Good luck w/ the brass. Just don't use a Bright Boy for cleaning as that just leaves scratches n the rails which collect alot of dirt & oils. Use a rag soaked w/ isopropyl alcohol. If its real dirty use the rough side of a piece of Masonite. Also always run a car or two w/ a piece of masonite underneath to always keep your track clean. And when you get "rich & famous" get a good track cleaning car. LOL.
Andy, could you post a pic of the car you have with the Masonite board on it? I saw something similar, where the Masonite was glued to two nails, and there were two holes in the bottom of the cars. The nails fit loosely into the holes, and kind of "floated" on the rails. I was just curious to how yours is designed. Thanks! JMS
Don't have any pix of it but it was just like yours except mine used 1/8" threaded screws. My car was a well car w/ no floor plus 2 "cans" w/ holes in the floors to hold the floating screws My Masonite also had some flat weights glued to it to give a little more cleaning "power".
Thanks! Hmm, flat weights? That's probably what I am missing! LOL! Mine seems to skip/hop on some areas. Thanks again! JMS
If you have some lead weighs that aren't flat enough whack them w/ a hammer a few times & that'll flatten them real fast.
Thanks! I have a box of stick on aluminum wheel weights I bought from my local auto repair shop. They are pretty thin, and "scored" at 1/4oz intervals. I use them on my railcars. I do not have a hammer... but, I DO have a "multi-directional impact force generator"... will that work? LOL! JMS
Paul, Yes the switches are the same size that is what is driving me to the nut house, I can make some correction but that is not the way to do things.
To be more specific to Paul's question, the switches may be the same size length wise but do they have the same turnout radius? That'd definitely throw things off. Brian
All I can say is that they all say #4 and none have any degree marks so I take it they are all the same. I believe I can trim the switch enough to bring it in line with the center line on the board.
Not sure if this will help... but, Atlas has two types of #4 switches. 1) is the snap switch 2) is a custom turnout. They both are labeled as #4... but, the custom turnout is more like a #4 and 1/2. JMS
John thank you for the info and now that I think about it some switches say customline and some say nothing but #4 I am going to give everything a good measure next time out. Jim
Quick note on the Brass. For cleaning, if you have a well ventilated area, use Acetone instead of Isopropyl alcohol. Studies have shown it to clean better. Secondly, don't be afraid of the bright boy. The same study suggests that the microgroove concern is a bit of a myth. But you shouldn't need the bright boy. I recommend once all the track is nice and clean, you apply a super fine wet/dry grit of sandpaper to the whole thing and then clean with a cloth, then apply either a graphite layer or a No-Ox layer whichever you prefer or even both. Brass tarnishes faster than Nickle silver, but it also conducts better than nickle silver. These track cleaning techniques will reduce micro arcs which are the true reason for the lack of connectivity. You should get good worry free operation out of properly treated track. Same as Nickle Silver. Just do the initial work.
Jim, the custom turnouts have two nail holes on the frog. And, the frog is metal. The snap switch doesn't have any holes, and the frog is plastic. JMS
SnapSwitches are significantly sharper than a #4. They are not advertised by Atlas as "#4" (Edit -- at least, I've never seen them advertised as #4 over the last 20 years or so). In the photos, it looks as if the original poster may have a mix of SnapSwitches and CustomLine #4s (which are actually 4 1/2 as John Smith pointed out). That could be a reason things may not be lining up. Also, if the track is very old, there may be even earlier generations of Atlas switches (pre CustomLine) mixed in which may not have the same exact dimensions as today's products. On SnapSwitches, the diverging leg is fully curved throughout (a true 18" radius curve). On CustomLine #4s the diverging leg is straight.
I just went and checked the switch with an 18 curve and yes you are correct the snap is a curve where the custom is more straight. I did not realize they were different and I now have it figured out so the track all lines up. I am going to remove the last switch as it is to close to the edge and I can then make an easy curve using the second to the last. Live and learn and there is a lot to learn. Thank you
Byron, I have some Atlas Snap Switches that are #4 with straight diverging track. I call them "snap switches" because they come with the little electromagnet and switch for remote controlling the turnout... However, they might not be "snap" switches like you have said. But, I do know that the Atlas turnouts with control pieces are sharper than the customline #4s. JMS
My problem is being on a tight budget I happen to have a whole bunch of Snap Switches #4 which tend to make the trck go off at other then a 90 degree while the custom line does set the track at 90 degrees I am going to have to rethink my whole plan now.
