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I like Fastrack but it has a couple design flaws that often lead to "dead" spots or even more sneaky "slow-down" spots. Lionel came up with the recommendation to laterally bend each center-rail pin to create a positive friction fit with the adjacent track pin/rail end.

                     IMG_3518

Bend a few degrees to the left, towards the screwdriver tip in this pic. It takes a couple tries the first time because too much and it is impossible to join track pieces while too little doesn't address the problem.

 

Under each track piece is a flat jumper between the outer rails which depends on a crimp-fit  with tabs under the rails. Sometimes these are either loose from the factory or from vibration of trains running over the rails. Some people solder these connections.

                   IMG_3519

Solder the tab to the plate.

 

Fastrack track switches have similar jumpers and I plan to solder any that come up for maintenance.

                  IMG_3520

This track switch has been parted out so most of the guts&wires are missing making it easy to see the jumpers.

                   IMG_3521

There are four jumpers in an O72 switch,

Lew

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Last edited by geysergazer
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For reliability, I solder all the functional connections in Fastrack switches. This is especially true for permanent installation, you don't really want to be ripping up a bunch of track to extract the switch for repairs.

The shorting bars across the outside rails I don't spend much time worrying about, there are tons of them, so the ones that are not functional are covered by all the ones that are.

Ya, I have one track switch with continuity issues. When running Conventional the train slows there. Of course that particular switch is buried in a mountain but one of these days I'm going to extract it and solder all the connecting bars.....Come to think of it, the one Fastrack track switch failure I have had was because a bad solder joint allowed a switch motor wire to dis-attach from the motor.

Lew

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