DCC Concepts bullhead fishplates

[dal-t]

Are they etched? The photo on C&L's site looks as if they could be cast (if not, they appear to have been pre-formed because they certainly don't look flat).

[Noel]

So all that need to be done is trim off the outer few millimetres of the etch?

Unfortunately no, as in this case the bolts are in two groups of three with a large gap between them. Are these fishplates designed to have a chair in the middle to support the join, or are they not a full size design at all?

http://www.dccconcepts.com/track-trackmaking-parts/dccconcepts-track-and-trackmaking-parts/rail-joiners-bullhead-4mm-scale-phosphor-bronze-25-pack

[Martin Wynne]

Are these fishplates designed to have a chair in the middle to support the join, or are they not a full size design at all?

They are described as "rail joiners", intended for RTR 00 gauge track competing with Peco. A scale model fishplate would be too fragile and non-functional. The design is purely an approximate representation of the real thing.

There is a reasonable argument for the 6 bolts -- the Meccano argument. To be functional they need to be longer than scale. Therefore if you have the bolts at the correct spacing you get more of them. Having only 4 bolts would look too far apart.

Unfortunately that wasn't the argument Richard Johnson made. I don't know what proportion of modellers of UK-style bullhead track have only ever known Australian flat-bottom track, but it can't be many.

Martin.

[martinm]

Perhaps he's just a bit confused?

Looking at some of the other items, I see he has

Roller Gauge (w/handle)
P4 Scale
18.82mm BH (2 Pack)

Roller Gauge track-making tools for track built to P4 18.83mm gauge standards (0.68mm flangeways). Made for use with bullhead rail! Two roller gauges per pack, with convenient handles also supplied.

Interesting!

martin

[grovenor-2685]

Are these fishplates designed to have a chair in the middle to support the join, or are they not a full size design at all?

The latter.
Regards

[stephenfreeman]

Hi,

I have now had chance to try the rail and flux for myself.

Firstly the Flux - certainly different to anything else I have ever used - they say it's alcohol based and judging from the smell, it is (reminds me of the stuff they use as a dis-infectant when giving injections). Personally I found that a Safety Flux sold by "Building 0 Gauge online" works much better.

I didn't have any real difficulty soldering it with the Safety Flux and Rapids Lead-Free Solder, though perhaps not quite as easily as with NS.

The rail is mainly as reported, however, I found it hard to cut with xuron snips, probably because it is softer and my snips are old, it seemed to blunt a piercing saw blade quite quickly, slitting discs worked OK.

What I am impressed with however, is the appearance of the running surface. It actually looks like the real thing, whereas NS and mild steel always leave me feeling slightly dis-satisfied.

If you want real working metal fishplates that look the part, can I remind you all, that C&L sell a lost wax cast version of the Exactoscale insulated ones. Not cheap I know but if you want something that's right....

[michaelm]

Hello all

I have actually played with these rail joiners. I was looking for a functional part that would make track laying easier and i was sick of cutting and filing PECO joiners as per Dod Rowland's method (which works sort of but leaves the fingers a bit the worse for wear). The DCC concepts items looked like the answer to a maidens prayer.

I am not all that concerned about them being six bolt (modifying them would be a pain) as i I was looking for functionality. The main issue that i had with them was they would not slide, or be easily forced, on to code 75 bullhead rail. I tried various types of rail I had in stock but it was impossible to fit them. After a bit of back and forth by e-mail to DCC they finally said that it was necessary to open them out a bit then crimp them. I would not have thought that that should be necessary, that they should just slide on with a tight fit, but i experimented. I slid the inside faces of the joiners along the blade of an old table knife. This opened them up enough so that i could then slide them along a length of code 75 rail. They were usable after that but when I finish track laying i will probably crimp them, just in case. They serve their purpose but I think that soothing has gone wrong with standards that they use.

I performed these experiments a few months ago and they may have fixed this problem by now. When I alerted them to it they seemed surprised but, based on their messages, must have experimented and found that I was right.

I would be interested in other person's experience.

Cheers
Michael

[Martin Wynne]

Note that these are PECO. Not ref the topic title.

Martin.

[Re6/6]

I did annotate the post New Peco code 75 fishplates. It seemed to me to continue the discussion on this thread on bullhead fishplates was probably the best place to post particularly as the DCC ones were not to everyone's taste.

[Martin Wynne]

Sure. Just avoiding any confusion. You can update a topic title when posting, which I hope will now work.

Martin.

[grovenor-2685]

To better avoid confusion I have started a new topic for the Peco option.
https://www.scalefour.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=5435#p53924
and moved the relevant posts to there.
Regards