Fastrack coming apart.

What surface do you have it on?

Are locking connectors broken underneath the base?

I have had a few pieces that did not click close. I did give them an additional try with a commitment on my part to make it work. Annd they did eventually click. I suggest that you attempt tenacity. It might be the difference. BTW - I am not suggesting that you have not done that already.

The track is on plywood with a thin outdoor/indoor carpet on top.

and the connnectors underneath all look good.  On the 0-31 they have to be connected with the help of pliers but then some of them pop loose.  On the straights coming apart I guess I could try crimping the track, like with tubular.

I use Fastrak on my layout and have taken the track apart numerous times experimenting with what I want.  Most of the time the track stays tight.  Once in awhile I come across track that doesn't stay tight like you would like it to.

So I guess some track coming partially apart is normal?

  I think I will try a little 'SUPERGLUE on the stubborn 0-31 curves once I have 2 or 3 tightly connected.  I am hoping to have the track float on the carpet with no screws holding it down.  Maybe I will have to screw a few pieces down after all.

Thanks.

Larry

I set my fastrack up on carpet and i never have mine come apart. 

Normally, what happens if it's coming apart is the geometry of the layout is not 100% correct.  If there is any alignment errors anywhere, it gets reflected in the corners.

Gunrunner4 john -   I checked that first thing John. My 0-31 oval has 4 tracks on each end and the oval measures out exactly..

I'll keep adjusting and fitting before I do anything too rash.

Thanks to all

Larry in Calgary

I'm always intrigued by some of the problems that surface on this forum.  I've used FasTrack ever since it was introduced (had a black center rail back then), and I've never had a problem with it working loose at the section joints.  I have also never screwed it down, primarily because I never needed to.

At the present time, my main layout is 100% FasTrack.  It will be converted over to GarGraves with Ross switches in the very near future (picking up the roadbed material tomorrow), but the FasTrack has been in place for at least four years now--laid directly on the plywood tabletop and reconfigured from time to time, and I have never had any of the sections work loose.

I also use FasTrack on the all-tinplate layout located here in my den.  It also has been in place for about five years or more.  That track is laid on boat deck carpet that covers the plywood table top, again with no screws.  Even with the fairly hefty tinplate trains running on that layout, there have been no problems.

FasTrack was also used for my around-the-tree layout one Christmas (shortly after the O31 circles became available) and again I had no problems with the connections.

I have, over the years, managed to break one or two of the plastic locking tabs at the end of a section or two, but that track just gets relegated to the scrap box for some undetermined future use.

I wish I could offer a suggestion or two for solving your problem, but having never experienced separating sections, I'm afraid I can't help.  I am interested in following this thread though because I would like to see how prevalent the problem may be.

Could you perhaps provide a photo or two of the problem sections?

FasTrack can be very particular about track geometry, especially in a larger more complex layout.  Usually with some adjustments it will finally behave.  I find pieces seperate at an opposite end of where I might be working with the track and often have to go through and re-connect sections.  Once place however, only a screw or two here or there are needed to keep it tight.

I have come across some sections that did not "click" yet appeared tight.  They would continually seperate and I replaced them with better results.  My layout is still a work in progress and I expect to do more tweaking as I complete the second half of wiring.

Allan, I'll take some pics tomorrow and e mail to you.

The 0-36 curves are NO problem.  The 0-31 curves don't seem to fit properly.

And, some of my 10" straights don't stay together.

I have a pretty mixed experience with FasTrack. Some of it fits really snug and absolutely will not come apart while other pieces are quite loose and can easily be pulled apart. I do think the plastic connectors could be better. They're not nearly as positive as those found on Kato's N scale Unitrack. Mostly it hasn't been an issue and I've never had FasTrack come apart from trains running on it. 

Larry, where did you get your track from.  If it is a LHS I suggest taking the troublesome pieces back and exchange for track pieces that work.

Steve, Lady and Tex

Larry,

   Do you have some aversion for screwing the track down in place.  All my FasTrack layouts are screwed thru the carpet into the Plywood, never had one track move yet.  Maybe I am just old school cause I run a lot Tin Plate trains, my 031 oval is RealTrax, it is screwed down also.

PCRR/Dave

I've been using FasTrack for 10 years now and for the most part it has been trouble free however it can be unforgiving when setting it up at times. 0-36 curves have never been a problem clicking together but I have noticed when setting up a loop for Christmas 0-31 did not cooperate or stay together well. On a few pieces I put a couple of small self tapping screw to keep it together from underneath. All of my FasTrack on my main layout is screwed down which is ideal if possible.

I also have some o31 track the rails are tight but the roadbed doesn't click in and there is a gap in the roadbed.

my 031 also comes apart

Can you just screw it down.....?

mine is elevated Kinda hard to do. the rest of my layout I have no issues the point I was making was the rails are tight but the roadbed is not .

I don't know if this is related to your problem but here is what I've observed. 

Fastrack will warp and change shape (slightly) according to temperature. Its only noticeable in the longer curve sections and 30 inch straights. 

My layout is in my non climate controlled garage. The fastrack is not screwed down and you can see the difference between hot and cold days. 

All metal track expands and contracts according to temperature. With fastrack, the metal rails and plastic roadbed expand at different rates, causing the pieces to bow. 

The effect is very noticeable in my garage. In the summer, you can see that all the longer pieces have bowed slightly. In the winter, none of the pieces are bowed but now I have gaps in the track joints everywhere that need to be snapped together. 

This can also become a headache if part of the layout is near a heating/cooling duct or near a heater, etc:

Last Christmas we had a 10 x 4 ft Fastrack  layout set up in an upstairs a room that was the grandkid's playroom for the duration of their sta, on some folding tables.  One end was in a corner that tended to be cold (a second floor corner, roof directly above the ceiling)  while the other was directly below a heating duct that blew against a wallnext to it so the warm air went almost straight down.  On cold days with the heater running alot, there was a surprising difference in the temperature from just one end of the layout to the other.  Straight track near the hot end tended to separate itself - I think the curve was expanding sideways and creating tension.  Whatever, I fixed the problem by gluing several pieces of the Fastrack together and by temporarily taping a cardboard diverter around the duct so its air would flow out into the room, not down the wall toward the one end of the layout.

Flash and Lee,

Thanks for the info. I didn't realize it could be that temperature sensitive. I guess I have a consistent temperature in my layout area as I haven't experienced this effect.

Good to know.

Larry:

I have a LOT of Fastrack, with O36, O60, O72 and O84 curves; every dimension of straight section Lionel sells, and switches, etc.  They absolutely, positively will separate from time to time (the O72 in particular). 1) Gently crimping the ends does make a difference.  2) While I have not tried it, some people have reported here that using small binder clips (the black clips that hold large documents together) can help with the curves.

I am in the market for some O31 curves, and am sorry to hear of your trouble with them.

I was surprised to, at how sensitive it was, too, but on warmer days outside when the one exposed corner was not cold and the heater wasn't blowing all the time on the other, we did not have those problems.  Still, I realize this was a layout that was no doubt helped considerably in coming apart by two really active young children.  Even though I had Thomas and his friends set to only 12 volts max so they would not fly off the layout, they were pretty active.  

My preferred method.

Curves may also be more prone to separate due to the inertial forces imparted by heavy locomotives traveling at speed. 

My FasTrack is almost 10 years old, and never even hinted at coming apart. I wonder if the newer stuff isn't being made to the same standards as the older track, or if the molds for the roadbed are deteriorating. 

There is NO WAY my Mom or In Laws are going to run screws through their carpet, and for the loops they have (036) there should NOT be any need to.

 Unfortunately, Lionel did not design in any extra locking ability like MTH did with RT, with RT they have the "H" shaped track clips available, which will not allow the track to come apart.

 When I started in 3Rail O Gauge, I went with the MTH RT, simply because to ME, it is a much better looking track system. At this point I have litterally HUNDREDS of pieces of track, and for my own use I am pretty much "Married" to that system for my floor layouts (I am planning on using Atlas O track on my future permanent layout) it simply wouldn't be practical to change at this point. After having the experiences that I have had with each, I wouldn't change even if someone offered me a direct piece for piece trade.

 I have found each track system to have it's own Strengths and Weaknesses, and I have found ways to deal with the RT weaknesses, but the FT, not having a POSITIVE lock between sections is something that I can not deal with, myChristmas floor layout follows the outlines of a 13x24 space on carpet running Scale size articulateds on 2 parallel loops, track seperation simply is not an option( nor is Screws into the floor)

 You are not alone in the FT seperation issue, I do Hope that you find a workable solution to your problem.

Doug

Gentlemen,

   I have never had any track seperation on FasTrack or RealTrax it's all engineered to be screwed down, screw it down and you will have no problems.  To me this is just basic layout knowledge, it you do not screw your track down it will eventually work apart form the trains running on it and from the heat changes. 

PCRR/Dave

My wife will not approve screwing the track down through the living room carpet.

The binder clips are a great solution for temporary carpet layouts. I had the track coming apart at several places Christmas 2012 so I bought a large supply of clips to have on hand for 2013 and never needed a single one. Go figure.

Rob,

   Carpet centrals are a different matter, your clip idea is a good alternative however.

Building a carpet central on our good living room carpet would probably get me killed,

in the game room the dogs would play with the trains.  No carpet central here, although I always though it was a cool idea, especially for the kids.

PCRR/Dave

FasTrack makes the carpet set up doable anywhere.

From 1991 to 2011 I have always had large O-27(42"-54"72") carpet layouts at Christmas and just happened to use FasTrack this past two years due to time constraints. I always have carpet cleaning to do with the tubular track, never with FasTrack.

Well I have carpet over 2" foam, then plywood so I can not screw into anything solid.

However, I will try some # 4 X 3/4" screws with some white glue on the threads.

I have some small bulldog clips

 , black w/chrome handles BUT the raise the track up 1/4 at the joints.  Cant use!!

Larry,

   No need for that, punch up McMaster Carr on the Web, you want 5" or 6" self tapping Phil Flat Wood screws zinc, they come 2000 for 19.95.  You can also purchase them 100 at at time for less money, they are the correct size for FasTrack and long enough to do the job for your layout.  I use these on my Fastrack multi level layouts, they work great.  I drill the holes however even though they are self tapping.  I keep forgetting lots of people do not know about McMaster-Carr, and their hardware business.  McMasters-Carr has all this kind of small hardware for your train layouts, in all kinds of different sizes.

PCRR/Dave

Nicole has it right. I have fastrack on my layout an the curves started to seperate. I fasten the curves down problem solved.