Tom
Here is an addition to Post 53a
Post 53b 4/29/2018
Track Nippers and Track Cutting Jig
Yes it is aluminum flashing sheeting but you will need only a small scrape. I had some left over from gutter work. If not in hurry, I would watch the trash, where roofing jobs are underway, a used thin cake pan, check out small hardware stores for free scrap, etc. If it is painted, just scrap or sand off all the paint on both sides. This goes for if it is anodized also, to get better conduction. You can use tin from a tin can too. Tin can will probably wear less but will be harder to bend. It just needs to about the thickness of the metal used for your rail. If you get fancy get a small piece of brass shim stock from a machine shop. I have a few pieces but find it to hard to find and too valuable to use for this purpose.
Probably the best hint is to get a pair of nipper pliers shown below. Mine are from a cheap Chinese pliers set (Harbor Freight now days) and are small, about 4" long. I use these to tightly wrap the piece of shim or flashing stock around the pin in the gap. I usually cut a strip of flashing about 3/8" wide and a few inches long. Then I use a small tin snips to cut a piece about the width of the gap and it will be 3/8" long. I cut it too wide and then keep trimming it down until it fits in the gap. I then wrap it around the pin in the gap with my fingers and squeeze it tight with the nipper pliers. If 3/8 " is too long I just let it hang down. It should take only a minute or two do each gap.
This will not work with the gap from the tooth picks I use mostly used for insulated center rail gaps. (I know Lionel makes plastic pins for this use but I did not have them years ago.) Note the picture above has a Lionel plastic pin in the center rail. I have lots of insulated center rails as my whole layout is blocked into 5 or so foot sections.
I cut a gap sized of plastic insulation from some solid electrical wire to fill the gap. I split the little do nut of insulation with a X-acto knife and slip it on.
Track Cutting Jig
Early on I made a Track Cutting Jig to help cut short sections of straight 027 track with a fine toothed hack saw. This jig keeps the ends of the cut track from moving around after cutting and help make the cut even for all three rails.
It is made from a scrap of 3/4" wood 2" x 2 1/4 " with a same size 3/8" plywood glued on the bottom. Three slots were sawed, with a band saw, 1/4" deep and 1/8" wide at the spacing of the three rails of 027 track. A 1/16" wide slot was cut at 90 degrees to the track slots to accommodate a hack saw blade.
A piece of 1/2" plywood was made to act as a Track Hold Down. Shown at the top of picture. Groove was cut to go over the track tie if necessary
Picture of clamp holding Track Cutting Jig, track to be cut with fine toothed hack saw and Track Hold Down. The Track Cutting Jig is held in vise. The vise is a 4in X 10in Colombian woodworking vise I have had for 40 so years.
I use a fine tooth hack saw blade and find the Track Cutting Jig makes cutting shorter pieces of track and easy neat job.
Charlie
