and doesn't have that flat vertical web. You have no alignment pins, and no electrical contact. Again, yes, you can do it, but no, I could not recommend it in good faith.
Again, your layout, your track, your rules.
I have seen some of the newer hollow rail MTH Realtrax that was cut and aligned with custom pins, but it wasn't easy and not something I would do. MTH use to provide free software CD-ROM with their starter sets that had a copy of the current catalog, and RR-Track MTH Edition with all of the MTH Realtrax item list included. It can be used to build your layout and know what pieces you need to buy ahead of time.
Also, RR-Track provides this online list of various short pieces of Realtrax available to mix-n-match to make some of the odd lengths you may need: http://www.rrtrack.com/html/mt...rax_track_table.html
It's a quick reference to know what combinations you need and which lengths are (or are not) possible.
Why cut, when you could use the tried and true Track Expander Paste from a few years ago? (It was an April 1 joke - just so no one thinks I'm seriously advocating)
@CALNNC posted:In ye olde days, 3 rail tubular track was an easy modification job. But, how do you cut your MTH or Lionel track to fill an oddball gap? Do you just cut it to fit, make sure where the two sections meet up, they are secure in the attachment to the table with an extra screw or two to keep them aligned? Do you solder wires to jumper the cut section at the rail joint even if the wiring in that section does not need them to be?
There may be situations where you need a custom cut piece such as remodeling a section of track so that a small fitter piece will no longer work. Can't speak for MTH track, but for FT I use this abrasive wheel cutter from Harbor Freight, which does a pretty good job of making cuts. Takes a while to get used to using it.
Vernon is right that when you do this, the flat end support will be lost, but I have not found this to be a major issue.
Yes, you screw down the cut track pieces near the joint (I have drilled new holes if there is not a pre-drilled one nearby). If each piece is electrically connected to a separate source (power drop), you do not have to solder wires across to connect them, but it can be done, if necessary.
Tip #1 - FT rails are slightly angled at each end, so if you're trying to fit a custom piece to an existing piece, you're either going to have to cut the existing piece straight (and remove pins) or cut the custom section at a matching angle and remove the pins from the existing piece.
Tip #2 - Measure and calculate carefully and frequently to get a good match and clamp the pieces if you can, before screwing them down.
I have acquired damaged MTH REALTRAX and had used a cut piece to fit a custom build. It worked.
But, on the current MISC-Manchester International Service Center, I use MTH TRACK ADAPTERS and custom build with Gargraves track.
It’s easy to cut, and since I’m one of the few in my area that use Gargraves, when my LHS Reseller has it, I get a great deal.
Make whatever length you want. You can cut fastrack/realtrax. Do it cleanly. You can run a drill into the rails of fastrack and make room for a standard lionel track pin. Same thing with realtrax. Stack 2 Gargraves pins inside the railhead and slide it together. (There are old threads on the forum about both methods). Probably best to solder it together to make your custom piece one solid piece again, but pins would do the job like any other track connection. The bases are reactive to ABS glues if you really want to make sure its stuck back together.
I am good in mind but bad with hands but I have a neighbor who has a little shop in his garage. Reminds me of some of you guys on the forem here. He uses a chop saw to custom cut what ever I ask. Hardest part is that the plastic melts and hardens so fast a little clean up is needed. But having said this unless needed try to fit it together how it was intended. My cuts were on a curve for a lift out section.
@Jim Sandman posted:Why cut, when you could use the tried and true Track Expander Paste from a few years ago? (It was an April 1 joke - just so no one thinks I'm seriously advocating)
Jim, I've used the fasttrack expander paste on my tubular track a few times. I find it best to screw the track temporarily onto a scrap piece of 3/4 inch Baltic birch plywood. The cleanup is much easier. I then transfer the reformed pieces of track back onto the layout. Otherwise the paste picks up the track ballast and a few animals during cleanup. You also need to avoid getting it on concrete. It eats right thru the garage floor.
I have cut Realtrax etc. with a miter saw. Cuts cleanly with a finer finishing blade. I then solder leads to the track. I try to have any cuts made at electrically isolated block junctions. If the Track is glued, screwed down, I have not had any issue with movement at the junctions.
My handy neighbor also said to me that a really new, sharp blade is imperitive to cut being good, as I remember he asked if he could have a piece to experiment with. He tried it on his various saws
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