Hot Rail Joint - Lionel Fastrack

That particular joint is tight as heck, as are the surrounding joints.  It is close to an O-36 switch if that would make any difference.  

Joints can still be dirty oxidized or inefficient, offering varying resistance that is not easily detectible with a meter,unless tested under current load. This is a common problem with all track systems.

Dale H

Easy fix?  Put a little DeoxIT D5 on it.  If it's tight and just has some oxidation on it, that will be a quick fix.

Interesting.  I tested it again and it is hot literally right at the joint.  A centimeter to the right or left and there is no discernible heat.  My real question is - is this dangerous?  It is hot enough that I certainly don't want my finger on it for more than about 3-4 seconds.  

Note that I did reconnect it and while it was open I did my best to clean the contacts - specifically the long prong on the outside rail (again, this is the only one that gets warm - the inside rail is cool to the touch).  

Thanks!

It is not really dangerous but it tells you the power is not evenly distributed. The joint conducts current, but there is some resistance for whatever reason and that generates heat on the joint which is conducted to the rail. Maybe someone else has some ideas that uses the track.

Dale H 

Is that in anyway similar to RailZip2?  I have that right here and have never used it...

The locking roadbed of fastrack gives a false sense of a tight track joint. If you've tried crimping the track joints while the track is fully together this does no good. To be sure the rail ends are snug, pull the joint open leaving just the tips of the "male" rail ends inserted into the open "female" rails. Then GENTLY crimp the open "female" rails just past the ends of the male tips and reconnect the track.

UPDATE:  I read the description of DeoxIT and then the description for RailZip2.  they advertised essentially the same thing.  So, I decided to give it a shot.  I opened up the joint, gave the connectors a quick clean/coat, and then hit the outside of the rails.  I dried it well after applying to the track surface and then fired it up and ran trains for a half hour.  The heat at the joint was gone.  Not even warm to the touch.  I checked other areas of the track and found nothing.  Pretty sweet!  Looks like for the moment, gunrunnerjohn wins the prize (which is nothing... I spent it all on trains...)

I am surprised that it worked as quickly and as well as it did.  I understand the physics of it all, but still...  pretty impressive to a guy with my limited electrical engineering background.  I am happy to know that I was sniffing down the right path with "resistance = heat" theory early on.  

Note:  This RailZip stuff cleans like a son of a gun!  If it wasn't so dear in price, I'd use it for regular cleaning.  As it stands, I think what I might do it clean with my normal stuff (99% alcohol) and then run a light coat of RZ or Deox making sure to hit the joints.  Then give it some time to sit, followed by a good wipe down - it is somewhat slippery stuff so traction could become and issue.  Thats pretty much what the instructions on the RZ2 bottle say, so perhaps I should do a better job following instructions.  

Thanks!!!!

Glad it all worked out.  I've used DeoxIT D5 on a number of issues, and it's always worked well.  I had never heard of RailZip2 before, or I'd probably have that instead.  For tubular track, I dip the pins in DeoxIT D5 before assembly.