FYI, piko and lgb rail are different sizes (piko being thinner rail). I use these joiners on lgb track and they are brilliant. I also used 5" 3x3" pressure treated and stained wood into postcrete to screw the track into. None of it has shifted in 7 years. Conduction however was always a drama in UK weather as we don't get much sun. These rail joiners saved my arse!
Ahhh...yes...Train Li rail clamps...nice to see! I purchased many PIKO rail clamps for only them to break apart after being tightened. Massoth also has great rail clamps.
Fabulous video, I purchased this start set from LGB 3 years ago and absolutely love it! I have a semi-permanent in-door layout, the track is always layer, I just add wood scenery sections and a small station and other accessories, takes about 15 minutes to get a train running, thank you again for a great video. Nic
Great video Jimmy. I just showed this to my wife and she pointed out to the corner of the yard with the raised flowerbed…I think she is trying to tell me something. :-)))))))))))
Dear Jimmy, love how you used the driveway gravel as ballast for your garden railroad. Really makes it look awesome. The weed liner also a great separator between the gravel and the garden soil, aswel as a stabilizer. Those clips really do the job. Didn’t know they existed. Only know of an old fashioned modeler who builds 1 scale outdoors, who mills actual brass tie plates, bolted through the rails. Which is of course fairly easy in 1 scale. Although the web of LGB track also allows enough room for such a solution. The way he milled, into the web, is to drill corresponding holes for appropriate bolts and nuts on one side, and slightly elongated holes on the other piece of rail, which allows for true to scale expansion and contraction. With just a simple oval, I humbly think you don’t need to worry much about expansion and contraction. Very cool you took on this project.
Brass is not the only track that you can use example example I use code 250 nickel silver rail and it holded up for 3 years before I had to take it down because I moved and the track is still in perfect condition just like the day I bought it.
Good on ya. Those rail joiners are top notch. I work with miles of track a year and we use those little guys. Also you can buy rail benders to make custom curves. Cut with a grinder and attach with those little guys. Works like a charm.
To remove the track tie without damaging the road bed. Put the track on the ground, put foot weight on track, use old screw driver and hammer to knock the track back around the curve, lift out tie, slide track back into place. No damage to plastic road bed.
I have all dead-rail and still love those rail-joiners for their secure mechanical connection. The electrical conduction is also good, even for dead-rail because I mix aluminum and brass and love the resulting corrosion that gives my locomotives more traction! :-)
So I went with the Piko rail joiners with dielectric grease at each connection. It’s worked very well so far. I just wish I had the time to enjoy it more
Great videos. Thanks! We put in our garden railroad late last year and ran it for a couple months to test how happy we were with the layout. We use exclusively Piko track (for no particular reason except we were beginners and knew it was high quality track) and started with the included sliding joiners. We had some conductivity issues so during the winter we lifted the track, cleaned it and installed the Massoth rail joiners (as I believe yours are). Couldn't agree more that they are worth the cost. Chose Massoth over Piko joiners because you can access the screws from above with a regular screwdriver as opposed to the side with a hex driver. If one were to stick with the sliding joiners there is an interesting comment about using zip ties to hold the track pieces together. If I didn't switch joiners I might have tried that suggestion. Anyway great vids (both g scale and HO). Oh, and for coffee.. Joffrey's Disney Parks and Resorts collection (with Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks from BJs mixed in as well)
I may consider that idea, but what I'm thinking on doing is just making my railroad based on the entire world including the North Pole (a lot of research is going to go into this a lot of buying vintage along with modern train sets, rolling stock and modifying the vintage sets and modern sets. along with buying a lot of brass track for out doors, and using plastic and steel track for indoors.)
I also use split jaws and similar Piko joiners, that allow a little slip to compensate for temp changes expansion and contraction. Brass rail should have a 1/16th gab about every six feet of rail. Cheers 6:43
Removing rail joiners: Rather than pop the track off and risk damaging the ties, here's an alternative way to get the rail clamps off. The thing that stops them sliding right off is the little vertical tab at the end of the joiner that hooks into a slot in the first tie. There's actually quite a bit of give there, but you can't take advantage of it while the joiner is firmly closed around the track. So what to do? * Use a pair of needle nose pliers to lever open the free end of the rail joiner. The aim is to loosen the track end of the joiner enough that it can pull *down* off the track. * Grasp the end of the rail joiner with the pliers and pull down (not away). You want to use a rotating motion, where the place where the joiner and tie meet is the pivot. Sometimes, twisting your pliers (and the joiner) a little helps. The track will pop free from the attached end of the joiner. When it does so, the tab will slide out of the slot and the joiner will pop free without stressing the plastic joining the rail to the tie. It ruins the rail joiner, but you were planning on replacing those anyway, right? (As opposed to risking snapping the ties on the rail, which you plan to keep)
what keeps the joiner on the rail is a small detent . Taking a small punch and hammer ,simply tap the end of the rail out of the rail joiner . Rail joiner will be able to be used again . There will be absolutely no damage or mark on the plastic . Your basically reversing the method the track was assembled ,minus the detent . Do not use clips on every joint ,the rail needs to expand in the sun ,leave space for that every 20 feet . I switched over to battery power , The trains run perfectly , without ever cleaning the track. Plus I can walk around or sit on the deck and run the trains .
If you are leaving this track outside year round, you should paint all the ties to protect from UV rays. It doesn’t matter who makes the track, it will deteriorate and need to be replaced if not protected from the sun.
True about the gravel type. Real railroads use rough crushed stone because it is more solid when tamped under the ties. Years ago they used pumice and volcanic cinders. That was good but over time it would break down, and the roadbed would lose drainage and integrity.
I plan on switching from whatever my dad used to nickel-silver. There are also rail joiners that almost look like the real thing. The only problem I see with the driveway gravel is it's too large if you want to have it look a more prototypical size.
You can use the larger gravel under the track, and add fines, to look more in scale on the top. This allows the better drainage of,the larger rock, and a final dressing of smaller rock on top to pack between the toes and dress the sides. Cheers
Hey i was just thinking of some ideas for a run around track for point to point operations in g scale for my backyard. Do you have any ideas for this to run automatically
Another great video, but soil up against brickwork is a No-No in the UK as its recipe for DAMP ! unless it's at least 6" below the damp course ? and even then it's inadvisable.
So my walls are actually brick veneer and the house is fully wrapped in a moisture barrier between the brick and frame. The house has a damp proof coating on the bricks, but because of the grade of my yard going away from the house, the soil height is actually minimal at the wall compared to the edge of the bed.
Where are the expansion joints? The rails will shift due to temperature changes. Also you make sure "track ballast" has sharp edges. This locks the ballast together. I recommend to ballast the track higher than the ground near the roadbed. this allows better drainage & if slight flooding keeps track above water. Know this from experience. Live in a very cold winter area, make your trench at least 4 inches deep to reduce frost up heave of the ground. This increases drainage below track. This effect is why real RRs have tamper trains & add ballast to their roadbed. Over time you will need to do the same.
I just built my first outdoor layout in the Pacific Northwest last fall. I was going to do the track clamps (I even bought some), but decided just to go with the normal fishplates, some copper grease and a zip-tie around the ties to keep them firmly pushed together. It has so far been working great. Is WAY cheaper than those overpriced clamps and also makes it much easier to lay track, since I'm not having to forcefully remove the joiners from every piece of track to allow the use of the clamps. It's all just personal opinion, but I personally feel that the clamps are overpriced and overrated for what they are...
@@kge420 Yes, and some guys do this. But doing this on such large brass track, outdoors isn't easy. It requires a pretty beefy solder tool and lots of times on your hands and knees soldering the connections. Other guys use jumper wires to solder track together to maintain continuity. Some guys literally do nothing. I was on an extreme budget, so I went with a cheap solution that will hopefully prove "good enough" over time.
@@ShadowVFX Many years ago I bought bundles of 6 foot rail for under $ 30 . You can't get track cheaper then that . . I assemble the track and then paint them . I also offset the joints . I'm very pleased with the look . I'm running on code 325 , was thinking about 250 but would risk derailments .
The Aristocraft track I have, has screw holes in the rails and joiners. Each piece of track includes 2 or 4 screws hidden in a tie, with a wax type of material. They're tiny so don't drop them.
FYI, piko and lgb rail are different sizes (piko being thinner rail). I use these joiners on lgb track and they are brilliant. I also used 5" 3x3" pressure treated and stained wood into postcrete to screw the track into. None of it has shifted in 7 years. Conduction however was always a drama in UK weather as we don't get much sun. These rail joiners saved my arse!
Ahhh...yes...Train Li rail clamps...nice to see! I purchased many PIKO rail clamps for only them to break apart after being tightened. Massoth also has great rail clamps.
Fabulous video, I purchased this start set from LGB 3 years ago and absolutely love it! I have a semi-permanent in-door layout, the track is always layer, I just add wood scenery sections and a small station and other accessories, takes about 15 minutes to get a train running, thank you again for a great video. Nic
Great video Jimmy. I just showed this to my wife and she pointed out to the corner of the yard with the raised flowerbed…I think she is trying to tell me something.
:-)))))))))))
I use Aristo Craft track, the track and rail joiners are predrilled and come with the screws to hold it together.
Dear Jimmy, love how you used the driveway gravel as ballast for your garden railroad. Really makes it look awesome.
The weed liner also a great separator between the gravel and the garden soil, aswel as a stabilizer.
Those clips really do the job. Didn’t know they existed. Only know of an old fashioned modeler who builds 1 scale outdoors, who mills actual brass tie plates, bolted through the rails. Which is of course fairly easy in 1 scale. Although the web of LGB track also allows enough room for such a solution.
The way he milled, into the web, is to drill corresponding holes for appropriate bolts and nuts on one side, and slightly elongated holes on the other piece of rail, which allows for true to scale expansion and contraction.
With just a simple oval, I humbly think you don’t need to worry much about expansion and contraction.
Very cool you took on this project.
Brass is not the only track that you can use example example I use code 250 nickel silver rail and it holded up for 3 years before I had to take it down because I moved and the track is still in perfect condition just like the day I bought it.
Great video! I like Train Li products.
Good for you. Looks great.
Wasn't expecting this from your channel, you did a fine job👌. Im drinking beer
Good on ya. Those rail joiners are top notch. I work with miles of track a year and we use those little guys. Also you can buy rail benders to make custom curves. Cut with a grinder and attach with those little guys. Works like a charm.
To remove the track tie without damaging the road bed.
Put the track on the ground, put foot weight on track, use old screw driver and hammer to knock the track back around the curve, lift out tie, slide track back into place. No damage to plastic road bed.
Coming together really well
I used some thick old barn board in my (G)roadbed. Next experiment, wet caulking and tall static grass😋lol.🚂🇨🇦🇺🇲🙋
I have all dead-rail and still love those rail-joiners for their secure mechanical connection. The electrical conduction is also good, even for dead-rail because I mix aluminum and brass and love the resulting corrosion that gives my locomotives more traction! :-)
So I went with the Piko rail joiners with dielectric grease at each connection. It’s worked very well so far. I just wish I had the time to enjoy it more
Great video thanks for the tips. And love the scripture in the description
Congrats!!
Great videos. Thanks! We put in our garden railroad late last year and ran it for a couple months to test how happy we were with the layout. We use exclusively Piko track (for no particular reason except we were beginners and knew it was high quality track) and started with the included sliding joiners. We had some conductivity issues so during the winter we lifted the track, cleaned it and installed the Massoth rail joiners (as I believe yours are). Couldn't agree more that they are worth the cost. Chose Massoth over Piko joiners because you can access the screws from above with a regular screwdriver as opposed to the side with a hex driver. If one were to stick with the sliding joiners there is an interesting comment about using zip ties to hold the track pieces together. If I didn't switch joiners I might have tried that suggestion. Anyway great vids (both g scale and HO). Oh, and for coffee.. Joffrey's Disney Parks and Resorts collection (with Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks from BJs mixed in as well)
I may consider that idea, but what I'm thinking on doing is just making my railroad based on the entire world including the North Pole (a lot of research is going to go into this a lot of buying vintage along with modern train sets, rolling stock and modifying the vintage sets and modern sets. along with buying a lot of brass track for out doors, and using plastic and steel track for indoors.)
I also use split jaws and similar Piko joiners, that allow a little slip to compensate for temp changes expansion and contraction. Brass rail should have a 1/16th gab about every six feet of rail.
Cheers 6:43
So awesome! Can't wait for the next part!
Fantastic work! Piko and LGB are the best g scale brands out there for track and most everything G scale! Happy Garden railroading!!
The old LGB from West Germany is top quality ten they went to Hungary ,the new stuff is from China . Very disappointing . Piko is great
Split-Jaw clamps are better. Hold up great in the Garden Railroad.
Removing rail joiners: Rather than pop the track off and risk damaging the ties, here's an alternative way to get the rail clamps off. The thing that stops them sliding right off is the little vertical tab at the end of the joiner that hooks into a slot in the first tie. There's actually quite a bit of give there, but you can't take advantage of it while the joiner is firmly closed around the track.
So what to do?
* Use a pair of needle nose pliers to lever open the free end of the rail joiner. The aim is to loosen the track end of the joiner enough that it can pull *down* off the track.
* Grasp the end of the rail joiner with the pliers and pull down (not away). You want to use a rotating motion, where the place where the joiner and tie meet is the pivot. Sometimes, twisting your pliers (and the joiner) a little helps. The track will pop free from the attached end of the joiner. When it does so, the tab will slide out of the slot and the joiner will pop free without stressing the plastic joining the rail to the tie.
It ruins the rail joiner, but you were planning on replacing those anyway, right? (As opposed to risking snapping the ties on the rail, which you plan to keep)
what keeps the joiner on the rail is a small detent . Taking a small punch and hammer ,simply tap the end of the rail out of the rail joiner . Rail joiner will be able to be used again . There will be absolutely no damage or mark on the plastic . Your basically reversing the method the track was assembled ,minus the detent . Do not use clips on every joint ,the rail needs to expand in the sun ,leave space for that every 20 feet . I switched over to battery power , The trains run perfectly , without ever cleaning the track. Plus I can walk around or sit on the deck and run the trains .
If you are leaving this track outside year round, you should paint all the ties to protect from UV rays. It doesn’t matter who makes the track, it will deteriorate and need to be replaced if not protected from the sun.
True about the gravel type. Real railroads use rough crushed stone because it is more solid when tamped under the ties. Years ago they used pumice and volcanic cinders. That was good but over time it would break down, and the roadbed would lose drainage and integrity.
I plan on switching from whatever my dad used to nickel-silver. There are also rail joiners that almost look like the real thing. The only problem I see with the driveway gravel is it's too large if you want to have it look a more prototypical size.
You can use the larger gravel under the track, and add fines, to look more in scale on the top. This allows the better drainage of,the larger rock, and a final dressing of smaller rock on top to pack between the toes and dress the sides.
Cheers
Hey i was just thinking of some ideas for a run around track for point to point operations in g scale for my backyard. Do you have any ideas for this to run automatically
Maybe try over joiner railclips by piko, so you don't have to remove the joiner but they function the same way
Another great video, but soil up against brickwork is a No-No in the UK as its recipe for DAMP ! unless it's at least 6" below the damp course ? and even then it's inadvisable.
So my walls are actually brick veneer and the house is fully wrapped in a moisture barrier between the brick and frame. The house has a damp proof coating on the bricks, but because of the grade of my yard going away from the house, the soil height is actually minimal at the wall compared to the edge of the bed.
The cost isn't so bad, esp given G products can really set you back sometimes. Maybe hurts a little up front but good for avoiding headaches later.
Could you solder the joints together?
Expansion and contraction issues? Alternating clips from one section to the next?
Where are the expansion joints? The rails will shift due to temperature changes. Also you make sure "track ballast" has sharp edges. This locks the ballast together. I recommend to ballast the track higher than the ground near the roadbed. this allows better drainage & if slight flooding keeps track above water. Know this from experience. Live in a very cold winter area, make your trench at least 4 inches deep to reduce frost up heave of the ground. This increases drainage below track. This effect is why real RRs have tamper trains & add ballast to their roadbed. Over time you will need to do the same.
I just built my first outdoor layout in the Pacific Northwest last fall. I was going to do the track clamps (I even bought some), but decided just to go with the normal fishplates, some copper grease and a zip-tie around the ties to keep them firmly pushed together. It has so far been working great. Is WAY cheaper than those overpriced clamps and also makes it much easier to lay track, since I'm not having to forcefully remove the joiners from every piece of track to allow the use of the clamps.
It's all just personal opinion, but I personally feel that the clamps are overpriced and overrated for what they are...
Could the rail joints be soldered?
@@kge420 Yes, and some guys do this. But doing this on such large brass track, outdoors isn't easy. It requires a pretty beefy solder tool and lots of times on your hands and knees soldering the connections.
Other guys use jumper wires to solder track together to maintain continuity. Some guys literally do nothing. I was on an extreme budget, so I went with a cheap solution that will hopefully prove "good enough" over time.
@@ShadowVFX I found going with aluminum track and battery power is very economical and the result is fantastic
@@whdbnrm3023 Why go aluminum if you're running battery power? Seems like a huge expense for no benefit if your running battery power.
@@ShadowVFX Many years ago I bought bundles of 6 foot rail for under $ 30 . You can't get track cheaper then that . . I assemble the track and then paint them . I also offset the joints . I'm very pleased with the look . I'm running on code 325 , was thinking about 250 but would risk derailments .
Are G scale tracks the same as Gauge one track?
I'm drinking a carmal Frappuccino
me to
Too bad the guy with the truck wasn’t around to help with the gravel. I’m assuming nap time.
The clips can be a real pain if you lose a screw
😊
The Aristocraft track I have, has screw holes in the rails and joiners. Each piece of track includes 2 or 4 screws hidden in a tie, with a wax type of material. They're tiny so don't drop them.