Fastrack, uneven rail joint connections

I had the very same problem to the point where a steam engine would sometimes derail. Some where on this forum one of the replies mentioned that sometimes older versions of Fasttrack had slight differences with newer versions. At the price Lionel charges for these track this should not happen. I wound up abandoning my Fasttrack and use supersnap.

John

GIGABYTE,

Unfortunately what has happened is you have purchased FasTrack from a couple different generations.  The newer FT is made differently than the older, there are several other threads showing the exact differences in the track engineering, which leads to the difference in rail height.  

The best thing you can do is send me all the 1st & 2nd Generation FasTrack and purchase the newer lower quality FT for your own layout.

Only kidding!  However the next time you purchase any FasTrack take a piece with you and make sure you are purchasing the same generation FT, so everything matches correctly.  Messing around trying to match the different generation FT just causes trouble down stream as you build, however some people use a Tack Hammer and tap the rails almost perfect and then screw every thing down even, and use them.  

For your knowledge the 1st generation FT was the very best, it has a Black Center Rail, and will never work apart when running your carpet central.  The 2nd generation will match it perfectly, but has no Black Center Rail, and stays together nicely also.  The later generations have different shaped rails and cheaper made road bed, and will not stay together, without being screwed down, or clipped or zip tied together.

The Black Center Rail FT is very troublesome stuff, send every Bit of it to me, when you find it.

PCRR/Dave

1st & 2nd Generation FT and FTCC Switches, the good stuff!

Our over head ceiling layout is all 2nd Generation FT and all Trains run smoothly on it, Tin Plate included.  The Bar Top and lower levels are a mixture of 1st and 2nd generation FT giving a very smooth running layout, all with FTCC Switches.

Thank you both Pine Creek Railroad and John, I started MR in 2014 with the SilverBells Set and bought a few other LC sets around that time, and used the track that came from those sets. I also purchased a layout set 1 or 2 (can't remember) from Amazon, which was just retail boxed track and some 048 curved track from modeltrainstuff (but not used on my current layout.) But mixing/matching set tracks, from that time frame, I see lots of uneven rail joints. One was so bad, that I used that for testing (breaking it apart, knowing I'm not going to get it together again) and I couldn't get the rail flush to the plastic roadbed. That ordeal stole one hour of my life, for a $5 track. Never again. If it doesn't work, I'm not wasting time on it and I'll throw some foil onto it until I get matching track.

That's good to know the history of Fastrack and it's generational loss of quality That black power rail looks really nice! 

I'm going to play around with some ideas for the track joints as-is, and I'll keep AL foil there in the meantime, as I prefer no more click sound when the train drives over it knowing it's not slowly eating away at the traction tires.

Also, I checked out supersnap, but I couldn't use that on the carpet, but the track does look really nice.

I had some high spots at my connections.  I used a small, brass hammer to tap down those spots.

Since I just started Lionel and Fastrack, I'm assuming I have all the new track. I notice some areas of the rail have what looks like tarnish or some sort of residue. Track cleaner doesn't remove it, so I'll try the Lionel track eraser next.

Is tarnishing a problem with Fastrack?

I use old 027 track and have uneven joints and gaps.  Uneven joints have been an issue with a new to me Williams F-7. 

I found filing the higher  top side of the joint with a fine flat file smoothed it out and solved my problem.

I fill the gap with a small piece of aluminum flashing helps fill the gap caused by the track pin not matching and causing the gap.

 Charlie

Danr posted:

I had some high spots at my connections.  I used a small, brass hammer to tap down those spots.

Thanks for the reply Danr, I read about that searching last night on another post, I think with experience one would figure out the details in doing so where it would be quick and easy, meaning, probably on my first few attempts, I'd maul where it would leave spikey ends /deformed, but that sounds promising and I'll order it and give it a try (on the track that I broke even further trying to "fix" it.)

Choo Choo Charlie posted:

I use used 027 and have uneven joints and gaps.  Uneven joints have been an issue with a new to me Williams E-7. 

I found filing the higher  top side of the joint with a fine flat file smoothed it out and  solved my problem.

I fill the gap with a small piece of aluminum flashing helps fill the gap caused by the track pin not matching and causing the gap.

 

Charlie

 

 

Hi Charlie, I read about that somewhere, I don't think on this forum, but I think filing it removes the layer of tin possible exposing the steel leading to rust eventually? I think I read it's tin plated over steel, but I'm not 100% sure.

I'm just surprised that with all manufacturing technology we all have available today, Lionel can't find a way to manufacture track without this issue. I have a lot of N scale KATO track, and only have one piece of track that is not flush, but the rest match perfectly. With Fastrack, almost every piece of track has some bump on the rail, some very minor only noticeable with a finger test and some easily seen by eye and very sharp to the touch, and some just right (meaning, one rail is flush, but the other two rails have some degree of unevenness.)

If you don't have a brass hammer you could you a claw hammer but be very gentle.  If it does get flat enough use a flat stone or fine file.  Don't forget to look at the inside of the rail, where the flange goes by, you want that to be as smooth as possible also.

Danr posted:

If you don't have a brass hammer you could you a claw hammer but be very gentle.  If it does get flat enough use a flat stone or fine file.  Don't forget to look at the inside of the rail, where the flange goes by, you want that to be as smooth as possible also.

Thanks, I just ordered one from Amazon, just a quick question, would filing fastrack increase the chance of it rusting? Is Fastrack plated with tin or just steel?

Danr posted:

I had some high spots at my connections.  I used a small, brass hammer to tap down those spots.

You got it...thats what I do. Takes about 5 seconds to fix. Nick

I believe Fastrack is plated so, any abrasive will remove the plating.  Unless you are in a very humid environment you are not likely to see rust forming very quickly.  That's why it is better to try other means before resorting to filing or grinding.

Where can one find a small brass hammer.......hardware store? Or is it a hobbyists' specialty tool?

I’d think an ordinary tack hammer would suffice and you can find them in any Home Depot, Lowe’s or Ace Hardware.

Curt

I agree. I think the key word is small, not necessarily brass.

I have a brass hammer because it is soft and doesn’t leave marks.  I have had mine for years.  Micro mark sells the same hammer (toolmakers mallet) but I guarantee that $2 Walmart tack hammer will work just fine.

John H,

DanR is giving good advise, the old Brass Tack Hammer works really well and does not damage the FasTrack Rails.

 It's still best to use all the same era matching FT however, as you build your layout, and screw the Tracks down evenly so they do not move, as time and running continue.

 For best longevity running when you use different era FT, make one transition Track join, in an easily accessible area of your layout.   Do not keep mixing old and new FT pieces as you build, if you want a smooth running layout.  Having built many FT layouts on multiple levels we found this to be the best way, to build if you must mix the FasTrack era's.

It is a darn shame Lionel did not continue build FT with the same high standards they started with, remember however making a profit keeps these toy trains companies in business.

PCRR/Dave

I have only run into a few that exhibited this issue. I put them aside until I needed them. They would match up to another track.

I learned a trick from making custom cut lengths.

Turn the track over on a flat surface. Next, with a medium sized flat blade screwdriver and a small hammer, give the tabs that hold the rail down to the roadbed a sharp rap directly on the bend. This will tighten the rail and reduce the height. It may be some manufacturing runs are not crimped enough.

This has worked for me.

There's a YouTube video on making your own isolated rail track. You can see the tab technique there.

Very good point, Carl.  Before beating the track to death with hammer or filing it, make sure the rails are locked down tight to the roadbed.  I have a couple of hundred feet of FT and have had less than a half dozen spots that needed “adjustment”.