what is the best way of connecting power to rails?
Brass or SS?
Best in terms of:
corrosion resistance
ease of application
ease of removal
conductvity
not damaging the ties
appearance
(put them in priority, you cannot have all of them)
My general opinion is a solid wire, crimped in a ring terminal, under the head of a screw in a rail clamp. Anti corrosion paste or spray on the terminal, or dip it in insulating rubber (the stuff from home depot that is basically liquid electrical tape).
Regards, Greg
Wires ! 
I use Hillman’s rail clamps, and they work very well. They have the ring terminal as described above attached to a 1/2 size, one screw version of the clamp.
When using a terminal at the end of a wire, be sure to solder the terminal as well as crimping it.
Water will get into the connection and the solder will keep this from occurring.
When connecting wires, a mechanical connection is required and then solder will coat the connectoin and prevent the connection from corroding
Ring terminals work great, but you do not need to have a half block. Just use any of your other rail clamps for that purpose. Remove one screw from any railclamp and place the terminal lug.
Just use terminal lugs for 2-56 or 4-40 screws.
Crimp and solder the wire to the terminal lug. I also use an internal star lock washer between the terminal lug and block to maximize the electrical contact. It works.
What Dennis said, I use the “half” block power only units only when the power feed is too far from a regular rail clamp already in place.
I did experiment with soldering. I’ve seen corrosion of soldered joints, as corrosion can occur any place dissimilar metals are in contact. In this case the solder is dissimilar from the copper wire.
I do use a professional crimper, not just one that squashes the terminal from a circle to an oval, but puts an indent into the ring terminal barrel.
So far, with just a bit of anti-corrosive spray, they are fine. Now my weather is mild, but I do “water” the track every day, since my track is really in a garden irrigated with sprinklers. The spray I use has a lanoline base, used in the marine industry, and it leaves a nice protective clear coating.
Regards, Greg
Quote:Greg, where do you get that spray?
So far, with just a bit of anti-corrosive spray, they are fine. Now my weather is mild, but I do "water" the track every day, since my track is really in a garden irrigated with sprinklers. The spray I use has a lanoline base, used in the marine industry, and it leaves a nice protective clear coating.
I buy it from the local marine supply store. Since I live on the coast, this is most convenient.
http://shop.sailnet.com/product_info.php/products_id/28463
I use the spray. It is really magic stuff, stays on, rather than evaporate like wd-40, etc. It is non greasy, and since the base is lanolin, it does not attack anything.
If you spray it on something rusted, it penetrates the rust, stops it, and lubricates it. If something is not rusted, it won’t now. I spray all my rail clamps with it so the screws don’t stick and the rail settles into the clamp nice and straight.
I have a few “miracle” chemicals in my shop, one is this. I always keep a stock of it. It comes in a tub, but the spray comes out thin and penetrates very well. Minutes later the carrier evaporates and the magic stuff is left behind.
It really does all the ad says.
Regards, Greg