Very Little Gravitas Indeed*

[Yorkshire Dave]

For baseboard joining, I generally fit a split batten (or French cleat), which gives the second board something to sit on, as well as defining the level. It is also 'self-closing'. It does not however align sided to side, but that is less of an issue. Of course I also fit a couple of bolts to prevent accidents.

I use a variation of this and to prevent lateral movement I use blocks on the ends of the cleat. Of course if it French cleat was V shaped looking face on it will solve the lateral movement. However, I do omit the bolts as being unnecessary and let gravity do its work to lock the boards - to date I've never had any issues.

 

[Osgood]

In fact, if you put dowels / holes on the prints with a decent conical end, then you'd get away with a slight gap - the printed track base ends acting as mini-baseboards.

 

[RichardG]

@adrian it might be worth buying a packet of these:
ModelTech Z ProTrack Rail Aligner – Mark's Trains Ltd

See how they work and how well they work, and maybe replicate in your chosen scale.

 

[adrian]

In fact, if you put dowels / holes on the prints with a decent conical end, then you'd get away with a slight gap - the printed track base ends acting as mini-baseboards.

I like that suggestion, I’ll try and get another print session running tonight.

 

[Osgood]

Still leaves the problem of ensuring the end chairs hold the rail securely - if you were to print chairs on the sleepers of these couplers, would that be good enough?

I'm just about to use screws and solder rail ends, then cover with cosmetic cut chairs, because I am concerned that plastic chairs glued to walnut sleepers do not give a mechanically dependable fastening (judging by the numbers of chairs that come loose over time).

 

[adrian]

@adrian it might be worth buying a packet of these:
ModelTech Z ProTrack Rail Aligner – Mark's Trains Ltd

See how they work and how well they work, and maybe replicate in your chosen scale.

That was the inspiration, as you mention a scale7 version isn’t available also it’s a single flat piece so it would then need either rivets to be fitted or the brass chairs to be fitted, hence several tweaks I’d like to incorporate.

 

[adrian]

Still leaves the problem of ensuring the end chairs hold the rail securely - if you were to print chairs on the sleepers of these couplers, would that be good enough?

I'm just about to use screws and solder rail ends, then cover with cosmetic cut chairs, because I am concerned that plastic chairs glued to walnut sleepers do not give a mechanically dependable fastening (judging by the numbers of chairs that come loose over time).

I built my display stand probably about 10 years ago with plastic chairs glued to wooden sleepers. Albeit a small sample but not had any problems with chairs becoming detached.

 

[Neil]

Yes very true but where’s the fun in that. This is just an experiment at the moment but if expanded to a five or six track board interface it’s going to be quite a few fishplates to fiddle with at each board. Something self aligning, automatic and quick appeals to my nature.

You're quite right; over the years I must have spent countless hours experimenting with ever more complex point operating systems when a quick flick with the finger would do. Part of me likes pared down simplicity but part of me likes engineering elegance, in the end I've settled for a concoction of bike spokes, beads and choc blocks.

 

[ChrisBr]

I like that suggestion, I’ll try and get another print session running tonight.

Very keen to see how this turns out

 

[Lawrence Boul]

That was the inspiration, as you mention a scale7 version isn’t available also it’s a single flat piece so it would then need either rivets to be fitted or the brass chairs to be fitted, hence several tweaks I’d like to incorporate.

That looks similar to the version I mentioned from Mark's Model Works. The MMW version (16.5mm gauge) also has vertical alignment. Something like this is easy enough to draw up in any scale/gauge. Somebody like PCBWay will produce them cheaply.

 

[SimonT]

Both my last two layouts (Aberbig and The Back End) used dowels on the end faces. Above the track base I used camping sleeping mat as an underlay; this is a nominal 9mm thick. At the baseboard joints the foam is replaced by 9mm ply which is the width of the permanent way and about long enough to take three sleepers. The ply and sleepers are glued down with PVA and the plastic chairs are then glued down with Butanone. This all stops the sleepers coming free of the foam underlay at the joint; in my experience the most common source of problems. All the boards have end protectors for transportation. Since I adopted this system I haven't had damage or alignment problems. EVNI follows this path even though it is not intended for exhibition.
All of the above devices strike me as solutions looking for a problem.

 

[Dog Star]

Scruft's Jcn follows a very similar scheme as described by Simon and we have had no failures of rail / chair joints at board ends for many years. I wrote about this method with photos some years back - ought to be able to find the post using WT search function.

Rgds, Graham

 

[Osgood]

Proposed joint as per Simon above.
My only concern is possible failure of the butanone joint.

Mind you I've been playing around with some reclaimed S7 track - walnut sleepers with plastic chairs stuck on (I'm assuming with butanone), all set onto a Templot print and 2-layer cork sheet.
A fair few chair joint failures are evident, but some joints may have been weakened in the traumatic (for both track and lifter) track lifting operation.

If other folks are confident then maybe I don't need to go the solder-onto-brass-screw route?
I was planning to just stick the track panel across the (dowelled) baseboard joint with a very thin packer between boards, then put a cutting disc through the rails leaving a close joint once joint packer removed.

 

[J_F_S]

If other folks are confident then maybe I don't need to go the solder-onto-brass-screw route?

Realistically, it all depends on how you propose to use the layout. I built my layout (P4) using plastic chairs/butanone/ply sleepers-without-reinforcement (11 tracks over b-b joints) and it survived 7 exhibitions without issue. BUT I very carefully designed the transit arrangements to make it 'impossible' to 'catch' the rail-ends during set-up and strike-down. I also used very careful track construction methods which eliminated any possibility of residual stresses in the rails. So, I would tend to say 'you can get away with it', based on my sample size of 1, but you and only you know the hazards to which your baseboards will be exposed and if your mitigation measures are adequate!

I have seen plenty of layouts assembled at exhibitions and in some cases, I am amazed anything ever runs again - or, as is more often the case - I see the explanation for half of the several dozen derailments which occur over the ensuing weekend!

Just two suggestion - it is very true that a plastic to ply joint is the weakest of options but a stronger alternative is plastic chair to plastic sleeper (transferring the issue to sticking the plastic sleeper to the baseboard where there is more surface area) or alternatively a lost-wax cast brass chair soldered to a pcb sleeper. [Edit - just seen the reference to cast brass chairs above. Just to add, I would really question the need for "adjustable" joints - there is one correct position only to the rails - what is needed is anything which will maintain that position!]

Good luck,
Howard