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Heat Expansion

Changes due to Heat and Humidity

Beware of the effects of heat and humidity on your modules. The rail will expand and contract as the temperature changes. The wood in your module will expand contract and warp with changes in humidity.

Be aware of the affects of hot and cold. Do not solider your rail joiners. Leave a small small gap for the track to expand into if you are building when it is cold. I laid this track ion my garage in January, where the average temperature was about 42. I then moved the module into a setup in a mall where the temperature was in the mid 70's. I had three rails spring out of place due to expansion in the rail.

If you use CVMW tie strips and Barge's Glue, you can use some Lacquer Thinner to loosen the rail, lift it, trim it and replace it. That is how I fixed this problem. The fix took less then 10 minutes. 

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Page Last Updated 03/11/2005