Experiments in Trackage

The first thing I need to do to see if my squiggly plan is even remotely feasible in practice is to see what sort of train a pair of tiny, light Marklin Z scale Re 4/4s can pull up a grade.

The Importance of Grades

At 'Wassen in the real world’, the three track levels are quite some distance apart vertically, and if I cannot gain a visual representation of that, my model is going to look flat and silly. On such a short layout, every vertical mm helps the effect, so whether my models will go up a 1:50 or 1:30 will make a big difference in the visual spacing between my three track levels. 

There is another key thing that the ruling gradient impacts given my space constraints - they define what radius is needed to make a loop-de-loop. If trains will only run up a shallow grade, one needs a longer track run (bigger radius), to gain the required vertical clearance to pass over over a loco (with pantograph extended) on the lower track, which means spirals take up more space on my small layout. Conversely, a steeper working grade means you can use a smaller radius which takes up less space. 

To figure all this out, I need a powered test grade and see what happens. Thus, I need some track.

Flex vs sectional

Which leads me to a completely different issue. In a Z layout with plenty of hidden trackage, the last thing I need is derailments and stop-start operation. I had a brainwave early on to go with sectional track (remember that?!) for perfectly smooth tight circles for the hidden stuff and use flex for the sweeping visible sections.  I already had some Microtrains flex and points and picked up some extra Peco flex, but decided to go with a newish player in Z called Rokuhan for the spirals, as their track has a good reputation for reliability and they have an excellent variety of curve radii, not all of which are toy-train-pizza-layout tight. I picked the track up from Frank, the Z Scale Hobo.

Electricity

Remembering back several decades to bad experiences as a kid with beaten-up old sectional track, I worry about how reliable all those rail joiners will be over time in Z - there’s nothing less fun to operate than a layout with poor electrics and stuttering trains. 

I guess there are two options here. One is to have power feeds to every piece of sectional track (as I struggle to solder wires to rails three times the size of Z scale ones, the thought of attempting this worries me), or else solder strings of the sectional tracks together at the fishplates and apply one feeder to the completed string. The latter approach seemed more feasible to me, but my first attempts to solder sections together were a struggle to get enough heat without melting the plastic track base. So I tried soldering feeders to the wee brass nubs on the underside of a piece of sectional track: even less successful. 

Soldering

Finally I seem to have my thermit welding process sorted. 

1. Apply flux around the rail joiner on the 'outside-side' of the track
2. Press hard with the solder from the outside of the rail to counteract the force of pressing hard on the inside of the rail with the soldering iron
3. All going well, if there is good contact between the iron and the rail, things heat up, followed by a little sizzling, followed with solder flowing into the joint after a few seconds. if not, reapply heat with the tip at a slightly different angle
4. File down any leftover solder on the tops of the rails

Whew. I’ve been soldering things together into strings of usually 4 curved sections (180 degrees of curve) and will apply a power feeder to each. Between strings, I'll use normal (i.e. unsoldered) fishplates to allow for the expansion and contraction of the rails that comes with the seasons. Having said all of this, the fishplates on the Rokuhan track seem very good, but I’m playing it safe with the solder and feeds as backup…

Public Service Announcement

Polyester socks are less effective than steel capped boots when you drop your soldering iron.