Soldering Feeder Wires - Best Practices...

[ljudice]

Until the Tesla Microwave power supply is out... 

I don't like doing this...  Any good ideas??

Using all Peco Code 55 here.   

Thanks...

[peteski]

Depending on the size of your layout and the number of locos in your typical train consist (the current consumption), you might not have to solder too many feeders. If you solder most (but not all) rail joiners then you only need to feed each continuous piece of track. If you have a small layout, that might only be 2 or 3 feeders.  Plus, the above is not an absolute rule - some modelers depend on un-soldered rail joiners to conduct power and they still have (mostly) working layouts. 

[nkalanaga]

By "best practices" for soldering feeder wires,  do you mean where to put the feeders, and how many to use, or do you mean how to solder them, what kind of wire to use, and where on the rail to attach them?

I'm one of those who follow Peteski's second sentence, soldering the rail joiners.  Thus, each block only needs one pair of feeders, plus feeders to power the turnout frogs.  After all, the only reason for a feeder to each piece of rail is to keep power flowing if the rail joiners don't conduct, and if I can't solder the joiners right, I doubt that the feeders will be any more reliable...

I wouldn't trust an unsoldered joiner on a permanent layout, but if one is using sectional track, and has to remove and replace the sections regularly, that's the only option.  In that case, as long as the joiners are inspected regularly, they should work fine.  Any corrosion would be scraped free when the sections are moved.  Ntrak layouts do that all the time, as do many modelers with Unitrack and similar systems.

[C855B]

Timing is everything - there's an article about this in the current (April) Model Railroader. What struck me as interesting is the resistance of nickel-silver track is significant, so the one-feeder-per-soldered-block concept has limits.

[ljudice]

Sorry for being unclear - I have the location of the feeders down...

Looking for soldering techniques - wires to rails...

[ljudice]

Timing is everything - there's an article about this in the current (April) Model Railroader. What struck me as interesting is the resistance of nickel-silver track is significant, so the one-feeder-per-soldered-block concept has limits.

Thanks,  this deserves a trip to the store!

[peteski]

If you want to go all the way then resistance soldering is the way to go.  Also it possible, install the feeders to the bottom of the track before installing it on the layout. That is the easiest (since it is done on the workbench) and also invisible installation.  Other than that, solder L-shaped ends of wire to the outside of the web of the rail. If you clean the area of rail being soldered really well, pre-tin the wire, use flux and proper soldering equipment the chore becomes a breeze.

[lashedup]

This is how I do them but not necessarily best practice?  I copied and pasted this from a different thread on Railwire...

1. On the Atlas Code 55 flex track I flip the track piece over and cut one (or two depending on the section) of the plastic tie joiners.

2. Then I gently pull the ties apart

3. I take a flat file to the backside of the rails to rough them up so the solder sticks better.

4. Then I add a small pool of soldier to the rail. I try and minimize the amount of solder and also line them as evenly between the rails as I can. Before doing this step, make sure the rails are even at the ends as one rail is designed to slip through the ties so the track flexes.

5. I cut the wire to length, strip the ends and then bend a 90 degree angle into the end and tin them up with solder.

6. Lastly I solder the feeders to the back side of the rail and push the ties back together (I need to push these together a little more). Once the track is painted and ballasted, the feeder wires largely disappear. The only thing to watch out for is melting ties since you're working in very tight quarters with the soldering iron.

[nkalanaga]

On Peco code 55 I'd solder the wire to the lower, hidden, portion of the rails, then hide the joint with ballast.  Do it between ties, or at a rail joiner, and nothing will show.

Most of mine were soldered after the track was laid, so I used the L-bend to the outside of the rail method.  On ME code 55 track my recycled computer cable wire fits very neatly into the web of the rail, and drops down between the ties, barely visible.

On Micro Engineering turnouts I soldered the frog feeders to the bottom of the frogs, but on many of my handlaid turnouts they go into the rear of the V.  The extra solder doesn't show, because modern frogs are a casting anyway, and it avoids sharp bends in the wires, which can, rarely, lead to weak spots and broken wires down the road.  Besides that, it's much easier, as the frogs can be wired after the track is laid.

For the actual soldering I like a chisel tip on my little iron, which fits against the wire and rail, without extending above or below it, and the ties very seldom get melted.  A little paste flux on the rail, before the wire is put in place, finishes the job.

Regardless of where the wires are attached, the secret is clean rails and good soldering techniques, resulting in a quick, neat joint, and less chance of solder blobs or melted ties.

[Santa Fe Guy]

All above is excellent advice. When you solder a feeder to the rail and the solder looks shinny once finished then you have a good joint, dull and it needs to be done again as it will possibly fail.
Rod.

[nkalanaga]

Rod:  Good point, and true for any solder joint, not just feeder wires. 

One of the leading causes of poor joints is allowing the parts to move before the solder cools.  In the case of feeders, I often pinned them in place with a common straight pin.  Most are chrome(?) plated, and I never have been able to solder them, so figured the solder wouldn't stick in this case either.  They don't draw enough heat away to affect the joint, but keep the wire from moving while I hold the iron and solder.