Fish plates in a fiddle yard

OzzyO

Western Thunderer
Hello all,

we are just starting to build a O gauge (31.5) layout using exactosacale and C & L parts on the front and copper clad in the fiddle yard.

Can anyone suggest who's fishplates to use in the fiddle yard, I did try putting a standard Peco one on a rail but it would not fit (Slater's code 125 B/H).

TFAH

OzzyO.
 

markjj

Western Thunderer
I believe SMP do a fish plate that fits code 125 rail properly sold now by Marcway.
I saw a thread about them somewhere it may have been on Facebook.
 

Allen M

Western Thunderer
Hi OzzyO
If you are using copper clad why not just but up the rail ends and solder both to a sleeper, or just an extra but if the sleeper not in the right place.
Regards
Allen
 

OzzyO

Western Thunderer
We're looking at using copper clad at about 4" centres pointing towards the centre of the 18' circle, as half of the layout is the fiddle yard it's to try and keep cost down a bit.. About the only time that two bits of copper clad will be next to one another will be at the track joints.

Does any one know if any of the Peco fishplates will do? If we have to solder them up it should not be a problem (I hope).

ATB

OzzyO
 

Bill Campbell

Western Thunderer
Hi OzzyO

The Peco rail joiners (as distinct from proper fishplates) can be fitted to C&L code 125 rail if the slot is opened out a bit using a screwdriver - been there!

I would advise against soldering everything solid as you may then experience problems with expansion and contraction with temperature variations.

It's interesting that you have chosen copperclad construction - for a project I compared the cost of copperclad and rail (50mm length sleepers at 50mm centres and excluding the cost of solder) against Peco ready to lay O gauge track and the copperclad method was substantially more expensive. Once upon a time copperclad was cheaper but the increasing prices for copperclad strip and rail mean it is no longer so. Prices for track components have risen much more quickly recently than ready to lay track - rail on its own is now approaching the cost of ready to lay track and soon it may be cheaper to buy the track and strip out the rail!

Best wishes.
 

simond

Western Thunderer
Bill,

I bet it won’t Be cheaper if Peco read your post!

interesting cost comparison. CC was definitely cheaper than anything else,

Atb
Simon
 

OzzyO

Western Thunderer
Hello Bill, all,

I did a cost assessment a while back and it does make interesting reading. The following are all for the same length of track.

8 full roads in fiddle yard 76.5 yards.
Peco track B/H £645.60
Peco rail B/H £356 plus copper clad at 6" spacing (£57.00) total £413.00.
Slater's rail B/H £250 plus copper clad at 6" spacing (£57.00) total £307.00.
Peco points @£52.00 each x 10 £520.00 add the Peco track total £1165.60.
Hand made points @ £10 each x 10 £100 add the Slater's rail etc. £407.00.
A cost difference of £758.60 (can get a loco for that).

Simon, I don't think that Peco need to read the post.

ATB

OzzyO.
 

Allen M

Western Thunderer
The other way to save money in a fiddle yard is to look round the SH stands for Peco, Hornby etc track with code 100 rail. Often very cheap it the sleepers are damaged. When soldered to PCB sleepers, as there are no chairs on the inside, FS wheels will run without any problem.
The words of a cheapskate who built a complete O gauge light railway layout that way.
Regards
Allen
 

OzzyO

Western Thunderer
The other way to save money in a fiddle yard is to look round the SH stands for Peco, Hornby etc track with code 100 rail. Often very cheap it the sleepers are damaged. When soldered to PCB sleepers, as there are no chairs on the inside, FS wheels will run without any problem.
The words of a cheapskate who built a complete O gauge light railway layout that way.
Regards
Allen

A very good point Allen, but I'm not that sure what a Heljan loco would do to code 100 rail with the sleepers at 4" centres. The other thing is when do you think that we will get to look around the second hand stands at shows. We have lost the best part of this year due to the lock down on getting started on the layout so we don't want to loose any more time. In normal time we would have been round the S/H stands like bees around a honey pot. eBay has been a good friend to us saving us some money on some parts.

ATB

OzzyO.
 

dibateg

Western Thunderer
Hi Paul -
I've been using the SMP O gauge joiners in my storage yard - but they've been out of stock for months at Marcway as they come from the US. I've not found a good alternative. The SL-10s fit C&L track, but not very well. The insulated ones fit fine. My yard is a mixture of copper clad and Peco with C&L and some Peco track. The copper clad sections should be laid on 1/8th cork to get them up to the height of the other track. I never looked at cost< I just bought loads of track materials from the money I got for selling all my 4mm stuff. So at the moment I'm waiting for the SMP ones to re-appear..

IMG_4443.JPG

Cheers
Tony
 

OzzyO

Western Thunderer
How do Tony,

some thing tells me that I'm going to do some bashing to the rail joiners to fit.

I'm going to ask a question . Why did not start your fiddle yard on the narrow boards at the top of the photo?
That way you get a lot more track in place, which gives more train length.

ATB
OzzyO

PS. I'll try and get some photos to show what I'm saying
 

dibateg

Western Thunderer
Good question Paul - I have 5 lines coming in at that end and I wanted some flexibility to reverse trains and send them back to the station... So all those crossover take a bit of space...

Best Regards
Tony
 

OzzyO

Western Thunderer
How do Tony,

if you have the 5 lines coming in at the top of the photo , why not start the point work just after the brake it may mean that you will have to make some new base boards, to accommodate the extra width of the track work. . But you gain more yard space..

OzzyO.
 

dibateg

Western Thunderer
I'm only running 2/3/4 coach trains, so it should be alright, and the scenic section will come right round to near where that coach is. I'll get it working, if it doesn't work, it can be changed!

Cheers
Tony
 

OzzyO

Western Thunderer
I'm only running 2/3/4 coach trains, so it should be alright, and the scenic section will come right round to near where that coach is. I'll get it working, if it doesn't work, it can be changed!

Cheers
Tony

Tony,

it may start out that way , but you will end up with ten or twelve coach trains running. I know, that's why I hope to have two long lines in the middle

OzzyO..
 
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