Model Railway Forum

Going to nail a test loop down on my board for some incline testing. I'll solder the power leads, but is there any advantage to doing this direct to the rails or will it be just as good going to the rail connectors which would be easier?

If the track is only very temporary then you can of coarse use the metal rail joiners. But not for a more permanent feeding arrangement

Using rail joiners (Fishplates) can lead to loss of power due to loose fitting plates or dirty rails etc. I would solder wires to the rails on a more permanent layout.

I would always solder direct to the rails so you remove any possible variables due to poor connections.

Understood thanks.

And remember to solder on either the underside or outside of the rail - do it on the inside edge and it will obstruct the wheel flanges.

darkscot wrote: ↑Tue Nov 24, 2020 7:06 pm I would always solder direct to the rails so you remove any possible variables due to poor connections.

Doesn't that approach really depend on whether there are any other joints and Fishplates in the test track?

Good point!

I'm imagining it is much like Scalextric. The more joints between you and the power supply the worse it is going to get, so an occasional booster connection won't go amiss.