Soldering droppers to Code 75 track

[centenary]

Code 75 track clearly has less rail height and therefore profile than code 100. This can make soldering sufficient sized dropper a bit difficult. Or at least I am!

What's the favoured way to solder droppers to code 75 track, on the bottom parallel with the direction of rail, on the bottom perpendicular with the rail or on the side of the rail?

[Bigmet]

On each length of flexi, move the sleeper base apart, cut off the web, tin the rail underside, lay the tinned wire end along the rail bottom and apply the iron.

If you have a lot of plain straight track to do make yourself a simple bench jig; a lath either end at 36" spacing, little upstands at the centre to hold the sleeper base apart, and a marked point for the soldering location, so that every length is standard. The lengths that will be curved, do those in situ once cut to fit the location.

[FatController]

I tend to solder on the bottom perpendicular with the rail and then it runs straight down into the baseboard (through the track-bed).

[Dad-1]

Sounds like I do exactly the same as Bigmet on all my flat bottomed rail.
I always thoroughly clean the flat bottom by filing before I tin.
The tinned wire has a 90 degree bend at the tip so when attached it feeds
down a prepared hole in the baseboard

On SMP code 75 bullhead I often put in a soldered copperclad sleeper, with
it's isolating cut in the moddle you can attach connections to the sleeper ends.

Geoff T.

[GeraldH]

Nowadays I generally solder wire to the bottom of a fishplate as there's less chance of melting sleepers and it seems to be easier in my experience.

[Flashbang]

Solder dropper wires to the underside of rails between sleepers prior to track laying. Either use one centre of track hole drilled through the baseboard for both wires to pass down or drill smaller diameter holes on the outer edges of the track and pass each dropper down to below baseboard. Once ballasted the dropper wires disappear.
Using the metal rail joiner as a feed connection is prone to problems later on, as the metal joiner is the 'Weak Link' in the electrical supply (and data too for the DCC user) due to rail movement within the joiner. We have all heard and all too frequently of layouts where locos faulter or stop on sections of track due to defective rail joiners.

[Bigmet]

...one centre of track hole drilled through the baseboard for both wires to pass down...

That's my choice too. Great tip from the guy who's name I have forgotten, that had the 'Electricnose' moniker on his site: glue brown paper over the top of the hole, and push wires through, (and for point motors make a slit for the point motor rod to the tiebar). A big hole makes life so much easier, no fiddling around with precise alignment. The paper will more than adequately support the ballast.

[Dad-1]

Bigmet mentions ballast falling through holes.
My dodge on that where I use one smaller hole under each rail is to plug with Bluetack.
There is usually some much use rather tired Bluetack around.

Geoff T.

[centenary]

Im beginning to see why people use code 100 instead of code 75! Im having trouble drilling the holes for the droppers in the exact spot!

Ive experimented soldering under the rail and alongside it. That bit is easy. Laying the track in situ with droppers attached and marking the exact spot for droppers to go through the board without disorting the track is proving harder!

[Bigmet]

Thus the 'big hole' solution. I go for an inch.

In all concealed areas I now wire on top of the board - but that's all code 100.

[centenary]

Thus the 'big hole' solution. I go for an inch.

In all concealed areas I now wire on top of the board - but that's all code 100.

Crikey, that is big!

Thanks all for the tips, the idea of some paper over the hole to stop ballast going through is also a good one. Fortunately, the track Ive laid isnt glued down yet so I can revisit the myriad of holes I have drilled and cover them!

[pete12345]

Soldering to the base of the rail is always a better option- it's totally invisible once ballasted! After cutting the plastic web away (hint: use different places for each rail so the sleepers are always linked on one side) I position the track, then mark either side of the rail with a pencil. You then just need to drill a hole between the pencil marks. As the track goes down, thread the dropper wires through.