I’m just about finished with the last major trestle. So yesterday I tried to install the track and discovered it no longer fits – the 90F weather we’ve had the past couple days has expanded the rails so much that the gap is now about 3/16" shorter than it was a few days ago.
I’ll have to wait for it to cool down before I can get the last piece of track in on that trestle. In the meantime I’m wondering if maybe I should invest in a few of those expanding rail clamps.
Try putting your track in the 'Fridge. Or, perhaps submerge it in icewater. Those expanding rail clamps solve a lot of problems.
It only got up to 55 degrees F here in the great Northwest.
Ray Dunakin said:Ray, I'm using two Hillman expansion tracks on a section of our railroad that cops the full blast of our summer sun. The track sits on a path of 1' X 1' dark brown concrete slabs, so it gets seriously hot.
I'll have to wait for it to cool down before I can get the last piece of track in on that trestle. In the meantime I'm wondering if maybe I should invest in a few of those expanding rail clamps.
Since I’ve never tried this piece of track without the Hillmans, I can’t say for sure they’re the reason I’ve not had any issues. I can say they’re well engineered.
Hello Again;
If you put it out in the sun like the rest of the rail would it not also expand ? Then trim it to the size for the install and everything should work out and ballance between the two portions, Right??
Not that I know or anything just a guess.
SmokeboxIt was 38 yesterday. Did it fit?
I installed the section of track during the evening when things had cooled down a bit, and it fit fine.
The last major trestle is now complete. It includes a plate girder bridge where the upper track crosses over a lower track/tunnel portal. I hope to have some pics posted in a few days.
I’ve also added some diagonal bracing on a couple older trestles, which I’d been putting off for a long time.
I still have another plate girder bridge to build, for the track which crosses Serenity Canyon behind the “big trestle”. For now though I’ll get by with a piece of 2x4.
At Cora Canyon on the west end of the layout, I need to build a pair of small stone arch bridges.
And on the upper level I have a few feet of track that need minor realignment and ballasting, plus a passing siding that hasn’t been installed.
And now that all the conduits are in place and the track work is nearing completion, I should do something about putting in the rest of the wiring and junction boxes.