The term 'Bolster Wagon' refers to a type of railway wagon specifically designed for the transportation of long and...
Cart 0 Product Products (empty)
No products
Free shipping! Shipping
£ 0.00 Total
Product successfully added to your shopping cart
Quantity
Total
There are 0 items in your cart. There is 1 item in your cart.
Total products (tax incl.)
Total shipping (tax excl.) Free shipping!
Total (tax incl.)
Search Tips
Tips categories
Latest Tips
-
What are bolster wagons used for?Read more -
What do you need to do to service an engine?Read moreTwenty years ago it would have been easy to write an instruction leaflet on how to service an engine because model...
-
Can Corgi or Matchbox style vehicles be used on a OO gauge layout?Read moreTo better answer this question it is probably best to establish a working scale for any comparison. The reason for...
-
What was the purpose of the deflector plates fitted to the front of some steam locomotives ?Read moreDeflector plates, also known as smoke deflectors or smoke lifters, were fitted to the front of some steam locomotives...
-
What is a slip?Read moreSlips are often used in the real world on the approach to stations where space is limited but there is a necessity...
Can I file the metal rails on my track?
Sometimes when track laying doesn't go as smoothly as planned, you can easily end up with a slight step or jump in the rails where they join. When that happens, some modellers use a file to smooth out the step, but is that really ok?
A suitable metal file can indeed be used to smooth out any jumps or steps in the rails allowing wheels to run seamlessly from one section to another, however, there are a couple of things you need to consider first.
Firstly, if you're using a metal file on your track, the rail surface will become incredibly scored at a microscopic level, this may not visually be a problem, but it will leave your track prone to oxidisation which after time may affect conductivity. Whether this is likely to cause you problems will depend on many factors such as the amount of pick ups your locomotives have and how often you clean your track. For most modellers, microscopic scores do not cause any significant problems, but many meticulous modellers would disagree.
Secondly, be aware that after using a file on track that's already laid, all of the little metal fillings and dust that you have shaved off will lie around in your ballast and between your sleepers just waiting to be attracted to the magnetised motors of your favourite locomotives, and that's an engine killer. So ensure that all metal is thoroughly removed from your track afterwards by using either a magnet or a hoover and you should be fine.
Posted in: Tracks
Click here to receive the tips weekly in your mailbox. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Related products
Miniature 5pc Diamond Needle File Set in Wallet
Price: £ 8.00Miniature 5pc Diamond Needle File Set in Wallet
Related posts
-
How to clean model railways track?There is of course the old tried and tested method, the track rubber which does the job, no railway modeller should... - Is Peco track and Hornby track compatible?Peco Setrack and Peco Streamline are compatible with Hornby track as they all share the same gauge width of 16.5mm....
- How often should I clean my track?This a hard question to answer. There are no hard and fast rules about how often you should clean the track. Bear in...
- How do I cut flexible track?Once upon a time I would have said a newly bladed junior hacksaw and some warding files, but these days I would have...
- How many pieces of curved track do I need to make a circle?As we all know it takes 360 degrees to create a circle, a standard curve is 22.5 degrees and a double curve is 45...