I have Atlas track O 72. Has anyone tried to weld the sections together?
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The reason I'm asking is that I have a project in its beginning stages. I'm setting up a 0-72 continuous's spiral from an overhead layout. The spiral will be constructed to bring the trains down to a desk level. The spiral Have at least seven revolutions. So I'm looking to maybe weld the tracks together so they won't need quite as much support from above. Any suggestions on how to proceed.
Rail is not particularly well suited to provide structure, and Atlas sectional may be the least well suited of the various manufacturers. I'm not sure what engines you have, but some are rather heavy.
There are a number of ways to build what you want. Search the forum using the word HELIX as there have been a number of discussions. Look for examples that use threaded rod.
Yes I have some heavy engines. I have a 0-32 Lionel tube track spiral I used quarter inch all thread seems to work out good. I wanted the railroad tie track though for the aesthetics. My experiment with the tube track only came about because I had so much extra tube track. But since it worked now I want to get the bigger trains down and I'm sure you know they won't fit on the other 32 turn.
With all due respect, what you want to have - a helix - has been done before - many times. Do some research and find out what has worked, and not, in the past. I have hundreds of feet of Atlas track including a lot of O-72. It is strong track, but not strong enough to provide any meaningful structural support in a helix. That is not how you build a "spiral" as you call it. Solder it for electrical connectivity and build the structural strength elsewhere. Big Boy 4005 has built a really good helix by the way: you are talking to a master there.
