To solder all or not to solder all

I personally don't solder track sections except for flex sections in a curve. It doesn't hurt to solder a feeder to every section of track, but can be very time consuming....you may want to put a feeder wire every 6 feet or so and run some trains. If you notice slow and/or problem spots add additional feeders as needed.

That sounds like a good idea - having my feeders dropped from the turnout throats. Thanx for the 2-cents-worth

I usually use alligator clips as heat sinks. How about using electronic solder with flux core? Or is seperate flux preferable?

Just to chime in, it might be overkill, but I solder everything. I've never had a problem with power, or with turnouts. I run feeder wires every three feet and I feed every turnout. My first layout was 3'x6', my second was a 10'x10' "L" and now I'm working on an 18'x30' basement. It does take more time but I think it's worth it.

Well rwcorleyze, I like the cut of Spoon's jib! I too soldered every joint, with feeders every 4 feet, and soldered "power" to my frogs! Unlike the rest of these experienced old and young timers, I figured anything I was going to sink the next two years of my life building and hundreds and hundreds of dollars into had better be first class! Not having any acquaintances who actually build MRRs to get pointers from, I had to take what sounded good from everything I could read in MRR books and glean from this website. I love my 4'x8' layout, I love my DCC power, and I love this hobby! Remember, we don't do this to be speedy, or especially time efficient. We do it because we love it. And the thing you need to be asking yourself is, what is the "best" way of building your MRR layout? Just my 2 cents thrown into the pond of knowledge! Or is that mud? :lol: Ryan

Feedback would be appreciated:  would I be better off soldering to the track itself (I have read, in Kalmbach books no less, that N scale is too small for reliable soldering) or should I solder the wire to the rail joiners, to make something similar to Atlas' Terminal Joiners that go for $2.75 a pair?

Ron, I would have to disagree with the Kalmbach comment... it's a matter of having suitable tools and technique... nothing out of the reach of the majority, with a little practice... search the forums and you'll find a couple of instances where the tools and techniques are discussed...

Soldering to a rail-joiner does not alleviate the potential for continuity issues between the joiner and the rails...

Here's what I've learned in soldering n scale track:

• Use .5mm solder (very fine) with flux core... the solder to flux ratio is higher in the thinner solder
• Use a temperature-controlled 40W or more soldering iron with a fine tip.  Such irons are more expensive than the usual 15W cheapies from Tandy/Radio Shack etc. but are worth every penny!  They last longer, the tips are replaceable and they provide a *very* hot tip which makes a joint *faster* thus (unintuitively) reducing the heat transfered to the rail/ties. I bought a temperature controlled iron for $AU79 (approx. $US70.)
• Keep the tip tinned and *clean*. Use a wet sponge to wipe tip of exces/old flux and solder.
• Lightly abraid the point on the rail to which you'll be soldering. This removes any corrosion and gives a good clean surface for the flux.
• Use a NON-corrosive flux.  These can be harder to find but can usually be had at more specialised electronics suppliers.
• Apply flux to joint surface
• Tin the  rail *quickly* using the highest temp your iron will put out.
• Tin the wire by applying solder and tip to the *base* of the stripped wire right where the insulation sits.  This will ensure that the solder wicks up the wire underneath the insulation in addition to wicking out towards the stripped end. The result is a very mechanically secure wire because the solder wicked up under the insulation acts as a strain relief.
• Apply tip, solder and tinned wire to the tinned rail.  Complete the joint as quickly as possible without moving the wire as it cools (you can blow on the joint to speed cooling.)

I wire every single piece of rail and the rails and frogs of a point such that there are droppers under the layout.  This makes adding blocks much easier later! Admittedly I use flex track exclusively so your mileage may vary.

P.