how do you solder wire to the track and to get the solder to stick. Or should I just use track lock on.
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Jeff, if you are working with a track system with a black center rail, use a dremel to lightly sand the area to bare metal. For silver rail, rough up just a bit with a fine grit sandpaper. What track are you using?
Silver Lionel track
Do as advised above and get a 45 watt iron with a chisel tip for good heat transfer. Use a good paste flux and tin the rail first,then solder the wire to the rail heating both wire and rail at the same time.
Rob
Ok great will try today
I have never seen track where you didn't want to rough it up (and clean it) a bit to solder to it. Cleanliness is the key when soldering almost anything.
Ok thanks john I am going to get better sole ring iron mine is only 35 watts
I use my 100/140 watt gun on track, makes short work of the process. 
I think that's what I need to get thanks john
Sent from my iPad
> On Feb 5, 2015, at 5:49 PM, O Gauge Railroading On Line Forum <alerts@hoop.la> wrote:
>
Sent from my iPad
> On Feb 5, 2015, at 5:49 PM, O Gauge Railroading On Line Forum <alerts@hoop.la> wrote:
>
After I clean the area, I put a very tiny drop about pinhead size of StayClean liquid flux. Touch some solder to the Chisel tip and it flow right to the track when you touch the soldering iron tip to it.
It will amaze you!
Then take your tinned wire and lay it on the soldered track area and flow it in.
The easiest way is to use a resistance soldering iron. This works well and is faster than any other method if you have many joints to solder. A normal soldering iron is OK for a few joints.
Joe
I scrape the black rail flange with a knife,few licks with emery cloth on the flange, tin the wire,tin the flange, hold the wire on the flange with a small stick and apply heat. Melds instantly. 100/140 solder gun. Rosin Flux only.
1) Lightly rough up area where your soldering, turn your paper a couple of times, as you will keep contaminating that solder spot with the coating that you are removing, then wipe clean.
2) get a flux brush, and wipe some Oatey's #11 Liquid Flux on that spot, and just enough for that spot (it is an acid)
3) Tin that spot with solder (Rosen Core)
4) Now solder your wire to the pretinned spot, again using Rosen Core Solder Wire.
5) When finished make up a neutralizer from Baking Soda and water, then wipe this area off with clean dry toweling. ( I used another flux brush to apply the neutralizer)
*** Here is the Magic, as told to me by a Technician at "Gargraves Company", as they use this method everyday. I don't know right off hand, what the chemical make up of the Oatey Flux is, but it is an acid, and you will have to flush the soldered joint with a neutralizer, to keep from eating away your track, ties and ballast. This point is as important, as the prior soldering proceedure
The Oatey's Acid Flux, basically removes the factory coating, and you won't have to have a great amount of heat. Before me calling Gargraves, I had an old 350w gun and burning up the ties, not to mention grinding the *hit out of the rails. Probably sounds like I have stock in Oatey's, (NO) I just got what was recommended by Gargraves folks, and it made all the difference in the world!
** Just don't for get the Oatey's #11 Flux, and neutralizer wash, after soldering is done. The Gargraves folks are great to get info from. I told the tech that I talked with, they needed to send some how to do it's, along with their cases of flex track. He said he had a new book coming out, and that was "Soldering for Dummies", aka "How to pour *iss out of a boot, with the directions on the Heel"...
...Brandy
Resistance solder has limitations when soldering dissimilar metals.
Such as copper wire to stainless steel; not easy. Resistance soldering works by creating intense heat by shorting electrical current at the point of contact between two metals. However if the metals are dissimilar the shorted-current stays in the less resistive material and not at the joint.
Another point is not everyone has a resistance soldering station, but I'll bet most of us have at least one soldering iron. 
Procedure:
>Clean & scuff the spot to be soldered;
>Sparingly apply flux paste and heat to make it flow. Do the same for all parts to be soldered;
>Use 60/40 or 50/50 Lead / Tin solder that is 0.032" (about 1mm) in diameter;
>Tin the spot by melting some rosin core solder on it. Add heat until the solder flows. Do this for all of the parts to be soldered;
>Hollow rail is much easier to solder to because it requires less heat than solid rail. For hollow rail, try using a 100W/140W soldering gun or iron. For solid rail, you will need much more heat, so look for a soldering iron well over 200W. Solid rail may require a small open flame torch to solder;
>After soldering, wipe the joint clean to remove excess flux.
Well am going to try today thanks for all the reply and help
One other thing "bigdog". I don't know where you live, but where I live in Ashland, Ky the local businesses, sell what they want you to have!
I had to go on line to get the Oatey's Liquid Flux, from Amazon.com with free freight!
Like I said previously, this was suggested to me by "Gargraves Company", and it worked as described. I think the Oatey's Acid Flux, was about $11.00, and that included the shipping!..............Hope this helps...............................Brandy!
I don't use Acid flux on anything remotely connected with electricity or electronics. You have to totally clean that with water or solvent or you'll have corrosion within days.
Ok I soldered my power wire an ground and my tmcc wire all to the bottom of the track took me a bit to do but got it done. Ran a conventional engine today and a tmcc engine. All switches are working and uncoupler tracks. thanks for the help
I'm really struggling with getting solder to stick to the track. I have a soldering iron that goes to 900F. I typically run it at 650F. I use 60/40 solder. I clean the track to prep and use metal sandpaper to rough it up. I prep the track with flux. I doesn't seem to matter what I do, I can't get the solder to flow. Any tips, tricks, pointers, and or videos would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
First off, the wattage of the iron is likely more important than the temperature. When I solder track, I don't try to use my soldering station, I use a Weller 100/140 solder gun. The track is a big heatsink, so without sufficient power, you won't get a decent solder connection. If you're using an iron with less than 60-70 watts, you're probably going to have problems.
Assuming you are using Fastrack like the o.p....
I have found with Fastrack that I have to use a dremel to completely remove the plating from the rail in the spot I want to solder to. The plating simply will not tin for me. (My Fastrack was produced between 2 and 5 years ago, for what it's worth.) Once the plating is completely removed, I apply a very small amount of Oatey flux - the stuff from the plumbing aisle. Tin the tip of the soldering iron, apply to the track; as soon as the flux sizzles off, introduce the solder. I set my iron at 700 degrees, and work fast to avoid melting the plastic roadbed. Once it cools, I scrub with 91% alcohol to remove any residual acid.
On blackened rail, I use the same procedure. On nickle silver and tin-plated Gargraves, I use a little flux, but I don't find it necessary to sand or dremel first.
Make sure you have a good tip on your iron. Solder should cling to it easily. If it balls up or falls off of the tip, then you need to file it down until it will tin again or else replace it. A tip that won't tin won't transfer heat to the work very well.
Hope that helps.
I have Fastrack of various vintages, from early stuff to brand new. I've never had any issue soldering to the tabs on the bottom just using rosin core solder and my trusty Weller 100/140 gun. Once again, I STRONGLY recommend against acid flux on electronics. Unless you get in all the crevices around that the flux might get into and thoroughly clean them, you will have rust!
To scuff off the black finish on the Gargrave tin plate center rail, I wrap 100 grit sandpaper around the conical nose of a nailset and scuff the rail web to a silver bear metal finish. I weather the outside rail webs with to a rust color the center rail web at the solder joint flat black, all paint inexpensive acrylic craft paint from Hobby Lobby.
I agree strongly with gunrunnerjohn on the use of rosin core solder. If acid flux is not neutralized it will cause a person to pull up track down the road.
I on ur with everything gunrunner has said. I scratch track with a dremel reinforced cutting wheel, and use the 100/140 watt gun. Acid core should never be used in electrical work.
To be clear, it is "possible" to do electronic work with acid flux, many PCB houses actually use acid based flux manufacturing PC boards. However, they also have a very complete and thorough cleaning process after the soldering step. This cleaning is done IMMEDIATELY after soldering to avoid any start of corrosion, which can start within minutes of soldering with acid flux.
The risk with using it on model train stuff like being discussed here is the possibility of missing just a tiny amount of the acid flux and the chain reaction that results thereafter. There's a huge risk and very little reward. Other than plumbing, I've never used acid flux for any soldering, and I have no issue soldering a wide variety of materials.
I was trying to use my soldering station. I have a 100W on order to give it a whirl. I'm working on tubular track - don't have any Fastrack - just the old stuff. I appreciate the help!
I've soldered lots of tubular track with plain rosin-core solder and the Weller 100/140 gun, never had an issue. As others have said, clean the spot you're going to solder with sandpaper or similar for a better bond.
